The world of anime is quite absurd, but the world-building in the said animes is absolutely flawless. I often like to say that the Japanese have figured out how to make plotlines in a way that they are inherently interesting. They tend to structure their stories so well and include so many characters that it all comes together naturally. This is also the case with One Piece, which is one of the most successful and popular animes of all time. There have been reports about Netflix making a One Piece live-action adaptation, we hope that they correct the anime’s major flaw when adapting it into this format.
But what is the major flaw of One Piece? Well, you see, One Piece is an anime chock full of all kinds of colourful characters. The core group of the straw hat pirates, all have their own distinct personalities which take time to get used to. Even the big three of the straw hats are extremely complex characters beyond their basic fighting abilities. Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, Ussop, Nami, Chopper, Robin, and Frankie all have something that they are fighting for. There is a dream that each one of them wants to achieve and they are struggling towards these goals together. But the main problem with the anime is that despite being exceptionally popular it is also incredibly long.
One Piece Live-Action Adaptation
The anime has over 1000 episodes and the manga has more than 100 volumes. This sheer volume of the content in this show is mind-boggling, but there is a good reason for it. One Piece has incredible story beats but the time taken to complete an arc is incredibly long. The other major problem is that the incredible moments are few and far in between. In between these moments, we get to see the Straw Hats handing out and interacting with the world around them. A lot of the fans enjoy this section of the plot but the problem is that not everyone does. Every hardcore fan of the anime has wanted to hang out with Straw Hats more than anything else.
However, for those who are new to the series, these moments can feel dull and often kill the pacing of the show. This is an issue that One Piece has struggled with for a long while. Oda takes his sweet time introducing us to the characters and making us care about them without thinking. When we reach the Arlong Park arc we are so incredibly interested in the characters that we cannot bear losing them. This subtlety is also why the water 7 arcs are considered the best arc of the show.
The Netflix live-action adaptation will have to wrestle with this legacy and do something to circumvent the pacing issue. It has been reported that the first season of the show will have 10 episodes but the show cannot take as long as the anime to assemble the entire crew of the straw hats. If it does then the pacing issues will carry over and plague the plot as it has plagued the anime for so long.
The Choice
The show makers have to make the choice to either make a One Piece live-action adaptation only for the fans or make one that will encourage more people to seek out the anime and the manga. To achieve the latter they must correct the anime’s mistake and do something better with the initial plotline. Fans have also voiced the desire to see the Arlong Park arc as part of the first season of the show but it is not known whether such a thing will happen.
While we are familiar with the plot of One Piece, there is no concrete evidence about which parts of the story will be covered by the live-action show. We hope that they do justice to Oda’s writing and this adaptation does not fall flat on its face.
Let us know what you think about the One Piece live-action adaptation down in the comments and keep watching this place for everything Marvel, DC, and Hollywood. Excelsior!!!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter for more content.
Also Watch:
