One Piece: A Netflix Production

Alright, let's get cracking on this. First I want to ask, "Are you a One Piece fan?"

If your answer is yes, oh I am so glad! If your answer is no, then don't worry, Netflix will make sure you know what One Piece is! Netflix is well known for mass-producing TV shows and movies from all types of genres, for all kinds of audiences. Therefore, there can be a lot of pressure to keep all those needy subscribers satisfied with their hundreds of shows and movies available 24/7.

However, making a movie about the best-selling manga of all time is huge. The anime community hails and crowns One Piece as the best manga and some may say best anime shonen of all time. As a fellow anime enthusiast, I felt curious about how authentic Netflix's production would result. Now I will admit, that I tried watching One Piece anime and I felt so very discouraged after finding out how many seasons and movies were in total. I realized it would take me years for me to finish catching up. Soon, I just gave up on it but thanks to Netflix I felt a ray of hope of being able to enjoy the One Piece fever without reading the manga or watching the anime series (yes, I know, I am missing out a lot).

As I opened up my Netflix app on my phone for my nightly routine, there it was the One Piece series that had premier on its first day. Boy, I felt seriously excited to watch it because I knew I did not know much about the original material and did not have certain expectations from it. After watching for a few minutes, I made up my conclusion. Yes, it was worth the watch because it had a compelling storyline, charismatic actors, and amazing visuals. I cannot say that it stays true to the original manga because I have not read it yet, but I hope to at some point. However, I can say that the first episode does not disappoint for a Netflix production. Netflix has done a less than satisfactory job in several live-action adaptations that originated from either manga or anime series. However, the One Piece live-action is quite entertaining even for a non-fan such as myself. What really stood out for me was the diversity of the cast, even though One Piece originates from Japanese literature, the cast is not Japanese. The cast is composed of diverse actors that have tried to stay true to the story. Take Luffy for example, who not only has the physical traits of a South American male but has been confirmed by the author (Eiichiro Oda) that Luffy could be Brazilian. Luffy's English accent in the series just makes it more organic to the series as well as his character and ethnic background. As the audience, I felt that Netflix put more effort into assuring that the series did not disappoint because both the cast and production team focused on details that could make a difference. As a non-fan, I cannot speak for each and every single detail, because I am sure there are major differences. However, the first episode will leave the audience with a thirst to watch more because let's be honest, is pretty good!

I would definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for an adventurous, fun, and comical TV show to binge on! Hopefully, the rest of the series is just as good as it began. I also hope dear reader, that you give the show a chance if you haven't, and if you have what are your thoughts on it?