One Piece live action series review: Not like your favourite anime at all but it grows on you

3/5

Story:

Monkey D. Luffy is currently strong and aims to be the pirate king. He sets off on a journey to find his crew. During this time, he also faces different challenge with these people, who end up becoming his friends like family.

Review:

If you thought One Piece is the live adaptation in Japanese, you couldn't be more mistaken. This one is only available in English and isn't even directly inspired by the manga. It is nothing like the original anime.

Set in Loguetown and later Windmill Village, One Piece live action series is nothing like the anime. Although the story is adapted from it, there’s still a lot missing and more included.

Michael Dorman is introduced as Gold Roger. He is a former king of pirates, who is shown as an example to what happens to pirates eventually.

Soon, we meet the lead character, Luffy D. Monkey. Inaki Godoy tries his best to be the fun-loving Monkey (the name itself suggests his personality trait) but doesn’t quite match the energy the manga and anime brought forth. Luffy is a massively loved character but Inaki is barely there, even though he has scenes with some good acts.

Aldiva is not even as ugly as shown in the original series. She is in fact not even scary this time.

Emily Rudd as Nami is a surprise character on the show. You are left guessing about her next actions. Nami’s intentions in the original were well-hidden. With this one though, you know that something is up and it is all revealed as the show progresses.

Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro doesn’t completely fit the description but is one of the strongest nonetheless. There are many moments where Zoro wins your heart. Like in the original, it is his back story which pierces your heart. This time, it stabs you just a little deeper for Mackenyu (a Japanese actor who has grown up watching and most definitely loving the anime) expresses exactly how it feels through his eyes. With him, you can be assured that the show is an immersive experience.

Taz Skylar as Sanji is a delight to watch. He swoons you from his very first scene. It takes a long time to establish his character but when the time comes, you can’t help but be happy with the way the series progresses.

Peter Gadiot in the role of Shanks is a marvel. Shanks is a misunderstood hero anyway but Peter makes that even more evident through his scenes with Luffy. He is one of the few actors who is a perfect match for the character.

Morgan Davies as Kobi is nothing like the original. He is elder to what the actual character portrays. Kobi here tries too hard and that shows, making him a less desirable character.

Buggy's introduction to the series is extremely scary. It is equivalent to Harley Quinn from DC. Even though his face resembles The Joker, his hairstyle is all about Quinn. As scary as his introduction, Buggy turns out to be the man of your nightmares. He is worse than the DC characters combined and Jeff Ward undoubtedly puts life into the character.

Jason Gibson definitely does not fit into the description of Usopp. Nonetheless, he is a sweet and charming man who is sometimes a good distraction from the complex storyline.

Craig Fairbrass in the role of Chef Zeff is good in his role. He says a lot with his actions, which is exactly what is expected of an actor.

Langley Kirkwood as ‘Axe Hand’ Morgan (Captain Morgan) is impressive from the time he enters the show. Saying he fits the role better than the original is also underrated. This time, though manipulative, Morgan is not merciless in the sense of the anime.

The scenes are fast-paced and make no sense. The start commenced with the barrel and this time, you don't even get to hear the storyline. It is like the makers are in a rush and are sure that anybody who has seen the original anime is the only one who is here. There are many parts of the stop which are skipped out and they are important to the content.

Steven Ward as Drakule ‘Hawk Eye’ Mihawk comes in a brief role. He appears powerful but unfortunately, does not have the opportunity to really show his strength the way you'd want him to.

Milton Schorr as Don Krieg leaves a lasting impression on you. He is the typical antagonist who you’d love to hate.

One Piece does not attract you instantly. In fact, the English setting is a huge distraction for the anime fans. Adapted from a manga, anime is usually in Japanese and with One Piece, the constant struggle is in trying to understand the subject. Much is lost in the translation. There are times where the subjects need the Japanese accent and in such scenes, there’s a constant disruption between American and Japanese accent. Most of the scenes are where Luffy does his famous Bubble Gum jutsu.

Verdict:

The Marc Jobst and Tim Southam directorial episodes do work but only to an extent. It is the setting from a Japanese household anime to English translation that plays a big spoilsport for the show. This is on top of the fact that the live action does not follow the pace of the original and thus, leaves you confused at many places, especially if you haven’t followed the manga or the anime as a whole.