Netflix's "One Piece" Doesn't Make Me Want To Go Watch "One Piece"

Netflix recently produced and released a new show called "One Piece," a live action adaptation of the anime "One Piece," which is, in turn, an adaptation of the manga "One Piece." For the sake of clarity, "One Piece" will henceforth refer to the anime, and "Netflix's "One Piece"" will refer to, well, you get it. "One Piece" is famous among its fans for being one of the greatest currently running anime series, while it is rather infamous among non-watchers for being one of the longest currently running anime series, clocking in at 1,075 episodes and counting. While this runtime is still incredibly watchable for anyone, even casual television watchers, given enough time, I think many people get caught up on the huge perceived time commitment of the show. Ironically, most people would only end up putting in the time to watch all 1,075 episodes of the show if they enjoyed it, meaning they wouldn't be wasting their time after all. Still, there is a "you have to wait for it to get good" mentality that has been drilled into each of us by our friend with the absolute worst taste in shows whenever they try to recommend something for you to watch. So, even if you don't like "One Piece," you may try to wait for it to "get good," especially since you know how popular and well-regarded it is.

The primary coterie of characters from "One Piece"

Most people would be much more likely to watch a far shorter show, even if it's not as highly praised, because they know that it will end soon enough, and they can watch the whole story to get an accurate assessment of the show and not feel like they "missed out" on anything. Even if the show is still ongoing, as in, you know they've already been renewed for another season, this gap in between seasons will give you enough emotional distance from the show to not come back for the next season if you didn't like the previous one. Then again, if that was true, then why am I still watching "You"?

When a show starts out really strong but starts to fall flat in subsequent seasons, sometimes you feel a desire to continue watching, either to feel as close as you can still get to that initial feeling, or because you know the show can be good, you just have to wait and hope that it will.

Sheesh, is bro done yapping yet? All that to say, there are legitimate reasons many people have steered clear of the daunting epic "One Piece" despite knowing they might really like parts of it. Netflix's "One Piece" hoped to change that, I think. By starting fresh and giving audiences an easily digestible 8-episode season, with a production break before the next season, they were able to capture the attention of a large number of potential "One Piece" fans who only refrained from watching due to the episode count of the anime.

Many people have since taken to social media to say that after watching the live action adaptation, they've finally been convinced to go and start the anime because of how good the adaptation was.

I am one of those people who shied away from the anime due to the episode count.

I am one of those people who watched, and loved, Netflix's "One Piece."

I will not be going to watch the anime now.

Let me explain: The characters and story of both the anime and the adaptation are, for all intents and purposes, basically the same. I've heard that the adaptation is pretty faithful to the source material, and whatever changes made and liberties taken all fit within the spirit of the anime. So, if the characters and story were the primary draw for you in the live action show, by all means go watch the anime and get more of that right away. That was not the case for me. I did love the characters and story, yes, but it was primarily the way

From left to right: Emily Rudd, Iñaki Godoy, and Mackenyu in Netflix's "One Piece"

that the filmmakers told this story, as well as the performances of the actors, that really sucked me in. There is not a single mediocre performance in this entire show. Every actor, no matter how big or small their role, perfectly embodies their character so well that I almost can't even imagine seeing them any other way. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd say that Iñaki Godoy's portrayal of Monkey D. Luffy is perhaps my favorite live-action television performance since I first saw Jason Sudeikis in season one of "Ted Lasso." Well, that might be a stretch, seeing as I don't really quantify and rank performances so strictly, but he really is an absolute treat to watch, and I literally can't get enough of it. If Netflix suddenly dropped another 1,075 episodes of their adaptation tomorrow, I'd probably be committed to watching every single one.

The color, sound design, and cinematography all were especially important aspects to me in contributing to my viewing experience of the story, and I'm really not too interested in seeing it any other way. I'm sure that the anime is amazing, but I've seen clips from it, and it just doesn't feel the same to me. To be fair, it's not supposed to feel exactly the same. If it did, then what was the point of the adaptation, really? Still, watching Netflix's "One Piece" doesn't make me any more interested in watching "One Piece" than I was before. If anything, I'm actually less interested. If I want to chase the same viewing experience and emotion that I felt watching the adaptation, I think I'd go back and rewatch Netflix's "A Series of Unfortunate Events," which is, from a production standpoint, very similar. I would say some of the acting choices and humor is very similar as well. So, if you feel like going to watch the anime now after seeing the adaptation, more power to you, but if you feel like I did, ASoUE would be a high recommendation from me.