Oda is really protective of his One Piece work and won't let anyone tarnish it, which he managed to succeed.

We now live in a world where freakin One Piece got a better live action adaptation than Death Note. Respecting the source material is key.

I am impressed by the fact that I knew none of the actors, yet their performances were so amazing without the need of star power or something. Truly reminds you that there's talent far beyond the press and the mainstream.

who knew having a likable cast that doesn't insult there fans, making sure the characters and costumes are accurate and following the source material would be a recipe for success

It's fantastic that they properly portrayed luffy as a happy idiot. Just as Oda intended. Not some edgy or cool hero for modern audiences.

I worked on One Piece as a camera operator and have to say that it was the most fun I’ve had on a film set in ages, this show has all the right ingredients to go for many seasons. 🏴‍☠️

-The casting was 10/10 for the vast majority of characters. -The production team did a great job making it stylized yet still somewhat realistic. -The narrative writing changes actually made sense (Krieg getting blown out by Mihawk instead of Luffy for instance). -Much of the cast and crew are fans of the manga/anime themselves. -Everyone making it had fun and it shows. It's amazing what you can do when you respect the source material and the cast and crew are all passionate about it.

My favorite is how nobody ever mentions or explains why tf they use snails as telephones. It was crazy enough seeing it for the first time in the anime but someone watching the live action with zero background would probably be utterly weirded out by it and I love that they kept that part

Its almost like having the actual creator involved and both hiring and listening to people who are genuine fans of the franchise is a recipe for success

I never thought I would see the day where the critical drinker talks about one piece

Also to give even more props to the madman known as Oda, he oversaw the production WHILE still drawing and writing the manga on a mostly weekly basis AND after having an eye surgery, that man is pure dedication and will power

I want to also point out that not only is the main cast fantastic, but the actors that play the younger versions of them during flashbacks are just as good as the adult actors themselves. It's rare to see child actors that nail it that hard.

Who'd have imagined that respecting the source material could lead to success?

It’s crazy how much they were able to get away with: - A member of an oppressed minority being the villain - A woman asking a man for help - A guy flirting with women and being described as “a good person” - A woman being defeated by a man - Multiple old, white, male mentor figures - An overweight woman being the villain - A woman not wanting to lead a business and deciding to be a doctor instead - A good rich person Japan truly has the superior culture.

I had never heard of One Piece or Manga. I just happened across this on Netflix and thought it was just a stand alone pirate swashbuckler. So we watched the first episode and found it very entertaining. And we were please to discover there were seven more episodes in Season 1, so we binge watched them all. We got really invested in the characters and enjoyed this series immensely. Can't wait for season two to come out.

And to see Inoka Godoy stating how thankful he is to have the privilege of playing such an important role and how he pledges to do his very best is just so nice!

When Kuina and Zoro's flashback started, I was convinced that the original story would be modified, but when Kuina said "a girl can beat a boy, but a woman can't beat a man" I checked if it was really Netflix.

I think a lot of One Piece live actions success can be attributed to the fact that most of the cast and crew are actual fans and weekly readers/watchers of One Piece, but most of all Oda has always been in control of how his manga is portrayed in adaptations, with him really only letting the anime take a lot of liberties with it, he wants to make sure is life’s work isn’t ruined in an adaptation

Also, Mihawk was absolutely awesome, perfectly cast, and all the fight scenes were shockingly top quality. Even the ones with children in them. I’m about 500 episodes behind on the anime but this show really inspired me to pick up the pace.

My son and I binged most of it in one day. First cartoon adaptation seen in quite a while that didn't suck the life out of me trying to watch it. The actor who played Luffy perfectly and every character had a clear purpose and developed personality without the long boring backstory of so many Marvel/DC and other Anime adapted movies.

I think that the biggest reason One Piece was successful was the creator Oda insisted on involvement in the entire process. Beebop's co-creator said he could barely make it past the opening credits (which tells me they never bothered to even ask for his help).

One of the things drinker mentioned but needs for more attention is Luffy is, god forbid, an optimist. He smiles and has fun. I am pretty much sick of every adventurer from Indiana Jones to Lara Croft to Batman to the Jedi populated with brooding, angsty, inner demon tormented characters. Today, even James Bond is angsty. Luffy is a guy who likes to be Luffy. Thinking even Western audiences can relate to that.

"And we have Oda to thank" shows Eiji Aonuma

As a non-anime fan who watched the Netflix adaptation on a whim, I absolutely loved this show to bits!

