One Piece Live Action Review
I would first like to start with a disclosure. If you have been following my YouTube channel and social media accounts, then you are aware I am a One Piece fan. I might not have been a fan as long as some but still a fan. I mentioned this because there is this misconception that as a fan you need to be either all in or completely against any adaptions of beloved franchises. You get criticized for over analyzing or nitpicking too much something I have been accused of recently on Twitter. I prefer to come from a different perspective and actual provide constructive feedback for my review. Remember it’s my opinion and it has no bearing on yours.
So, did I hate the Netflix’s live action series? Well, the truth is no, I didn’t hate it. Did I love it? Unfortunately, no I did not love it either. In all honesty it was a mix bag. To explain we must look at the positives and the negatives.
The positives:
Zoro played by Japanese American actor MacKenyu was probably the biggest highlight of the Straw Hat Pirates. He embodied the dedicated swordsman’s desire to because the greatest blade wielder as well as being the stubborn, directional handicap, hard drinking, moss head we love from the original. Another great performance from MacKenyu is his martial art skills. I completely believed that he was an experienced sword fighter. His action sequences are some of the best but his ability to show peeks of emotion from a character who tends to hide them are superb. There is a funny scene where Zoro is reluctantly sent to console Luffy after a huge reveal. Poor Zoro shows how uncomfortable he is with the possibility of an emotional conversation by nervously avoiding eye contact and the obvious anxiety displayed in his physical movements reflecting his eagerness to run at the first chance he gets due to being placed in a situation he is not very skilled at. His banter with Sanji is also hilarious as he mocks the crew’s cook for his dedication to his craft and flirting with the opposite sex. He also has great timing with delivering some great one liners in particular towards nemesis Buggy the Clown.
Luffy played by Inaki Godoy does a great job, despite the limitations he faces, at bringing to life the honest, naïve, dancing to his own beat knucklehead in search of fulfilling his dreams of being Pirate King. Inaki infectious personality helps display that quality Luffy is known for that inspires others to follow their dreams and even embrace his quirky way of life. His enthusiasm and devotion to others in scenes is convincing and it is not a surprise anyone would want to follow him to the Grand Line. There are also the moments when Inaki is capable of bring more serious emotions especially when Luffy witnesses’ injustice happening to the innocent and weak. Overall, it was never going to be possible to capture every aspect of Luffy in live action due to the cartoon nature of his expressions and abilities, but Inaki does an even better job than I originally expected anyone to pull off.
Taz Skylar as Sanji and Jacob Gibson as Usopp also do a great job of portraying their respective characters. Sanji being the flirty cook with the unique skill of only using his legs to fight and Usopp habit off telling over blown stories while looking for any way to avoid a fight are on point; however, I feel these two did get the short end of the stick in other areas which I will explain later.
Some of the supporting cast was also amazing such as Morgan Davis as Coby, the timid boy who dreams of being a marine, and Aidan Scott as Heimeppo, The spoiled and arrogant son of Captain Morgan.
Another stand out was Jeff Ward as Buggy the clown, a notorious pirate that attempts to foil Luffy and his crews plans to make it to the grand line. In the anime and manga, Buggy was a comedic troupe that at times is never much of a real obstacle to the protagonist. In this Ward does a great job of giving dimension to the character. He feels like an actual threat upon first meeting him. You believe he has had years of experience on the high seas forging his reputation as a dangerous pirate. Ward also delivers the comedy especially later when he finds himself corner and without his crew. He is the most memorable villain in this story.
I mentioned before MacKenyu’s action sequences prior. I must admit that I wasn’t disappointed in any of the action and choreography in this series. Visual effects did a great job making Luffy’s stretching abilities feel realistic especially in fight scenes. Nami’s use of her staff was also very well done, and Sanji’s kicks were mostly good although there were a few scenes that felt off due to the wire work. I would have like to seen more of Usopp and his trademark slingshot in action.
Finally pacing was pretty good. The show never dwelled too long where it did not need to and it moved quickly on. Unfortunately, I would be lying if I did not say it felt rushed as if it needed to cram as much plot in some areas but not really cover what it needed to in others. That leads us to my concerns with the show.
The Negatives:
Pacing as mentioned was pretty good but the series was limited to eight episodes and so much material was scarified because of it. The flash back sequences suffered the worse. These important plot points about the character’s past should have been given dedicated episodes to flesh out. Nami’s was probably the most underwhelming given that it felt like they needed to quickly get it out of the way to get back to what was happening in the present. They even aged up Nami’s character in the flashback ignoring the significance of that scene. In the original, Nami was a baby along with a three-year-old Nojiko when Bellemare found them amongst the devastation of a battle. She was on the verge of death when she found the children and it was baby Nami’s smile and ignorance to what had occurred that sparked Bellemare’s determination to survive. In this Nami looks like she is two or three years old which was part of what took away from that inspiring moment. Another problem was the inclusion of Garp in the series and the strange decision to lengthy Coby and Heimeppo’s parts. Garp was not part of the original arc and despite Vincent Regan’s decent portrayal, it felt unnecessary. So much of this time could have been dedicated more to the Straw Hats or the villains they were facing. I wouldn’t have mind a few scenes here and there to show Coby and Heimeppo adaption to their new career.
