I FINALLY got around to watching all of this. And...yeah, this is good! FAR better than I was expecting, honestly. I have my quibbles, but they are JUST quibbles, not full-blown problems. This is just a very well done show, in my opinion. Some people are saying this is the best live action anime adaptation of all time and...yeah, maybe! This just feels solidly done.
You gotta love all the details. The posters in the background. And the fact that they change up the titles and ending credits for every single episode. Just really nice attention to detail on all of this stuff. It's fun to pick out. And I WANT that official map from the ending credits!
Casting wise...I think they actually did a amazing job finding people who fit into these roles. These actors fit these roles really well. No notes, whoever was in charge of casting knew their stuff and found some great people. Buggy's great. Mihawk's great. Nami, who I was worried about from the trailers, is great! Everyone fits the characters and did a great job acting.
Special effect wise...look, this is ONE step above a TV budget. It looks pretty good for what it is. The Fishmen are probably the biggest sticking point, but they ARE trying to stay close to the original designs. For what they're going for, the Fishmen are...okay. I think they COULD look better, but it'd take a HUGE increase in the budget, and this show was probably already expensive enough, as is. And I DO like that they tried to adapt the manga designs as well as they could. While none of the special effects really amazed me, I didn't hate them, either. Although...I did enjoy Mihawk's introductory scene.
And story wise, while there ARE some major changes here and there...this really does a good job speed running through 11 volumes of manga. They hit all the major high points. It feels quick-paced, but I think that's to the show's benefit, overall. There are a few characters here and there that feel like a shame that they cut. And a few characters they cut who...might cause problems down the road, since they become slightly more important later. Depends on if they get that far, but we'll see.
But, now for my quibbles.
And I don't think anything quite sums up most of my quibbles more than...Inaki's Luffy. Don't get me wrong, Inaki's GREAT...at certain parts of Luffy. But, I think it's clear that this is a version of Luffy with some of his more...rough edges sanded off. There's quite a few instances in the show where Inaki just NAILS Luffy perfectly. And then there's spots where...this just doesn't feel like Luffy from the manga. This is a Luffy who would ask if you're finished eating the food on your plate before taking it for himself...whereas, manga Luffy would already have the food on your fork in HIS mouth while you were looking in the other direction. He's just too...nice...and smart...and empathetic. It's a weird thing to complain about, but it's kind of a matter of tone. It's subtle, but I think it's there. That's mostly down to the writing, though, and not Inaki's actual performance. And...I'm pretty sure this was a conscious decision by the writers who were adapting this story. Every main character is changed a *little* in this version (Zoro's a little more deadpan here than in the manga), but I think...they might have changed Luffy's "core", in this. Not in a bad way, it's a understandable take. It's just different. And part of the problem is that I think there's still revelations coming in the manga about Luffy that could change everything we think we know about him. That's the problem with doing a adaptation of a story that hasn't finished yet. Again, we'll just have to see. So, it's not bad...but MIGHT cause some problems down the road, if this adaptation continues.
And then there's the story additions. I actually really like these, in theory. Showing parts of the story that we just got hints about or got told about later is a interesting idea. The problem is, they don't really do anything really interesting with them. The Garp/Koby parts COULD be a great way to expand the story...but in this season, it mostly felt like a budget concession, since those parts all take place with characters just talking, mostly in the same room. I just wish they could go a little more "crazy" with these parts, or do a bit more foreshadowing, like maybe bringing up Dragon or the Five Elders or something. More Buggy didn't really add anything, but it was at least fun. Nami and Kaya's friendship was nice...but also kind of felt like they just wanted to pass the Bechdel Test, so they just added it in there. But, some of these are...actually a improvement on the manga, at least structurally and in theory. Having Garp be the thematic focus of this season, kind of works. And I like the tease of Baroque Works. And keeping characters like Koby and Buggy around makes sense, not only because it keeps the actors around, but because these character WILL appear later. But, in the manga, they disappear for...YEARS. So...if they can come up with more interesting stories for them, I'm okay with them adding stuff and filling in some gaps of the story.
And it's a really minor thing, but...the wardrobe changes. It's actually a really nice touch that they're all outfits from the cover pages of the manga. And I get that it's WEIRD to have characters in live action wear the same clothes for EVERY episode. But...I think they go a little too far in the other direction in this show. They're stuck out in the middle of the sea, and I'm just wondering...where are they keeping all these clothes?! They don't have money to pay for FOOD, but they can afford to buy a new wardrobe? It just brings me out of the moment, just a little. Not the worst thing, but I feel like they could have timed the wardrobe changes a bit better.
My biggest concern is...I don't know how far they're going to move forward with this. For as expensive as this show FELT...I feel like this show has to do Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, Walking Dead type numbers. In order to justify the cost, this show really NEEDS to be a cultural touchstone event. And while it's been getting a lot of great buzz...I'm just not sure it's doing THOSE kind of numbers. So, I"m not sure if THIS is it...or if we'll get to Alabasta in Season 2 (this season did foreshadow that)...or if we might even get farther than that.
And ...I'm not sure if I want Oda to keep having to oversee all of this for EVERY season of the show, too. I DO think Oda's involvement has helped the show, but it's DRASTICALLY slowed down the release of the manga. We're in the final saga of the manga, and I'd really like Oda to focus on finishing the main manga story, rather than working on this side project. But, on the other hand, maybe it's helping him get some rest? And I'd like Oda to take some time off so that he doesn't exhaust himself working on the manga. But, on yet another hand, I'm not sure how much rest he's actually getting, if all these "breaks" are just so he can work on a DIFFERENT project halfway around the world. I'm split. So, while this WAS good...I'd rather have the manga...so...maybe they can take their time making the next season until AFTER the manga finishes up? Because, I think we've only got another 2 or 3 years of the manga story left. And if it takes 2 years to film a season of the show...that could be okay, right? I don't know, I'm being a little selfish, here.
But, this was clearly a work of passion. A lot of effort went into this. And I enjoyed it. This WORKS. More than it ever should have. So, it'd be nice if this could continue, somehow.
On a side note...do we just want to make THIS the general One Piece thread? Because...I DO have a lot of theories about the manga from time to time, and this would be a okay place to put them. But, I can understand not wanting this particular thread clogged up with spoilers for far...FAR ahead in the story that the Netflix show hasn't gotten to yet. So, I could just as easily keep those thoughts in the Anime thread, if everyone prefers. I'll bow to the majority's opinion on this. What does everyone think?
