False: One Piece Live Action Is Not A Complete Disaster

Netflix is back with yet another anime live-action adaptation. They will tackle One Piece this time, and Matt Owens and Steven Maeda are developing the series. However, reports also suggest that the original creator, Eiichiro Oda, will play a big part in the show’s development. If you are nervous about the One Piece live-action series, you have every right to be. If you think video game adaptations are wrong, you have yet to see anime.

From Dragon Ball Evolution to Death Note, there has just been one disaster after the other. Not so long ago, Netflix came under heavy fire for their attempt to recreate Cowboy Bebob. The show failed miserably and was ultimately canceled after just one season. You might be asking yourself how they managed to screw the live-action up, considering that the story was already written for them. All they have to do is hire the cast and bring the script to life. Unfortunately, they had to reimagine the story for a modern audience and, in doing so, just completely took the sole from the series.

Things like this are bound to happen when you do not care about the source material. Sometimes it feels like American producers need help understanding the soul of Japanese anime. That said, there is still an opportunity to create something great. If Netflix is willing to learn from its past mistakes, they have the chance to create something truly remarkable. The story is already written for you. All you need to do is bring the original vision to life. There is no reason to reimagine anything.

Is One Piece A Total Disaster?

There are rumors that the first season of the One Piece live-action will be released on 31 August 2023. However, recent reports have revealed that the series might be in trouble. A well-known Hollywood outlet, Divinity Seeker recently took to social media to suggest that screen tests for the new series are struggling to resonate with fans. The leak indicates that new fans unfamiliar with the original work need help to keep up with the plot points. In addition, long-time fans need clarification on how fast the plot moves along.

Based on the leak, the main cast is introduced within the first 15 minutes of the show. This includes Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji. It takes over 20 episodes in the anime to meet the cast. Now, if this is true, it makes some sense. One Piece has over a thousand episodes. There is no way that the Netflix series can drag its feet and take two seasons to introduce the cast. Most people should expect a much shorter story. Another complaint is the tone of the story. The leaked report suggests that the show will jump from overly goofy to completely serious in seconds.

There seems to be some confusion regarding what story they want to tell. Now, once again, navigating through an anime can be extremely tough. Since One Piece is such a long-standing show, they can easily switch between different tones. They will have to decide on a proper direction for the live-action. They will likely get ten episodes per season that will spread out over five seasons. Hopefully, this will be enough for them to tell a good story.

Netflix’s One Piece Is Not A Total Disaster?

Although some reports suggest that the upcoming One Piece live-action series is an internal disaster, not everyone agrees. After the initial leak by Divinity Seeker, Greg Werner was very quick to social media to dismiss the claims as nothing more than rumors. He stated that the original post was not even worth reading or sharing. Now, it is worth pointing out that Werner himself is not directly linked to the Live Action Netflix series. However, he does have an official connection with Oda’s series.

Some quickly point out that Divinity Seeker has many questionable reports on their site. They have posted scoops about Detective Pikachu’s sequel and Harley Quinn, and James Gunn himself very quickly shot down the latter. Ultimately, knowing who is speaking the truth here is tough. I have learned my lesson from insiders; over the years, I have learned that there is no such thing. You have journalists who do some genuinely spectacular investigative work, but outside of that, it is mostly just nonsense.

People will say anything to get attention. They will fake sources, fabricate evidence, and spin narratives to get their story out there. It is shameful, but most people do not care. The problem with this leak is that it is straightforward to believe. Netflix has a terrible track record, so it is easy to think the show will be a disaster, and I find it harder to believe that the show is doing well.

Netflix Past Disasters

Being nervous about any live-action is entirely understandable. As stated, Netflix has a mediocre reputation regarding its interpretation of things. Their track record speaks for itself. It always ends in disaster if they need to bring video games, books, or anime to life. For some reason, they do not know how to follow along with source material. It is, however, worth mentioning that this is more than just a Netflix problem. It is a problem that persists straight across Hollywood.

Exceptions exist to every rule, however. Some directors can take books and turn them into beautiful movies. You need not look further than Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Even some video game adaptations have the potential to be great. The current Super Mario movie is a huge box office success. The animation, however, has a better track record. Everything falls apart whenever Hollywood tries to take a Japanese anime and put an American spin on it. I want to say that Dragon Ball Evolution is the worst offender, but Death Note might have something to say about it.

The people hired to bring these classic stories to life do not respect the original. They allow their egos to get in the way, thinking they can improve on a great piece of writing. Sometimes, the hired people will even express that they do not like the original work.

Conclusion

Overall, it will be interesting to see how all of this will play out. One Piece has a long and rich history. There is plenty of opportunity here to tell a great story, and it also means plenty of opportunity to make a massive mess of the show. Going into this series, you will likely have to accept that things will differ from the anime. How, though, I do not know. If you will not stay true to the original work, there is no point in even doing this. Instead, create a new IP and call it something different.

With the original creator involved with the series, they will at least attempt to do this classic anime justice.