Worst in the East

I will be the first to admit that Anime and Manga are the biggest blind spots in my geekdom and I had no idea what "One Piece" was even about prior to starting this adaptation on Netflix. I had my eye on it though, and the positive reviews convinced me that I should try it. I'm glad I did as I enjoyed this series quite a bit.

Monkey D. Luffy (Inaki Godoy) is an enthusiastic young man, looking to find the mythical treasure "The One Piece" that will make him king of the Pirates. As he goes, he recruits other individuals to his cause including Nami (Emily Rudd) a thief and map maker and Roronoa (Mackenyu) a master swordsman and former Pirate hunter. Luffy and his "Straw Hat Pirates" make both friends and enemies as he tries to begin his quest and is pursued vigorously by Vice Admiral Garp (Vincent Regan) whose Marines are the scourge of all pirates.

What's not instantly apparent from the series is that, beyond the colourful sets and costumes, there's a real fantasy element that came as a surprise to me. I won't specify precisely what I'm talking about, so any other complete novices, like me, can have the same surprise but it really opened up the possibilities of the series when it happened. There are also background fantasy elements such as certain characters being anthropomorphised animals that is never even discussed, until it becomes a plot point. It might have been insufferably twee in the hands of another production team, but I really think that there's something about the balance that they get spot on.

You still might not care, but I was totally committed to the series due to how earnest and open-hearted Inaki Godoy plays the lead character. It's an enthusiasm that just drags you in and there's real chemistry between him and the rest of his crew.

I really enjoyed it and am happy it's done well enough that it'll be back for at least one more season.

I am not a Manga fan, I know nothing about that genre, which might be proven by the fact that I actually liked the Cowboy Beebop adaption. So I went into this season knowing nothing. The first 10 minutes of episode 1 almost made me turn it of because that exposition was.... well, strange. But man, did it pay off to sit through this. This show is really great, refreshingly different from the other stuff out there. Yes, it is sometimes a bit simple, but it all works so well. Well written, interesting characters with nice background storys and mostly good motivations. A fun story with nice twists, a lot of action but still enough great character moments. Great effects, sets and makeup. And those ideas and over the top villains.... I couldn't stop grinning, especially during this last episode. So nice to see this crew together. Reminds me on the first season of Stranger Things, not with respect to the content, but with respect to the quality, fun and effect on me. Can't wait for season 2. Disney and Marvel should take a look at this.

Finally, Monkey D. Luffy has a bounty on his head, and Shanks is happy. It's such an absurd series, but it's so good that you'll finish it in one go. The characters are well-written, carefully chosen, and you'll be fully immersed in the pirate world. The last part pays homage to the first part where all the characters were introduced. The team manages to close the circle in the climax. Luffy,Nami ,zoro,kobi all have been provided a character arch and its believable that they will behave this way. The grand line is shown as grand as it can be and one piece as the ultimate goal. Even each props have been given special trait such as "DEVIL FRUIT".

It's a lovely series to start if you're looking to get into anime. Maybe I'll start watching more anime after this.

During the pandemic times at the year of 2020, is started an YouTube channel. I have started giving voice over for all hollywood movies within 20 mins in tamil language. And my dream was to convince Eiichiro Oda to make a live adaptation and myself wanted to give voice over in it. And now seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe that this is actually happening at the year of 2023. Let my dream flow through this series casts and crews.

I think this is the ultimate success for Netflix. Seriously this is a bold move. Thank you Netflix and oda for bringing out anime into live action. This might inspire other best anime series as well.

8th episode ended very well, and they made a convincing great job to cut the 80 episodes into single season that too with 8 episodes. This might be useful for someone who really like to watch onepiece and not able to because of the lengthy episodes.

If I received a crazy miracle wish, that what would be the one which I like to forget in my life? I would happily say that I wish to forget all the 1074 episodes till date and watch it over again orrrrr wait??? I can still rewatch the entire 1074 episodes again lol...

When it comes to live-action adaptations of anime and manga, Netflix's history does not shine. But the new series based on Eiichiro Oda's best-selling manga, One Piece, manages to break this trend. The Netflix version delivers a remarkably fun experience, surpassing previous attempts to bring anime and manga to live action. With well-made stylistic changes and captivating characters, the series keeps the promise of the original material. Whether you're a fervent fan of One Piece or a beginner like me, there's something captivating here, and maybe this series will make you believe more in live-action adaptations of anime and manga.