Netflix' One Piece Show - Thoughts?

[Norwegian One]

So, the trailer for the new Netflix live-action One Piece show dropped, and as a long-time One Piece fan and, knowing the abysmal success rate of live-action adaptations, I am curious as to what people think about what we've seen so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNMSqxQtO0w

Personally, I think the main cast looks excellent. I know several of them are One Piece fans as well, and I think they embody the characters well. The CGI looks a bit mixed (the Sea King looks great, while Luffy's arm stretch a bit less so), but then again I think it might not matter too much, as One Piece is supposed to be funny as well. I'm mostly curious about how they are going to squeeze the entire East Blue Saga (some 60-ish 20-minute episodes in the anime) into 8 one-hour episodes.

So, yeah. Thoughts?

[Sludgewave]

Yeah, I dunno.
It doesn't look too bad. I think the casting was pretty good.
There's just no way to tell from a trailer because there's so many little details that could be awesome or could just be bad.  Some of the visuals are pretty great (though I didn't really like the second we saw of Buggy.)

I guess the thing that really makes me kinda not care is the feeling that the adaptation will just be left hanging without any kind of resolution? Obviously I don't expect them to adapt the entirety of the series, but it's possible end a series on a note that says "the adventure continues" but also giving a sense of resolution. You know what I mean? But I feel we wouldn't even get that.
And that alone makes me not want to watch it because what if I end up actually liking it and it just gets dropped?

I heard that's what they did with Cowboy Bebop. That instead of just adapting the series to fit in one season they left it with a bunch of threads they were planning on picking up in a second season, which... obviously is never happening.
I read that while about half-way through the first episode and it made me stop watching right there (and I was fully intending to give the whole thing a fair shot).

So yeah, I still dunno what to think.



I would be heavily interested in knowing the thoughts of what people who have never seen One Piece and maybe never even really watched anime before would think of it, though.
Maybe this will win the series some fans. Or worst case scenario it puts people off the series worse than the 4kids dub did.

[Norwegian One]

Yeah, I get where you are coming from in regards to the possibility of cancellation. Sadly, this is just how things are in this day and age, with streaming services and the like; companies seem far less willing to give shows a proper go, if the initial viewing numbers are not to their expectations. I literally can't count the number of shows Netflix has cancelled after one season, and I understand why that can be off-putting. I guess it all comes down to whether people will give it a shot, as Netflix at least seems to cancel shows if they lose too many viewers over a season (I guess, as a prediction of viewership ratings for an eventual second season).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ades3pQbeh8

Anyway, the full trailer just dropped, and I have to say that I think it nails the One Piece vibe. One Piece has never shied away from being weird and wonky, and here we see a lot of the weirdness of the One Piece world that was 'hidden' in the first trailer. Luffy's stretching, the character designs, the ships and settings, it all translates surprisingly well to real life. My one gripe is Arlong and his teeny tiny sawfish nose, but then again I am unsure of how else they would have translated it into real life without making him full CGI. I also guess that he won't use his nose in attacks, like he does in the anime/manga, as they will probably go for a more realistic fighting style.

Like I said, many of the characters look great, both those prominent in the trailer and those hinted to. We see Gol D. Roger, Shanks, Mihawk, Kuroobi, Garp(?), Coby, even Bellamy on a poster, and they all look really good. Of course, it will be a different thing to see them move and talk, but as far as designs go, I think they have struck a good balance of adhering to the original while still making them look like real people.

I think the hardest thing for fans like me, might be to separate this mentally from the anime and manga, and enjoy it as its own thing. It's never going to be a completely faithful adaptation, as that would be too big of a project and completely unrealistic, but sort of a shortened, slightly abridged version. And I think it all comes down to whether this will actually make new people interested in One Piece. I think for me, in the end, it will all depend on whether they can nail the emotional punches as well as the comedic one, as One Piece has never shied away from being deep and emotional as much as it is funny and wacky.

Like you, I am very interested to see what people with no relationship to One Piece think of it. Any members here who haven't seen/read One Piece before, who'd like to weigh in?

[Sludgewave]

I'm kind of digging it so far.  The teaser was a little unsure for me, but now I'm kinda sold.  I'm liking Iñaki Godoy as Luffy especially. He's doing a good job of keeping the Luffy vibe while its still his own characterization.

I love that they kept such bright, solid cover for the costumes.  Gives me a vibe like Japanese-produced films and stage shows.  Trying to capture that anime feel and not being overly concerned with it being corny (which American cinema is too often guilty of when adapting stylized visual media).