Sanji's Actor said "The source material is what makes this so special and everyone here is doing their best to honor it" and not only does it show, but I can't get over how unprecedented that is. Like, look back at not only anime, but ANY hollywood adaptation in the past few years, I can't think of a single one where the people involved have shown even a fraction of the respect for the source material the cast and crew of One Piece has. You can tell their hearts are in the right place and that really makes me wanna root for the show to be good.

Oda was watching them like a hawk the entire time. He made them reshoot so much. The moment he leaves they will screw up One Piece.

Many of the "issues" with physics and stuff is because in anime basically anything is possible, and as long as the internal logic is consistent, it works really well. And they translated it pretty well to live action.

I caught my boyfriend watching one earlier episode, found it funny. It can be ridiculous and over the top but doesn't take itself seriously and takes you along on a fun ride. Just accept that there are weird rules at play and enjoy. I ended up watching all of it. I did recognize the anime aspect of it and i'm so glad they kept it. Lots of live adaptations remove the flavour aspect of anime/manga. It's part of why we love it. We fell in love with the anime/manga. WE as in all of us, not just some kids in Japan. So there's no need to americanize it. When they americanize smth, they kill it of its winning points and its charm.

It's funny how the only anime everyone thought wouldn't translate well to live action, actually did well after all. I believe having Oda, the actual creator himself, on board helped a ton on this show's success.

Buggy in anime: *comedy relief* Buggy in live action: *a fusion of Joker and Monsoon from Metal Gear Revengeance*

I've got buddies who were critical of it and was expecting similar rants but most of it was shrugged off for "how would they manage that without crazy cgi?" Like Usopp. Curious about the lack of his nose but the actor playing him did such a great job we didn't give a shit by the end of the first episode we see him in

The cast and crew clearly having tremendous love and respect for the series does a lot for this adaption, I think. I recently watched one of those "Behind the Scenes" videos where they had the cast play a game where they were quized on One Piece trivia and they got nearly everything right; or at the very least everyone knew basic facts about their characters. Luffy and Nami's actors especially- they just *oozed* with love for the series. And, even if the series itself was terrible, I *always* respect any live-action adaption that doesn't try to seem "cooler" than the source material. Every crazy hairstyle, character design, set piece, and bit of world building is as goofy and strange as it is in the original manga, and I'm damn proud that they didn't flinch away from being accurate for the sake of being "popular".

Oda is fiercely protective over his series. He’s remarked countlessly how he values his fans worldwide and that he wasn’t going to make the live action be bad due to knowing the history. I’m also thankful for Matt Owens the head writer who is a big fan of the series; does Q and As and welcomed Oda’s feedback. In short, it’s everything modern Hollywood should be doing for adaptations.

After a decade or so filled with ambiguous, morally grey "heroes" and grim-dark settings, it's quite refreshing to see Luffy, a not-so-bright hero who also has a good heart, and is never ridiculed for that.

This is such a pleasant surprise. It's definitely not a one on one adaption, but it's in the spirit of the series. Eagerly awaiting the next season.

As a long term big One Piece fan, it’s so nice to hear this review from you. I feel validated. 😄 I think you’ll also really enjoy the original manga and anime. It just gets better and better.

Another - relatively small - thing I like about this show is that you had a male character - Sanji - depicted as someone who frequently tries to charm attractive women, and he's not mocked, belittled or punished for it. He's depicted as charming and confident, even when the women aren't receptive to his lines, he's able to play it off, and tries a different line some time later. Even before that when Luffy needed information, Luffy would have been brushed off and ignored if not for Sanji getting in her good books by offering to cook her a nice meal

That must have really been been a shocker for hollywood - turns out that what people wanted all along was a good, fun story, likeable characters and cool villains

It's good to hear positive reviews now and then. It lets Hollywood know you and others are not just ideologues who will smear everything they put out, but thoughtful critics. Hopefully the industry is listening to your input.

As someone who has never watched the anime and immediately thought this show looked like crap - I found myself watching through the little clips that show up on facebook... and enjoying each one of them. You know the showrunners have done something right when a show looks so ridiculous, and yet has some strange "it factor". This show is a breath of fresh air and I can't believe I'm saying that!

I am so happy One Piece live turned out so great. The directors and the writers are huge fans of the series and it shows. They did a great job interpreting the manga to live.

Never thought I'd ever see One Piece on the Drinker's channel. I guess that's how good of a job the team behind the series actually did.

