The company has ground down the goodwill of its customer base so often that the first reaction to any blockbuster fantasy series arriving on Netflix is the dangers of getting too invested in a project that’s sure to be canceled after one season anyway. Will One Piece buck the trend? A lot of people hope so, but it’s far too early to tell.
After all, the last high-profile anime adaptation to make its way to the platform was axed a mere 20 days after premiering, so Luffy and the gang merely have to survive for another two and a half weeks to beat Cowboy Bebop. That’s hardly an accomplishment, but rave reviews and a robust debut has started to paint the picture of a potential returning favorite.
Per FlixPatrol, One Piece wasted no time topping the global charts for episodic Netflix content, setting sail to secure the number one spot in an impressive 59 countries around the world. While the company’s head of scripted content and even the co-showrunner refuse to be drawn on its chances of renewal just yet, the early prognosis is looking positive.
On the other side of the coin, dozens and dozens of fantastical exclusives have come and gone since the beginning of 2020 alone, and Netflix has axed more than 20 in-house originals since the start of January, but there are plenty of reasons to be confident that One Piece will avoid the ignominy of becoming the latest one-season wonder killed off before it was even afforded the chance to fly.
