Netflix’s One Piece live-action is celebrated as the adaptation that broke the long-standing curse of bad anime live-action remakes. It proved that such a project could succeed when handled by people who genuinely care about the source material. However, it would be an exaggeration to call it a perfect adaptation. One of the biggest challenges of creating a live-action version of a series as vast as One Piece, which spans over a thousand chapters and episodes, was condensing its arcs into a single season that covers what took years in the manga or anime. Because of this, the live-action was forced to make changes to the narrative to fit the first major arc into an eight-hour runtime.
Videos by ComicBook.com
One of the most surprising and somewhat controversial changes from the first season was the role of Monkey D. Garp. In the anime and manga, Garp, the hero of the Navy, doesn’t play a major role until much later, and it isn’t until episode 314 that it’s revealed he is Luffy’s grandfather. In contrast, the live-action reveals this early and portrays Garp as a central figure chasing Luffy throughout the season. This change was divisive among fans, and with the upcoming season set to introduce a character who serves a somewhat similar role in the source material, there’s concern that the same “police and thief” dynamic might be repeated.
One Piece Season 2 Might Portray the Same “Police and Thief” Dynamic
One Piece Season 2 is set to introduce a character named Smoker, a Marine Captain in charge of the Loguetown area. His main duty upon introduction is capturing pirates within his jurisdiction, earning a reputation that no pirate escapes his watch. In the manga, Smoker begins pursuing Luffy after witnessing the chaos he causes in Loguetown. From that point on, Smoker’s role centers around chasing Luffy and the Straw Hats. However, this becomes more of a secondary element in the source material. Considering that Netflix’s One Piece debut season added original scenes to emphasize the “police and thief” dynamic by elevating Garp’s role, Smoker’s role might also be unnecessarily extended in the live-action.
While there is nothing wrong with giving Smoker more screen time, since he is one of the most popular characters from the early One Piece arcs, the short structure of the live-action format could force other cuts in the story. The first season’s narrative was well-structured but was not celebrated for its limited action scenes, as many fans had hoped for more. Although One Piece Season 2 has hinted at fixing this issue, focusing too heavily on Smoker chasing the Straw Hats could again hinder other important developments.
The reason this could become a problem lies in the design of the live-action format. With shorter narratives, it’s often forced to emphasize certain characters more than the source material does within a limited timeframe. This approach could lead One Piece Season 2 to repeat the same somewhat controversial aspects of the first season, affecting smaller story elements, and potentially the action sequences that fans look forward to.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Focus Features. -
Courtesy of Comedy Central
