Reviews

First of all, I have to say that I'm an anime only and I haven't read the manga. I've only seen one other series by Naoki Urasawa and that is the anime of Monster.

So going into this blindly, I expected something similar like a realistic psychological crime story. But what I got was something completely different and it's honestly hard to believe that these are two mangas written by the same author. It's a science fiction that takes place in the future with a lot of fantasy elements, such as extremely advanced technology like robots and artificial intelligence on the level of or even more developed than humans. That was definitely a nice change and just proves that Urasawa is a genius of a mangaka who can write very diverse stories. The only thing halfway similar is the murder mystery aspect of the story, but I definitely loved that.

This anime had some interesting themes like the never-ending cycle of hatred. It's also very emotional with hard hitting deaths that almost made me cry for literal robots. Every episode is interesting and has some nice moments, but no episode is even close to the level of the masterpiece that is the last one.

That final episode is one of the greatest TV episodes I've ever seen. It has a plot twist on the same level of Attack on Titan, which absolutely shocked me. And that final fight had me on the edge of my seat the whole time as it's just pure craziness and emotion. It's genuinely the greatest finale that I've ever seen in any anime and this is not an exaggeration. I'm just so glad to finally see another very well executed ending. Most endings that I've seen felt kind of unsatisfying.

Overall, I really enjoyed this fairly short show and it was an incredible experience. The only thing I disliked was the animation of environmental elements like tornados and explosions. The studio used too realistic CGI for this that just looks a bit odd compared to the 2D animation.

It becomes clear when watching that the live action is not the manga. They didn't try to just copy paste the original story, they put in the effort to accurately translate it in a way that it works for live action audiences while still keeping the heart of the series. It really feels like they struck an almost perfect balance between the wackiness and uniqueness of the manga and a Western film style that I feel will result in a lot of new audiences being able to get into One Piece while still being so faithful and respectful to Oda's work. The vibe and feel of it are completely different from the manga, it's cinematic, like an epic adventure film, something that may even take a little for some folks to get adjusted to. But despite different vibes, at its core its spirit is so clearly OP's through and through.

Alongside its different vibe though, the live action is also very differently structured from the manga. Every arc's structure feels like it has been switched around a lot, with many scenes being rearranged, changed, or cut, and most of the dialogue being completely new. Some of the scene changes and cuts made sense and were weaved in fantastically, but others felt a bit jarring and disagreeable. Some scenes cut awkwardly from one to another without much rhyme, and while most changes were for the best, some I didn't fully agree with. Certain storylines had to be cut or condensed for better pacing, and while some I'm glad were skipped, some others felt sorely missing. Whereas instead other storylines that felt very redundant were given too much screentime, such as Garp's forced inclusion into the story.

But these are easy to forget thanks to the incredible script. Dialogue is fantastic, it's unlike any non-canon or filler material we've gotten, every line feels as if Oda wrote it. Even with the Straw Hats having different personalities, they all feel true to Oda's vision. The humor in particular is so on brand for OP, it constantly had me laughing. They really picked the worst jokes and one-liners for the trailers, everything in the show itself is on a much higher level and much more in tune with the humor of the series.

The script gave so much more depth to many characters like Koby and Buggy, and all of this is only elevated thanks to the absolutely stellar cast of actors. Every actor, from Helmeppo, to Morgan, Lucky Roux, Cabaji, Boodle and so on have absolutely unreal performances. But the real stars of the show are the main characters. Every one of the core Straw Hats have such natural acting and chemistry on screen. Iñaki is Luffy incarnate. Mackenyu is effortlessly cool. Emily is so witty and likeable. Seeing them acting together is such a treat.

The set/costume designs are fantastic, and the CGI, especially in Luffy's and Buggy's fruits, honestly looked really great, way better than what the trailers first showed. The amazing soundtrack by Sonya Belousova was also such a highlight, it adds such a jolly vibe! The direction by Marc Jobst was fantastic, which added to the wonderful cinematography of the show. Action scenes in particular are so much fun, with great choreography and camera work so good that it evokes the anime's best action scenes! Just a treat to watch!

Overall, the One Piece Live Action seems to be a smash hit. It's not perfect and has room to improve, and it may take a little for fans to adjust to some changes, but it's all so easy to forget with how fun it is to watch! Taking all issues aside, the heart of the story is very much there. The scenes that need to hit end up hitting you like a truck, to the point I ended up crying. They managed to capture OP's trademark emotional moments and I'm so so happy they managed to do so. All the flaws are easy to forget when you notice the heart and passion there was behind this live action. All the easter eggs, amazing dialogue, fun camerawork, and out of this world acting come together to deliver absolute joy, passion, and emotion! It's a real success!