Netflix series ‘One Piece’ is ‘delightfully over the top,’ ‘charmingly big-hearted’ [Review Round-Up]
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On August 31, 2023, Netflix began streaming “One Piece,” a live action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda‘s anime manga series of the same name. Developed by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda, the series focuses on the Straw Hat Pirates as they explore the oceans, lands and beyond in search of the “One Piece,” a fabled treasure that will make their captain, Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), “King of the Pirates.” Closely behind them are the Navy, who want the loot for themselves.
The ensemble cast includes Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Romero Gibson, Taz Skylar, Vincent Regan and Jeff Ward. With a score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 95% audience approval, critics and audiences have been praising the story, performances and stunning visual effects. The critics consensus reads, “‘One Piece’ captures the essence of its beloved source material with a charmingly big-hearted adaptation that should entertain longtime fans as well as patient newcomers.” Read our full review round-up below.
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Kenneth Seward Jr. of IGN Movies praises the series, stating, “This first season does a solid job of establishing the unique characteristics of its world: The ever-shifting power dynamics of the various pirate and governmental factions and the intrinsic harshness of a planet dominated by several large oceans. The action sequences are delightfully over-the-top, like a violent version of ‘Peter Pan’ in which characters are thrown through walls, bludgeoned to death, or cut in half. The visual effects used to showcase Luffy’s elastic appendages, giant sea creatures, and other oddities are all visually pleasing. None of them compare to the practical effects though; the show is worth watching for its amazing pirate ship sets alone. Essentially, showrunner Matt Owens and crew made sure that this series elicits the sense of adventure that has long been ‘One Piece’s’ calling card.”
Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter states, “But over eight hour-long episodes, that youthful pluck starts to seem less like a reason to doubt him than a reason to believe in him. ‘One Piece’ is a celebration of the power of childlike wonder that itself feels like the delightful product of a kid’s imagination.” She concludes, “The Netflix adaptation can’t claim full credit for the originality of its universe, and as a relative newbie to this franchise, I can’t say how faithfully it’s been translated. I can say I was tickled by the quirky details of a world that borrows equally from modern reality, period drama and pure fantasy. Characters who look like they’ve just come from an Old Navy sale hang out with characters who look like they might have stepped off the Black Pearl. Uniformed seagulls deliver newspapers around the world, and semi-sentient sea snails serve as telephones. I’d promise that last part makes more sense onscreen than written out, but it doesn’t, really; part of the enjoyment here is deciding to just roll with it.”
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Brian Lowry of CNN writes, “The legions of existing fans will likely eagerly enlist in this ocean-faring adventure, and who knows, they might find plenty of company; still, those who just want to see what the fuss is all about will likely be left feeling high and dry.” He adds, “Oh, and did we mention that Monkey can stretch like Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, having eaten magical fruit that has turned him into rubber, only one of the extraordinary powers on display among friends and foes – like the ill-tempered clown pirate whose body parts operate independently?”
Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone notes, “The deeper we get into the season, and the more we learn about each member of the crew, the more ‘One Piece’ drags.” Sepinwall continues, “Everyone gets a tragic backstory, Luffy especially, as we dwell a lot on him as a kid (played by Colton Osorio) while he seeks Shanks’ approval. The goal, it seems, is to make us care about the crew in the same way that Luffy instantly cares about them. But this grab for emotional resonance feels at odds with the rest of the material, and in particular the characterization of the young adult Luffy. It’s not fair to complain that Godoy’s performance feels thin at best, since he’s basically asked to only play two notes: cheerfully delusional self-aggrandizement, and, on occasion, righteous indignation on behalf of his friends. And he plays both of those well! But Luffy is such a fundamentally broad and silly character in this telling that all these attempts at nuance and poignancy seem utterly at odds with the material, and with the nature of the main character.”
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