‘One Piece’ Netflix Review: The Infectiously-Charming Adventure Series We Needed
What is it, exactly, that we want from a fantasy movie or TV series? Yes, a good movie/show or a good story is the basic answer here, but there are a few expectations that come hand-in-hand with any genre. On top of having a good story, a comedy is supposed to make us laugh; a horror movie is supposed to scare us; a drama is supposed to make us rethink our perspective on a certain subject matter — so what about fantasy? An unlikely-yet-enjoyable protagonist, whom we can rally behind when luck is on their side but also when it’s not? A good supporting crew around him that reminds us of values like friendship and honor? Fascinating mythology that feels fresh but is not overt to the point where it’s difficult to follow? A catchy theme song that will make us pump our fists into the air and want to set off on our own adventure? Well, I’m happy to report that the live-action One Piece series on Netflix has all of that, and so much more.
Developed for the platform by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda and based on the manga by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece follows aspiring pirate Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) on an quest across the seas to find the highly-coveted, legendary treasure One Piece. As he embarks on several adventures, he recruits his own team that will surrender to his charm and belief in himself and that there’s good in people if you look for it — they are Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu), Nami (Emily Rudd), Usopp (Jacob Romero), and Sanji (Taz Skylar). Across all eight episodes of the first season, now available to stream on Netflix, we get to meet all of them and spend real time with each one, so that by the end we understand their troubles, what they want from their adventure, and most importantly, what they need. By the time the season ends, I can barely tell you what the state of the overall plot is, and how close they are to actually finding the One Piece. The delight here is not in the destination, but in the journey and the friends we made along the way.
One Piece. (L to R) Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, Mackenyu Arata as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Taz Skylar as Sanji in episode 108 of One Piece. Cr. Casey Crafford/Netflix © 2023
There are several contributing factors to making Netflix’s One Piece a success besides the portrayal of the characters. The team of directors (Marc Jobst, Emma Sullivan, Tim Southam, and Josef Wladyka; all doing two consecutive episodes) were able to work in synchrony to give One Piece the sense of life, wonder, and personality that it required to stand above the average medium shots that we can find on any other Netflix show, and resonate with the charm and wit that the actors are putting out on screen. Everything starts at the writing level, though, and if nothing else, One Piece is extremely self-aware and completely over-the-top. It doesn’t try to be The Lord of the Rings; it’s extremely conscious that its own mythology is very goofy and takes advantage of that. But that doesn’t mean that each individual adventure they embark on doesn’t come with its own moral (sometimes the bottom line is too on the nose for its own good, though).
However, the absolute MVP of One Piece is Iñaki Godoy as Luffy. He is the make-or-break piece of the puzzle, whose charm is so infectious that it’s completely believable he was able to turn so many people to his side because I, as a viewer, was also ready to follow him to the end of the world (or, in this case, the Grand Line). Now, I am not familiar with either the manga or the long-running anime series, so my first introduction to this character and the world was through the live-action version; and all I can say is that I’m hooked. Luffy perfectly encapsulates the values that we expect from any fantasy protagonist, but is unlike anyone we haven’t seen — the fact that he’s probably not old enough to drink in any country is a contributing factor as well. In a way, he is kind of like James Cameron, of all people: someone who has his own spin on the traditional way of doing things and whom you should never bet against.
Structured like a classic adventure series, where each hour-long episode (or couple of episodes) has its own isolated story that always contributes to the larger narrative. The writers use this model to their advantage as well — there are a few pacing issues that come up here and there, but they are mostly a product of the writers slowing down the narrative to focus on a specific character and learn more about them and their backstory. As a result, some characters will be sidelined during specific parts of the show, but it’s always because they’ve already had their moment to shine somewhere else.
One Piece. Emily Rudd as Nami in episode 101 of One Piece. Cr. Casey Crafford/Netflix © 2023
One Piece has also a lot to offer in terms of action and excellent fight choreography. But putting aside the splendid stunt job displayed on the screen here, characters are never not covered in plot armor, and some fights end ridiculously soon for them while others drag on for way too long, just because the editors need to keep the rhythm of the overall narrative to be kept at a certain level. Mackenyu’s character Zoro, specifically, aspires to be the world’s greatest swordsman, which makes for a very satisfying introduction but also some battles that take way too long to resolve for an accomplished dueler like he is. This also speaks to a larger issue of some of the characters and their abilities not always being used to their full potential after being introduced (namely Nami).
none of that prevents One Piece from being extremely enjoyable, though. Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli’s music is also one of the show’s greatest assets to keep that up throughout its eight-hour total runtime. Once again, I am unfamiliar with what the anime sounds like, so can’t really compare — the composers insisted on an interview on Netflix’s site that most of it is new, with some hints of the anime music here and there, so I’ll take them by their word.
One Piece season 1 is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
