One Piece (2023), Netflix's live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese manga and anime series, is a fun watch. From its riveting action sequences involving sword fights, slingshots, and comically imaginative antics to the emotional heart of its lead characters and their unique array of personalities. Despite featuring pirates, this series has less in common with the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2003-present) and is more in line with the Japanese samurai code of honor and loyalty, albeit through a more lighthearted presentation. This series review will contain spoilers, so this is your final warning. With that said, off we go.
The first season of this live-action adaptation follows the amiable and upbeat Monkey D. Luffy (played by Iñaki Godoy), a young man orphaned as a child and given the ability to stretch his body like rubber (thanks to his eating of a mysterious Devil Fruit), who takes to the seas while aspiring to find notorious pirate Gold Roger (known in the source material as "Gol D. Roger")'s treasure known as the "One Piece" hidden in a treacherous part of the ocean called the Grand Line, to become King of the Pirates. Accompanying him on his journeys is his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, made up of accomplished swordsman Roronoa Zoro (played by Mackenyu) as Luffy's first mate, Nami (played by Emily Rudd), a thief full of secrets and a keen eye for cartography as the ship's navigator, Usopp (played by Jacob Romero Gibson), an energetic and loyal marksman with a knack for telling tall tales, and Sanji (played by Taz Skylar), a charming and skilled master chef who utilizes martial arts with his legs.
As I stated earlier, this series has much in common with the Japanese samurai code or Bushido. Specifically, the main crew's loyalty, bravery, and honor for each other no matter the circumstances. Granted, Episode One, "Romance Dawn", tonally and thematically matches the best pirate-related media, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), with the action and character introductions, but after that, it becomes more focused on the main and supporting characters along the way, both on land and sea, much like how The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) navigates its epic quest, through the characters and their stories. Also, on a Pirates-related side note, Ian McShane (Blackbeard from the fourth Pirates movie) voices the narrator in the first episode, which was a nice touch.
All the characters and their respective actors share excellent chemistry with each other and are given plenty of time to shine in this season alone. Starting with the show's lead, Iñaki Godoy as Luffy delightfully brings all the eternally optimistic and emotionally supportive energy of Ted Lasso and the rubbery elasticity of Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Four; he's Stretch Lasso. Yet his cheerful demeanor always comes from a real place, and given his heartwarming backstory with his childhood hero, Shanks (played by Peter Gadiot), and the exploration of his estranged relationship with his tough-as-nails grandfather, Marines Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp (played by Vincent Regan), his character has more emotional depth to him than others give credit for.
Mackenyu as Zoro delivers in the series' various sword fighting sequences while displaying the right amount of emotional range in his moral arc from a stoic Ronin pirate hunter who kills pirates for the money to Luffy's honorable and selfless first mate driven by his lifelong desire to become the world's greatest swordsman, albeit without killing. Additionally, in Episode Four, "The Pirates Are Coming", there are flashbacks to his childhood (Maximilian Lee Piazza plays his younger self) and his friendship with Shimotsuki Kuina (played by Audrey Cymone), an equally skilled swordswoman whom Zoro promised to practice with every day until her unexpected passing, interspliced with the present-day Zoro trying to get out of a predicament involving him at the bottom of a well. This backstory is compelling and well-realized, and the fight scenes between the two are just as well-choreographed, well-shot, well-edited, and visually impressive as the ones for Zoro's present-day scenes.
Emily Rudd's performance as Nami perfectly captures the character's emotional complexity and vulnerability amidst the eventual revelation of her backstory in Episode Seven, "The Girl with the Sawfish Tattoo", of growing up poor and being adopted as a child (her younger self is played by Lily Fisher) along with her adoptive older sister, Nojiko (played by Chioma Umeala, with Kylie Ashfield playing Nojiko as a child), by a former Marine named Bellemere (played by Genna Galloway), before the ruthless pirate Arlong (played by McKinley Belcher III) invades their village and kills their mother, resulting in Nami deciding to work for him by thieving other pirates and serving as Arlong's cartographer in exchange for enough money for her to buy her village's freedom, is heartwrenching. Ultimately, Arlong betrays her, culminating in an emotionally intense and visually graphic sequence that features Rudd's best performance in the series thus far. Said sequence and performance in this episode are absolutely worthy of Emmy nominations, as is Sanji's backstory, but I will get to that later.
Jacob Romero Gibson's lighthearted likability and emotional vulnerability significantly elevate Usopp's character arc in Episode Three "Tell No Tales" and Episode Four, from 'the boy who cried wolf' regarding the impending return of pirates to his village to standing up for himself and those he loves, making for a solid character arc that audience members can hopefully relate to and see themselves in. Also, the wholesome revelation of Usopp's father, Yasopp (played by Stevel Marc), being a member of Shanks' gang, the Red-Haired Pirates (thus sharing a mutual connection to Luffy), and his genuinely sweet friendship with the wealthy yet kind-hearted heiress Kaya (played by Celeste Loots) counteract the tragic childhood memory of his ailing mother (played by Chanté Grainger) dying in front of him. While Usopp's life can be described as bittersweet, the sweets of his present outweigh the bitterness of his past.
