Netflix’s live-action One Piece cuts major character development

As the years pass, we will see the scope and depth of our work. One PieceStory has emerged as a serpentine, never-ending sea monster. It’s not the longest story ever written, but it certainly is absurdly long. Creator Eiichiro Oda started publishing the series in 1997 and it’s still getting new chapters to this day. As of now, both the anime and manga have over 1,000 pages. Netflix’s live action adaptation of the manga must take this monster story on and turn it into something that is uniquely its own.

The original material is the starting point for the live-action version. Luffy is introduced at the start of the series, when he embarks on his first voyage and attempts to create his own pirate crew. The showrunners shortened the story while staying faithful to the main beats in the manga. The anime is condensed into a single season by about 100 chapters, or roughly 45 episodes. Although I’m glad I don’t have to trudge through hours of television to revisit the story, the adaptation shows that One PieceIt is at heart a story of slow burn.

One PieceThe story follows Luffy, a child who wants to be the greatest pirate of all time. In the beginning of the series it is especially difficult to find new crew members, as Luffy begins his voyage alone. The original series follows a similar storyline: Luffy invites someone to his crew. They say no. He then fights until he convinces them. This format allows Oda to establish the motivations of a character clearly, and contributes to this larger feeling that every crew member’s loyalty is hard-earned — and thus fit to play a major role in a 25-year-long saga. It’s an effective format, but a difficult one to pull off in a shortened version of the series.

One PieceIt is a shonen, meaning that the fights are primarily how characters learn about themselves. In the manga, fights are longer. Characters like Sanji Luffy and Zoro have been close to dying at various points. We see the characters’ resolve during their most difficult moments. Pain, sacrifice, and the fear that maybe the crew won’t win all get stretched out over the course of pages and pages of work. It gives the story a more realistic pace, where Luffy appears to fight through the battles rather than gliding along in a well-choreographed scene.

Image: Eiichiro Oda/Viz Media

In the adaptation, characters such as Sanji feel a little undercooked. Sanji and Luffy defend the restaurant in the original manga as Usopp, Zoro, and other pirates attack. Nami has left Baratie alone and stolen the Going Merry. Sanji is seen defending the ship until his death in these scenes. Sanji, who had saved Zeff and prepared food for him, tells a pirate that he should shoot Zeff instead. Sanji’s dedication to Zeff and the Baratie overwhelms every panel as his shouts literally press up against the frames of the comic. He won’t leave and refuses Luffy’s invitation several times, even after Luffy saves Baratie.

Live-action versions cut this fight, and the story moves faster. In place of Sanji, Luffy and Don Krieg fighting Don Krieg’s goons and their henchmen, the live-action version shows Mihawk destroying Krieg. We get an abridged version of Sanji’s story, but it isn’t the only one to have gotten major changes. Zoro’s backstory and character arc are placed in Syrup Village Arc, which misplaces Zoro’s development and consequently detracts from Usopp’s. Even the characterization of Nami, who we see a lot, seems rushed since we don’t see her sob as she sails away by herself from the Baratie as she reflects on her time with Zoro and Luffy.

Casey Crafford/Netflix

These cuts are certainly a good thing from an adaptability standpoint, and they highlight the difficulties of working with One Piece as source material. Oda told The New York Times that a live-action adaptation doesn’t “simply re-enact the source material on a one-to-one basis.” Which makes sense, given how long it takes to watch the equivalent amount of story in the anime or to read the manga. The live-action adaptation does a good job of distilling and communicating the story. The general public can be referred to asIt gives you a much better feel for each character than the manga. But while we get the broad feel for each crew member, we don’t get to know them in the deep way that the dozens of pages of the manga allow. The cuts, while they make the story more concise at times, also take away one of the most important aspects of shonen. One PieceThe journey towards hard-fought change

To come together as a crew, every character needs to undergo some kind of personal change. For Sanji, it’s realizing that Zeff sacrificed his leg so that Sanji could live his dream. For Nami, it’s accepting that she isn’t alone anymore. Zoro recommits to a promise he made, and Usopp gets to follow in his father’s footsteps. In both the live-action series and the manga, Luffy instigates this change, because he has some freaky ability to see each person’s best self. He has faith in them. He will fight to death for them. At the end, he helps them overcome their greatest fears and insecurities. It’s big, powerful stuff! Unfortunately, it takes a long time to build up that camaraderie in ‘live-action’.

Eight episodes are available. One PieceNetflix has released season 1.