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Live-Action One Piece Lives Up to the Amazing Manga


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ZelosZoidberg



Joined: 23 May 2018
Posts: 747
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 1:51 pm Reply with quote
Have we finally done it? A good live action adaptation of a anime?
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James_Beckett
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 23 Nov 2015
Posts: 283
Location: USA
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 1:56 pm Reply with quote
ZelosZoidberg wrote:
Have we finally done it? A good live action adaptation of a anime?


Hey now, let's not be so quick to forget that Speed Racer and Alita walked so that One Piece could run.
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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
Posts: 5524
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 2:06 pm Reply with quote
ZelosZoidberg wrote:
Have we finally done it? A good live action adaptation of a anime?
I heard really good things about the Rurouni Kenshin films, the live action version of Dororo seems to be liked as well.
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flamemasterelan



Joined: 17 Apr 2022
Posts: 497
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 2:18 pm Reply with quote
MarshalBanana wrote:
I heard really good things about the Rurouni Kenshin films, the live action version of Dororo seems to be liked as well.

The RuroKen productions were Japanese, though. And they have a much better track record, IMO, but get a lot less attention for...obvious reasons. Shojo manga, for example, is usually adapted as a TV drama rather than an anime anymore. People hyper focus on shonen adaptations done by Hollywood studios, with a few exceptions (usually those licensed by Netflix, like Bleach).

I think the Erased TV drama was quite good, for example. The anime definitely has advantages in terms of aesthetics - especially in the Christmas Tree scene - but Erased is a fairly grounded setting that doesn't require a huge budget, and the TV Drama was actually accurate to the manga's ending.
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StarDango



Joined: 22 Sep 2021
Posts: 103
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 2:30 pm Reply with quote
MarshalBanana wrote:
I heard really good things about the Rurouni Kenshin films, the live action version of Dororo seems to be liked as well.

I’ve met some fans of the live action Black Butler and Assassination Classroom films, as well. And then there’s manga like Ouran Host Club and Boys Over Flowers that had live action series that were well watched (especially Boys Over Flowers. I’m still shocked by how many adaptations there have been to this day.)

But I think what makes Netflix’s One Piece stand out is just how…Difficult the manga would be to adapt. A lot of the live-action adaptations that receive the most praise are usually based on manga that are grounded enough to not require crazy set designs, costumes, and effects. Hence why it’s easier to do something like Shoujo manga.

Hell- not even Japan attempted a full scale One Piece live-action adaptation, as far as I know. And that’s despite how popular OP is in its home country. So this was a HUGE risk and I’m glad to hear that, at the least, the show is *fun.* Because that’s what One Piece should be.
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BadNewsBlues



Joined: 21 Sep 2014
Posts: 6358
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 3:02 pm Reply with quote
James_Beckett wrote:
Hey now, let's not be so quick to forget that Speed Racer and Alita walked so that One Piece could run.


Was Speed Racer popular amongst fans of the anime when it came out originally?

It seems like it’s only started getting more positive reactions in the years since it’s release.
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ZiharkXVI



Joined: 29 Jan 2009
Posts: 388
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 3:18 pm Reply with quote
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The only thing holding it back really is that I don't think the live action is better than the anime. It is worlds above other anime adaptations. Definitely not like that hot garbage Cowboy Bebop nonsense.
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SrkSano



Joined: 05 Oct 2008
Posts: 205
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 3:24 pm Reply with quote
BadNewsBlues wrote:
Was Speed Racer popular amongst fans of the anime when it came out originally?

A big reason Japan hated Speed Racer was because they cast a Korean to play a Japanese character. Something that wasn't a big deal at the time in the West, but hated by Japan. They do not like other Asians playing Japanese characters. Caucasians playing most of the other roles were fine, they didn't even mind that for live action Ghost in the Shell and Netflix Death Note. But Koreans playing Japanese characters is a big no-no for them.

The movie didn't do well in the United States, but a lot of people really enjoyed the film. Marvel writer Peter David (most famous Incredible Hulk Run, wrote Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099 and many other things) is a huge fan of it and Neal from Clownfish TV enjoyed it too. I liked it as well. At best it has a cult following.

