What are you doing?
There was a time when Gol d. Roger was the greatest of pirates, the “Pirate King” was his nickname. After 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 could reach it. Monkey D. Luffy dreams of finding this legendary treasure and becoming the new “Pirate King”. After eating a Devil Fruit, he has the power to make his dream come true. Now he must find a crew to go on an adventure with!
who is he with
Inaki Godoi was chosen to voice the character of the series Monkey D. Luffy. The choice of the Mexican actress, who can be seen most notably in the TV series Who Killed Sarah?, was personally confirmed by manga author Eiichiro Oda after he was able to make her laugh during her audition video.
The rest of the Straw Hat crew consists of swordsman Roronoa Zoro (McEnuy), navigator Nami (Emily Rudd), piper storyteller Usopp (Jacob Romero), and chef Sanji (Taz Skylar). Former Pirate King Gol d. Michael Dorman plays the role of Roger!
Several iconic characters from the manga are also present in this first season. Including Buggy the Clown (Jeff Ward), Dracul Mihawk (Stephen John Ward), Arlong the Fishman (McKinley Belcher III) or even Luffy’s mentor, Shanks the Redhead (Peter Gadiot). But also Navy Vice Admiral Garp (Vincent Regan) and Cobb (Morgan Davis).
Is it worth checking out?
We’ve gotten so used to hearing pessimistic predictions against it that even before One Piece came out, it seemed doomed to join the pantheon of bad adaptations. live action anime and manga.
It must be said that Netflix has not only left fans with good memories in this area, as evidenced by the movie Death Note, and recently canceled the series Cowboy Bebop from the first season.
Each statement and each revealed image has been cut by the manga’s most die-hard fans. And the slightest change from the original work was interpreted by them as proof that this One Piece series would be an industrial disaster like Dragonball Evolution, a bad adaptation of the Dragon Ball manga.
One Piece Adaptation: An Impossible Bet… But Successful?
But let’s be honest: One Piece is a success both unexpected and enjoyable, along with a fairly faithful adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s manga. It must be said that the mangaka did not leave anything to chance, he went so far as to be personally involved in every stage of the production and even asked to evaluate the scenes. “unsatisfactory” come back
The main success of this live-action version is its cast. Actor Inaki Godoi seems born to play Luffy. The one who got the role by making the mangaka laugh while listening to it, juggles beautifully between the show’s many humorous scenes and the more serious ones.
His energy, his joy and his charisma lend great credibility to the character, and it’s easy to see why other characters in the series agreed to join his crew.
And too bad if some fans are fixated on her lack of sandals (replaced with shoes for safety reasons when filming action scenes).
In the faithful interpretation, Luffy is the same in appearance – be it his costume, but also the special effects of the fight scenes. A live-action adaptation of One Piece would only work if his elastic powers were a success, and the series was more than happy to meet that challenge!
Another discovery of the series is undoubtedly McKenna. The character’s aloof and distant nature is perfectly captured, and each action scene feels like the training of an American Japanese actor, mostly filmed without dubbing!
His duet with Sanji (also played perfectly by Taz Skylar) works wonderfully and the alchemy that unites the five members of the Straw Hat crew is almost miraculous!
Nice series for everyone!
The tone of the series is also completely faithful to the original work. Admittedly, the changes were necessary mainly for pacing issues: several characters are absent or relegated to the background, some chronological compromises were made, and some revelations take place earlier than in the manga…
Thanks to its big budget ($144 million for this season, one of the most expensive series of all time), One Piece maintains the wandering nature of the comics, following the journeys of the Straw Hat crew in each episode. from island to island, thus involving the construction of many sets.
Getting the form a origin story, this first season allows us to meet the main characters of the series (others will join them in future seasons), but also to discover the contours of this vast world. That’s why one doesn’t need to know the manga by hand to appreciate this adaptation, which is mainly intended for the general public.
Which the fans will like less
However, One Piece is not successful on all levels. The fights sometimes lack clarity and the presence of cables and green backgrounds is sometimes unnecessary. More regrets as the actors underwent intense training to master the characters’ fighting techniques.
The appearances of secondary characters sometimes flirt with cosplay. This is especially true of the swordsman Dracul Mihawk (whose costume seems to be from a fan convention), Shanks and his unfortunate red wig, or even Arlong, much less massive than in the manga.
These are elements that fans have been clamoring for, but they’re just details of the series’ overall vision. And there’s no doubt that the countless Easter eggs floating around these eight episodes will prove to manga readers that the creators of the program are also fans of the One Piece universe!
That’s why this first season of One Piece is a good adaptation of One Piece. The characters are just as likable as in the original work, and the adventurous and optimistic tone of the manga is perfectly restored.
Overall, this live-action version takes the form of a great action and entertainment series that can convince many neophytes to explore the One Piece universe.
It remains to be seen if it will be the expected success when the program is released on Thursday, August 31st on Netflix.
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Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
