Live-action adaptations of animeand manga have long been frowned upon by audiences, mainly due to the fact that, despite staying faithful to the source material, the productions frequently face issues such as casting and story intricacy. For instance, live-action movies and TV shows likeDragon Ball Evolution,Death Note,Cowboy Bebop, andAttack on Titanhave been absolute disasters, proving the point time and again.
However, Netflix’sOne Piecefinally broke the curse of live-action anime adaptations, which we never thought would happen, especially givenOne Piece’s awfully long and ever-expanding story. Having said that, there have been other decent live-action versions, such asGintama,The Disastrous Life of Saiki K,Erased,Rurouni Kenshin, andYour Lie in April, but none of them have had the same impact asOne Piece. So, here is howOne Piecefinally turned the tide of Netflix’s disaster wave after six long years.
The Picture-Perfect Ensemble
Anyone who has seen both the anime and the new live-action series would agree that the casting is flawless. Almost every live-action adaptation has suffered in this department, with thepossible exception ofRurouni Kenshin, but that’s a different story. In the anime, the main character, Luffy, is dumb, kind, and, more importantly, virtuous and has a mindset of never giving up in the face of adversity.
Inaki Godoy’s performance reflected everything perfectly, giving the fans an opportunity to see what the real character looks like in live-action. Needless to say, the entire cast is phenomenal, thanks to the tireless efforts of the casting department, which is surprisingly large for such a short TV series. Furthermore, the actors are genuine fans ofOne Piece’s source material, which was clearly evident even before the series premiere, leading the fans to root for these actors and the success of live-action.
Eiichiro Oda’s Deep Involvement in the Project
It’s no surprise thatthe legendary manga creator Oda’s involvementin the project played a significant part in its success. As the creator, Oda knows precisely what fans want to see since he has done the same thing for twenty-five years with anime and manga.
In fact, when it was announced that Eiichiro Oda would personally oversee the live-action project, many fans leaned towards its success, which should speak for his influence. From key elements that changed the entire scope ofOne Pieceto the unforeseen reveals, everything matters in this story, and the live-action delivered that without fail.
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High Production Values and Anime’s Popularity
Production value is a core part of any project, and the outcome is evaluated depending on how the budget is used. In that regard,One Piecehad a budget of $18 million per episode, which puts the entire season at more or less $140 million, making it one of themost expensive series Netflix has ever produced. Consequently, despite the massive requirements to mimic the fictional world ofOne Pieceand the character abilities, such as Buggy’s Chop-Chop canon and Luffy’s Gomu-Gomu pistol, the efforts were fruitful.
In addition, the live-action series also boasts extremely impressive visuals, costumes, set designs, and realistic CGI of sea creatures. With anime being one of the most popular, if not the most popular, the live-action already had a target audience, which certainly aided in bringing new viewers upon its release. While this is to be expected, previous live-action adaptations such asCowboy BebopandDeath Notealso had a record-breaking viewership.
In interviews, it was also revealed that Oda was insistent on reshooting multiple scenes so as not to miss even a sliver of opportunity to present an iconic moment on the screen. All of these aspects would be impossible without high production values, and it seems that Netflix has finally realized what it takes to depict an anime in live-action and receive no backlash.
Unexpected But Extremely Effective Changes
Almost every live-action adaptation to date has sought to imprint everything from the source material without changing too much or changing everything, resulting in a complete failure. However, whatOne Piecelive-action did lodged in between, altering only the necessary plot lines such as introducing Garp in the East Blue Saga andrevealing a few mysteriesto keep the viewers engaged.
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Furthermore, except for the crucial elements such as devil fruit powers, character backstories, and the trail of the main story, the live-action didn’t take everything too seriously. This gave the series a lot of freedom in using the story arcs to its advantage, such as shortening the Baratie arc, which takes forever in the anime.
On the other hand, the live-action Don Kriegg’s fight was shortened with the initial appearance of Dracula Mihawk. Additionally, the live-action series chose a different comic route than the anime, with the interactions between the crew connecting with modern audiences while still offering something new to anime fans.
With the unnatural success ofOne Piecelive-action, fans are hoping for another season, and although there has been no official word from Netflix, it is only a matter of time.