Taz Skylar's character, Sanji, comes into the picture in Episode Five "Eat at Baratie!" as a talented chef and reluctant waiter at a floating restaurant called Baratie, run by his father figure and retired pirate, Chef Zeff (played by Craig Fairbrass). Sanji has perhaps the most fascinating backstory and flashback of all the series' main characters thus far, as explored in the following episode, "The Chef and the Chore Boy". From the performances of not only Skylar and Fairbrass but Christian Convery (the young actor portraying Sanji as a child) to the direction of the flashback overall, it contains shades of Cast Away (2000) with its 'stranded on a deserted island' setting and the feeling of longevity in the time passing, as well as Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island with the Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver-type relationship shared between Sanji and Zeff, respectively. As I mentioned earlier, this episode and Sanji's backstory deserve some form of recognition at the Emmys, for they are simply that good from a writing, directing, and acting perspective. Although I have been disappointed in the past regarding award show nominations for shows like this, I am more than willing to be surprised.
Before I forget, one supporting character I found especially memorable is Koby (played by Morgan Davies), a former cabin boy for the Alvida Pirates whom Luffy befriends in Episode One, who dreams of becoming and later enlists with the Marines to help others. However, his enlisting threatens to endanger his friendship with Luffy, as he finds himself forced to reveal secrets about Luffy to Vice Admiral Garp and Helmeppo (played by Aidan Scott), the spoiled son of Marine Captain Axe Hand Morgan (played by Langley Kirkwood) who gets knocked down several pegs after his father is disgraced after the events of the first episode. This results in Koby and Helmeppo developing an unlikely alliance to better each other under Garp's guidance, which is just as fascinating of a character alliance as the main protagonists'.
Moving on to the subjects of rogues, Buggy the Clown (played by Jeff Ward) featured in Episode Two "The Man in the Straw Hat" is what I can describe as a hybrid of the sinister and macabre freak show clown of Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight (2008) and the obnoxious snark of Ryan Reynolds' performance as the titular character from Deadpool (2016), with the addition of his body's ability to survive being dissected into pieces and instantly reassemble himself, as well as a dislike for people making fun of his red nose akin to Cyrano de Bergerac's. He isn't the main big bad, as he pops up again later as his head is literally taken along for the ride to help the Straw Hat Pirates track down Nami, after she betrays them for a map to the Grand Line in Episode Six.
Speaking of big bads, Arlong, a ruthless sawshark/man hybrid who is the leader of a pirate gang called the Arlong Pirates, has a menacing physical presence and is a worthy adversary to Luffy and his gang. On a side note, I could not help but grimace at the fact that an African American actor was cast to play the character, who admits that his race has historically been enslaved and that human societies were built off their backs and is fighting to put humans in their place by any means necessary. If that is meant to convey a negative stereotype about African Americans wanting to seek vengeance on white people for the suffering that was inflicted on them coupled with his gang carrying tiki torches at night preceding an attack on a village (vividly reminding me of the white supremacist riot at Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017), then that aspect is disturbing to think about. However, if that implication was unintentional, then the sociological critic in me is stronger than I thought.
Finally, one other rogue that stood out to me was the pirate Kuro (played by Alexander Maniatis), the captain of the Black Cat Pirates who, in Episodes Three and Four, initially disguises himself as Kaya's butler, Klahadore, before unveiling his devious and cunning identity and agenda of gradually poisoning Kaya through serving her spiked tea and poisoned soups so that he and his gang would take control of her father's shipyards. Also, the fact that he has what I can only describe as a hybrid of Freddy Kreuger's claws from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and the retractable metal blades of Wolverine from the X-Men comics and films make him especially memorable.
All the episodes thus far have ranged from great (Episodes One, Two, and Five get 8 out of 10s) to excellent (Episodes Three and Four get 9 out of 10s), but the last three are undeniably the best of the bunch (10 out of 10s). From its dynamic cinematography, well-shot fight sequences, and lively yet emotionally mature musical score to its excellent production, costume, and set designs, just about every episode is a winner in my book.
My personal favorite episodes from the series so far are Episodes Three and Four, "Tell No Tales" and "The Pirates Are Coming", respectively. These two episodes are the best side adventures within the overarching narrative of assembling a crew in addition to accomplishing their goal of getting a proper ship (which Luffy dubs the "Going Merry" after Kaya's late family friend and lawyer, Merry (played by Brett Williams)). Coupled with some excellent buildups of suspense and thrills, these episodes are the most fun I got out of the first half of this first season.
While Episodes Three and Four are the best side adventures, Episodes Six, Seven, and Eight are the best episodes outright, as they all could pass off as three individual movies with the level of care and attention paid to the writing, character development, and backstories. Also, what made these episodes feel so special was the fact that I was so absorbed into the characters, their personalities, and backstories, that I did not feel like I was watching a live-action adaptation of a Japanese manga and anime series. The extra effort from the writers, directors, and production team to bring in new fans like myself while respecting and staying true to the spirit of the source material is more than commendable, it is an extraordinary one.
Overall, this live-action adaptation of One Piece impressed me. While I cannot wait for the inevitable second season, I cannot help but feel a little overwhelmed at the possibility of more characters joining the soon-to-grow cast. However, I have been sticking around with the Marvel Cinematic Universe for this long, so I shouldn't be too hypocritical about large casts of characters. Even if you are not a manga or anime fan, being one is not a prerequisite for watching this series. I wasn't that familiar with the manga or anime going in, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this watch. Give this series a watch (or a binge-watch), for it was one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of the year so far.
Final Score: 9 out of 10
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