One Piece will go down as one of the best shōnen anime ever created. Based on Eiichiro Oda’s long running and equally celebrated manga, it features a comical yet thematically rich story full of amazing action sequences, heartfelt moments, godlike beings, and some of the most wholesome characters this side of Disney. Capturing all of that in an entirely different style of filmmaking would take tremendous effort – something proven by the uneven handling of the pirate adventure’s most cherished characters in a new, live-action adaptation from Netflix.
The first season of the streaming giant’s One Piece remake presents a condensed retelling of Oda’s magnum opus. While the story still centers on a young upstart named Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and his crew’s search for the legendary One Piece – a mysterious treasure needed to crown the next pirate king – its contents are too elaborate to be stuffed into eight hour-long episodes. One Piece tries to incorporate a vast amount of Luffy’s origin story into a single season: How he acquired the ability to stretch his body like a rubber band; the formation of his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates; and their initial voyage on the sea route known as the Grand Line are all reworked to neatly fit the confines of the live-action series. One Piece fans will recognize these as the broad strokes of the East Blue Saga, a story told across 44 episodes of the anime and 95 chapters of the manga. They’ll also recognize that it would be impossible for all that plot to be trimmed down to fit into a Netflix show.
Unfortunately, the adaptation doesn’t fully commit to its restructuring. Instead, it floats somewhere in the middle, trying to tell an abridged story while also including as much fan service as possible. A character’s backstory might be shared via flashback, but the more intimate encounters needed to properly establish important facets of their adult selves are absent. An otherwise impactful line from previous versions of One Piece sounds deflated, its significance dulled by context that’s either only hinted at or outright omitted. Thanks to a quickened pace that emphasizes big, memorable moments over character development, most of the earnest interactions between the cast feel unearned. This One Piece struggles to be its own thing because it keeps trying to be the anime.
That doesn’t prevent the show from being entertaining. This first season does a solid job of establishing the unique characteristics of its world: The ever-shifting power dynamics of the various pirate and governmental factions and the intrinsic harshness of a planet dominated by several large oceans. The action sequences are delightfully over-the-top, like a violent version of Peter Pan in which characters are thrown through walls, bludgeoned to death, or cut in half. The visual effects used to showcase Luffy’s elastic appendages, giant sea creatures, and other oddities are all visually pleasing. None of them compare to the practical effects though; the show is worth watching for its amazing pirate ship sets alone. Essentially, showrunner Matt Owens and crew made sure that this series elicits the sense of adventure that has long been One Piece’s calling card.
The same can be said of the talented cast, who ground their characters while maintaining their campy (and sometimes corny) vibe. Godoy’s enthusiastic portrayal of Luffy is shockingly believable. Though he comes off as a subdued version of his animated counterpart, his gee-whiz vibe, comical mannerisms, and spot-on delivery of fan-favorite lines help to embody the sometimes clueless yet always heroic pirate. Jacob Romero does a great job playing Luffy’s friend and crewmate, the cowardly Usopp. Usopp is one of the characters most impacted by One Piece’s constrictions, but in Romero’s hands, his tall tales and selfless actions should still resonate with fans and newcomers alike.
Mackenyu certainly looks the part of Rorona Zoro – especially when playing opposite of Godoy and during fight scenes – but his stiff take on the bounty hunter-turned-Straw Hat is a little off-putting. It just feels mechanical at times, as if he were so determined to showcase Zoro’s aloofness, he forgot to exhibit any other side of the character. (Fortunately, when he does get to exhibit emotions like sadness, anger, or regret, he does so to great effect.) Taz Skylar on the other hand always puts on a charming display as Sanji, his ability to quickly go from reluctant warrior to compassionate yet abrasive ally (notably when dealing with Zoro) solidifies his role as the Straw Hats’ beloved cook.
But One Piece’s major standout is Emily Rudd’s portrayal of Nami. Her knack for showcasing the navigator’s tough-as-nails attitude with a mischievous slant that hints at past trauma is always captivating. That said, it’s her passionate display of emotion when confronted by friend or foe that breathes life into the character. Thanks to Rudd, it’s easy to believe that Nami cares about those around her, even when her actions prove otherwise.
