Live Action One Piece, from sheer confusion to Season 2 renewal.

[Jman]

 

Naturally the responses are sheer unbridled terror.  

Sometime next year if I'm still around New York, there's going to be an ad for that on the big Madison Square Garden TV's that the building used to advertise stuff (and wish folks well, like when Bret Hart was recovering from surgery).  And I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with that.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Jman

[The1gairon]

Strap in.

[naraku360]

It's going to be awful and I'm all for that.

[DragonSinger]

I admit to having "Gayo gayo!" pop into my head.

[Daos]

They're bringing in top tier voice talent for this project.

 

[Chapinator_X]

Jimmy Buffet Presents One Piece

[Jman]

14 hours ago, Chapinator_X said:

Jimmy Buffet Presents One Piece

I’m going to be weirded out when an episode ends with “Real” music.  Anime having actual music already feels weird, and then you have One Piece with 900+ episodes of similar melodies and motifs, getting something like this -

 

 

[CaptainStarwind]

Who actually wanted this?  Did anybody want this?  As far as I know most people know better than to want live action adaptations of anime these days.

As far as I can tell this is just something we're getting shoved down our throats and told to like.  Which just makes it all the worse.

[Jman]

1 hour ago, CaptainStarwind said:

Who actually wanted this?  Did anybody want this?  As far as I know most people know better than to want live action adaptations of anime these days.

As far as I can tell this is just something we're getting shoved down our throats and told to like.  Which just makes it all the worse.

It’s Oda’s fault.

No, seriously.  He was the one pushing this and he specifically sought out Hollywood because he felt they would have a bigger budget.

[CaptainStarwind]

28 minutes ago, Jman said:

It’s Oda’s fault.

No, seriously.  He was the one pushing this and he specifically sought out Hollywood because he felt they would have a bigger budget.

Does he really want a blockbuster live action One Piece movie that bad? 

I honestly can't see this doing well in any capacity.  One can argue for live action Cowboy Bebop, or even a live action Death Note, because those shows aren't terribly far removed from the realm of reality.  One Piece has FAR to much of a fantastical and cartoon-like feel that I can't see how this is going to translate over to live action well.  It's going to end up either too grimdark and gritty to feel like One Piece, or it's going to to be too overly bright and cartoony that it's going to turn off anybody coming to watch it.

[PokeNirvash]

2 hours ago, CaptainStarwind said:

As far as I can tell this is just something we're getting shoved down our throats and told to like.  Which just makes it all the worse.

Speak for yourself, I don't feel that way at all. The whole "being told to like it while having it shoved down our throats" thing, that is.

[The1gairon]

2 hours ago, Jman said:

they would have a bigger budget.

... well he's not wrong there.

I just can't understand why the most successful mangaka of all time would not faithfully stick with his OWN STYLE like this.

Edited September 6, 2021 by elfie

[CaptainStarwind]

2 hours ago, PokeNirvash said:

Speak for yourself, I don't feel that way at all. The whole "being told to like it while having it shoved down our throats" thing, that is.

Admittedly a bit melodramatic on my part, I'll give you that. Regardless, I don't think this is gonna be good.

[MasqueradeOverture]

Tim Burton's One Piece when?

[Jman]

16 hours ago, CaptainStarwind said:

Admittedly a bit melodramatic on my part, I'll give you that. Regardless, I don't think this is gonna be good.

My fascination with these live-action adaptations doesn't take into account quality or lack thereof, but let's face it - We used up most, if not all the good comic books already.  Superman movies will never tackle Braniac, Marvel has burned through so many classic stories they're using stuff like Master of Kung Fu and Shuma Gorath, (and this coming from someone who liked the Shang-Chi movie), and The Boys and Invincible are huge hits for Amazon.  The barrel is starting to run empty, so manga is the next logical step.

And well, someone has to be first.  There have been some good ones even if they don't really count (Edge of Tomorrow changed a lot from the original light novel/manga but it was still a well-told movie with Tom Cruise dying a lot, the Alice in Borderland show is way better than the OVA, and the Kenshin films are genuinely good cinema), but we're still waiting for the manga/anime equivalent of Tim Burton's Batman or Blade.  That film or show that is good on its own merits, and makes people forget the abortive attempts prior.

Some day, we're going to get the manga equivalent of one of those movie scenes from comic book adaptations that makes people go "They get it."  And it doesn't have to be one type of scene, it's just something that says "I get these characters, and this is how they look if they're flesh and blood."  Case in point - 

I don't know if One Piece or Bebop will "get it", but eventually, someone will.  