Apparently Oda basically stood behind the director with a loaded gun, preventing them from fucking it up... I remember watching the original animes first season back in the day, and DAMN, they nailed it.

Wife and I just finished the first season. Both came in completely blind and loved the hell out of it It’s goofy and over the top, but has some nice grounded and emotional moments as well. Was just great entertainment in the end.

My 73 year old mom doesn't touch anime with a 10 foot pole, and yet the other day I saw her watching the live action One Piece. Gotta hand it to Oda for not letting Netflix "modernize" his work.

So, as I'm sure many of you know but many of you don't, there is a very large one piece community here on KZfaq. Every few months they hold what's called a Reverie (it's a one piece reference) where a bunch of creators come together and discuss the series. A few months ago during a Reverie the director came on to talk about the series and how they tried to stay as true as possible to oda-sensei's story, with many of the panelists backing him up as they had gotten to go to the set and talk to the actors. In addition to this, as far as I've seen and heard, every one of the main cast are HUGE one piece fans. When some of the one piece KZfaqrs went to the set and met the cast they all apparently talked about one piece for over 2 hours; hell when Luffys actor met oda-sensei he looked like he was about to cry in happiness. I think this is an aspect that isn't very well known and/or not talked about enough- this show was made by fans for fans. Every one of the actors went above and beyond, take sanjis actor for example as he took high class culinary lessons and learned kickboxing so that he could accurately play sanji.

I think a major factor into this is how Eiichiro Oda made an effort to have creative control over the material and the fact that the studio was more than willing to work with him and that is the reason why they made the live adaption a success. Most of the time LA of anime fail spectacularly is because the adaptions have the challenge of making a new audience base intrigued into the anime setting and conversion of two different mediums. Not respecting the source material is such a heavy setback and antagonizing the fans would make the adaption dead on arrival. Doing the opposite isn't a surpise that it pulled off a miracle. A lot of this is just astounding because that is simply all it takes to print money. Somehow something this simple isn't often done makes you question the competence of the majority of Hollywood for years.

One piece was great! I was blown away by the performance of the young man who played Luffy. Well done and looking forward to a second season!

Sorry, but the fact you didn't mention Sanji is a crime. He's the best side character in this adaptation for me. The lost archetype of the suave lady-lover that *isn't* portrayed as a complete joke. He's a good, selfless, and loyal person with a simple yet touching backstory, and he kicks ass in every scene too.

They did this so good that there's even a JP dub version with the original VAs doing it, and they're just as big fans of the eng actors too. That says a loooot about how fire this is.

I was first put off by the sheer ridiculousness of it all but Buggy reeled me back in. This show is the epitome of how much the characters can lead a show. Zeff’s kiss 🤌🏻

One Piece is just incredible. Perfectly cast. Wonderfully acted. If season one is any indication of what's to come, they fully understood the assignment. Love it.

I am 41, never watched anime or read a manga. Put this show on for my sons (10&12) and we were all hooked. Such a good show and pure entertainment. Had my boys asking to watch the original so I guess we will give that a shot next!

"not a great plan" is probably the best way to describe Luffy's tactics. If you tell him to be stealthy, he'll agree and then break down their heavily guarded and fortified wall.

He's clearly never seen one piece & just loves it on surface value because he just sees what he wants to see.

Just finished watching One piece and I have to say it is truly awesome! Even if you do not know the source material this show delivers in every category of entertainment. By the end I genuinely cared for all the characters and their individual journeys. This is how I remember feeling leaving the movie theater as a kid, after seeing a great movie like The Goonies. I was not mentally drained from following a complex plot or had my ears ringing from an "epic" explosion every 30 seconds. I was just entertained, had a smile on my face and was left wanting more at the end. I can't wait to see more adventures from the straw hat pirates!!

Hearing The Drinkers praise of this show, matched with the enthusiasm of my friends who have watched both the amine and the live action, has convinced me to give this one a chance. And thank Christ Oda held his creative title during production. That's what saved it I'm sure. And even if he said it was funny for him to allow it to air shows it was funny in a good way. Like the anime. Omg.

Another cool trivia point is that all the ships were repurposed "Black Sails" ships so they actually had real ships with the crew acting in them. The sets were amazing

I love how people always use the picture of Hideo Kojima in reference to Eiichiro Oda. That always gets me. 🤣

I love redshirt boy, he is so energetic and confident.

It truly is crazy that this anime with the most over-the-top, cartoonish, style, somehow managed to produce a good live-action adaptation. We really do live in interesting times.

