KEN! KEN! ROCKET REVIEW! I just need a straw hat to complete the look. One Piece makes its long-awaited debut to live action and boy… does Netflix deliver? COME! COME! READ ONNNNN… in short YES! 8 one hour episodes… Lets go!
Based on the monumental and popular manga and anime series of the same name, the series follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates, as they explore the dangerous oceans, lands and beyond in search of the “One Piece”, a fabled treasure that will make their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, “King of the Pirates”. However, the Marines are on their ship’s tail and they are not the only crew searching for the One Piece. Armed with skills and unbreakable friendship, the Straw Hats are ready for the journey and even more ready to fight for their dreams together. The transition to live action was splendidly done.
Inaki Godoy had the pressure carrying the mantle of Monkey D Luffy. An immense role which he embraced wholeheartedly and seemingly very well. Being of Mexican decent, playing a Brazilian evidently worked out as there were parts where the south American accent really shown through, especially every time he announced himself. He captures the happy, childish, optimistic and passionate pirate we are most familiar with. With my keen eye it also seemed like he did a lot of his own stunts which is always great to see. It was a good performance. Emily Rudd plays Nami. She’s the sneaky, rebellious, always prepped like Batman thief like pirate. It’s a very solid performance. She owns her screentime and is a big source of drama through this season. Zoro the super cool and collected swordsman pirate is played by Mackenyu. He channels his inner Jason Statham and embodies the hardcore, deadly assassin role. He was a favourite for me. Vincent Regan plays Garp, our military enforcer of justice in the show. He does his job as the tough father figure and commander. Morgan Davies plays Koby, the heart of the show. This is as much his show as it is Luffy as we follow his journey from scared slave boy to handy brave cadet. He provides a lot of heart for the show. Jacob Romero plays Usopp. A source of comedy for the show. With his already animated face he was a perfect fit for the role. It’s a decent group of actors both old and newcomers even those with the small roles made use of their screen time. One of the stand outs of this show are the child actors who were used in the flashback scenes. They were brilliant and did a great job showcasing that vulnerability and emotion. Colton Osorio, very good. Hope to see more of them. Honourable mentions Jeff Ward as the sadistic clown Buggy, Peter Gadiot as the inspiring Shanks and Brashaad Mayweather as the super chef Patty.
The set must have been lit for this show because it looked bright and vibrant, capturing the anime’s coruscating feeling.
The camera grade took some getting used to as it felt very live and dark, almost like a serious tone. It grew on me. The show used a yellow filter on scenes to differentiate that it’s a flashback which always helps. The special effects are at a distinct level and does well to keep the show animated even in live action. Where the show shines are in its practical effects and costume design. The likenesses are well executed from Kuroobi, Mihawk, Zoro, Arlong etc. the decision to not go CGI was the perfect choice. Made the show feel more grounded. They went with blood but not at a gory level, similar to the anime. The show utilised the similar theme of character introductions and I loved it. Made it a lot of fun. The action choreography is magnificent. The lack of stunt doubles drove the authenticity of the fighting scenes. The flips, kicks and sword fights make for some good scenes.
The whole thesis of the show is around family (queue the Dom meme) which made it a feel-good season. The origin flashback scenes are well inserted as their timings were perfect and well connected to the present-day plot. They all seem to have some deep routed trauma which jump started each characters pirate journey so it tries to play on the emotions. The formula of the show is very simple. It’s a journey, each episode is a new stop, new characters, new location, new drama, by end of the episode justice is served then onto the next stop. I like it simple. Compared to the anime they managed to fit around 4 seasons of anime into 1 season of live action. Which is proof there are way too many fillers in the anime. A story that gets straight to the point is what we have here and it works. It’s an action-packed finale and a wholesome ending that comes full circle, it’s worth going through it all before judging.
All in all, it translated well. The cheesy acting although irritating at some points actually was fitting as the show/anime/manga are all very cheesy in general. Netflix took a big gamble and I’ll say it paid off. Newbies to the franchise will latch on, hardcore fans will have few complaints… nonetheless it makes for good tv, surprisingly. Recommended watch!
Did Netflix do a good job? Did they deliver for you? What next? Do you want to see another crack at DBZ via Netflix? Are anime’s ready to make the full transition to live action like comics did? React and comment below…
