One Piece

The curse has been lifted! Anime fans who have long suffered from the indignities of watching horrendous live-action adaptations can now breathe a collective sigh of relief. One Piece has done the impossible! It has successfully crafted an adaptation that fans and critics can respect and enjoy. Case in point: Since its debut, One Piece has become one of the most-watched shows on Netflix. As of writing, the series is #1 in 84 countries (!), eclipsing a record shared by Stranger Things and Wednesday with 83.

This record-breaking feat is as monumental as it is surprising considering the foreboding forecast the series had to navigate in the run-up to its debut. For one thing, Netflix has a poor track record when it comes to converting a beloved manga/anime series into live-action. Death Note and Cowboy Bebop crashed and burned in their debuts even with the streaming giant’s enormous platform. But beyond Netflix, Hollywood in general is littered with countless adaptations that are plagued by abysmal audience and critical reception – Ghost in the Shell, Speed Racer, Alita: Battle Angel, and Dragon Ball Evolution come to mind.

For One Piece, it was sink or swim from the get-go. Fortunately, showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are “superfans,” and they were clever enough to enlist a crew of highly imaginative creatives that included creator Oda to help build a sea-worthy epic — one that captures the spirit of the source material while charting a new course.

The world-building in One Piece is a sight to behold. It’s immersive, expansive, intricate, and inviting. As they sail from island to island, each with its own world and otherwordly characters, the attention to detail is astonishing, and even more so when you realize that the creators tried to avoid CGI whenever possible. Instead they deployed a lot of practical effects, including anime-accurate makeup as well as building massive, realistic ships and elaborate set pieces. The result is a series brimming with visual splendor, yet with purposeful effects that give emphasis to important points of the story.

The wind beneath One Piece’s sails is its charming and delightfully diverse cast. I think by choosing lesser-known actors to play iconic roles, the creators were able to offer fresh, accessible characters that immerse you into the world.

What sets One Piece apart from its counterparts, as creator Oda explains himself in a New York Times interview, are the powerful and highly capable women who populate the pirate-centric universe. “In the manga I read as a kid, there was always a point where the heroine existed just to be rescued. That didn’t sit well with me; I didn’t want to create a story about women being kidnapped and saved. I depict women who know how to fight for themselves and don’t need to be saved. If a moment comes where they’re overpowered, their shipmates will help them out, and vice versa.”

All the shipmates of the Straw Hat Crew are magnificent. Iñaki Godoy brings warmth and humanity to Luffy. He’s silly, impulsive, and carefree, but never to the point of being annoying. Fiercely independent thief and cartographer Nami (Emily Rudd) is delightful, fashionable chef Sanji (Taz Skylar) is charming, and Usopp (Jacob Romero Gibson) is the heart of the group. But the real revelation in the series is Mackenyu — the Japanese actor goes by one name — and his riotous portrayal of Zoro, whose wisecrack comebacks and impeccable deadpan delivery make him stand out in every scene he’s in.

There’s a first time for everything. One Piece has broken the live-action anime curse by staying loyal enough to its origins yet bold enough to navigate a new course.