Some time ago, Netflix made the big appointment that Wednesday was tying with Stranger Things‘ fourth season for the most #1 positions in the world with 83 countries. Considering the iconic IP and Jenna Ortega leading the show, it was definitely a statement but it seems a new entry may have potentially found a new contender as the live-action adaptation of One Piece reportedly already managed to become the No. 1 in 84 countries and seemingly rising due to strong word-of-mouth.
As such, One Piece has broken the record set by other iconic Netflix series and is continuing to grow its potential to continue on the platform with at least a second season. However, the question is if it is also reflected in the total viewership numbers. Netflix didn’t unveil Wednesday’s record numbers until at least a week later and there’s a chance that they are going to count that same timeline which means the big challenge is for this new series to also keep up that very momentum throughout the coming weeks.
Netflix evaluates different factors even if not every detail on when they decided to renew a series. One Piece was an expensive production with a massive marketing push. Yet, they also already have merchandise ready for this series, which can push it to become quite profitable for the studio. So, we’ll have to keep a close eye on its performance for a bit more time if the series manages to dethrone Wednesday and Stranger Things.
It’s been seven years since One Piece was first announced to be getting a live-action adaptation. The production survived a pandemic, constant delays, a long production in South Africa, one of Netflix’s biggest marketing strategies, and so much more. On August 31st, it finally made its way to Netflix as a binge-drop. Was the wait worth it or did Tomorrow Studios repeat the same mistakes that sank Cowboy Bebop?
To get the easiest comparison out of the way fast: it’s not another Cowboy Bebop (though to be upfront, I felt it as actually decent if taken as its own thing). Showrunners Steven Maeda and Matt Owens managed to do what seemed impossible and bring a goofy but heartfelt series to live-action like One Piece in this new take on the iconic East Blue saga that started it all.
The manga series by Eiichiro Oda is somewhat special in many ways: it is a very goofy, almost childlike story that has some of the most heartfelt moments that truly tug on your heartstrings while managing to still tell the same story for over 26 years at this point. Yet, East Blue is very distinct when compared to the rest as it was the time when Oda was still figuring out the story he wanted to tell with very distinct stories that only loosely connect through the first recruits for Luffy’s journey to the Grand Line.
So, the showrunners are given quite a daunting task having to bring such an iconic series to life and stay true to the original while having to establish a more Western-style connected adaptation of the saga that has the least connective tissue. And, somehow, they managed to pull it off. The smartest move they did was to ensure that the main cast where perfect for their respective characters, which became one of its biggest selling points. Netflix was smart to make good use of pre-recorded interviews and videos of the caster interacting to further sell their dynamic as a team.
Inaki Godoy was a perfect choice for the loveable Monkey D. Luffy. He has just the right energy to play the character and also has that inspiring energy that keeps the story going. Mackenyu is a more subdued Zoro who is inspired by his later appearances but actually adds a bit more variety to the cast with his straight-man reactions and dry humor. Jacob Romero Gibson is a lot of fun and they do more with him than just being comedic relief; they also really embrace his cowardly habits.
Emily Rudd is a standout for her more emotionally-centered performance; not too surprising given the importance of this arc and her story. Lastly, Taz Skylar is a great rendition of Sanji that finds that right balance but given when he is introduced, we sadly don’t get a lot of time with him. However, they make good use of his “new guy” dynamic and want to prove himself. The Straw Hats are the selling point of this series and are definitely the highlights throughout, as you just want to spend time with them even when the show’s first season wraps.
The rest of the cast is also great and outside of maybe one or two, they are probably the most accurate castings I’ve seen in an adaptation. They also give some great and varied performances with Jeff Ward truly being the stand-out as the always loveable but terrifying Buggy. Arlong (McKinley Belcher III) is also a stand-out who has a lot more depth and wasn’t done justice in the trailers. Overall, the villains were great even if one really deserved way more screen time but at least got a slight spotlight. Vincent Regan’s Garp is also a great character who is given a bigger role inspired by a later arc.
One thing many were a bit concerned about early on was the CG and outside of maybe one or two shots, there’s some fantastic work in this show. News Coo and the Lord of the Coast are visually impressive. There’s a scene of swords falling apart that looked off later on in the series but the big surprise is just how well they pull off Luffy’s stretchy powers. They don’t shy away from it and make good use of it whenever they can. Even the Gum Gum Balloon looks convincing which is impressive given how even big-name studios avoid those kinds of powers like with Ms. Marvel.
The most impressive aspect of this series is how they keep this tight balance of having it grounded but the series still has its goofy elements. It makes it stand out from other adaptations that either go too serious or generally just replicate the original source material. There are iconic moments in here but they changed enough that allow it to connect more effectively with an overarching plot and set-up. There are a lot of changes that are here to focus more on the character dynamics and overarching thematic plotline.
