The live-action adaptation of the beloved anime/manga is almost here, but will it be smooth sailing into the hearts of fans in the series’ home country?
It’s been more than six years since One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda announced that his smash hit pirate manga/anime franchise was getting a produced-in-America live-action adaptation, and more than three years since Netflix publicly became the company making it happen. Now that we’re less than two months away from the premiere of the Netflix One Piece, the streaming giant is releasing the last sneak peeks at the series, with the latest trailer revealed just a few days ago.
One Piece is a series with fans around the world, but it’s in its home country of Japan that it’s been a bona fide pop cultural juggernaut for the last two decades-plus. The previous Netflix One Piece trailer, from back in May, had many fans in Japan disappointed with how the live-action version of the Straw Hat Pirates’ ship looked, but how’s the reaction been to the new trailer?
Extremely positive, at least as far as YouTube comments go.
Sifting though the comments for the Japanese-subtitled version of the trailer (no dubbed-into-Japanese version currently exists), it’s hard to find any unhappy reactions, even if not everyone is 100-percent on board quite yet
“I had so many worries about the adaptation, but after watching this, I can’t wait to see it!”
“I like how they’re balancing loyalty to the source material and creating a natural, realistic atmosphere.”
“I really like how it looks like instead of being a live-action anime, it’s like they’re going for what it’d be like if the world of One Piece existed in our reality.”
“They aren’t going overboard on the setting or characterizations, but they’ve got a firm grasp on what makes them special, It’s a good balance for a fantasy story.”
“When you adapt anime to live-action, it’s always going to feel at least a little like cosplay, but I think they’ve done an incredible job making it look this polished, so I’m looking forward to watching this.”
“At first, I thought that Luffy felt like a totally different character, but watching this trailer, he’s won me over.”
“I totally like how it doesn’t feel like a shonen manga, but a pirate series for adults.”
“I’ve seen a lot of live-action adaptations of anime, but this is the first time a trailer has me this excited about watching one.”
About as negative as things have gotten is:
“My initial impression is that I don’t hate it, so that’s a big win for it so far.”
“I’m worried about some of what I see in the acting and fight choreography, but this video still has me wanting to check the series out.”
Perhaps part of the open-minded attitude comes from the fact that, at least within Japan, there’s zero chance of Netflix’s One Piece hurting the reputation of the One Piece anime/manga or replacing them in people’s as the minds as the primary image of what the story and characters are, considering how One Piece has been a pop culture institution for so many years here. That might be making it easier for even hardcore fans to think a little more flexibly about the adaptation and see it as an alternative take on what Oda created, especially with reactions like “This is exactly how a live-action adaptation should be. You can really feel the love that everyone involved has for the original series” and “Can’t say if it’s going to turn out well or not, but you can feel the love for the source material” showing that people appreciate that the changes that have been made don’t seem to be full-on subversions of what they love about One Piece.
Netflix’s One Piece comes out on August 31.
Source: YouTube/Netflix Japan
Images: YouTube/Netflix
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