Luffy’s Lengthening Legacy
The internationally watched and critically acclaimed anime “One Piece” has recently been adapted into a live-action show, streaming on Netflix since Aug. 21. The story follows Luffy, a young and ambitious boy, and his dreams of being the pirate king. After unintentionally eating a magical fruit, he possesses incredible abilities known as Gum-Gum powers that allow his body to stretch and rebound like rubber. When he grows older, he sets off from his small village and begins assembling a pirate crew. He leads the crew on an exciting journey to find a famed treasure called the One Piece which would make Luffy the King of the Pirates.
The show held the title of #1 ranked TV series on Netflix for several consecutive weeks, and is loved by many despite having big shoes to fill as the adaptation of the famous manga. The original manga, or Japanese graphic novel, has a huge fanbase being the best-selling manga series in history (CBR). Therefore, it comes as no surprise that many people were worried about a live-action being released. Many fans had high expectations for the live action because of how loved the anime is. Even Netflix’s Co-CEO, Greg Peters, admitted that undertaking the project was challenging due to the increased scrutiny it was placed under. Many fans were worried about the show’s quality because of previous live-action anime adaptations which did not meet their expectations. For instance, Netflix released a live-action film of the anime “Death Note” in 2017, which brought feelings of disappointment to most fans who argued that it was starkly different from the original show. So, it was a shock for many when the live-action adaptation of “One Piece” received such good reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score was a whopping 95%, reflecting the overwhelmingly positive ratings of viewers. Like many other fans, Senior Paul Kerker was satisfied with what Netflix produced.
“Netflix did an awesome job with the casting. I had no issues at all and it was great that they got help from Oda,” Kerker said. “[I also think] the effects were great, [the scene in which] Mihawk slicing the boat in half looked really good [and] you could tell that the showrunner [Steven Maeda] was a real fan of the manga.”
Netflix working with Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the manga, was a big deal for fans and eased many of their concerns. Netflix spent seven years working on the show to produce something as close to the source material as possible. The series needed to display appreciation for the manga while still incorporating more modern elements, which would balance the appeal from new and old fans. Another challenge that the show’s producers faced was adding color to the characters’ accessories without it looking too unrealistic. They overcame this by making sure all props had fine detail. For example, all wigs were colored in different shades to add dimension. Netflix decided to shoot most of the show in Cape Town, South Africa, where many pirate-themed projects are shot for its beautiful scenery.
Despite all of this determination and hard work, many fans still complained about the live-action, saying that it did not meet their high standards after waiting years for its release. Viewers thought that the effects of the original manga were not represented well; more specifically, they claimed that Luffy’s Gum-Gum powers were inaccurate. For example, Luffy uses his powers to rapidly punch his opponent, creating the illusion of having multiple arms. However, the CGI in the live action adaptation did not capture the same magical quality that the anime possesses. In addition, many of the characters in the newer series did not have the same wardrobe. Although there was a long list of complaints, the live-action introduced many people to the world of anime. Senior Eddie Fermanian described how watching the live-action encouraged him to watch the original anime.
“My friends had been begging me to watch [‘One Piece’] but it was too long; [the show spans] over 1,000 episodes,” Fermanian said. “That is too daunting for me. I watched the live-action first and I [thought it was] actually really good, [which motivated me to] watch the original show. The whole point of watching shows is not to [say] ‘that is not realistic,’ it is to [say] ‘it looks realistic enough’. Especially with “One Piece” [fans] can be very picky. I love how they casted the actors to have different ethnicities. And they are true to their personalities, especially the main character.”
As Fermanian mentioned, the actors were very connected to the characters they played. Many fans, including Oda himself, thought Iñaki Godoy did a terrific job playing the role of the main character, Luffy. In an interview with ‘Collider’, Godoy described how he felt a connection with his character because they shared many of the same traits and even insecurities. Godoy revealed that like Luffy, he also doubted himself and wished he was stronger at times.
Like casting, the Netflix team made special effects in the show a priority. Netflix tried to balance the use of CGI and real-life set pieces. Netflix wanted the effects to look as realistic as possible. Therefore, they used little CGI and focused on creating elaborate set pieces. They hoped this would make the show feel more immersive for fans. Senior Nathan Chang thought that the CGI not looking perfect is what made the show unique.
“There is a character [in the show] who is a clown that can split himself up,” Chang said. “I think that the whole idea of it is bizarre, so having that element of it looking a little silly, I think perfectly fits into the adaptation of ‘One Piece.”
The clown character, Buggy, was created using a 3-D virtual double of the actor, Jeff Ward. Although it did not turn out perfectly, a lot of work went into the production of creating Buggy. According to the popular opinion of fans, Netflix did the best they could when it came to special effects. Chang noted that because the actors portray their characters so well, the little flaws did not mean much to him. Overall, the live-action version is well-crafted and fans think Netflix did an excellent job with many aspects, including the casting, wardrobe, special effects and more. Fans are ecstatic for the confirmation of season two. Whether the show met fans expectations or inspired more people to try something new, it is clear that the new “One Piece” series is paving a new path for live-action adaptations of anime.