Speaking of, the smartest move was to give it a strong connective tissue through the theme as a way to also explore a story that is a bit removed from our main Straw Hat’s journeys. While some of the parts with Garp and the Marines seem disconnected, the way the story comes together actually gives it a strong meaning on why it is being told here and now. The scenes are a bit slower and can break the overall pace, but don’t feel like they overstay their welcome; especially with some great moments from Garp and Helmeppo. Personally, the pay-off of these sequences gives it a lot more weight and made me like the addition to further elevate the themes.
The biggest challenge with these adaptations is the direct comparison to the original. A lot of minor and even some bigger characters were removed which is a shame, but after leaving behind the “I missed this from the original” makes sense in how the story is being told this time around. It’s a different adaptation that feels like how Oda might’ve told it given how his storytelling has evolved since he first worked on the East Blue back in the 90s. Especially in how some characters get a bit more screen time to flesh them out more. The early introduction of characters like Mr. 7 is also a clever way to establish elements that might pay off quite a bit later for new viewers and give reasons to rewatch.
I do have some gripes which are likely due to this being the first season to begin with, as the show is trying to finds its identity. They have created a variety of lenses just for this series but tend to overuse them at times, especially at the beginning of Syrup Village it feels unnecessary. However, the strong use of face close-ups feels inspired generally by Oda’s love for showing expressions that’ll get better with more time. There are also some moments that perhaps could’ve used some additional work to balance it out better as it tends to slip into being a bit goofier than necessary.
Though,t these elements don’t take away from what the team behind One Piece accomplished. With this first season, I believe that Netflix should give this show multiple seasons moving forward to allow it to grow just like the original. I would even go as far to say that this season gives us a stronger East Blue saga even if some characters could’ve used a bit more love and some iconic scenes were sadly missing to add relevance. Still, this might be one of Netflix’s strongest first seasons which makes the small issues I have just a way to truly refine it going into the next arc that is famous for doing the same for the manga.
One Piece truly stands out from most series nowadays with its style and wacky world. Small details like the cast interacting with the wanted posters that introduce them give it a lot of charm. Even if some CG looks a bit wonky, the practical sets are really impressive and it has such distinct style that makes it stand out from other projects out there. If this is the first season; I cannot wait to see a lot more in the future and hopefully spend more time with this cast for many seasons to come.
Production designer Richard Bridgland got a chance to share what it was like bringing the iconic manga One Piece to live-action. Given just how iconic many locations and visuals have become over the years, it was a daunting task for anyone to tackle.
It seems that the production team wanted to ensure that while they kept the fantastical elements from the original manga, their main goal was still to ensure that the One Piece series was kept as realistic as possible. As such, it led to a few changes that needed to happen one of them being the way the figureheads looed for the various ships.
It’s interesting, with all the figureheads of the ships, I couldn’t just copy them straight out of the manga and make them in real life, they would look kind of goofy. I had to create a credible real-life version of them. So, what was apparent to me from going into the manga was that all of these figureheads were actually kind of symbols for the spirit of that character.
Richard Bridgland
There have been some jokes online about the Going Merry ship looking a bit creepy with the goat face screaming based on some behind-the-scenes images. Yet, once the poster was released the way they brought the figurehead into live-action highlights the “merry” part of Going Merry. So, it’ll be quite exciting to see the other ships brought to life.
One highlight throughout the promotion for Netflix’s live-action One Piece was the energy that composers Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli brought to the table. As it turns out, they actually wanted to work on the show when it was announced and as they were fans, gave it their all to join the project by creating an entire concept on the “One Piece music universe” that consisted of “different themes and instruments we would assign to each one of our characters.”
I think it was December 2021. I think you’re right. So it was so long ago by now, and that video got everybody really excited. And from there on, we were immediately on board. But funnily enough, all those concepts that we outlined in that video and the themes that we came up with, because we actually even wrote specific themes for the video and performed that theme on different instruments, representing our characters, all those concepts, now that we are done with the soundtrack, it’s about to come out. They all remained 100% true in the final product
Sonya Belousova
Luckily, their work paid off and they got the chance to create the iconic score based on one of the biggest mangas out there. Their biggest mission was to ensure that the music in the live-action also reflected the diversity of the series. The world of One Piece even just in the East Blue consists of different types of islands that bring something different to the table.
The score for the live-action universe is very diverse stylistically because the whole universe is so diverse and our straw heads are so diverse within their roots and backgrounds and also their diverse and unique personalities and fighting styles and skill sets. So the whole concept of diversity was really something that was very paramount to us when building this music universe, and the score ranges stylistically from epic swashbuckling orchestra to songs featuring incredible artists such as Norwegian art-pop sensation Aurora, to hip hop featuring an amazing artist, Flawless Real Talk to rap to folk to big band jazz funk fusion.