Jeff Ward nailed his role as Buggy the Clown really well and he makes Chop-Chop Fruit look so unnerving when he uses it in battle while laughing mad.

I was sooooooo surprised how refreshingly awesome and amazing it is! Excellent review! 😊

Hey there, big fan. From "completely bonkers and over the top ridiculous at times" to "are treated as optional extras" is precisely what was important to keep from the source material. That light-hearted fantasy, imagination, creativity is a rare talent from the creator of this world, that us fans expect to find. It gets wilder and wilder from there. Keep it up, Drinker.

Respecting the source material is always gonna be good but the fact the creator of One Piece Oda was hand picking the talent and helped out with production definitely was the main reason the live action turned out to be amazing

I was genuinely shocked at how much I liked this adaptation. While having issues, it captured the spirit of early One Piece. You can tell the cast and crew cared and Oda, the creator, was heavily involved. All in all, good stuff and a rare W for Netflix and adaptations.

I've just binge watched the whole show (I am one of the viewers who would have never given such entertainment a try, as I am not into anime at all)... and I must say, I am not disappointed in the slightest, thank you, Drinker, for the recommendation. It's fascinating how many likeable characters they managed to squeeze into a single show. Including the antagonists. Not sure if I like Mihawk or Shanks the most... and how did they manage to turn even characters like the spoiled son into a redeemable one is beoynd me. I think it probably helped that people must have had a lot of fun shooting something where a pyjamo-like costume with ears is in all seriousness the preferred soldier uniform and doesn't even stand out. One could call it mundane in the context of this show, lol. And on top of all that, the fact that some of the storylines are very much not surface level, is awesome and helps the show a lot. For example themes which are asking questions like where the line between catalyzing fulfillment of someone's dream and enabling self-destructive behavior lies?. Or how do you repay the older generation which has done so much for you, but doesn't need anything materialistic back from you? memorable quotes: "just killing time" "nepotism only gets you so far" "being a pirate is not about killing and stealing, it's about adventure and freedom" (or something like that. Altogether, the show is surprisingly good. The only thing which made me kinda suspicious was why falling down a well or from a tower doesn't seem to have an effect on even a "regular human" body.

The reason why the technology in One Piece is all over the place is actually explained like 1000 chapters into the story, lol.

My favorite thing about the entire show was Luffy's unwaivering optimism. It was like a giant glass of ice water in the desert. No deconstructed beaten down depressed loser like we get in every other male character today.

This is a bit of a spoiler from later on, but I think it's worth saying to help see more of Luffy's thinking process: At one point someone gives Luffy the chance to find out exactly where and what the One Piece are. And then Luffy threatens to give up pirating if that person tells him ANYTHING regarding the One Piece, because he doesn't want a boring adventure like that. He wants to brave the unknown, go on adventures, and find out everything with his crew, not willingly follow the directions of someone else.

What made one piece special besides the special effects and stellar casting choice is the story telling style they chose. They dedicated one episode each to introduce and dive into the past of a new character of the crew that really let us bond well with each member.

Enjoyed the hell out of this. Definitely something wouldn't have given this a moment of my time normally. Word of mouth and reviews like this swayed me and found my self binging every episode on a day off

One thing I love about Luffy’s crew is everyone is competent in different ways. They have to rely on one another. When I think about an answer to the “damsel in distress” trope that didn’t give women enough agency, i think of Nami rather than some girl boss. She’s very competent, but not at everything-Just like everyone else on the crew. That dynamic makes it easy for different characters to show off their strengths while relying on each other in moments of weakness or vulnerability. For Nami, that comes to a head in the last couple episodes, where she must face a threat too great for her by herself, despite her careful planning and deep competence. And so she must rely on her friends, who were ready to back her up when she became ready to accept their help. It might be a little cheesy, but it also rings true

The story of Cowboy Bebop, the original, was about people who couldn't move on and always ended up in the same place. It was a procedural story. At the end and beginning of every show the crew was hungry, had enough money to make it to the next bounty, and didn't learn or grow. That unique way of telling their story is what makes it interesting. Each member of the crew had their own personal problem that provided mystery of their past, and an their interesting take on their bounties. These personal problems where dealt with during the show and would make perfect season endings. This is the prefect show to turn into a Law and Order knock off. Their failure is lack of understand of the source material, lack of faith in the source material, bad casting, and bad writing.

Seeing Drinker praise something is definitely an accomplishment. I was going to avoid this series like the plague, but you just made me interested in checking it out.

