One Piece, a globally popular anime series, has been entertaining fans for over two decades. Its epic adventure, featuring Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, has captured the hearts of millions with its outstanding storytelling, action, humor, and emotional moments. Thus, it was no surprise when Netflix announced a live-action series based on Eiichiro Oda’s manga series of the same name in 2020. While some fans of the series thought it was a good idea, others called it a horrible idea due to Netflix’s earlier adaptations of anime series like Death Note, Bleach, and Cowboy Bebop which were all disasters.

First Impressions Of One Piece’s Live-Action Series

Recently, a trusted source from Hollywood reported that the CGI in One Piece was abominable, and fans were not surprised about it. Divinity Seeker gave a scoop on the test screening of the live-action series by Netflix, where they stated that the show “tested horribly,” as the CGI was terrible and the story of One Piece made no sense to the casual viewers. Hence, every episode of the Netflix adaptation is being rewritten.

In a series of tweets, Divinity Seeker stated that the first episode of the series heavily deviated from the source material. The first half of the episode was full of flashbacks of a young Monkey D. Luffy, and the other half of the episode quickly introduced the viewers to the first four crewmates of the Straw Hat Pirates. The source stated that the tone of the show is not working for them, and the looks of the cast were different from the original characters, making it inconsistent. The Baratie restaurant would be featured in the third episode of the series.

The One Piece Adaptation Has Already Raised Concerns

The idea of the live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece raised concerns, and numerous fans of the show were unsure if the OTT platform could pull off a successful adaptation of the series. The show features a complex and layered plot that has kept its audience engrossed for over two decades due to its unique art style and intricate plot building. Having the same art style in the live-action series would be difficult, and even if creators use CGI to achieve the same art style, it would be difficult to give the charm and charisma as the manga or anime.

The show also features unique body features of certain characters, which are easy to be created in anime but would look cartoonish in a live-action series. Moreover, all the Straw Hat Pirates have a unique charm to them, which cannot be replicated in the One Piece show.

Netflix’s Difficulty in Capturing the Source Material

Lastly, Netflix has not done justice to anime adaptations in the past, failing to capture the same essence of the source material. As Divinity Seeker stated that the episodes are being rewritten, the One Piece series by Netflix will move away from the source material, affecting the original essence of the show.

The live-action adaptation of One Piece has already faced several hurdles, and with the recent test screening report suggesting poor CGI and an incoherent storyline, it seems like there are more challenges ahead. Fans of the series remain skeptical about Netflix’s ability to bring the same magic of the manga or anime to the live-action series.