Sonya Belousova
We got a few glimpses of the music, such as Luffy and Gold Roger’s theme. There was also the theme for Nami that was also sung by Norwegian pop star Aurora; adding quite the star power to one of the most important arcs in the first season. So, it’ll be exciting to see all the diversity they are teasing from the entire series that we’ll be able to witness as it releases on Netflix tomorrow.
One Piece’s promotion so far has probably been the biggest we’ve seen from the streaming service. They are going all out with fan events, tie-in merchandise, and so much more. It truly feels like they believe this has the potential to be on par with their other projects like Stranger Things.
Sadly, it seems that Netflix’s head of US and Canada scripted series, Peter Friedlander, can’t promise an early renewal for the series just yet like they did with The Witcher (though nothing got that treatment since then) but believe their track record with other IP-based adaptations will prove there’s a good chance for this adaptation to do the same.
You can’t get it right every time. You hope that with creative passion and storytellers that you do. And that’s what I’m here for, is to support the storytellers and how they interpret and adapt and experience an IP. And I think we’ve had a pretty impressive run when you think about just within the last year with ‘The Sandman’ and ‘Wednesday.’ And I do think we are able to adapt some of these IP into something that’s extraordinary and unexpected, and still truly honor what it is.
Peter Friedlander
It truly is a shame they haven’t renewed it yet given how big the fan reception has been, and the way they are handling it does hint that they believe it’ll be a success. Unlike Cowboy Bebop, they aren’t rushing it out to the streaming service without much fanfare. We’ll see if perhaps the promotion of this first season also shows them the importance of actually promoting their shows as well as future seasons.
If there was one thing that makes One Piece stand out has always been the way it became one of the biggest-selling mangas in the world. The series missed its opportunity to establish itself in the States but ended up becoming a major franchise in Japan, France, Brazil, and a variety of other markets.
Netflix Head of U.S. and Canada Scripted Series, Peter Friedlander, shared that they were “all stunned, truly stunned” at just how big the reception was when it was first unveiled at their TUDUM event. It definitely was an emotional moment for the cast that made their big debut.
I think we were all stunned, truly stunned. We knew that there was a big fan base, but to watch those actors step out onstage, you could barely hear anything. They could barely get words out, and it was really an emotional experience just watching the actors.
Peter Friedlander
They also were excited to see the early reception to the series going by how viewers reacted to the teaser and trailer. The initial look did have some people a bit optimistically nervous but reactions continued to get more positive as time went on.
It’s heartening to see the early reaction just to what we’ve shown. With the teaser and trailer, we’ve put out, we were trying to show the fans we’re loving on this IP, we are loving on this show and we hope you see that. I feel very hopeful and confident going into this.
Peter Friedlander
Netflix is certainly all-in with this adaptation given just how much merchandise they are already preparing to release by the time the series releases. They know what they have in their hands with the adaptation and its already massive built-in fan base. If the fan events are something to go by, there’s a lot of potential for this series to make a big bang for the streamer.
Richard Bridgland was given quite the challenging task of bringing the iconic world of Eiichiro Oda’sOne Piece to life. There are quite a few questions that could change the way they tackle the world-building that Oda is famous for and it seems that one question managed to surprise even the creator of this series.
In an interview by Collider’s Mike Thomas, Bridgland revealed that they managed to stump Oda with a simple question and that was if “there was electricity in the world.” What seems like a simple question would’ve defined the set design for their adaptation but it seems that Oda never gave that aspect a thought.
I remember one of the big things was about whether there was electricity in the world. It was really interesting because I needed to have electricity in the world for lighting because otherwise everything was gonna be candlelight and fire and everything, and it was gonna be so it could get very one note like that. And it was interesting because he came back, and he said, “That’s such a good question.” He’d never really thought of it in such a bold way.
Richard Bridgland
He was also asked if they may have included a power system that wouldn’t become relevant until much later. Yet, it seems that Oda didn’t want to spoil that quite yet and keep it for later, as it is more a defining trait of a major character and simply stated: “Look, don’t use the cola power. That’s something that appears later in the story arc, but let’s say, yes, there’s electricity.” So, it seems that we will have to wait a bit until we get to witness One Piece’s true power system.
Buggy might be one of the more challenging adaptations in One Piece’s first season. While it’s not easy making the Fishpeople look realistic in live-action, it’s something different when you have to convince the world that this pirate world also includes a guy who just casually runs around dressed as a clown with a realistic giant red nose. In a way, Agents of SHIELD alum Jeff Ward is the perfect choice to play the character.
In an interview with Collider, director Marc Jobst shared how they found the perfect Buggy and it turns out Ward just showed up in make-up and made sure that he left a memorable performance. Even early trailers, Ward’s Buggy was a standout for many even when there was some concern early on with the first teaser, but the director highlighted that he “grabbed you by the throat” which sold them on his role.
