What did we think of the “One Piece” series, adapted from Eiichiro Oda’s cult manga, to be discovered exclusively on Netflix?
WHAT IS IT ABOUT ?
There was a time when Gol D. Roger was the greatest of all pirates, the “Pirate King” was his nickname. Upon his death, his priceless treasure known as “One Piece” was hidden somewhere on the “Grand Line”.
Many pirates went in search of this treasure but all died before they even reached it. Monkey D. Luffy dreams of finding this legendary treasure and becoming the new “Pirate King”. After eating a devil fruit, he possesses a power allowing him to realize his dream. Now he has to find a crew to go on an adventure!
WHO IS IT WITH?
Iñaki Godoy was chosen to lend his features to Monkey D. Luffy, the hero of the series. The choice of the Mexican actor, seen in particular in the series Who killed Sara?, was validated in person by the author of the manga Eiichiro Oda, after having managed to make him laugh during his audition video.
The rest of the Straw Hat crew consists of swordsman Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu), navigator Nami (Emily Rudd), piper storyteller Usopp (Jacob Romero), and chef Sanji (Taz Skylar). Former Pirate King Gol D. Roger is played by Michael Dorman!
Several iconic characters from the manga are also present in this first season. Including Baggy the clown (Jeff Ward), Dracule Mihawk (Steven John Ward), the fish-man Arlong (McKinley Belcher III) or even Luffy’s mentor, Shanks the redhead (Peter Gadiot). But also Navy Vice-Admiral Garp (Vincent Regan) and Kobby (Morgan Davies).
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IT’S WORTH CHECKING OUT ?
We had become so used to hearing pessimistic predictions against it that even before its broadcast, One Piece seemed condemned to join the pantheon of bad adaptations. live action of anime and manga.
It must be said that in this area, Netflix has not left only good memories for fans, as evidenced by the film Death Note, and more recently the series Cowboy Bebop canceled from its first season.
Each announcement and each image revealed has been dissected by the most unconditional fans of the manga. And the slightest change from the original work was interpreted by them as irrefutable proof that this One Piece series will be an industrial disaster like Dragonball Evolution, the poor adaptation of the Dragon Ball manga.
Adapting One Piece: an impossible bet… but successful?
But let’s say it straight away: One Piece is a success as unexpected as it is pleasing, coupled with an adaptation rather faithful to Eiichiro Oda’s manga. It must be said that the mangaka left nothing to chance, going so far as to get personally involved in all stages of production and even to demand that scenes be judged “unsatisfactory” be returned.
The main success of this live-action version is its cast. Actor Iñaki Godoy seems to have been born to play Luffy. The one who got the role by making the mangaka laugh during his audition manages to juggle perfectly between the many humorous scenes of the program and the more serious sequences.
His energy, his joie de vivre and his charisma bring a lot of credibility to the character, and it is easy to understand why the other protagonists of the series agree to join his crew.
And too bad if some fans remain fixated on the absence of his sandals (replaced by shoes, for security reasons for filming action scenes).
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Credible in the interpretation, Luffy is just as much in the appearance – whether it’s his costume but also the special effects of the battle scenes. The live-action adaptation of One Piece could only work if its elastic powers were successful, and this challenge was met with flying colors by the series!
The other revelation of the series is undoubtedly McKenyu. The solitary and distant character of the character is perfectly restored, and the training of the American-Japanese actor is felt in each of the action scenes, for the most part shot without a double!
His duet with Sanji (also embodied to perfection by Taz Skylar) works wonderfully, and the alchemy that unites each of the five members of the Straw Hat crew is almost a miracle!
A feel-good series for everyone!
The tone of the series is also perfectly faithful to the original work. Admittedly, changes were necessary, mainly for questions of rhythm: several characters are absent or relegated to the background, some slight chronological arrangements have been made, and certain revelations occur earlier than in the manga…
Thanks to a large budget (144 million dollars for this season, one of the most expensive series of all time), One Piece retains the itinerant character of the comic strip by following the journeys undertaken in each episode by the crew of the Straw Hat from island to island, thus involving the construction of numerous sets.
taking the form of a origin story, this first season allows us to meet the main heroes of the series (others will join them in the coming seasons) but also to discover the contours of this vast universe. No need therefore to know the manga on the fingertips to appreciate this adaptation primarily intended for the general public.
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What fans will like less
However, One Piece is not a success at all levels. The fights sometimes lack clarity, and the presence of cabling and green backgrounds is sometimes too much to feel. A regret all the greater since the actors have undergone intensive training to assimilate the combat techniques of the characters.
The appearance of secondary characters sometimes flirts with cosplay. This is particularly the case of the swordsman Dracule Mihawk (whose costume seems straight out of a fan convention), Shanks and his unfortunate red wig, or even Arlong, much less massive than in the manga.
These are elements that will most certainly have fans screaming, but are mere details to the overall vision of the series. And there is no doubt that the countless easter eggs slipped over these eight episodes will prove to manga readers that the creators of the program are also fans of the One Piece universe!
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This first season is therefore a good adaptation of One Piece. The characters are as engaging as in the original work, the adventurous and optimistic tone of the manga is perfectly restored.
More generally, this live-action version takes the form of an excellent action and entertainment series that could convince many neophytes to familiarize themselves with the One Piece universe.
It only remains to wait to see if the expected success will materialize when the program is released, this Thursday, August 31 on Netflix.
Discover the list of all the series currently available on the platform!