Netflix’s One Piece: Long-Awaited Adaptation Delivers
Looking for pirates, action, and cool characters? No problem — this show has got it all.
A Great Adventure
Have you ever had the ambition to chase and pursue the future? To gain an important desire or goal? One Piece shows exactly that when Monkey D. Luffy, the main character, sets off on his adventure towards finding the “One Piece” and becoming the next King of the Pirates.
Although this story is originally a manga (created by Eiichiro Oda), it officially turned into a live action series this August, and is now streaming on Netflix. This show covers friendship, betrayal, and has plenty of humor. It’s an inspiring story of a carefree guy starting his journey to collect the most desired treasure in the world, the one piece, with the help of his pirate crew. He gets pushed back many times by others, but continues to strive for his dreams while encouraging others to pursue theirs.
Every episode leaves the audience on a cliffhanger, making us wonder at the possibilities for each character and their choices.
Working to Get It Right
Although most past anime adaptions have turned out horribly, this new show was carefully created to resemble the original manga and anime. The original creator of the manga hand-selected and had the final say on casting, set design, and plot line.
“To do something like ‘One Piece,’ you have to take some risks. You have to be bold. You have to dare.” — director Mark Jobst
Because Oda did not want this show to fail, he made sure to get every detail of the series as true to the spirit of the original as it could be. Not only did he put great effort into the creation of the show, but the actors also trained heavily to perform the stunts and embrace the characters they play. Both original creator Oda and director Mark Jobst built the dream of bringing One Piece to real life.
A Satisfying Launch
All this work did not go to waste, as the show became a hit with an 8.5/10 on IMDb. Through the entire show, the introductions and presence of the characters and their personalities shined, while adding a twist to the story manga readers might be familiar with. The plot covered important scenes, and the design captured the One Piece world. The show has done a wonderful job so far adapting the story for television. Hopefully, it will pave the way for better anime adaptions.
Isabella Martinez is a senior at YVHS who likes her cute cat and two tortoises.
