It’s been three years since the first season of Netflix’s swashbuckling live action adaptation of the popular anime One Piece. But sometimes, great things are well worth the wait. Despite the stretch of time between seasons, fans were absolutely thrilled when the second season finally dropped–myself included! To no one’s surprise, the show proves yet again that live action adaptations are possible when the proper love and care goes into it. So let’s set sail into what made this season better than the last.
Season two continues where the first season leaves off; the crew takes to the seas towards the Grand Line while in search of the One Piece. But past the Grand Line lies more risks, bigger threats and new adventures. Luffy and his crew meet fresh faces while coming across familiar ones, but not all of them are as welcoming and kind as they’d hope. They must learn to work together even more as a crew if they want to overcome the challenges that the Grand Line has to offer.
First things first. Over the last year or so, I’ve been watching the anime. At the moment I’m nearly 700 episodes in and one of the things that I can’t praise the live action enough for is the accuracy of the casting. When I say that they shook the anime and this cast fell out, it’s no joke. From the mannerisms right down to the look, everything is so spot on that it’s a chef’s kiss. The costume department, hair and makeup went hard to make sure that the cast looked their best on-screen and succeeded beautifully. Iñaki, Mackenyu, Jacob, Emily and Taz are all the embodiments of their characters so if you’re looking for source material accuracy for not just the main cast but for their guest stars as well, look no further. Everyone is on point characterization wise.
The sets? Stunning as per usual. The Going Merry ship is one of the most impressive tv sets I’ve ever seen that was built from the ground up and even that too is source material accurate. While the sea and some background sets may be green screen, it’s so realistic that you often forget there’s some fancy computer tech involved. Like what do you mean they didn’t actually go to Loguetown? Or Little Garden? It was just a set? Everything, again, was hand built to make everything look like an actual village/town/etc, right down to the finest details. And with a show like this, details matter. Viewers pick up on the small things and they often have a bigger impact than people think. Like the saying goes: big things come in small packages. Or something like that. You get what I’m trying to say.
However there was one thing that a lot of fans were worried about for this particular season. The biggest worry that gave everyone grey hair: the introduction of fan favorite Tony Tony Chopper. There was much debate as to what he’d look like, with many fan edits floating around the internet as well as concerns about the CGI. It’s safe to say that those concerns were acknowledged and careful consideration was put into his look. We all knew that was going to be Netflix’s biggest challenge of the season. The overall consensus? He’s adorable. Chopper is everything fans dreamed of right from his tiny little hooves right to the top of his hat. Everything about him is perfect. Well. Almost perfect. Those new to the show learn that Chopper ate something called a human human fruit, which grants him the ability to become anthropomorphic—human like. Aside from walking on two legs, he can also change into a regular deer form that allows him to move faster on four legs. Then there’s his bulky form, named heavy point. Oh boy….that caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting full on prosthetic makeup for this and it certainly was a choice. It reminds me of Jim Carrey’s Grinch makeup, just minus all the green. As off-putting as it was, it’ll probably just take time to get used to after another rewatch or two. But apart from that, Chopper is lovely and you can definitely tell that a lot of love and work was put into him to make him his adorable self.
I want to backtrack to the casting for a moment. I said that everyone was amazing but there was one standout in particular that needed recognition. This actor is none other than the legend David Dastmalchian himself. The casting department needs a raise for this one because David as Mr. 3 is god tier casting. Everyone was god tier but Dastmalchian took the throne this season. With the help of other departments (makeup, hair, wardrobe), the director showed him his mark, told him to stay but David heard “slay” and then killed it on-screen. Anyone who’s seen the anime knows what we’re in for with this character and I hope we see more of our candle man in upcoming seasons. If you know, you know.
Look. Live actions are always a toss up. They’re either going to be hugely successful or a total flop. But as I’ve said in the past, with the right people on board who know their material and have the right vision, you’re basically being handed a five star meal. One Piece is a testament that it is possible to create live versions of their anime counterparts and do it in a way that translates well on screen. They also prove that it’s ok to keep the wacky, weird tones while also hitting the serious ones in the same breath. While it may be about pirates, and pirates are seen as tough, cruel and independent people, Luffy and his crew show heart and kindness; that it’s okay to be vulnerable and need help from others. It’s also okay to reach out a hand to help others, even if it’s a detour from our own journey. We learn from those around us and we learn from our experiences. With friends by our side, anything is possible. And as the saying goes: it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. And One Piece is just getting started.
There is so much more I want to say and believe me when I could talk (and write) people’s ears off when it comes to this show. I was once a hater. Trust me when I say that. But I took the leap and gave this show a chance. It was thanks to the live action that I began the anime last year and recently found the One Piece community online. Everyone that I’ve spoken to are so kind and welcoming and more than happy to answer any questions I might have. So do it. Take the same leap I did. If you enjoyed the live action, you’ll definitely enjoy the anime. Just give it a chance and you might be surprised with how much detail the Netflix show leaves out. And with their headlining show Stranger Things full wrapped, they have the opportunity to put their full focus on their newest eye catching series.
It’s goofy. It’s wild. It’s certainly put there with its power wielding pirates but it has heart. It has laughs. It has story. One Piece is one for the history books as the show that broke the live action curse. Let this be proof and the precedent that with enough love and care, it is possible to bring a larger than life story to, well, life. And if you think what’s happened so far was crazy, you better hold onto your straw hats. Because you’re in for a wild ride.
One Piece season two is available to stream now on Netflix.
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