Nami played by Emily Rudd was one of the biggest disappointments with this series. My issues weren’t the actress herself but how the show runners decided to portray her. In the original source material, Nami is a cat burglar that use her feminine wilds to manipulate and deceive people. The character masks her sorrow with a smile mostly due to a promise to Bellemare to never lose that smile. Nami’s character seems to be a victim of a current Hollywood troupe that strong female characters should be dower in personality and rarely express authentic joy. Emily played Nami as an unhappy yet sarcastic bitch rather than the manipulative money loving temptress that wasn’t afraid to flirt to get what she needed. Granted the original Nami also had a temper, but she was always one to display her emotions to the extreme not matter happy or sad. Emily seems to have given limited range in this area. The one pivotal scene of Nami coming to realize she had been deceived was watered down and Rudd did not seem to have it in her to perform the heartbreaking rage Nami feels as she self mutilates a symbol that had been forced on her by Arlong. Also, Emily was restricted using any flirtation to get what she wanted especially when it comes to huge simp Sanji making moves on her in the Baratie, a character Nami regularly manipulates to her advantage. The also did not elaborate on her relationship with Zoro as much as I would I have liked to see. The banter between them in the original was great. Zoro did not trust Nami when she first joined the crew. It was until Luffy sent him ahead to get Nami away from Arlong that he realized the truth. It was also Zoro’s words to her after she saved him from drowning that really struck her and lead to her questioning her allegiances. It didn’t need to play out how it did originally but I think it would have been nice to see come to life in some way. I really wanted more range of emotion from this character but the show failed to deliver it.
Shanks played by Peter Gadiot was my other disappointment. Although I bought his surrogate father/son relationship with a young Luffy, I felt a lot of the qualities of Shanks’ personality was missing. It isn’t until the end of the series that we get a glimpse of the actual Shanks we know and love. I did like Gadiot’s delivery of wisdom to Luffy but at times he felt like he was trying to be more a mentor like Obi Won or Gandalf instead of a fun-loving pirate that teased young Luffy to dis sway him from following in his footsteps. Even the scene where Shanks realizes Luffy ate the devil fruit his reaction is underwhelming and lacks the shock and concern of the original scene especially regarding the consequences one endures from eating a devil fruit.
I also missed the inclusion of some character from the original source material. Usopp’s friends Orange, Onion and Carrot where not included. Jango, an associate of the pirate Kuro was also excluded from the series. During Sanji’s introduction in the original we are introduced to the pirate Don Krieg who attempts to take over the Baratie but is undermined by Luffy and Sanji. His role is limited in the series to an inconvenience for Warlord Mihawk and instead replaced by Arlong the fishman pirate captain who is behind Nami’s misery These changes for me limited Sanji and Usopp’s stories and instead put more focus on the other Straw Hats. Usopp felt like a spectator in his own story sequence leaving it to everyone else to save Kaya while Sanji’s plot failed to deliver on a real motivation for him to follow Luffy.
There were also some plot changes that I both liked and disliked but overall didn’t ruin the story for me. I understand not wanting to spend too much time elaborating on particular scenes given the the episode restrictions but I think the writers overlooked the importance in those small details. I great example was the Red Hair pirates vs the mountain bandits. In the original the bandits looked down on Shanks and his crew because Shanks allowed their leader to get away with pouring alcohol on him. When they kidnap a younger Luffy the Red Hair pirates have the opportunity to show exactly how terrifying they can be and just how insignificant the bandits are in comparison. Shanks’s second in command Beckman takes a majority of the bandits down single handed while Yasopp mocks them and Shanks reminds them of what is at stake by pulling a gun on him. This moment also redeemed Shanks in Luffy’s eyes after the young wannabe pirate was disappointed with how Shanks originally handled the bandits. In the live action series they forgo most of this in favor of a flashy generic fight scene with the pirates each battling a bandit.
My final complaint is the mix bag of visual effects, settings, and costume designs. In some scenes everything feels like a top-notch Hollywood production and then in others it comes off like a cheap high school student film project. For example: In the opening scene during Roger’s execution the scenery and most of the costumes are stunning but then a quick scan through the crowd to Shanks and another character with blonde hair I could not identify, the costumes look like something you would pick up at the Halloween costume store. Another example would be how some of the islands, such as Syrup island, have their own distinct look making them feel like an individual place with its own community and culture but in the case of Windmill village and Nami’s home of Coco Island it looks more like left over set pieces composed of open-air huts rather than actual homes or villages. None of it felt authentic or like a real place. Also, the wanted posters felt inconsistent. Some look like they were quickly thrown together digital images done in photoshop while others were better in detail. These issues caused an imbalance and at times took me out of the story.
In conclusion, One Piece is better than the other Netflix’s live action adaptions such as Cowboy Bebop but still I wouldn’t call it a game changer. I feel there is a lot of work the show runners will need to do to step up their game if renewed for a second season. The next arc presents some new challenges I am worried that the production team might not be ready for. I do feel the series does a good job of embracing the spirit of the manga/anime especially the inspiring themes to seek freedom and follow dreams. I am looking forward to seeing if the series does move forward with a new season. My only hope is they learn what worked and what didn’t and improve in the areas that are necessary.
I would give this series a 7/10. Not bad but I wouldn’t call it great either.