Netflix's adaptation of the long-running "One Piece" manga is a goofy, melodramatic pirate action show that takes place in a cartoon universe, but might end up tugging your heartstrings. It's got a big budget, a cast of fresh-faced newcomers, and an admirable willingness to embrace the bizarre. The "One Piece" universe is not only filled with pirates, but lots of people have superpowers, there are animal-human hybrids, some of the regular animals are sentient, and everybody gets into beautifully choreographed fights at the drop of a hat. Be warned there are some intense scenes and mild swearing, so this isn't for younger kids, but it's not such a big deal if they sneak a look anyway.
Our hero is Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), an optimistic young man in a straw hat, who declares that he will become King of the Pirates. He's one of the many hopefuls who is sailing to a treacherous stretch of ocean known as the Grand Line, to search for a legendary treasure, the One Piece. Unfortunately, Luffy doesn't have a ship or a crew and can't even swim. However, he does have the advantage of having consumed a Devil Fruit, which gives him a superpower - his body acts like it's made of rubber, and can stretch and distort in all kinds of fun ways. He spends the first season befriending and gathering crewmates - a pirate hunter, Zoro (Mackenyu), who wields three swords at once, a clever thief, Nami (Emily Rudd), a sharpshooter braggart, Usopp (Jacob Romero Gibson), and a charming cook, Sanji (Taz Skyler).
And it's a good thing he's making friends, because Luffy soon gets on the wrong side of all kinds of enemies, including Buggy the Clown (Jeff Ward), the fishman gangster Arlong (McKinley Belcher III), and the claw-handed Kuro (Alexander Maniatis) - yes, all of them are pirates. The main policing force in this world is the Marines, and they're after Luffy too, after he steals a map to the Grand Line. We spend a scene or two with Vice Admiral Garp (Vincent Regan), and his cadet mentees Koby (Morgan Davies) and Helmeppo (Aidan Scott) in most episodes as they chase Luffy and friends from island to island, often cleaning up the aftermath of their adventures.
There have been a couple of attempts at adapting anime and manga stories to live action, and none of them have been very successful. "One Piece" is not a franchise I thought would have any chance of turning out well in live action, because the original has such an exaggerated visual style, and the characters are so extreme. However, you can tell that everyone involved with this adaptation was careful to stay as faithful as possible to the original, and were wholly committed to its outlandish concepts and design aesthetic. Nobody bats an eye at Zoro having green hair or meeting a pirate captain who is also a circus clown. Nobody questions why seagulls are delivering the mail, and why the telephones are funky looking giant snails. The MVPs of the production were definitely the art direction team that was able to figure out how to get all of this to make sense onscreen.
I like the cast, who are pretty much all unknowns except Mackenyu. What they lack in finesse they more than make up for in enthusiasm and commitment to their roles. I suspect most of them were chosen based on martial arts or stunt backgrounds, because there's so much fighting in the show. The stunt work is fabulous, and it's really satisfying to see some of the clashes play out. However, there's also a sneakily effective found family story at the heart of "One Piece" - several of them, actually. I was pleasantly surprised that the creators got the worldbuilding and the action sensibilities of the series right, but I was completely bowled over by how well they handled the characters and story.
I don't expect that this will be a series for everyone - the level of unreality is bound to turn off less adventurous viewers. However, for action-adventure fans, this should be an easy watch. It's simple, uncomplicated action and hijinks for those of us who still sneak the occasional Saturday morning cartoon and feel like cheering on some likable heroes.
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