[Norwegian One]

The general consensus I see among commentators and reactors seems to be that reception to the teaser was a bit mixed, while most people seem pretty convinced by the actual trailer. Definitely excited for this, and there's a good chance I will be binging most of the season the day it comes out :)

[SilkenVenom]

I'm certainly going to check it out, though I have no idea how they are going to handle it story wise or how much they are going to cover. Considering how ridiculous the series gets pretty quickly, I have concerns about future seasons and the insane SFX budget that would be needed. Chopper and Brook will have to be almost entirely CGI generated and (as we already saw with Arlong) clearly a lot of character won't look anything like they should just due to practical reasons. Like how in the hell would they even pull off characters like Big Mom or Kaido?

It still looks far more faithful to the source material than every other adaptation, which deserves some credit. I'm looking forward to it.

[Norwegian One]

I imagine Chopper would probably be something akin to Detective Pikachu, but yes, there would probably be lots of CGI for many characters. I would love to see how they will handle all the wacky character designs and powers from the Alabasta Arc, because for season one we will probably have mostly quite 'tame' powers. Big Mom and Kaido would probably have to be up-scaled, humanoid characters, though even before that part of the series we will certainly have some quite big characters (Giants, Kuma, Gecko Moria, etc.).

[Silvered Sutures]

Cue joke about Nami's boobs being smaller than her head.

That aside though, it might be good but honestly I'll reserve judgement until I've seen it. Being hyped about anime adaptations to live action has never gone well before.

[Norwegian One]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF06TZta1l0

New trailer dropped!

Very cool seeing more behind-the-scenes shots, and more dialogue from the cast. Especially Usopp, who has been very little in the trailers so far, and it looks like they are going for a nice mixture of funny and cowardly that suits his dream of becoming a brave warrior. I also really like Luffy's heart to heart with Zoro, which seems to highlight very well Luffy's ability to inspire those around him ;D

In addition, we get some more glimpses of minor characters, such as Helmeppo and Morgan, and some dialogue from Buggy.

Ten days to go!

[Inkidu]

Eh, it was... okay. Luffy was actually probably the weakest of the main cast but that's more to do with the exuberance and whimsy of the anime that just can't translate into live-action. I watched the pilot, but I think that's all I'mma watch.

[Sludgewave]

Just want to say I love how all the characters tear or bat aside their wanted posters.  It's totally silly but I love it.

But no, I really like it.

[Norwegian One]

Okay, I finally got around to finishing the Season.

In short; It's a solid win ;D

No, really, this is how you do a live action adaptation. It doesn't follow the story 100%, and there are a slew of changes that have been made in both shortening it down to fit within about 8 hours of screentime, as well as in the name of translating it to a very different medium. Still, I will say that most of the changes are good, and most importantly they work in the show's favour. Some characters have been cut, most arcs have been streamlined for ease of storytelling and flow and, most importantly I think, some scenes have been added that really flesh out certain characters.

For one, I love how the Marines are given more attention, and the story follows Koby, Helmeppo and Garp parallel to the Straw Hats. It gives them a lot of character development that was sorely missing in the anime, and I for one am all for it. I also quite enjoy how the story is layered, as opposed to strictly episodic, and we learn more about the characters throughout the season rather than having each episode focus solely on a single character. An example is how Luffy, Nami and Sanji have their backstories fleshed out over several episodes, rather than a massive flashback for each of them.

I think the one thing I missed was Zoro's single combat against Hachi, but I see how it was a necessary cut, and overall the fights in this series are good. The choreography is fun, the camera work is hectic yet stylish, and the humour lands well. They also manage to nail a lot of the emotional moments, even if there is a hint of campiness. I think the fact that they lean into the ridiculousness and humorous undertones helps a lot, and Nami's big, emotional moment in episode 7 lands almost as well as it does in the anime. That, in itself, is a solid win for me.

Overall, definitely a series I will watch again and again, even as I get back to the task of catching up to the anime. Eagerly awaiting the news of a season 2 by Netflix.

[SilkenVenom]

After finally watching it myself, I have to say I absolutely loved it.

The casting was (mostly) perfect. The sets are amazing. Costume design is spot-on. The use of both CGI and practical effects strikes a perfect balance. The choreography was well done. By far the best live-action adaptation to date...probably ever. Not only did the people in charge know the material, but it really seemed all the actors knew the material as well.

I get that stuff had to get cut out and I think a lot of what they cut was good. The Syrup Village arc I think was way better in this than in the anime/manga. The actor playing Captain Kuro was phenomenal. I do think the Arlong Park arc suffered a bit from the cutting, but the most important aspects were there, so it still was very good. Obviously the part of the show that suffers the most is the fight scenes simply due to the nature of live-action. While they are still good, they lose a lot of the gravitas and epicness they would otherwise have as they are a lot tamer. I also really loved the personal interactions between the crew (ex. Zoro and Nami talking in Baratie) that we don't really get a lot of in the anime/manga. Luffy isn't a completely brain dead moron this time, which I really appreciate. He's still a bit ridiculous, but not insufferable.

