Growing up Manga and animes had a bigger part in my life than books ever did. As I mentioned when the official trailer was released, I was very aware of Eiichiro Oda‘s One Piece but did not get into it. I never imagined this would ever be adapted but I’m glad. Matt Owens and Steven Maeda took on that task, not names that I knew before this show but I did watch Conviction, Pan Am, and some of CSI: Miami from Maeda, and Luke Cage, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2016-2018), and The Defenders that Owens wrote for.

As much as I’ve appreciated both of the creators’ past works, what’s drawing me to this project is Iñaki Godoy as Luffy. I don’t know who the F he is but again his energy matches very well with my recollection of the anime. Besides Mackenyu (Knights of the Zodiac) and Emily Rudd (Fear Street) that I vaguely remember from other projects, I didn’t know who Jacob Romero (Greenleaf, Rap Sh!t), Taz Skylar (The Lazarus Project, Villain), Vincent Regan (Poldark, Strike Back, 300, Troy), and Morgan Davies (Evil Dead Rise, Storm Boy) were so I didn’t quite know what to expect from the cast.

Premise: In a seafaring world, a fabled treasure, the “One Piece”, is said to make anyone who possesses it “King of the Pirates”. A young pirate captain, Monkey D. Luffy, sets out with his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, to attain the title of Pirate King, by exploring the dangerous oceans, lands, and beyond but the Navy is on their ship’s tail and they are not the only crew searching for the One Piece. Armed with skills and unbreakable friendship, the Straw Hats are ready for the journey and even more ready to fight for their dreams together.

Review: No matter what, I was always going to check out this show, simply because there are animes and manga that I hope to see in live-action one day so every attempt brings those a little closer to becoming true.

They’ve eased us into that world quite seamlessly. As someone who’s pretty much a One Piece beginner, I’ve seen a few episodes here and there a long time ago, so I very much appreciated that we weren’t chucked into these waters to figure it out for ourselves. We’re gently immersed in this world. It’s not overwhelming and it’s fed to us in comprehensible and entertaining chunks. It’s a quirky anime with weird elements and art style, which the show captured well – I’m looking at you transponder Snail, Seagul postal workers, Devil Fruit, Fishmen, and such.

Storywise it’s the beginning of the journey for those who’ll become the Straw Hat Pirates, with each character’s introduction, motivation, and development, backstories included. It goes from a little boy with big crazy dreams to a determined and loyal young man who can inspire and coral people to be themselves. We get to know the core members of the crew, their personalities, and their individual dreams as they form the bond that will make them friends first then crew mates. The emotional depth is present, the stakes are high, and the action scenes are exciting and fun with nice camera work. It’s a nice mix of light-hearted humor and more serious themes that managed to bring some tears to my eyes.

The cast is another big highlight of the show because they sell it and sell it well. From the first set visit video that I saw of Godoy, I thought he had something and he does. His interpretation of Luffy is amazing, he’s a bottomless pit of optimistic energy that is naive, great, and fun to watch. Mackenyu and Rudd are also great in their roles as are Romero, Skylar, Regan, Davies, and Aidan Scott. They’re relatable, endearing, and nuanced in their performances and also have a natural chemistry with each other. It’s also worth mentioning Jeff Ward who did a great job as Buggy the Clown, Peter Gadiot as Shanks, and Steven John Ward as Mihawk. The more I think about the performances the more I name members of this incredible cast because they delivered.

If there’s one thing I might say against the show, is that some of the props look cheap as hell! They might as well be cosplay – which could also be a good thing since it seems like achievable cosplay. Other than that even elements like “calling out of their finishing moves” worked for me – I grew up on this stuff so that might be why. There are several little details in the shots, the performances, and/or the story that I enjoyed, for example, I love how Captain Morgan seemed like the big man in one episode to feel like a henchman in the next; also loved the introduction of the Pirates with their wanted posters, it gives us an idea of where they rank in that world, and the potential danger that they represent.

I cannot really attest to the faithfulness of the show to the spirit of the source material but in my limited knowledge, I think it’s high. It’s clear that the creators put their love and respect of the manga and anime in this project, there’s an attention to details that are obvious to a non-One Piece fan like myself.

Now streaming on Netflix

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