On August 31, 2023, Netflix achieved something that MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß believed was impossible: The streaming service released the first season of the new live-action adaptation of the legendary manga and anime epic One Piece. The impossible part? It is really really good.
Live-action adaptations of manga and anime come in all quality levels. At the lower end of the scale, we have our Dragonball Evolutions, Super Mario Bros. from 1993, and the Western Death Note.
On the other side, films like Rurouni Kenshin and the two Japanese Death Note movies balance things out. In between, we find titled Ghost in the Shell, Ouran Highschool Host Club, or the Sailor Moon J-drama.
Given that, it’s absolutely astonishing that Netflix, of all companies, and with One Piece, has produced the best live-action adaptation so far.
The announcement of the live-action film made me unhappy
One Piece has been with me for a very long time. The story has always been there, it feels:
I watched One Piece on Tele 5 after school, read the manga on the train to university, and devoured the latest chapter during lunch breaks at work. During my year abroad in Japan, I faithfully bought the new Shonen Jump, the magazine where One Piece is published weekly, and I saw the Universal Studios Osaka stunt show.
Long before the announcement, rumors about a live-action film were circulating on the internet. I discussed the topic at length with my friends. Under what circumstances could this go well? What must not happen? Do we even want this?
The conclusion was: One Piece is the one anime that does not need a live-action adaptation and would be the hardest to implement. How could one realistically depict such a fantastical and twisted world?
For those of you who do not know One Piece:
Monkey D. Luffy is a young man who dreams of becoming the “King of the Pirates”. His distinguishing feature: A straw hat. He sets sail in a small boat to pursue his dream. The special thing about him is that as a child, he ate a so-called Devil Fruit. Because of this, he can no longer swim, but he can stretch and deform his body like rubber.
Just that is difficult to depict “in real” without it looking silly. When I think of people with axes for hands or living snails that serve as phones, it can only look good in animation.
So it’s not like I was floating on cloud nine when Netflix announced it. In fact, quite the opposite. I was even convinced it would be terrible. Especially considering many of the recently released adaptations made me uneasy: Netflix itself is responsible for the rather tricky adaptations of Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, and Death Note.
Slowly but surely, the hype ignites
Then came the announcement that the One Piece artist Eiichiro Oda himself would pull the strings. The cast was introduced. It did not sound as bad as feared.
And then Netflix showed the first trailer. I was not impressed. Until the second trailer. With that, my skepticism turned into cautious hope. Already in the trailer, some iconic scenes could be seen. And they looked good.
The final nail in the coffin of my rejection was the news directly from Oda:
If Oda-san is satisfied with the series himself, what do I have to fear as a fan?
With the announcement of the release date, the evening I would devour the series was firmly marked in the calendar.
This convinced me about the series
Here I give you the points that ultimately convinced me of this adaptation.
The casting is amazing! Episode one opens with the execution of Gol D. Roger, the reigning king of the pirates 20 years before Luffy’s departure. His speech is as epic as it needs to be to spark a 20-year-long treasure hype. The camera ride through the crowd makes me particularly happy, as you can discover familiar faces everywhere.
Luffy’s actor, Iñaki Godoy, manages to capture the One Piece spirit in his very first scene: That’s Luffy. That’s Luffy’s small boat. And yes. He will become the king of the pirates.
The locations in the series were faithfully recreated to the best of their ability. Be it cities like Shellstown or the ships. Especially the Going Mary and Garp’s warship – it has a dog head as a figurehead!
However, the series does not overwhelm you with all the “peculiarities” of its world from the beginning.
The most important thing is: The special effects are good. When rubber man Luffy stretches, it does not look silly. Buggy’s separation abilities are both funny and creepy, but without appearing out of place. The sea battles easily hold their own against modern Hollywood productions.
Of course, there are also things that stand out negatively: Some characters look a bit distorted and strange, like the fish people from the Arlong pirate crew. However, this does not weigh too heavily overall. It’s a matter of taste how one finds the costumes. They are colorful and fit the characters and the world, but in some places they look like cheap cosplays.
I recommend everyone to give the series at least a chance
Ultimately, I can say that One Piece on Netflix is a dream come true for me. And when last night, at the end of episode four, an orchestral version of the legendary Japanese opening “We Are!” by Hiroshi Kitadani played, I finally felt at home.
Even our editor-in-chief Leya reminisced today when we talked about One Piece on Netflix.
But One Piece on Netflix works even if you are not familiar with the anime or manga. Ultimately, it is a good adventure story that shows you a wonderfully bizarre world that is surprisingly profound and touches the heart.
