Fans Have Mixed Feelings About the ‘One Piece’ Live-Action Series
One Piece is a Japanese manga series created and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. Since the anime series debuted on Japan’s Fuji TV in 1999, it’s considered one of the most popular series of all time. The anime has aired more than 900 episodes to date. Additionally, the One Piece series has spawned 14 movies and multiple video games. When fans heard the anime series would be getting a Netflix adaptation, many had mixed feelings about the news.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers from One Piece]
‘One Piece’ live-action series is coming to Netflix
One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy whose body turned to rubber after eating a Devil Fruit. With his crew of pirates (referred to as the Straw Hat Pirates), Luffy embarks on a journey to find the world’s most ultimate treasure, known as the “One Piece.” If he finds it, then he becomes the next Pirate King.
On Friday (Sept. 3), Netflix Geeked shared the first official logo of the series. The tweet read: “No matter how hard or how impossible it is, never lose sight of your goal.” The line is a direct quote from Luffy, the main protagonist from One Piece.
The post also features the script for the first episode. The One Piece logo is a 3D version of the manga’s original logo. Additionally, the first episode is titled “Romance Dawn.”
Some fans have mixed reactions to the ‘One Piece’ Netflix series
When Netflix announced the live-action series, some One Piece fans had mixed feelings about it. Some fans reference the platform’s lackluster anime adaptation in the past, such as Death Note. The 2017 live-action film was poorly received by fans and critics, earning a 23 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. So, when Netflix announced the live-action series, some One Piece fans were skeptical.
“Netflix is about to ruin One Piece fans with this live-action movie,” one fan tweeted.
“One Piece cannot work in live-action,” another fan tweeted. “Doesn’t matter how big the budget is or how talented the actors are.”
However, the backlash wasn’t abundant on social media. There are some fans that are waiting for the series to premiere on Netflix before they pass judgment.
“The negativity I’ve seen around the One Piece live-action is interesting to me,” another fan wrote on Twitter. “Comparing this series to past movies made by Netflix or whoever makes no sense to me. Judge when there’s actually something to judge.”
Is the ‘One Piece’ series a retelling of Romance Dawn?
The title for the first episode led many fans to believe the live-action series would primarily focus on the story of “Romance Dawn.” The plot was an episode in the One Piece anime that gave viewers a sneak peek into what the series could have been. However, the initial plot contrasted with the original anime’s narrative. Luffy gets an entirely different storyline and audiences are introduced to a series of new characters. Also, “Romance Dawn” is the first story arc in the anime, which spans over the first few episodes.
While the narrative still remains unknown for the series, fans will have to wait and see if Netflix releases further updates on the show’s synopsis.
Netflix ordered 10 episodes for the live-action series. Matt Owens and Stevan Maeda (Lost, The X-Files) will serve as showrunner with Oda set to executive producer, alongside Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements (Cowboy Bebop, Snowpiercer).
There is no release date or additional casting information for the live-action series.
