‘One Piece’ Season One Review – A Fun And Faithful Start To A Grand Adventure

After years of talks, photo releases of BTS set builds, castings, and promises from Tomorrow Studios and original series creator Eiichiro Oda that this was in great hands, Netflix’s live action adaptation of One Piece has finally arrived – and what an arrival. As of this writing, Netflix’s One Piece has overtaken season four of Stranger Things and Wednesday in views and reception. Fans of the original series are now breathing a collective sigh of relief, and enjoying a genuinely fantastic adventure.

To start, I will freely admit that I have never been able to pick up the original anime for One Piece. It was always a little too daunting. Says the longtime Dragonball fan. When the series premiered on August 31st, I had my close friend, longtime fan, and advocate for the anime there to tell me just how close, or far, this ended up being from the original. We’re pleased to report that it is extremely faithful, and endlessly fun.

An adaptation’s first job is to be true to the source material. Check. The second job is to get people interested in the original. This series will more than certainly do that, and make One Piece as a whole an even bigger global franchise. Check. Netflix’s One Piece takes the first roughly 40-45 episodes of the anime and westernizes them a bit for a global audience while still maintaining the heart, soul, and themes from the source material. If you wanted to jump right into the anime to continue the adventure, you’re more than able to do that without missing anything.

Netflix’s One Piece, follows fledgling pirate captain Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) on his quest to find Gold Roger’s treasure and become the “king of the Pirates.” Godoy is, and this is not said lightly, PERFECT. He embodies the spirit of the character and the series flawlessly. While at first he seems a little down on his luck, he is endlessly positive, hopeful, honest, and optimistic. He wants to see the people around him become the best versions of themselves, and he’s going to do everything in his power to make sure that happens.

After being brought aboard the vicious Captain Alvida’s (Ilia Isorelýs Paulino) vessel, Luffy rescues the imprisoned cabin boy Koby (Morgan Davies) who dreams of becoming a Marine and helping people who can’t help themselves. Koby, who I’m told has had a bit of an upgrade story-wise, parallels Luffy’s journey throughout the season. Luffy dreams of freedom through being a pirate and sailing the oceans bringing happiness wherever he goes. Meanwhile, Koby wants to join the Marines for similar reasons, but the two forces are at odds with each other across the world. Will their friendship be a detriment to them, or will it make both of them better stronger people?

Luffy finds himself in need of a crew for his venture to “the Grand Line,” a passage across the globe where the previous pirate king hid his treasure. To fill his ranks, he enlists the help of notorious pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu) after seeing him defend a young girl in a bar, and expert thief Nami (Emily Rudd). Neither of them want to be a part of his crew at first, but before long his endless optimism and friendship rubs off on them. They are later joined by the tall-tale-telling Usopp (Jacob Romero) and super-chef Sanji (Taz Skylar). Each of them brings their own flair and skills to the crew. They’re all fun and enjoyable both individually and as a united front. The Straw Hat Pirates are born! But they are not without foes.

Along their way the crew encounter nefarious pirates like the sinister Buggy the Clown (Jeff Ward), Kuro (Alexander Maniatis) and his crew the Black Cat Pirates, and the villainous fishmen under the leadership of Arlong (McKinley Belcher III). All they while they are also heavily pursued by Admiral Garp (Vincent Regan) of the Marines as he attempts to bring this new ragtag group of pirates to heel. Each of the villains brings their own unique flair and abilities to the table and make for very different fights with each of them. We get to see all of our characters show off their fighting skills and abilities as well as Luffy’s “devil fruit” powers.

Devil fruits are seemingly magical fruits that are found on the seas that have the ability to give all manner of strange powers to those who eat them. We learn in flashback that young Luffy (Colton Osorio) has eaten the “GumGum fruit,” which gives him the ability to stretch and contort himself like rubber. This lends itself to some hilarious and over-the-top fight scenes that translate surprisingly well from anime to live-action.

After assembling a loyal crew, saving Nami’s home village, and gaining an incredible ship for them to set out with, our heroes make way with map in hand for the Grand Line. Their adventure awaits them, and nothing will stand in their way.

The visuals for Netflix’s One Piece are fun, interesting, and very well done. Everyone is colorful and eye catching when they’re supposed to be. Almost like in old cartoons like Scooby-Doo, you can always tell when someone is going to be a focus. There are a few moments where things stand out a little too much, but it’s not to the show’s detriment. It leans into Oda’s source material as much as it can, and its very refreshing.

The practical effects and sets are probably the highlight of the series though. Everywhere the crew goes, almost everything they see is done practically. The makeup for the fishmen, while upsetting, is extremely well done. Luffy and company aren’t standing in a mass of CGI monsters, and it shows. It’s fantastic.

The music and sound design are also very well done. The score is extremely well executed. Music swells during tense and heroic moments. It helps to keep the pace of the series at its regular jog. Characters have a bit of their own theme, which is always a nice touch. The main theme of the series very quickly becomes its anthem, and it really helps to sell the dramatic and intense moments. There are a few times where certain sound effects are mixed a little louder than you’d probably expect, but it’s nothing that takes you out of a scene. There are also, of course, some of everyone’s favorite stock sound effects in there, but I’m never going to complain about hearing a “Howie scream.”

Netflix’s One Piece is a fun and entertaining ride. It masterfully takes the original source material and adapts it for a worldwide audience in an engaging and endlessly optimistic journey across the East Blue. Each of the characters are entertaining, deep, and unique. They all have a role to fill, and they do it very well. Godoy’s Luffy is the absolute best part of the show, and it’s obvious why Oda likes his as much as he does. The villains are perfectly nefarious in their own way, and present very different challenges for our heroes to overcome as the season progresses. They showcase how clever our heroes are, and how they are growing and attempting to better themselves continuously. The visuals are certainly a highlight as well; the attention to detail is marvelous, and any fan of the original series will be gushing at every other moment.

My only real worry about Netflix’s One Piece is its longevity. How long will this be able to go? The anime it is based on is already almost 1100 episodes. There are over 100 volumes of the manga. One Piece has been going for over 25 years. Will Netflix and company be able to keep this going? Will they be able to reach a comfortable conclusion? Is this it for Netflix’s One Piece? Only time will tell. Fingers are crossed, breath is bated, and if news is anything to go by, hopes are high that we get to see this crew make for the Grand Line.

One Piece is currently available to stream on Netflix. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ades3pQbeh8]