One Piece: Why This Netflix Live-Action Anime Adaptation May Finally Be a Hit

Despite continuous Netflix live-action disappointments, One Piece appears to provide fans with a glimmer of hope. But how could it be any different?

One Piece is the anime that has competed with every known series over the past twenty-five years and continues to dominate both manga and digital sales. Thanks to its expansive world-building and compelling main character like Luffy, it takes viewers on a remarkable journey that has stretched to more than a thousand episodes and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon.

When the One Piece live-action series, produced by Tomorrow Studios and Shueisha, was announced in 2017, many fans assumed it would be another major disappointment along the lines of Dragon Ball Evolution, Attack on Titan, and Gantz, but they still held out hope that it would break the streak of major disappointments, and its trailer almost proved them right.

The live-action adaptation of One Piece chronicles the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, who aspires to become The King of the Pirates by finding One Piece, which was hidden somewhere in this vast world by the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. He sets out on his journey with his crew of a burglar, a swordsman, a cook, and a sniper, knowing it will not be easy. With the trailer proving many things positively, here's why the live-action adaptation of One Piece has a good chance of becoming successful.

Stays True to the Original

Many past Netflix live-action adaptations have strayed too far from the original material. For example, Dragon Ball Evolution may be the worst live-action version of the Dragon Ball anime since it lacked a compelling story that could have propelled it to success.

While some fail to replicate the moments that made the originals so memorable, many others fail to appreciate the appeal of the genre. However, One Piece does not appear to make the same blunder as seen in the teaser.

The cast was largely satisfactory, if not flawless, and the CGI monsters seemed to be more lifelike than those seen in Attack on Titan. The only thing it couldn't match the anime for was Luffy's gum-gum skills, which are better suited to a drawn medium, but they may appear different when truly used in battles rather than at first glance.

The live-action version also faithfully re-created several other defining scenes from the anime, like when Shanks rescues Luffy from the sea monster, the Baratie fleet, and the time the crew visits their ship The Going Merry, which is almost like a family to the crew.

Eiichiro Oda Oversees the Project

As previously stated, not everyone was pleased with the announcement of One Piece live-action, but there was some hope in the fact that the creator of the One Piece anime and manga, Eiichiro Oda, will be personally overseeing the live-action. While he had not previously ventured into any live-action projects, he would never jeopardize his most adored work in his life by not paying attention to little details. Therefore, it is a big step towards the show's success.

Oda discussed what it was like working with live-action and why he planned on doing so in a tweet shared by Netflix's Geeked Twitter account. In his own words,

“Considering my expected life span, I believe this is the last chance to bring One Piece to the entire world. If we’re going to do it, I want to be able to supervise things while I’m still active. That’s why I agreed to the live-action adaptation of One Piece back in 2016. The entire cast and crew, spanning various countries, are brimming with love for One Piece,” Oda insisted. “They’re burning with passion, and I’ve reminded everyone involved that this should be fun. We’re in the final process! Right now! Of finishing all 8 episodes! We’ll be setting sail very soon!!”

From the creator's words, the live-action has taken the appropriate path from that of its forerunners on Netflix, and since we're still in the early stages, there should be less chance of failure, given how One Piece initially prioritizes humor and action.

The Live-Action Only Covers the East Blue Arc

The East Blue Arc is the first arc in the manga and anime series. In total, there are 61 episodes, which include not only fillers but also extended fights, particularly near the Baratie episodes. Given that each episode lasts an average of 50 minutes, the content might be condensed into 20–25 episodes. However, since there would be no fillers or prolonged fights in live action, the time could be reduced in half.

So even cramming a twelve-episode series into eight episodes won't make a big difference. The live-action adaptation will continue to follow the anime's structure, with Luffy acquiring his crewmates one by one as he travels across East Blue, defeating bad guys. In some ways, the live-action serves as an introduction to the world of One Piece and Luffy's crew.

Therefore, there shouldn't be too much challenging material to present in live action, and they may instead choose to concentrate on the cast that has so far successfully recreated the anime characters. Oda spent a lot of time and energy on the live-action while still releasing manga and anime on a weekly basis, so let's hope it wasn't for nothing!