The Chef and the Chore Boy

I don't mind any of the tiny changes, it still hit all the right emotional beats & had the most fleshed out backstory so far. The Zoro & Usopp ones looked like a fan project using some cosplay costumes, with little to no weight in their brief histories. This one felt a lot more fully-realized, and Zeff's actor was easily the best of the group.

That's probably what really sold it, Zeff actually coming across like a father figure to Sanji. I don't care that everything wasn't 1:1, they nailed the heart & emotional stakes involved. And for once, the characters felt grounded in this world. Sanji's & Zeff's goodbyes were the closest this show has gotten to a genuine touching moment.

As for Arlong, he was well done but his henchmen looked goofy. I get wanting to shoot everything in-camera, but sometimes I see the costumes & fx of this show & wonder where the hell the massive budget went. Yes, the pacing overall is still pretty fast, and this DEFINITELY should've been at least a 10 episode season (Netflix's obsession with these paltry episode counts is really becoming its achilles heal), but this episode managed to get through the necessary plot elements while still getting you invested in the characters.

Side Note: Sanji is the first character aside from Luffy that really looks like their anime/manga counterpart imo. The others are "close enough," but their costumes/wigs/other looks don't really feel authentic. Sanji actually looks like his hair is natural, and not something dyed or glued on.

Anyway, really good episode. Best or 2nd best episode so far (along with the previous one).

The fight was very bad and unrealistic to One Piece standards and to reality. Luffy had many chances to dodge and he didn't. Luffy had many chances to resist some attacks or holds and he didn't. Luffy was super slow . Since when did normal attacks hurt Luffy?

Zeff was weaker than in the manga or the anime and started the fight with a bullet inside his restaurant!

However, the part with Sanji and Zeff's story was very very good! Could have been better? Of course, but we are thankful!

Good job Oda and Netflix team!

Good job Netflix and Oda!

Good to the crew and makeup team!

Good job for all the production team!

But. I just hate that obvious fake our double cross. Did the director tell her to act worse in this scene. Like Yes we are going for the double cross but we want it to be obvious..So in this scene if you could just not act so good that would be great.

It honestly feels like that. Her acting and voice just take a huge nose dive at the end.,

But wow what a great episode..So DARK!. I was not expecting that. Was this made by the same people who did Lemmony Snicket. It really feels like it.

I need more..so yeah I guess it would have been nice if the kid got a tan during the 85 days at sea...and te.

On one hand, the episode itself is great, maybe lacking a bit of emotional value but still effective. On the other hand, if you compare it to the original work, you become desperate because, oh boy, it could have been muuuch better.

The consequences of not bringing Gin and Krieg to the arc are far too great. With this decision, they shifted the whole narrative and took Sanji's arc from him.

Making Sanji leave because of a tantrum was probably the worst of everything. In the manga, Sanji witnesses firsthand how Zoro and Luffy fight, putting their lives on the line, while Zeff reminds him of what really matters in this world: following your dreams. At the end, Zeff and the cooks throw Sanji's soup to the floor (despite not throwing food being a strong theme in the arc) to make him leave and fulfill his dream. This only works because we see the antagonism between Patty, Zeff, Sanji and the rest of the cooks in their philosophies. Their friendly enmity makes their bond strong, and it only works because Gin and Krieg are there. This synergy makes the farewell hit 300 times harder, but sadly, here it's just another bye-bye; we only care about it because of Sanji's flashback, which doesn't even mention the main point of his character. I could comment more on that matter, but I'd be summarizing the whole arc in the manga, and it's just better to see it for yourselves.

Following through, Garp's tantrum made no sense. Were they trying to imitate something from the manga? I don't know, but it was definitely not great. I hope it doesn't happen again.

Arlong is more decent than I thought. While it's not great, it's not bad enough to criticize, so I'm cool with it.

Luffy seems way too sensible here. Sure, he's sensible, but he's not easily depressed. It feels weird to have these kinds of feelings so early on, but oh well, at least they don't really contradict anything.

It's a good episode, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, especially because I wanted to see a lot of the Baratie come to life. At least I know the ones who are here for the first time will enjoy it, so that's great!