Just under two months before the release of the second live-action season of One Piece, it seems Netflix has finally woken up from its winter slumber and released a stylish trailer featuring the new villains. And MeinMMO author Sophia Weiß can’t get enough of it.
The live-action version of One Piece is one of the best live-action adaptations of an anime I have seen so far. In terms of quality, it is on par with the Kenshin films for me. Consequently, I was so hyped in 2023 after the release of the first season and would have gladly taken the next season as soon as possible, or simply received new episodes weekly, just like in the anime.
Unfortunately, we had to wait over two years for the announcement of the next episodes. Although there’s still a while to go until March 10, at least there are now regular new insights. Freshly served, the streaming provider offers us a stylish teaser in which we see the new villains of the season in action for the first time: the agents of the Baroque Works.
And I think they look really good – especially my absolute favorite character, Nico Robin. But maybe you should check out the trailer yourself first:
The Baroque Works – From Mister 13 to Miss All Sunday
Season 2 will likely pick up directly where the first left off: Luffy’s crew is heading full speed towards the Grand Line. First, they make a final stop in Loguetown before continuing their journey over the Rivers Mountain. After a short stop due to a giant whale, the first island the crew reaches is Whisky Peak.
Whisky Peak resembles the Wild West and is the first major nest of the Baroque Works and some of their best agents. They always operate in pairs – he is always Mister and a number, she is Miss and a holiday. The smaller the number and the more significant the holiday, the closer the agents are to the boss, Mister 0, and the more powerful they are.
In the trailer, Netflix shows Mister 5 and his partner Miss Valentine, Mister 3 and Miss Goldenweek, but also the otter in a onesie, Mister 13, and his partner Miss Friday, a vulture armed with a machine gun.
We do not get to see the ominous Mister 0 aka Sir Crocodile, but at least we see his partner: Miss All Sunday aka Miss Bloody Sunday aka Demon Child
Nico Robin. Lera Abova takes on this role and at least from the trailer, she seems to be the perfect casting.
She not only convincingly portrays Robin visually but also captures her absolute ruthlessness. For example, when she, using her Devil Fruit powers, forces Marines to commit suicide and simply walks past them. Or her warning to Luffy and his crew that not all of them are made of rubber, which might (or might not) be serious. It’s fantastic.
Here are some comparisons between the characters in the anime and live-action versions:
The Bodyguard and His Princess
Alongside the really evil characters, Miss Wednesday and Mister 8 also get their first spotlight. The two are special: Miss Wednesday’s real name is Vivi, and she is the princess of the desert kingdom Alabasta. Mister 8 is her bodyguard, Igaram.
The two have mingled among the mafiosos to learn more about their mysterious leader. They suspect that this leader wants to cause trouble in their homeland.
Vivi is played by Charithra Chandran (e.g. Edwina Sharma in Bridgerton). In the trailer, we see her only as Miss Wednesday, not yet as Vivi without her alter ego. She fights with her two peacock eyes, the Kujacky Slasher, and showcases her irresistible dance
in action, which is supposed to hypnotize and put opponents to sleep. Miss Wednesday performs this role quite well.
Not much has been seen yet of Igaram aka Mister 8. Other than his magnificent curly hair and the machine gun barrels protruding from it. But even that is pretty spectacular.
Well Executed, but From Here It Gets Fantastic
Nico Robin is my absolute favorite character from One Piece. She is incredibly cool, mysterious, smart, and loves history. Additionally, she can read the most important language in the entire One Piece universe: the script on the Poneglyphs. Many of these traits Lera Abova has already displayed in the trailer. And of course, everything visually fits here as well.
The remaining Baroque agents impress me even more. Just like in season 1, the cast and costume department have managed to translate the characters from the manga almost 1:1 into reality.
This is a remarkable achievement to keep in mind, considering that the character designs become ever more fantastic from the Grand Line onwards. Think of the wings of the Skypia inhabitants, the onion-like design of Gecko Moria, or the Longarm people.
Season 1 of the live-action version of One Piece even captivated people in my circle who have nothing to do with anime or manga. Whether season 2 can maintain this, we will have to wait and see: Similar to the character designs, the fights and abilities of the characters also become crazier from here on. In the trailer, Zoro’s swords can be seen glowing for the first time.
This might scare off some, if not done well. We will see it upon release. However, the preparation of the Sanji actor Taz Skylar for his role has been very real: Actor from One Piece shows off his cooking skills, fans are amazed: “He has really become Real-Life Sanji”