When Jeff Ward auditioned for us, he was wearing makeup, and he leapt out of the screen in his audition and grabbed you by the throat, so we knew we had our Buggy.
Marc Jobst
The director also goes on to highlight that the biggest challenge for him as a director was definitely trying to film in a giant tent. However, it seems their decision to add Jeff Ward as Buggy pushed the sequence to new heights, especially in how the interactions of Inaki Godoy’s Luffy and Buggy kept elevating the sequence going by his interview.
When we stepped onto the set, and we shot with him on his day one, it’s this enormous huge tent. It’s just a vast set all made out of old canvas sails, and everything, stitched together. We must have had, I don’t know, three, 400 extras in that, and it only just took up about half of the tent, it’s huge. Jeff walked onto that stage, and he roared, and it was beautiful. He owned that stage, and he owned that floor, and it was like, ‘Wow! Now let’s see how Luffy reacts.’ And of course, what was great is that Jeff sort of devoured his words and owned that space, which also made Luffy work harder. So you had this magical thing of Luffy, who’s saying this is fun, and Buggy saying, ‘I’m gonna eat you up,’ and that makes it really electric. And the fact that Luffy wasn’t scared by Buggy’s biting and roaring, and all the rest of it, just made Buggy more angry, which then becomes really dramatic
Marc Jobst
It definitely makes you excited to see the clown pirate in action and raises the question if we’ll get more sequences of him. Buggy is a major character in the franchise with somewhat of a recurring role. It would be a shame not to make good use of Ward’s performance and depending on where they wrap up the first season they may still be keeping him for the second season potentially if it gets renewed.
There are only a few more days to go until Netflix’s next big venture and potentially last chance of proving they have what it takes to adapt anime and manga to live-action. Tomorrow Studios is back after their mixed results with Cowboy Bebop. The strong marketing push and overall positive reactions hint at a potentially promising future.
In an interview with director Emma Sullivan, she offered some insight into her process with the live-action adaptation of One Piece. The Doctor Who director was able to tackle some iconic storylines from Eiichiro Oda’s manga and further highlighted that a lot of their work on the project also focused on ensuring that Oda would be happy with how his iconic series turned out.
It’s big because you really want to make the fans happy because it means so much to them. They’re so invested in these characters. Particularly with ‘One Piece,’ you know, 23 years this has accompanied them through their lives, so it’s really important that you give it the due respect. Obviously, the lucky thing for us is that we had [Eiichiro] Oda-san on site. We always have him to check with, and if he’s not happy, we’ll do it again.
Emma Sullivan
It’s definitely crazy to think that Oda had that much power that they would redo the entirety of the sequences to ensure his vision remains alive. Though we have hinted that he had asked for reshoots, this does put into place just how much creative control he had over the production. Especially that a director would also be open that they would redo sequences if he’s not happy shows how everyone was on board with this adaptation from the get-go.
Netflix is all-in with their upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece. While many were a bit nervous after their last few ventures, the first reactions are very positive so far and show a promising start to this new adaptation of an iconic series. Not only that, but they also have talented composers Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli on board.
Famous for her work on The Witcher, Belousova has been heavily promoting the series teasing us with the first songs from the original OST. A big surprise came recently that they also have pop star Aurora attached to sing the theme song for Nami, and it turns out that this beautiful melody was born in just five minutes.
She shares that “being fans fo the anime” they knew they wanted to have at least one song and it seems it came together on the spot once they saw episode seven of the live-action adaptation; very likely the pivotal sequence for Nami.
It was born in like five minutes. I just sat down at the piano, because we already had the theme, I played it, I sang some gibberish lyrics in the moment, I recorded on my phone, and done — in 30 seconds.
Sonya Belousova
It’s inspirational that the song came together so fast, but it highlights that the moment they are capturing is that memorable. The theme is called “My Sails are Set” and further explores the story of Emily Rudd’s Nami in this adaptation. Belousova also shares what it was like working on the episode with Aurora.
She has so much spirit and so much freedom. And her expression and energy… she’s able to go really small and really fragile while really highlighting an emotional component of her vocal performance.
Sonya Belousova
She also highlights that the song made her cry when Aurora sang it, which is definitely a fitting emotion given that likely transpires in the episode they watched that inspired it. Interestingly enough, the song isn’t meant as a needle drop but rather focused on its connection to the rest of the score.
Usually songs function as needle drops — it’s very rare for songs to have actually any sort of musical connection to the rest of the score. But [One Piece] was just asking for it. We’re so glad that the whole team felt exactly the same way and got on board immediately and got so excited because we were really excited. I mean, we’re still so excited
Sonya Belousova
One Piece isn’t the series where you would drop a modern song into given how detached it is from our world and explores a completely unique one. So, it’s not unusual to have a brand new song made specifically for this show and if it gets many more could see other talented singers and stars give performances to enrich this unique world.
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