[ONE PIECE Netflix Live Action Review] impressive modifications, even if I haven’t read much One Piece before.

ONE PIECE Live Action Netflix The world-famous adventure pirate manga that everyone knows, even if you’ve never read it, you’ve likely seen it at some point. The author themselves had been reading it for a long time until stopping around the middle, more than 10 years ago. Due to the extensive length of One Piece, which has been ongoing since 1997, it still hasn’t reached its conclusion. The author has even forgotten much of the story, only remembering the characters’ abilities. After finishing watching, they came back to read and check the storyline once more. This is almost like a review from someone who hasn’t read One Piece, if I may say so.

 

ONE PIECE Netflix Live Action Review (No Spoilers)

From the very beginning, my impression was that I was truly impressed by the casting of the characters in this Live Action adaptation. It’s because Oda-sensei himself was involved in the selection process. The characters that appear in this adaptation have been faithfully translated from the manga to the Live Action format, and they don’t feel awkward like some cosplay attempts. However, for those who aren’t familiar with the Live Action genre, they might find the characters’ hair colors, which faithfully follow the manga, a bit unusual. As for the action scenes, character-specific quirks, and iconic poses, everything seems to be very faithful, which is really impressive.

One common issue with Live Action adaptations is the challenge of attempting to transform various elements. This series also involves a considerable amount of story adjustments from the manga, but it maintains the core storyline. It introduces the subplot of the naval soldiers chasing the protagonist right from the start, and it employs the technique of frequently flashback to the main characters’ backstory. This adaptation aims to present the storytelling in a serialized format effectively, and it succeeds because each flashback is rich with emotionally resonant and impressive narratives. This series is intentionally designed to bring tears to the viewers’ eyes easily throughout its entirety. It’s filled with warmth, friendship, and familial emotions, just as the manga had masterfully conveyed. The plot moves quickly and each episode has a boss encounter right from the beginning, making the story feel like a series of satisfying short films. (The narrative covers from the start up until before entering the Grand Line.)

In the world of One Piece, filled with almost everything being fantastical elements, the issue often seen in Live Action adaptations of manga results in a less favorable overall portrayal. However, this particular project had a total budget of $144 million US dollars ($18 million per episode). The CGI production work in the series turned out to be excellent in all aspects. The standout feature is the impeccable stretchy ability of Luffy, which is portrayed just like in the manga, a true 100% match. The fight scenes against bosses with special abilities were executed almost flawlessly. The dynamic fighting stances of each character were visually appealing and had no hitches whatsoever. Even the sea fight scenes with ships were grandly realized. Even the minor details, like communication via snail phones, were kept faithful to the original style and were smoothly incorporated.

There are almost no downsides to the story, just a feeling that the quality later part of the narrative diminishes somewhat. The final bosses exhibit slightly fewer special abilities compared to the earlier stages, and there’s a deliberate use of iconic scenes from the manga on multiple occasions, which can be a bit bothersome, especially if you’re not a fan of this series.

 

In summary, this is a Live Action series that undoubtedly elevates the manga industry to another level. It maintains a high level of fidelity to the original source material while adapting the storytelling to suit the series format. The show is enjoyable from start to finish, featuring action-packed scenes with boss encounters in every episode. It also continues to deliver the same intense and touching emotions as the original, consistently throughout the entire narrative. This core aspect is what has propelled One Piece to attain such immense popularity. Even for viewers who haven’t read the manga, they can experience the same level of genuine appreciation for the series by watching this adaptation.

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