Eventually.

[EmpressAngel]

We already got that with Alita but people just don't goddamn want to watch it for whatever stupid reasons they have.

[Jman]

3 hours ago, EmpressAngel said:

We already got that with Alita but people just don't goddamn want to watch it for whatever stupid reasons they have.

It was the eyes.  That and Alita never had major market penetration here, James Cameron just thought the OVA was cool.  He could have watched the 90s JoJo OVA and we would have seen that.  Most of the people who saw Alita liked it, but a combination of the Fox buyout and a disappointment of a box office opposite Captain Marvel means the sequel will never be made (and I bought the Blu-Ray hoping it would). 

As much as I ragged on One Piece, it and Bebop have that major penetration (hell, Netflix gave OP a second life in the US), so them doing well would potentially be that Superman: The Movie moment or that Batman moment for manga/anime adaptations.  (It may be arguably unfair to compare anime/manga adaptations to that scene from Superman which is considered an iconic moment in modern cinema, not just superhero films, but that’s my point all over).

So naturally everyone involved keeps shooting themselves in the feet with shotguns.  Because we can’t have nice things anymore.  And hoping writers just shut their damn mouths is too much to ask.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Jman

[Sketch]

Early One Piece is at least easier to tackle than DBZ but it’s hard to imagine a convincing Luffy with rubber powers. But I’d love to see them pull it off.

[Jman]

Stretching has traditionally been VERY hard to make convincing.  And that's the biggest thing, front and center.

The fact that the live-action adaptation I have the most confidence in right now is the live-action version of Saint Seiya shows how much I trust a lot of these studios.  At least they confirmed the choreography is going to be from the same team that did Shang-Chi, so even if the acting sucks, the fights will look really, really good.

[ben0119]

On 9/7/2021 at 7:00 PM, EmpressAngel said:

We already got that with Alita but people just don't goddamn want to watch it for whatever stupid reasons they have.

Alita looks creepy.  Why did they cgi her face?

[CaptainStarwind]

On 9/11/2021 at 3:44 AM, Sketch said:

Early One Piece is at least easier to tackle than DBZ but it’s hard to imagine a convincing Luffy with rubber powers. But I’d love to see them pull it off.

I think this is one of the bigger concerns I have with it.  I just don't see how they can do it without making it look super fake.

[The1gairon]

The Gum-Gum Fruit power will most likely be done via CGI, but I highly doubt it will be convincing.

[Jman]

Crunchyroll throws shade at their rival streamer over the project.

https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2021/11/01/feature-is-it-even-possible-to-make-a-live-action-one-piece?utm_source=community_cr&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=news_feature_tweet_from_author&referrer=community_cr_twitter_news_feature_tweet_from_author

Here I am thinking “Bitch, you funded High Guardian Spice.  Shut the fuck up and don’t throw stones from your glass house.”

[The1gairon]

Is it possible?

Apparenlty, Oda appears to think so.

[Jman]

The live action Strawhats may have leaked -

 

[Jman]

 

[Sketch]

They look thoughtfully cast. The producers are clearly listening to Oda’s input.

[Jman]

The guy playing Zoro is apparently the son of the late great Sonny Chiba.

That’s a point in his favor.  (Fun fact, his dad played Golgo 13 in a live action movie).

[Sketch]

19 minutes ago, Jman said:

The guy playing Zoro is apparently the son of the late great Sonny Chiba.

That’s a point in his favor.  (Fun fact, his dad played Golgo 13 in a live action movie).

I hear this guy was in one of the live action Kenshin films as Enishi. He’s no slouch with a sword.

[The1gairon]

3 hours ago, Jman said:

The live action Strawhats may have leaked -

 

They look like they're from a high school drama.

[PokeNirvash]

Well they are supposed to be around their late teens/early 20s in the early episodes.

[EmpressAngel]

The entire concept of live action One Piece still seems bizarre and unnatural to me, but I do appreciate the effort they're putting into it. Oda listed out what countries the Straw Hats would be from in the real world, and it seems like Netflix definitely took that into account with casting. I'm sure there'll be plenty of bitching from internet dudebros whining about the show being too woke and diversity is ruining the adaptation they hated from the moment it was announced, but I respect that Netflix tried.

