It is the Golden Age of Pirates. Many around the world take to the seas not
just to earn a name and a reputation but also to find the lost treasure of Gold
Roger, the One Piece, hidden somewhere in the Grand Line. Monkey D. Luffy is one of the many aspiring
Pirates looking to claim Gold Rogers title of King of the Pirates. But it will take more than just finding the
One Piece. It’ll require guts, courage,
a fast ship and a loyal crew to watch his back.
No matter the challenge, nothing is going to stand in the way of Luffy
fulfilling his dream on the adventure of a lifetime.
When I heard that Netflix was actually going ahead with a
Live Action One Piece series, my first reaction was “you’ve got to be kidding
me.”
It wasn’t just because this was
announced right around the time Cowboy Bebop arrived on Netflix and I can still
see the smoldering ruins to this day.
No
it’s because of how long the Anime and Manga have become in the last 25
years.
Just how the heck is Netflix
planning on doing this with a project the has zero end in sight (despite what
the author claims I still don’t think the Manga or Anime will be done for
another few years).
Still, as an Anime
fan who isn’t big on One Piece, I still waited to see how this would all play
out.
Initial buzz had been positive and
several friends who do like the Anime had shared their optimism thanks to
Netflix receiving direct input and blessings from series creator Eiichiro Oda
himself.
This has lead the Live Action
One Piece to become one of, if not the, most anticipated title of 2023 for
Anime fans.
So, the pressure as high as it
can be: does One Piece sink or swim?
The 8 episode first season covers several storylines from
the Animes first season.
Naturally, this
comes with a few challenges of cramming almost 40 episode (I think, did I
mention the Anime is close to 1100 episodes?), into 8 1 hour episodes.
For example, I feel like the show could have
done a better job integrating the backstories of each character a bit
better.
Some like Luffy, Nami and
Usopp’s do factor into their own episodes but Zoro and Sanji’s feel like
entirely separate episodes unto themselves.
They’re all good, don’t get me wrong (dear God Sanji’s backstory is
rough to watch).
But I feel like cutting
away to these cuts off precious time we could use to see the Straw Hats
interacting more in the present when things aren’t going to hell in a
handbasket.
Part of me thinks it’s
Netflix covering their bases should they decide not to renew One Piece for a
Second Season.
Fair enough but as I’ll
explain, I don’t think they have anything to worry about anymore.
The world of One Piece is one of the most colorful,
vibrant and hugely expanded upon in all of Anime.
Translating those visuals to the small screen
isn’t an easy feat but the TV Series is always up for taking its shot.
It never feels as huge as the Anime gets, not
a bad thing cause there’s still time for that in future seasons.
It does, however, still feel like One Piece.
The sea side towns, the wacky personalities
at sea, the kick ass swordplay, everything that makes the Anime and Manga work
is all here.
And unlike Cowboy Bebop,
One Piece isn’t just relying on visual cues to get the job done.
Each episode give viewers a look at another
corner of this water world (sorry I couldn’t help it) and it feels right,
rather than forced like some of Bebops more out there additions that made no
sense.
Humans with animalistic features
walk side by side with other humans.
Every town has some kind of crazy pirate schenanigans happening.
And everywhere you go has a story to
tell.
This is a very lived in world with
a rich history you want to know more of.
This is a production that understands its source material and is
bringing it to life its own way, even if it does take itself too seriously
sometimes but I’ll come back to that.
The cast, like Bebop’s, is pretty good.
Iñaki Godoy pulls off all of legendary Anime
hero Monkey D. Luffy’s eccentricities and excitable energy while still keeping
the character very grounded and never going over the top.
Mackenyu continues his string of bringing bad
ass Anime character to life with Zoro.
He’s a bit one note in his delivery but he does lighten up as the season
continues and its always a pleasure to see him kick some ass with Zoro’s three
sword style.
Emily Rudd’s Nami feels a
bit more rough compared to her Anime counterpart but she’s always a strong part
of the heart of One Piece and she arguably goes through the most important
character arc of the season.
Jacob
Romero Gibson is a joy as Usopp, playing the comic relief who never gets
annoying and you have to admire his bravery and heart despite his wanting to
run away from really big problems.
I
really wish we spent more time with Taz Skylar’s Sanji as he comes in around
the halfway mark.
It’s one of the
reasons why I wish this season had been 10 episodes instead of 8.
Sanji is probably my favorite of the bunch
with his too cool for school culinary skills and incredibly friendly and noble
demeanor and I want to see more of how he bounces off the others, especially
his quiet rivalry with Zoro.
There are other standout characters like Morgan Davis’
Koby, who gets more of an arc than I imagined and the always excellent Vincent
Regan as Garp as a Marine Admiral with a bone to pick with Luffy.
Probably the biggest stand out character of
the season though is Jeff Ward (who plays my man Deke on Marvel’s Agents of
SHEILD) as Buggy the Clown.
What could
have been played as a One Piece version of the Joker never reaches that kind of
cliché and instead goes for a nice balance of twisted humor and scary villainy.
The combination of the awesome make up,
visual effects and Ward chewing the scenery at every opportunity helps Buggy
steal the show and I know he’s gonna be a fan favorite for One Piece’s first
season.
Shoutout as well to McKinley
Belcher III as Arlong.
The makeup
effects on him are great and I cant help but love his voice, very Star Trek
Klingon.
Also how cool is it they got
Ian freaking McShane to do the opening narraration for Gold Roger’s
execution?
I know he’s pricey but can we
get more of him in Season 2 please?
Like I said above, this iteration of One Piece does
remain faithful to its source material while doing its own thing.
Part of that comes from knowing how much of
the wacky visuals to use and when to dial things back and let the characters do
the heavy lifting.
I’m surprised Luffy’s
rubber techniques were used so frequently but it was equally cool seeing him
bounce around and fighting without them at times.
It does make this One Piece feel a bit
grounded while still adhering to its epic Anime roots.
I will say, because I don’t watch the Anime,
I don’t know how serious somethings get (somethings way down the line for sure
but still).
Ergo, I don’t know if some
of the more darker moments of the Live Action series merit that kind of
dramatic shift in tone while possibly sacrificing the fun and exciting vibe
from the Anime.
Does One Piece need to
take itself this seriously?
No but I do
think all of the rough histories each of these main characters have been
through, it makes the victories they achieve all the more worthwhile.
I keep coming back to this, I know, but it’s
the exact opposite of how Cowboy Bebop thought being weirder was better when it
just reminded everyone how those working on the show didn’t get Cowboy Bebop at
all.
One Piece can go dark but never
loses sight of the heroes who come out the other side stronger and ready to
fight for their dreams because of them.
I’m not gonna say this is gonna get me to start the multi
months (or years) journey to binge all of the Anime but I have to say, I really
enjoyed the First Season of Netflix’s One Piece.
I wont say it’s as polished as say Rurouni
Kenshin but with the budget it has to work with, it does an admirable job of
starting to lay out the wide and colorful world of Eiichiro Oda’s odyssey.
The main cast nail their characters and I
want to see more of them and the Villains and antagonists
who are all layered, complex and a helluva
fun collection that perfectly exemplify the unpredictable and high octane world
of the Seven Seas.
I didn’t have very
high hopes or expectations going into One Piece, just so long as it didn’t turn
into another Cowboy Bebop.
Well how
ironic is it that the Live Action Series based on an Anime I hardly watch turns
out better than a Live Action Anime that totally botched one close to my heart?
I hope reception to this is strong enough for
Netflix to give the go ahead for another season…cause holy crap, I cant believe
I’m saying this…but they kind of got it right for once.
8/10
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