Summary
One Piecemanga series creator Eiichiro Oda has given Netflix’s live-action adaptation an endorsement in a way that highlights one of the live-action series’ most unique and iconic additions from the source material.
By many metrics,One Pieceis the most successful manga of all time, with the long-running series from Oda going on an unprecedented 11-year run as the bestselling manga on yearly charts and 12 years as bestselling by volume before conceding the top spot to more recent manga while still consistently dominating within the top 5 list. The possibility of a live-action series was a topic of conversation for years within the fandom. Netflix eventually took up the task and announcedaOne Piecelive-action seriesfor the streamer that started filming in early 2022.
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With the project complete and premiering on the platform, Netflix’sOne Pieceseries has gotten a stellar review from Oda, creator of the series and one ofthe best power systems in the Shonen genrein its iconic devil fruit abilities. Oda delivered his praises for the series via a live-action version of theOne Pieceworld’s Den Den Mushi, snail-based telecommunication devices used throughout the series. “As a Hollywood production, the action and VFX are great, not to mention the performances by the cast,”Odaconfirmed in the video posted to social media. “But above all, I want to call attention to how perfect the Straw Hat cast are. It’s like you’re watching the Straw Hats in real life, which I’d love for you to savor.”
The Den Den Mushi was presented to the mangaka as a gift from the cast and crew by series lead Iñaki Godoy, whose on-screen personality and mannerisms, as seen in all the footage shown before the official release, show very littledifference from theOne Piecemanga incarnationof the character. For Oda, who, like many of his contemporaries in the industry, dislikes attention and displaying his face to fans, this method of giving his opinion on the series is convenient and appropriate, showing off the dedication to the source material that the crew behind the series has to the oft cartoonish concepts and characters seen in the world ofOne Piece.
The endorsement from the manga’s creator is an important facet of the show’s launch on Netflix, as the streamer’s previous attempts at live-action anime adaptations have hardly been rewarded with any measure of success or fan acclaim. The last such attempt was alive-actionCowboy Bebopadaptationthat was canceled after one season, despite the source material being one of the most well-loved (and well-written) works in the genre and considerably less wacky and voluminous thanOne Piece. With Oda firmly behind the series, fans who have been burned once by the live-action adaptation failure will be more inclined to try watching it.
If Netflix can succeed with the series, it could be a boon for content within and outside of the genre, similar tohow anime at the box office helps push adult animation. With seemingly every possible sign pointing to a home run for the live-action adaptation, a previously unprofitable avenue to create massive profits and drive attention to the platform might open with Netflix poised to reap the rewards.
The live-actionOne Pieceseries is now available for streaming on Netflix.
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