I really didn't like so much focus being placed on Garp, Coby and Helmeppo. While I do appreciate the fleshing out of these characters more and I enjoyed them quite a bit, but I feel like it took up too much time that should have been spent on advancing the story more. They probably could have covered the Loguetown events with the time they spent on it.

My biggest concerns for the future is the special effects themselves, the toned down fights and future characters. For the most part the East Blue saga is pretty tame so it has worked for now, but by the time we reach the Grand Line and things rapidly get more and more ridiculous, I'm worried that it will start to fall apart. We will have to see.

Overall, I want more. Like, now. And it angers me we will probably have to wait at least a year before we get more. I miss the days of 20+ episode seasons.

[Andol]

Going to keep my opinion short... as someone who loves the anime and manga. This one hit all the right spots, and a lot of the emotional notes I felt back when I watched the anime back in the day. Certainly hoping for a season 2.

[Inkidu]

I did end up watching more of it, and I think the biggest strength is that it is a TV show that knows it doesn't have the room to run usually afforded a comic or anime (which to be honest all anime are generally just advertisement for the comic) so it has to really streamline a lot of things. Get them all in line and hooked up as quickly as possible. This makes it by far a more dense watch than the anime, even if a lot of the spectacle and whimsy have to get toned down. 

[FyreFoxx]

So I will preface this by saying I have never seen One Piece. I have never read the manga. I have never wanted to. I have extremely limited knowledge, having seen the odd bits here and there, and one partial OVA that I was forced to watch but completely lost on. I have never seen the trailer or teasers for this, and honestly, until recently, didn't even know it existed really. My best friend is obsessed with One Piece, so she dragged me to binge it over two days.

I was pleasantly surprised by this series. I knew some of the main characters, but that was about it. I liked the mix of CGI, even if some of it might have been a bit wonky at times. Having no prior knowledge of the series, there were things that probably didn't bother me as much as someone else that had seen the source material. Being familiar with certain tropes, there were definitely times where I saw a plot twist coming in advance (looking at you, Kuro!), but they still did a good job at portraying them and keeping me on my toes. Doesn't hurt there's some really nice eye candy. I am to understand that the actors also did their own stunts, and the actor who played Zoro is familiar with swordplay and has experience in other anime-adaptations. (I believe it was Jujutsu Kaisen?) Sanji also took up cooking and kickboxing for his role and it shows in the choreography. It was overall emotional, captivating, funny, and very engaging. It made me want to see more and I can't wait to see the announcement of a second season.


...needless to say, my One Piece obsessed best friend has now dragged me into the depth of the sea for 1000+ episodes, just like she always wanted.

[Norwegian One]

...needless to say, my One Piece obsessed best friend has now dragged me into the depth of the sea for 1000+ episodes, just like she always wanted.

*chants* One of us, one of us ;D

[Inkidu]

I'm kind of the opposite. I ultimately liked the live-action adaptation (generally for the condensing and dovetailing of ideas and themes. If I'd had more time I'd have written a shorter letter and all that). I want back and tried to watch the anime because it's right there on the same service, but... no... I'm reminded why I didn't stick with this show. It's got more action and all, but I'm just not eager to be weighed down by years and years of weekly-format writing. The adaption was nice and dense and my time investment paid off. I can barely make it through four episodes before I'm just done. I just ain't got time or inclination to get back into the longest running comic because to be honest, I think Oda was really eager to take on the live-action adaptation because it provides him as a creator to apply years of hindsight.

Oh well! :D

EDIT: Maybe, Oda wasn't. From what I understand he's gotten  worse about stretching content in more recent years. XD

[Ariel]

Tiktok won once again. I’ve always been familiar with the main characters of OP but I never felt the urge to watch the anime, especially due to its size. I know you can skip the filler episodes but it didn’t feel right so I never looked into it. I wasn’t even going to watch this version, to be honest, even though I did like the casting choices. However… once I saw Buggy, it was curtains.  :-[ :P

I loved the scenes I saw so much that I considered watching it and once I saw how adorable Inaki Godoy is, I decided to just go for it. Now I’m on episode 5 and it’s so good so far. I love beautiful storytelling and this is doing a fantastic job of showing us the current story along with each character’s backstory. I love that the actors are OP fans, it just makes the scenes so heartwarming and good. I might even consider starting the anime… maybe. No promises.  ::)

Yet another Ariel 0 Tiktok 1 *facepalm*

[Yori]

I've had the anime on my watchlist for years and never got around to watching it. I've seen a few episodes here and there and was interested, but not in any big rush.

