A few years ago, Eiichiro Oda (author of One Piece) publicly announced that the series would be entering its final arc. This means that the weekly manga installments will conclude in a few years (or so it is estimated).
Following this announcement, there was a "boom" in the popularity of the work, with many people starting to watch the anime, a television series that currently has over a thousand episodes. One Piece's fame increased significantly in just a few months, so much so that plans for a live-action adaptation were set in motion.
I must say that for years, anime live-action adaptations have had a sort of curse that caused most to be of poor quality. Failed projects showed how difficult it was to transfer the magic of Japanese animation to live-action format without losing its essence. But Netflix took a chance with One Piece, and against all odds, it was a successful project.
The opening of this great story begins with Gold Roger, the Pirate King who was captured by the Navy. This man was sentenced to death. Before dying, his last words were dedicated to the entire world: that his great treasure was hidden somewhere at sea, waiting to be found; thus, all pirates, past and present, set out in search of that treasure. Later, this treasure would be known to all as the One Piece.
This is the story of Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), a young man whose dream is to become the new Pirate King. After eating a "Devil Fruit," he gained the ability to stretch like rubber. He embarks on a grand adventure to find the greatest treasure in history. For this, he needs a crew. Throughout the episodes, we see how Luffy meets his companions and gets into trouble.
The first season of "One Piece" (2023) has managed to exceed expectations and has been crowned a triumph. It remains faithful to the spirit of the original work, something undoubtedly due to the supervision of its creator during production.
Instead of simplifying fish-men into ordinary pirates or omitting the fantastical nature of the protagonist's rubber powers, the series adapts them with practical effects: notable prosthetic makeup and very competent CGI.
As for the main cast, Iñaki Godoy seems born to play Monkey D. Luffy. Alongside him, Mackenyu (Zoro), Emily Rudd (Nami), Jacob Romero Gibson (Usopp), and Taz Skylar (Sanji) do what they can. Each Straw Hat member receives limited time to develop their backstory, and despite narrative conflicts, these actors fit their characters very well.
Narratively, showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda managed to condense several anime chapters into eight one-hour episodes without the story feeling rushed. The changes and cuts made flow very naturally.
"One Piece" is famous for being an extensive series, making it highly accessible both to die-hard fans and to those just discovering the story is a major achievement.
Honestly, I haven't been able to watch every episode of the anime normally (I watched each arc's story through summaries).
But even though I already knew the initial story, I gave this live-action adaptation a chance to see what One Piece would look like in real life. Because honestly, it seems like an impossible work to adapt, a story suited to manga (cartoonish drawings), with its limits tied to the illustrator's imagination.
Eiichiro Oda developed his manga story with that in mind, so the designs of his fantastic world are far from that of an ordinary world. Current special effects have limits, and Oda’s work is very demanding. The early arcs of One Piece are feasible to adapt in due time, but I believe this live-action won’t be able to cover the entire story due to various factors like time and budget.
The first season of "One Piece" is an exciting pirate adventure full of passion, humor, and action. Netflix has unearthed its great treasure, and now the whole world is sailing toward the Grand Line with enthusiasm to discover the mystery at the end of this voyage across the vast sea.
Rating: 75/100
Originally posted through scrobble.life/tv.