Netflix’s One Piece: One Piece But A Little Off [Review]

Netflix’s One Piece is a bit of an odd beast. The tone is a lot more serious and dramatic than the anime and manga it’s based on, and the vast majority of the main characters are out of character to varying degrees. Honestly, at times, it feels more like Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are trying to turn this story into Pirates of the Caribbean, and that’s not what One Piece is about. And yet despite that, this live-action adaptation manages to just be canon enough to be entertaining. To the point where I can actually forgive the directors their sins against Eiichiro Oda, and actually eagerly await a season 2 if Netflix chooses to greenlight it.

Netflix’s One Piece: Details

Netflix’s One Piece is the live-action adaptation of the anime and manga of the same name by Eiichiro Oda. Kaji Productions, Tomorrow Studios (Cowboy Bebop), and Shueisha are the production companies behind this adaptation.

Matt Owens and Steven Maeda developed Netflix’s One Piece. Eiichiro Oda himself, Marty Adelstein, and Becky Clements are the executive producers alongside Owens and Maeda. Nicole Hirsch, Whitaker, and Michael Wood are the cinematographers; with Eric Litman, Tessa Verfus, Kevin D. Ross, and Tirsa Hackshaw as the editors. Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli are the composers behind the music you hear.

Cast

Netflix’s One Piece stars Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. Other notable cast include Morgan Davies as Koby, Vincent Regan as Vice Admiral Garp, Aidan Scott as Helmeppo, Peter Gadiot as “Red-Haired” Shanks, Craig Fairbrass as Chef Zeff, Chioma Umeala as Nojiko, Grant Ross as Genzo, Jeff Ward as Buggy the Clown, Alexander Maniatis as Klahadore, Milton Schorr as Don Krieg, Steven Ward as “Hawk-Eye” Mihawk, and McKinley Belcher III as Arlong. Oh, and of course, we have Ian McShane as the unnamed narrator, and very briefly Michael Dorman as “Gold” Roger.

Where to Watch

Netflix’s One Piece will premiere on August 31, 2023. It will run for a grand total of 8 episodes, each running for about an hour. You can watch this adaptation only on Netflix.

Netflix’s One Piece: Synopsis

Normally, this is where I would give you all a spoiler-filled summary of the plot of Netflix’s One Piece. Assuming that somehow, you have no idea what One Piece is about, that is. However, this is the spoiler-free version of my reviews. Thus, you will all get an official synopsis from Netflix instead. You can read that below:

Based on Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history by Eiichiro Oda, ONE PIECE is a legendary high-seas adventure unlike any other. Monkey D. Luffy is a young adventurer who has longed for a life of freedom since he can remember. Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, ONE PIECE, to become King of the Pirates! But in order to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he’s always wanted before finding a ship to sail, searching every inch of the vast blue seas, outpacing the Marines, and outwitting dangerous rivals at every turn.

Starring Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji, ONE PIECE is a live action pirate adventure created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios and Netflix. Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are writers, executive producers, and showrunners. Eiichiro Oda, Marty Adelstein, and Becky Clements also executive produce. Additional cast includes Vincent Regan (Vice Admiral Garp), Ilia Isorelýs Paulino (Alvida), Morgan Davies (Koby), Aidan Scott (Helmeppo), Langley Kirkwood (Captain Morgan), Jeff Ward (Buggy), Celeste Loots (Kaya), Alexander Maniatis (Kuro/Klahadore), McKinley Belcher III (Arlong), Craig Fairbrass (Chef Zeff), Steven Ward (Mihawk), Chioma Umeala (Nojiko), and Michael Dorman (Gold Roger).

Netflix’s One Piece: The Good

To start off, there are good things about Netflix’s One Piece. The best part about it is the scenery. You can tell that Netflix really spent a lot of the budget on the set pieces. They’re extremely detailed and lavish, to the point of scenery porn, really. Not only that, but they look good and even appropriate. You’re definitely going to get a lot of eye candy here from the backgrounds.

The costumes are also great. Netflix’s One Piece really tries hard to replicate the look and feel of the anime and manga in what the characters wear. A lot of the costumes look like they could’ve come right out of Eiichiro Oda’s work, to be honest. Whoever designed those costumes and the makeup should get a bonus. A big one.

The action scenes are also pretty good for the most part. When Netflix’s One Piece gets their action scenes right, they get it right in style. The combat when they get it right is fun and entertaining to watch. It’s practically right out of the anime and manga. In particular, I give kudos to the way Shank’s crew fight. Now if only they maintained it throughout the entire adaptation, but alas…

Netflix’s One Piece: The Bad

If you’re a stickler for canon, then this is not the live-action adaptation for you. Matt Owens and Steven Maeda take a lot of liberties with Netflix’s One Piece in terms of overall tone and even characterization. The tone overall is a lot more serious and dramatic than what Eiichiro Oda created. At times, it almost feels like Owens and Maeda are trying to turn One Piece into Pirates of the Caribbean in terms of overall story tone. Mind you, these are 2 entirely different stories despite the fact that they both star pirates. Trying to mash them together doesn’t really work out, in my opinion. It’s why this adaptation is at its best when Owens and Maeda stick closer to canon.

Speaking of, almost all of the characters of Netflix’s One Piece are out of character to varying degrees from canon. The ones who are least out of character are Nami and Usopp. Everyone else though seems to occasionally forget who their characters are supposed to be, sometimes drastically. Vice-Admiral Garp is the prime offender here. He’s far too serious, dramatic, obsessed with pirate-hunting, and wise. That’s not Garp’s character in the slightest. Garp is headstrong, stubborn, and a bit of a silly grandpa. Honestly, the canon Garp would laugh at Netflix’s Garp, in my opinion.

Luffy too also feels very out of character at times. Sometimes he acts like the canon Luffy but just slightly off, and other times Iñaki Godoy has Luffy do things that the canon Luffy just wouldn’t do. Examples include Netflix’s Luffy turning down food, coming up with intelligent plans, and threatening former friends. Godoy is great when he acts like Luffy, but it’s his out-of-character moments that it a bit of a downside for me. This is why that my opinion of Netflix’s One Piece is that it’s One Piece, but just a little to the left. If a dramatic and serious One Piece AU is what you’re looking for, then this is the show for you.