The new One Piece live action is great! Since the manga’s release in 1997 One Piece has been a globally-recognized franchise. The anime version of the well beloved manga appeared just two years later and is still running today. Evidently, Fans can’t seem to get enough of Monkey D. Luffy’s adventures.
The series was released a little over a month ago on August 31 with eight episodes, each an hour long. Upon the show’s release, it was ranked #1 on Netflix.
The show starts off about twenty years prior to the main storyline when the King of the Pirates is being executed. Before he gets executed, he announces that all of his treasure is hidden in One Piece somewhere around the Grand Line (which is known as a dangerous place within the One Piece universe). This sets off a chain reaction in which all the pirates set sail in search of the One Piece; no one has been successful thus far.
Now 20 years later, pirate Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) starts his journey to find the One Piece. Luffy is a straw hatted pirate who has been saying all his life that he will be the one to find the One Piece and become king of the pirates. The real question is can he actually succeed?
In the beginning, Luffy starts out by assembling his pirate crew. First he meets Koby (Morgan Davies) but Koby sadly didn’t join his crew because he wanted to be a marine–that is, serving an army that sets out to imprison and execute pirates to protect the civilians. Next he meets Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu) who is a morally gray character with a dream to be the world’s greatest swordsman. He’s also Luffy’s first mate. Then he meets Nami (Emily Rudd) who has a troubled past with some secrets to match.
The next member to join his crew is Usopp (Jacob Gibson). Usopp is a lot like Aesop of Aesop’s Fables, telling others of his adventures, which tend to be heavily exaggerated or false.
The last member to join but certainly not least is Sanji (Taz Skylar). Luffy meets Sanji at Baratie, a fancy restaurant in the One Piece universe where Sanji works. Sanji is an incredible fighter but an even better chef and soon decides to join Luffy’s crew.
While the crew was filming, the creators of the show announced the cast and there was some backlash from longtime One Piece fans because fans feared it would be cringy or another horrible Netflix adaptation. But since the release, the hate seems to have died down. Many fans think the live action version is great and stays true to the original One Piece-lore like the anime does.
The show’s first season resembles the manga because the first season ends on the first arc of the story. Luckily enough, the show has been renewed for a second season with a possible release in 2025.
The CGI is amazing, elevating the fight scenes. The storyline is unique and interesting. You don’t need to have watched or read anything One Piece related for it to make sense at all. The One Piece live action adaptation is worth the watch because it won’t take up too much of your time and will leave you entertained.