Saw the first two episodes of One Piece. Really loving it so far!
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Kicksville



Joined: 20 Nov 2010
Posts: 1260
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 3:54 pm Reply with quote
Speed Racer had a down and up reputation for a very specific reason: Iron Man. It came out the week before Speed Racer did. People didn't expect much of a comic book movie based on a C-lister at first (maybe another Daredevil), but when it turned out to be great, word of mouth spread and people went to see it that second weekend.

That second weekend was Speed Racer's debut weekend, so it got forgotten about immediately. When it came and went without so many people noticing or remembering it even came out already, plenty assumed that must've been because it was bad.

It got a new lease on life thanks to Blu-Ray, where it ended up being a great example of the advantages of the format. That's when I remember folks turning around and saying it was actually very good.
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MangaNeko



Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Posts: 139
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 4:07 pm Reply with quote
My husband and I watched the series. We really enjoyed the entire first season. As tolerable as Cowboy Bebop was, One Piece live action just blows it out of the water. One Piece really made the sets work for them, and the actors in all roles really shined through, especially for the balance of comedy and drama. One of the best things through out the series was hearing the anime music in the background. I was very teary eyed twice, once for Going Merry’s maiden voyage and of course Nami’s scene. I also applaud the adjustments the “Romance Dawn” arc made with Garp, Koby, Helmeppo and Buggy. I think the biggest downside was no Hachi or Momoo, which will become a problem much later down the line. I sincerely hope Netflix takes on the FULL One Piece journey and adjusts the episode counts to balance the story with comedy/drama and at least take us through to Marineford.
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Hagaren Viper



Joined: 28 Apr 2011
Posts: 793
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 4:35 pm Reply with quote
Watched the first few eps with a group that was half One Piece fans and half not-even-anime fans, and the whole group was into it. Inaki is a treasure and somehow carries a show that was already well cast. There's lots of things I wish they would have included or done differently and there are characterization changes that I don't completely vibe with, but it felt more like practical decisions that come with condensing so much content and adaption such a show into real life instead of some adaptions that are embarrassed by the source material (Here's looking at you, Disney). I don't think every One Piece fan will be into it, but I'd like to think more people will get the sense that the people behind this one really cared about this project.
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flamemasterelan



Joined: 17 Apr 2022
Posts: 497
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 4:36 pm Reply with quote
Kicksville wrote:
snip

In addition to all of this, Speed Racer didn't really have a strong following in the states. Mostly Gen Xers who remembered seeing it on TV when they were a kid, and was remembered well enough to do one or two skits on Robot Chicken, but anime of that era was nowhere near as popular as, say, the Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moons that mid to late Millennials grew up on.
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NeverConvex
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Joined: 08 Jun 2013
Posts: 2568
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 4:55 pm Reply with quote
Guess I didn't have to wait long for a more appropriate thread to discuss the show itself! Hurrah for James.

I wonder when we'll get word on ratings for this, and the possibility of a continuation? I've never really wanted one of these to succeed before, but damn if I'm not invested in this now. Would love to see it move further as an adaptation.

There's a lot to be said about it, but one thing that I think I particularly like is it manages to both maintain something like the whimsical charm of the original and yet also be more brutal and a bit darker, yet without ever feeling like it is taking itself too seriously. Inaki's Luffy has some of this, too; he is funny and boneheaded, but a bit more thoughtful and more frequently serious than in the anime -- not so often as to undermine the feeling of the character, but enough that you want to invest in his journey more than you would if he were just completely absurd all the time. I think that balance is necessary, too; some of the fights just wouldn't work as well in live-action without the greater sense of stakes you get from seeing people genuinely bloodied (and, uh, in some cases sliced fully in half).


Last edited by NeverConvex on Fri Sep 01, 2023 5:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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NJ_



Joined: 31 Oct 2009
Posts: 3120
Location: Wallington, NJ
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 5:00 pm Reply with quote
ZelosZoidberg wrote:
Have we finally done it? A good live action adaptation of a anime?


Ask again in a couple of years if it's still ongoing.
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prime_pm



Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2375
Location: Your Mother's Bedroom
PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2023 5:09 pm Reply with quote
Alternate article title: It’s About [expletive] Time
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