On August 31st, Netflix is aiming to set sail with a live-action cast that will bring One Piece officially to life for the first time. In the lead-up to the new iteration of the Grand Line, the cast and creators working in the background have expressed their love of the source material quite often. In a new adorable video, the young actor who plays Monkey D. Luffy, Iñaki Godoy, gets the opportunity to travel to Japan to talk with One Piece creator, Eiichiro Oda.
Live-action anime adaptations have been projects surrounded by controversy over the years, with many examples gaining the ire of numerous fan communities. With Netflix’s One Piece, the streaming service is aiming to buck the trend in a number of different ways, with one of the biggest being the role of creator Eiichiro Oda. Acting as an Executive Producer on the first season, showrunners have stated in the past that countless decisions were brought to Oda’s attention for approval before they were filmed. In the build-up to the live-action series, Oda has been clear that he has liked what he sees so far and had a direct role in choosing the young actor that would bring Luffy to life.
Videos by ComicBook.com
One Piece: Eiichiro Meets Iñaki
Recently, Iñaki Godoy traveled to Japan to visit the offices of Weekly Shonen Jump, gaining the opportunity to see how a chapter of One Piece is made. With Godoy stating in the past that his love for One Piece was astronomical, you can see his excitement in meeting Eiichiro Oda. Oda might be one of the most well-known manga artists in the world, but it appears he’s still shy when it comes to revealing his face to the world as this video demonstrates.
As stated in the video, Oda breaks down the reason why he ultimately chose Godoy to take on the important role of Monkey D. Luffy. Confirming that the young actor was the only one to make him laugh amongst those vying for the part, Eiichiro is hoping that Godoy will play Luffy for years to come. Netflix has yet to confirm whether a second season of One Piece is in the works but the live-action series certainly has plenty of source material to cover.
Are you rooting for Netflix’s One Piece to break the live-action anime curse? 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.