Spoiler Warning: If you haven’t seen Netflix’s ONE PIECE, please read with caution.

I’ve always loved Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece since I was a sprite-like hooman. I grew up excited every morning to watch Luffy’s adventures before I played Pokémon on my Game Boy Color. Millennials, where you at?

Even growing up, I kept tabs on One Piece‘s story by catching up on the manga and watching the animé. I still preach to people to find the time to keep up with the 1000+ episodes and chapters.

So when Netflix announced the live adaptation of the beloved manga, my friends and I were a bit excited and scared. Live-action adaptations tend to suck, let’s be real about it.

Sometimes, we just want our favorite series to remain faithful to the story we’ve always known. The only thing that pacified us was knowing that Eiichiro Oda also had his hands in producing the series.

Before I get nitpicky, I’d say showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda did a good job. As a creative director, I believe that turning a fantasy series with lore-heavy two-dimensional characters into life-like films is quite an onerous challenge to pull off.

Bringing the characters to life

Having Oda all aboard the production of his beloved manga is a good chess move that prevented this adaptation from flunking like other Netflix’s live-action films.

They were able to give justice to the portrayal of characters, starring an ensemble cast starting with Iñaki Godoy to depict Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy. A naive, optimistic young man who dreams of becoming the next Pirate King.

Godoy had the approval of Oda when he was cast. This surprised a lot of fans knowing that Luffy was the most difficult character to portray. After all, he’s an excessively smiling freak who looks dumb and thinks with his stomach. (And sometimes, with his heart).

Roronoa Zoro was also perfectly captured, and I say this as a Zoro-stan, Mackenyu is the perfect actor for the role. The Japanese actor is a heartthrob who stole the show, exuding the cool, nonchalant yet mysterious vibe that Roronoa Zoro exhibits even in the original series.

Jacob Romero Gibson portrayed Usopp, a pathological liar and sharpshooter, and Taz Skylar looked hot portraying the ever-handsome and gentlemanly yet foul-mouthed cook Sanji.

Emily Rudd, for me, has the most challenging role. She’s portraying Nami, the Straw Hat’s navigator and treasurer. It was a critical role since Nami’s story which ended in the East Blue saga was how most One Piece‘s fans fell in love with the series.

Rudd captured the cynical, frigid personality of Nami yet she failed to show the right emotions that would pull strings on the audience’s hearts. Some friends believe they still gave justice to that one particular, emotional scene in the last episode. However, I digress. I believe it lacked gravity in portraying how severe the situation is.

Getting it right

What I liked about Netflix’s ONE PIECE is how it brought to life the story I grew up with. While fans have expressed dismay long before the series even aired, I loved that the adaptation felt like a bridge between new and old fans, and people who have yet to discover the wonder of One Piece.

Visual effects are heavy, especially for a fantasy series. When my friends and I were watching it after our game night, I saw the complete astonishment in their faces when Luffy stretched his arms. Sticking to the magic of a manga/animé can be quite tricky, but Netflix pulled it off.

There was so much effort put into recreating the places, scenes, and overall vibe to remain faithful to the story. The first season tackled the first saga, which was the formation of Straw Hat Pirates in East Blue.

It was evident what Netflix’s ONE PIECE was all about. The series is being put out to reach a wider audience to be charmed by the story and its characters.

It felt short, though. The East Blue Saga in the anime covered 40+ episodes, which was shrunk to fit into eight episodes for the first season. Each arc was covered for at least two episodes each, diving into different narratives of each Straw Hat pirate member.

The good, the bad, and the crispy

Regardless of the pacing, Netflix highlighted all the important details of the story. Although, they removed some of the chuckles, constant annoyance, and witty banter between members.

I think that’s what got lost in translation. The bond they created while sailing together contributed to the emotional attachment between the characters and the viewers.

We know what they went through, what they’re going through, and how they all got entangled with each other’s lives. It’s true that they have each other’s back, teaching us the complexities of friendship — both in the anime and the adaptation.

As a fan, it was disappointing to see the lack of intensity in scenes that would cause you to break into tears. I did get goosebumps from certain lines and hearing the music accompaniment, though. But I was really looking for that tug in my heart that made me obsessed with this series for the past two decades.

Nevertheless, Netflix’s ONE PIECE is a show that can be enjoyed by ~literally~ anyone. Die-hard fans may keep on nitpicking and gatekeeping their beloved show, but this live-action series is a magnificent adaptation worthy of watching.

Go after your dreams

The story may have been all about being a pirate and clashing with the Marines, but only if you’ve seen the surface. Just like the oceans they cross, the series is quite deep. It tackles life, dreams, hope, survival, fear, and of course, friendship.

It’s what made me fall in love with the story; the highs and lows of the raging seas they travel on and the adventures of not knowing what’s next.

One Piece, both as a manga, anime, and live adaptation, pushes its audience to be spontaneous and go after their dreams. The Straw Hat pirates are a reminder that even when the odds aren’t in your favor, you’ll always find a breakthrough.

Even if you feel like your dreams are hard to reach, there are people who will stand by you. One day, you’ll find your own crew and you’ll get to be who you want to be.

Netflix, in a way, pursued its dream to finally create a live-action adaptation that gets it right. It’s surreal, magnificent, and wonderful in all aspects albeit with some hiccups that can be overlooked.

After all, it’s an enjoyable watch. It’s far from being a masterpiece, but it’s an example of how production companies should do live adaptations.

Just like in One Piece, it’s not just a new era of Pirates. It’s a new era of live adaptations, and Netflix has already set sail.

ONE PIECE is now streaming on Netflix.