The One Piece hype is real: after what feels like forever, Netflix’s newest attempt at adapting an anime into a live-action is almost here and hopefully, this series will fare better than the previous ones. Set to debut on Aug. 31, the live-action One Piece will follow Captain Monkey D. Luffy as he begins his long journey to become the King of the Pirates. The first season, which historically, could also be its last, comprises eight episodes and will show Luffy recruit Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji as well as face villains like Buggy and Arlong.
In addition to adapting the beginnings of the East Blue Saga, it seems like there are some flashbacks in store if the newest pictures shared by Netflix are any indication. The official One Piece Netflix Twitter account shared a new look at the Straw Hats as kids, sweetly captioned, “Every great journey starts with a dream.”
Pushing any skepticism aside (as a One Piece fan, I really do want to believe in this adaptation), the young Straw Hats are honestly adorable. I do wonder exactly what scenes are shown in these pictures; it looks like Sanji’s scene is from right before he goes overboard and washes ashore an island with Zeff, Nami’s is clearly with Bell-mère, and Zoro’s is likely him sparring with his childhood friend Kuina. I’m not sure exactly what Usopp’s scene could be (maybe him “warning” the villagers of attacking pirates?), but it’s likely a flashback of him in his home village.
In an additional tweet, the account shared a picture of young Luffy in Foosha Village.
Personally, I think these photos of the young cast look promising and it seems I’m not the only one. Some fans even became emotional after seeing the baby Straw Hats and responded with crying emojis and gifs.
Other fans directly compared the new pictures with how the characters look in the anime, with many praising the live-action adaptation for its attention to detail.
A few fans complimented the look of the characters while expressing their hopes that the adaptation properly adapts storylines in a way that honors the Straw Hats’ character arcs.
While most reactions were positive, several were less hopeful. One comment compared the new pictures to “a cheap kids show from the 2000s,” which probably isn’t what Netflix wants to hear after spending nearly $150 million on the series.
One way or another, One Piece is sailing onto Netflix on Aug. 31. If any show can beat the odds and become Netflix’s only good anime adaptation, we do hope it’s this one, but we’ll keep our expectations realistic for now.
Published: Aug 15, 2023 02:58 pm