One Piece is out on Netflix. Adaptation of the cult anime turned out pretty good

On August 31, the premiere of the first season of One Piece took place. The project was another attempt by Netflix to adapt the anime. The previous ones were unsuccessful - "Ghost in the Shell", "Cowboy Bebop" and especially "Death Note" caused waves of anger from fans of the originals.

It seemed that the One Piece manga was not the most obvious source for adaptation. It was made into a cult anime series with over a thousand episodes. So the authors of the adaptation had to study a huge amount of material in order to compress it into an understandable story.

The project's showrunners are Matt Owens (Luke Cage) and Stephen Maeda (Lie to Me). Eiichiro Oda, the author of the original manga, served as executive producer.

Munky D. Luffy is a young boy who dreams of becoming the Pirate King. To earn this status, he seeks out the legendary One Piece treasure. To do this, he gathers a team of the same young and desperate romantics and sets off on a journey across the ocean. It's not just others that bother him.

piratesbut also the navy. And wit and superpower help to get out of difficult situations - Luffy can stretch like rubber.

Lovely emotional backdrop

The series has a wonderful atmosphere of children's adventurism. Pirates, uncharted islands, hidden maps, hidden treasures, sea monsters - all this excites the heroes, and at the same time the viewer. As soon as One Piece begins to seem to sag, something new and shocking emerges - an unusual creature or a strange superpower. The series knows how to surprise.

Of course, sometimes there is a lack of logic in this lightness. For the sake of plot development, the characters can behave differently in the same situations. For example, they can fight back a large number of enemies and not even think about the likelihood of defeat in a fight, or they can simply give up. In general, it is not always clear on what basis they make decisions.

But if you treat the plot with irony, then the internal logic does not raise serious questions. The main characters (and especially Luffy) do not shine with prudence, and therefore often make mistakes. But they immediately rush towards adventure, making you forget about strange decisions.

Excellent cast

One Piece has an excellent cast. There are no stars in it, but there are talented young actors who feel comfortable in such a bright project. Inaki Godoy, who plays the main role, brings adventurism and recklessness to the story. Makenyu is a bit of a stereotypical but great-looking samurai. Morgan Davis gives the series doubt, touching, fear. Well, Emily Rudd is responsible for teenage eroticism - once because of such actresses (and heroines) pupils fell in love with screen projects.

While Luffy picks up new team members, the palette of emotions expands - all characters are original. The individuality of the characters is emphasized by the choreography in the combat scenes - each has its own style, its own movements. The writers do not overload the series with fights, so it is always interesting to watch them.

Minor flaws

Despite the wonderful atmosphere, unusual plot and an abundance of bright characters, One Piece also has problems. They are not critical, but still spoil the viewing experience a little. Luffy takes quite a while to collect his command, because of this, acquaintance with the characters is delayed for the whole season. Each character has their own tragic background, so it takes a lot of time to reveal. At the same time, the drama sometimes seems superficial. Sad moments are the worst thing about One Piece.

Sometimes it seems that flashbacks are only needed to stretch the timing. Exactly the same sensations are caused by the middle of some episodes - when nothing important seems to be happening on the screen.

But that's not all. The episode format (encounter with danger - battle - victory) introduces predictability into the story, and interspersed with flashbacks only exacerbate the problem.

Surely anime fans will explain what is wrong with One Piece. But the viewer, not familiar with the original, can enjoy viewing. This is a bright teen series with a well-developed universe, unusual magic and an adventurous spirit. Charismatic heroes amuse, and villains shock with their unusual abilities - this is a great attraction, which is occasionally interrupted by not the deepest drama. In general, One Piece is not "Death note». Considering Netflix's past experience, this is already a great achievement.