First five minutes and I know this man has never read one piece in his entire fuckin life.

This is such an out of body experience listening to The Drinker give a synopsis to a series I've been reading/watching every week since 2006.

6'40'' you hit the nail in the head. the characters are very deep and complex but their design is always bonkers by choice. at a certain point you meet an adult who's always dressed like a baby (pacifier and everything) and it looks insane, then you hear/read his story and you end up with mad respect for the chad

I sent you a super thanks a bit ago. Not necessarily for this review but for overall content you provide. I find you insightful and fair in your analysis. And not one to jump on a band wagon. Which is quite refreshing. Keep up the great work. I'll be watching.

One Piece can be summed up in two words - it's fun.

I think Mother’s Basement had a really good point about the visuals of the show. Yes, they’re wild, vibrant, and a little wacky, but much like any of the Muppets properties, because the show fully commits to that visual style, nothing really looks jarring or cheap. It’s all a part of a very meticulously crafted visual style that we’ve been primed to expect, and as such even when we see fish men show up they don’t really look out of place.

I can't believe they got Eiji Aonuma to play the live action version of Eiichiro Oda

I really love it keep on watching again and again every episode loking forward to episode 2

The show is actually really good. I was smiling for every episode I've seen thus far. The snail Transponders had me freakin dying. I need to finish the season

Even better is that the main cast LOVES the show to death. It's so much fun watching interviews of them and seeing how they quote specific references from not just ONE PIECE but throughout a lot of anime in general.

This show made me feel like a kid again. I didn't think that was possible. Absolutely loved it.

Thanks for the recommendation!! spot on once again. Enjoyed the series

Love it...shout out to whoever was in charge of casting ..

They got so many things right. Luffy being the adventurous idiot with a heart of gold that he is, zoro and sanji have a brotherly bond. Nami being resourceful, smart, and clever but still needing help, and so much more. It’s almost like when you preserve the traits that made people love the source material you get good entertainment.

Crazy how the manga that was viewed as more difficult to adapt because of its distinct tone, out there style, and unpredictability is the one that ended up being the successful one.

Same old Drinker, waiting to see if his friends likes it, to say he likes it.

Never would have watched the first episode without this review from Drinker. Some really laugh out loud moments. Haven’t seen the anima or read the manga, but I might now.

I had intended to pass on this one but gave it a shot because of your review. I can't remember ever being more surprised by a show. I enjoyed every goofy minute of it and watched it in 2 settings. This show and your review absolutely nailed it!!

Here's a golden take my friend had... This series for newcomers, feels exactly like those old live action Scooby Doo movies (Atleast the first one...) It's not meant to be realistic, but it's fun, it's got heart, fun character and overall is entertaining to watch.

While I am sure Oda did a lot, I saw a discussion with producer Matt Owens and just from how he talked and shown his love for the original manga and anime, I had a little hope for it and it turned out they did all right. It seems like stars aligned for once.

What a great adaptation! Loved this and rewatched maybe 4 times now lol you nailed it when you said this is what tv used to be. Gives a goonies vibe for me. Can’t explain it but damn is it great.

I saw the first episode drunk one night thinking I needed the alcohol to wade through. I thought it was the beer that made it seem like the show was so good, but it got better and better in each episode. I put down the brews and binged watched all the way until 3am. FINALLY something done right with a beloved anime.

The thing a love most about One Piece is that ever arc is set in a different theme. From adventure in a prehistoric Dinosaur island to an island that’s been turned into a ship with a haunted castle and zombies running around it’s like the characters go from one genre to another.

A single light in a dark bleak ocean of despair

I'm not really that familiar with One Piece in any format - but the thing that causes me to respect One Flix is the casting and acting of Iñaki Godoy. That guy manages to take Luffy's smile and render it with a human face. Luffy's friendly an all, but he's a very friendly _feral_ human. In 2D art, I've always seen his smile as being vaguely threatening, almost "wolfy". Iñaki Godoy manages to convey that sense of incoherent danger. You don't know _why_ you're on edge, you trust the smile to be genuine, but you're on edge. I literally have no idea how he got his face to do that. Like, I could probably analyze what he's doing in each scene with his cheek muscles and the corners of his eyes and the way he orients his gaze - but I would never in dozen years be able to figure out how to make _my_ face convey all that stuff if all I had to work with was manga and anime. I probably can't do it with his video and three mirrors. It's such a little detail - but getting that little detail right makes it easy to overlook any number of details that maybe weren't perfectly done, and the effort is really appreciated.