Anime live-action adaptations have been fairly hit or miss in the past, with many anime fans believing that there was simply no way for some anime stories to be brought into the “real world”. Netflix is looking to do the impossible with its live-action take on One Piece arriving on August 31st. While many anime fans continue to wonder if the series will be able to adapt Eiichiro Oda’s tale to live-action, the mangaka apparently had incredibly high standards when it came to his role as Executive Producer on Netflix’s One Piece.
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Matt Owens, the showrunner responsible for Netflix’s One Piece, recently shared his initial thoughts about approaching Eiichiro Oda in adapting the story of the Straw Hat Pirates. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous for anything in my entire life, Here was this person who has created this story I hold so much love and reverence for, and I’m asking him to trust me with his baby.” Luckily for Owens, Oda approached the adaptation of his work for a live-action project for the first time, taking on the role of Executive Producer where countless changes needed his approval before moving forward.
Oda Piece: Manga Vs. Live Action
Owens shared how Oda was tough at the start when it came to adapting One Piece, but eventually came to realize that the creators were big fans of the source material, “I’m not going to lie, he was tough in the beginning – this wasn’t the first attempt at a live-action One Piece, and we weren’t the first people to try to express it in a new way, but I think once he realized we were coming from the right place – trying to protect this series and create a new avenue for even more people to fall in love with it – he started to trust us.”
Netflix’s One Piece will debut on the streaming service on August 31st with eight episodes. At present, the series has yet to confirm if there will be a second season, though this might take time despite its popularity in the face of the Hollywood strikes currently taking place. With Oda’s involvement, fans are left wondering if Netflix’s take on the Grand Line will manage to dodge the live-action anime adaptation curse.
Are you excited to check out Netflix’s One Piece later this month? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Grand Line.
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