There are three generally accepted outcomes for live-action anime adaptations. There are genuine success stories likeSpeed Racer. There are inoffensive but ultimately pointless reworkings like theRurouni Kenshinmovies. Finally, the most overstuffed category is borderline slanderous disasters likeCowboy Bebop, Dragonball Evolution,Netflix’sDeath Note,and many more.One Piecesits in the second camp for now, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun.
Netflix’s first crack at Oda’s opus comes to the small screen courtesy of Marc Jobst. The director is among the streaming service’s frequent hires,helming episodes ofDaredevil, The Punisher,andThe Witcher. Writer Matt Owens shares similar experience with his name on episodes ofThe DefendersandLuke Cage. He’s joined by longtime writer/producer Steven Maeda.
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One Pieceopens with a brief explanation of its unique circumstances. Beloved and accomplished pirate Gold Roger sits on the stand awaiting his execution. Before the Marines have him stabbed to death, he proudly announces that his impossibly vast collection of treasure is out there somewhere. The crowd and a significant percentage of the entire world set out to sea on his advice. The Golden Age of Piracy begins in earnest.Enter Monkey D. Luffy, an excitable teenager who dreams of finding that treasure, the titular One Piece, for himself. Luffy is a ball of energy. He’s manic, good-natured, naive, and violently opposed to authority as a concept. He’s also made entirely of rubber and on the hunt for a decent crew.
Luffy seems to be a magnet for trouble. He helps inspire courage in a young pirate named Koby, who quickly becomes a dear friend. To search for the One Piece, he’ll need a map of the Grand Line, a heavily contested and unpredictable ocean route only Gold Roger has ever successfully sailed. Along the way,he encounters Roronoa Zoro, a stern bounty hunter armed with three swords, and Nami, a con artist with designs on the same map. Circumstances bring the trio together, and though they struggle to see eye-to-eye, Luffy is convinced he’s found the first two members of his crew. It’s a great showcase for the main character and his first two hires. Everyone gets a few chances to shine in an action scene, their personality shining through each exchange. Add a comical villain with an ax for a hand, and they’ve got themselves a pilot.
The cast will be one of any adaptation’s most hotly contested elements. Individual fans will fight forever over whether a performer truly captured the spirit of their favorite character. With three of the most notable figures duly established, it’s fair to say that the series has made some interesting choices. Iñaki Godoy, late of theunduly forgotten superhero seriesThe Imperfects, was seemingly hand-picked by manga artist Eiichiro Oda. Oda’s meeting with Godoy was released as a promo for the series, and it may be the most genuinely heartwarming moment to come out of it. Godoy is immediately likable and effortlessly charismatic in the role. It’s a tough line to walk without being abrasive, but Godoy is nailing it so far. Mackenyu, known forseveral live-action anime adaptations, brings intensity and intimidation to Zoro. His voice isn’t perfect for the character, but he’s dynamite in the action scenes. Emily Rudd is fine as Nami, but she may need a few episodes to come into her own. The cast is strong so far, but there are a lot of characters left to meet.
One Pieceis deeply fascinating as an experiment. The anime is famous for its strange sense of humor and strikingly weird character designs. Transferring many of these aspects to live action will create a heady sense of dreamlike unreality. The series borrows as much from classic swashbucklers likeCutthroat Islandand,of course, thePirates of the Caribbeanmoviesas it does from the anime. Watching typical movie pirates exchange gunfire and swing from ropes is all well and good until someone stretches their arm half a mile or pops a sword into their mouth. It’s bizarre in a very charming way. The show can never hope to be as anarchic as the original anime, but the experience of cartoon logic breaking out into the real world is oddly satisfying every time. It’s immersive in a charming way, though animation is stillinarguably a better mediumfor this story in every conceivable way.
There’s not much of a reason for Netflix’sOne Pieceto exist. Taken as its own experience, it’s fun so far. Almost every plot beat has been adapted wholesale from the original story, though the moments have been switched around or reimagined. As a first episode, “Romance Dawn” is enjoyable enough to establish some hope for future episodes. Rest easy,One Piecefans, it’s not nearly as bad as we all assumed it would be. Maybe it’ll reachtoward thatSpeed Racerpeak in future episodes.
