Under normal circumstances, the impending arrival of One Piece on the final day of this month would be cause for celebration among its sprawling fandom, if only for the fact Netflix tends to have a fairly terrible track record when it comes to bringing popular mangas to live-action.
Adam Wingard’s Death Note was heavily criticized, before Cowboy Bebop lasted a matter of weeks as a potential recurring series prior to its marching orders being given in near-record time, although Burn the House Down did prove to be a hit among critics, crowds, and subscribers alike.
Depending on who you ask, though, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is either trash or treasure. A 67 percent Rotten Tomatoes score is solid without being spectacular, whereas a 31 percent user rating indicates that not everybody has been won over by Eiji Akaso’s Akira Tendo being caught up in the midst of a zombie apocalypse and deciding it makes for the perfect time to achieve all of his life’s goals.
Then again, because it’s a Netflix exclusive set in an easily-marketable and eminently popular subgenre, Zom 100 was always going to make a splash on the most-watched rankings. Just like clockwork, then, that’s precisely what’s happened after FlixPatrol named it as the fifth top-viewed feature on the worldwide charts having sprinted as fast as possible onto the Top 10 in 60 countries.
Maybe one day Netflix will master the art of translating manga from page to screen and have everyone universally approve, but bumper viewing figures will have to do for the time being.
