Review - One Piece (2023)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Now, as I've said in the past, I'm a big fan of anime. And one of my favorite anime series is One Piece by Eiichiro Oda. But, when I heard that Netflix was working on a live-action streaming series based on One Piece, I was a bit concerned, as this was the same Netflix that brought us Adam Wingard's live-action Death Note movie, as well as the live-action Cowboy Bebop series with John Cho as Spike Spiegel. Not to say I didn't like either of those titles, to be clear, but clearly the animes of Death Note and Cowboy Bebop were far better. But, when I saw that both critics and audiences liked the live-action One Piece? I knew I had to see it for myself. 

        Now, one of my biggest concerns was that the creators of this series would merely take Eiichiro Oda's work and use it as a thin veil to cover a Pirates of the Caribbean clone. But, no, that's definitely not the case, as Matt Owens and Steven Maeda took great care in the visual design, costume design, and the stories of many of the key characters from the anime. I especially loved how in the first episode, we see Monkey D. Luffy consume the infamous Gum-Gum Fruit which completely rubberized his body. 

        So, the story of this version of One Piece is pretty faithful to the original anime. On the day of the execution of Gold Roger, King of the Pirates, Roger reveals that his much covered treasure, the One Piece,  is hidden somewhere on the treacherous Grand Line. This revelation leads thousands to take up piracy, and thus begins the Great Pirate Era. Years later, and we meet Monkey D. Luffy, whose goal in life is to find the One Piece and become the next King of the Pirates. On his journey, he assembles a crew consisting of Nami, Sanji, Usopp, and Roranora Zoro, while also facing off against the likes of Captain Alvida, Buggy the Clown, Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates, Sawtooth Arlong and his fish men crew, Dracule "Hawk-Eye" Mihawk, and so forth. Also on Luffy's tail is a crew of Marines led by Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, who is Luffy's grandfather, and includes the likes of "Axe Hand" Morgan, Helmeppo, and of course Koby. And, of course, Luffy's journey does include his childhood encounters with Red Haired Shanks, who is portrayed brilliantly by Peter Gadiot. I enjoyed the scenes between the young Luffy and Shanks, as it showed how much influence the legendary pirate had on the kid, who would grow up to become a pirate in his own right. 

       Speaking of the cast, everyone in the main cast is excellent in their respective roles. Iñaki Godoy as Luffy, Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji were all fantastic, as were Vincent Regan as Garp and Morgan Davies as Koby. I also enjoyed the likes of Langley Kirkwood as "Axe Hand" Morgan,  Steven Ward as "Hawk Eye" Mihawk, and McKinley Belcher III as  Sawtooth Arlong. Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed Jeff Ward as Buggy the Clown, I kinda hoped he would have gone a bit more insane. 

        The costume and ship designs, especially that of the Going Merry, felt absolutely accurate to the anime. It's obvious that the production team behind this version of One Piece wanted to bring every detail to life ina way that would please fans and newcomers alike, and I loved it. Also, the visual effects of the various Devil Fruit powers, especially with Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit powers, were spectacular, as were the multiple action scenes throughout the series. But, of course, One Piece is a high seas adventure, and we do get a good amount of screen time with our main characters at sea, and it's absolutely fantastic. 

        Now, with just how good this first season is, I really do hope that we can get additional seasons which can introduce others from Luffy's crew such as Tony-Tony Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky, Deadbones Brook, and allies like Boa Hancock,  Portgas D. Ace, Luffy's father Monkey D. Dragon, and so forth. Honestly, I'm absolutely down for additional seasons of this version of one of my favorite anime franchises. 

        If you are a fan of One Piece, or are an anime fan in general, I definitely recommend checking out the live-action version of One Piece on Netflix. I'm giving it a 4.75/5. It's eight episodes long, and it's definitely worth checking out. 

      Anyway guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.