When Netflix announced a live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s manga hit One Piece, there was great skepticism, as fans had been traumatized over the years by the Dragon Ball: Evolutions and Cowboy Bebops of this world. However, Netflix’s One Piece received good reviews and is holding up has been in the top 10 of the streaming service for weeks. However, the enthusiasm does not extend to long-time Dragon Ball spokesman Sean Schemmel, who expressed his lack of understanding in clear words.
This is what the Dragon Ball spokesman says about Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece
The American has been voicing the main character Son Goku in the English-language dubbing of Dragon Ball since 1999 and has also lent his voice to the character in video game spin-offs and follow-up series. In an interview with BleedingCool, he was asked about the phenomenon of live-action anime adaptations, which he is critical of:
It’s weird because I kind of have an insider’s view, and I’ve seen my whole career how Hollywood tries to understand anime and they still don’t get it. It’s not like trends in the anime genre ever translate well into live action.
Schemmel speaks about One Piece without being asked:
I only have part of it [Realverfilmung von] Saw One Piece, and
To be honest, I think it’s terrible.
Toei
One Piece
He doesn’t mention any specific points of criticism, but rather general hurdles when translating anime into a live-action format:
I don’t particularly like the live-action version of One Piece. However, this is not necessarily due to the crew and cast. They are probably all talented. It’s more about the execution and the difficulty of translating the genre. […] When you film anime, everyone has normal-sized eyes, but anime has these huge eyes that have fascinated people for decades. That’s part of the style, and that alone, along with the hairstyle, the special effects and the theme, can be challenging.
So Schemmel criticizes how he does external appeal of anime is lost during adaptation. This is a fundamental problem. You don’t have to share the attitude – it’s always understandable.
That’s what One Piece on Netflix is about
Many years ago, Gol D. Roger, the pirate king at the time, was publicly executed. But before he died, he revealed to the world his legacy, the so-called “One Piece” – a legendary treasure. One of them is Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy).
Equipped with the powers of a devil fruit, Luffy sets out to find his own crew. He desperately wants to find the One Piece and gain the title of Pirate King himself (which he reveals to anyone who doesn’t disappear up a mast on the count of 3).
The first season of One Piece is streaming on Netflix. Season 2 has already been ordered.
Podcast for One Piece fans: That’s why Netflix series look so cheap
These questions have been coming up for years: Why do all Netflix series look the same and sometimes even cheap. In the (spoiler-free) episode we define the “Netflix look” that series like One Piece, Sandman and The Witcher have in common.
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In the second part of the episode we explain three reasons why Netflix series and films look like this – and why you sometimes don’t even notice their big budget.