The live action was great, in my opinion. I know that they shortened it a lot, but I think they struck a really good balance between pacing, plot, and action. Definitely written by people who appreciate and understand the original.

Unlike other recent adaptations that make no sense because they take themselves too seriously and completely missed the point of the source material, I think this is great for those of us who don't have unlimited time to watch all the anime episodes and read the manga.

It did inspire me to actually start watching the anime, and I have to say that the live action has superior pacing despite missing some of the detailed nuances of the anime.

[yugi006]

I love One Piece and so far I'm only finished 3 episodes but it's pretty good so far. It stays pretty faithful to the anime. I like that some of the characters didn't look exactly like the anime like Sanji with the curly eyebrows or Usopp with the long nose. While that worked for those two characters I feel that it didn't work for Arlong. In the live action he looks more hideous than menacing or scary looking without the sharp pointy nose.

[AlizsahTheBard]

I loved the show, and seeing Nami with muscles made this girl overjoyed <3. I have not seen anime, but I definitely did find the show entertaining and loved the set design and how it managed to translate the anime to live action. 

[PrestaDGTation]

  This is one of the best anime adaptations I've ever seen, honestly.

  Like, I'm a long-time fan of the One Piece Manga, and I was seriously afraid for this show. But it did what an anime adaptation should do: It recognized that it's not going to hit the same note that animation can, so it didn't really try to. Instead, they made a swashbuckler show with clown pirates in it. You can see that in the first few minutes with Gold Roger, who looks like someone they pulled out of Black Sails.

  I loved the changes. Arlong, who's always been the snide, vaguely terrifying fish-themed tutorial boss that traumatized Nami, was tweaked into this syrupy, tribal, racial supremacist! And Buggy. BUGGY. If the animated version of this failing-upward fool could see his life-action adaptation, he'd weep for joy! They gave the bastard swagger! They made Buggy. Sexy.

  And a personal favorite mild-spoiler of mine...

 

Lion Fight

  Right, so, in the anime, there's a bit where Luffy has to fight this guy riding a giant lion. Good early series mid-boss, makes room for the swordsman on the unicycle that comes in next. Keeps in theme with the whole circus thing, y'know.
  I wondered how they were gonna do that in the live action series, but here comes Swagger Buggy yelling at his circus of pirates.
  "Why weren't the lights on me?" he shouts. "Why was my entrance music delayed!?"
  And then he walks up to the guy anime Luffy fought and says: "And where? Oh, where. Was the Dancing. Lion."
  And that character looks embarrassed and is promptly written out.
  I died.

 

  Granted, it's not perfect. But it's close enough that it made me fall in love with One Piece all over again. And anything that can do that isn't that bad, says I.

  Oregano is for Savages.

[Andol]

This is one of the best anime adaptations I've ever seen, honestly.

  Like, I'm a long-time fan of the One Piece Manga, and I was seriously afraid for this show. But it did what an anime adaptation should do: It recognized that it's not going to hit the same note that animation can, so it didn't really try to. Instead, they made a swashbuckler show with clown pirates in it. You can see that in the first few minutes with Gold Roger, who looks like someone they pulled out of Black Sails.

  I loved the changes. Arlong, who's always been the snide, vaguely terrifying fish-themed tutorial boss that traumatized Nami, was tweaked into this syrupy, tribal, racial supremacist! And Buggy. BUGGY. If the animated version of this failing-upward fool could see his life-action adaptation, he'd weep for joy! They gave the bastard swagger! They made Buggy. Sexy.

  And a personal favorite mild-spoiler of mine...

 

Lion Fight

  Right, so, in the anime, there's a bit where Luffy has to fight this guy riding a giant lion. Good early series mid-boss, makes room for the swordsman on the unicycle that comes in next. Keeps in theme with the whole circus thing, y'know.
  I wondered how they were gonna do that in the live action series, but here comes Swagger Buggy yelling at his circus of pirates.
  "Why weren't the lights on me?" he shouts. "Why was my entrance music delayed!?"
  And then he walks up to the guy anime Luffy fought and says: "And where? Oh, where. Was the Dancing. Lion."
  And that character looks embarrassed and is promptly written out.
  I died.

 

  Granted, it's not perfect. But it's close enough that it made me fall in love with One Piece all over again. And anything that can do that isn't that bad, says I.

  Oregano is for Savages.

I second a lot of what you said, especially about Arlong. They gave him a lot of characteristics of his mentor Hody Jones who appears way way later in the manga so it will shine through where he got such beliefs if they get that far.  

[ingridguerci94]

I actually thought it would suck like every Anime Live action... But holy cow... it proved me wrong! It was a really good show! But I give it a 8/10. They litterly did great when doing the story! And I was wrong about Buggy... he was really a good actor! Overall... One piece is the first ever Anime to have a Live action that was actually really good!