For the record, here's the nationalities for the entire crew:

Luffy: Brazil
Zoro: Japan
Nami: Sweden
Usopp: Africa (Not sure if he meant South Africa or if Oda just doesn't know what a continent is)
Sanji: France
Chopper: Canada
Robin: Russia
Franky: USA! USA! USA!
Brook: Austria

[MasqueradeOverture]

This is some pretty God-tier casting.

[Jman]

A day in, let's review the casting - 

Inaki Godoy as Luffy - No, I've never seen him in anything but it's clear from his welcome video that he can get across the goofy energy that Luffy is known for, and he looks the part.  The question is if he can handle the serious stuff.  And hey, Mexican lead in what plans to be one of the biggest shows Netflix has ever done.  That's pretty cool.

Mackenyu as Zoro - The son of the legendary Sonny Chiba, the guy is starting his Western acting career (following a bit role in Pacific Rim Uprising) as Zoro and Pegasus Seiya.  Way to start head first.  Still, he does his own action scenes.

Emily Rudd as Nami - Rudd has been a fan of OP even before this and was apparently campaigning for the role.  She was apparently in the Fear Street movies, which I haven't seen.

Jacob Romero Gibson as Ussop - Oda said Ussop was African, so everyone claiming "wah, diversity" can shut the fuck up.  Don't think he's been in too much either.

Taz Skylar as Sanji - Well...

Come on, I can't be the only one who sees it.

[Sketch]

Yeah they should have saved Taz Skylar for the role of Eneru.

I'd like to beat the living shit out of the creeps that are saying Emily shouldn't be Nami because of her figure. 😠

[Jman]

On 11/12/2021 at 2:40 AM, Sketch said:

Yeah they should have saved Taz Skylar for the role of Eneru.

I'd like to beat the living shit out of the creeps that are saying Emily shouldn't be Nami because of her figure. 😠

Creeps.  If they expect anyone outside of a porn star with plastic surgery to have those proportions, they need to go outside and touch some grass.  She was the only one who campaigned for the role!  She’s fine.

Apparently Taz Skylar’s been posting some Tik Tok videos showing him doing some Sanji mannerisms and he seems to nail them.  As long as he’s not cooking with the blue and yellow purple pills he’ll be fine.

Give me a bit to get over the look.  This probably won’t be out till 2023 earliest anyway.

[Jman]

More casting news -

Either the lady playing Alvida is getting recast or is going on one HELL of a diet routine.  At least if they don’t want to Bebop this.

Edited March 9, 2022 by Jman

[PokeNirvash]

Based on their inclusion of pronouns in the cast announcements (helpful as they may be), I imagine they're more on the course towards Bebopping this than not.

[Jman]

11 minutes ago, PokeNirvash said:

Based on their inclusion of pronouns in the cast announcements (helpful as they may be), I imagine they're more on the course towards Bebopping this than not.

So we’re fucked in other words.

LEARN YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!

I’m just sick of feeling inevitable resignation to the complete and total mutilation of any property that these morons adapt.

Edited March 9, 2022 by Jman

[EmpressAngel]

Live action Garp can get it.

[MasqueradeOverture]

Jesus it's just fucking pronouns.

With the shit happening in Texas and Florida, there's bigger fish to fry. Wait for the show to be finished before decrying Tumblr soapboxing.

[Jman]

3 hours ago, MasqueradeOverture said:

Jesus it's just fucking pronouns.

With the shit happening in Texas and Florida, there's bigger fish to fry. Wait for the show to be finished before decrying Tumblr soapboxing.

The pronouns I don't give a shit about, and it's considered polite these days.  That's fine.

Fucking up Alivda's arc the same way Bebop fucked up...everyone, that's where the show needs to die in a fire.  Even if the days of Robert DeNiro losing AND gaining tons of weight to play Jake LaMotta are long gone.  Either put her on the diet Marvel uses to give sitcom actors abs or recast her for post Smooth Smooth fruit Alvida.  

Edited March 9, 2022 by Jman

[EmpressAngel]

There's really no good way to handle Alvida that's not gonna get crucified by half the reviews. Her entire plot is being an incompetent fat lady who gets punched in the face so hard she goes flying across the ocean and returns as a competent thin lady. Adapt that faithfully and the non-anime watchers are going to have issues with the main character hitting a woman as a gag and the fat/thin depiction; adapt it for casual viewers and the anime fans are going to lose their shit about their cartoon being changed to appease the general audience and probably throw in some slurs because clickbait anime bros are goddamn horrible. They really should have just cut Alvida entirely, rearranged Coby to be on Buggy's crew, and blamed it on having to streamline the adaptation instead of not wanting to deal with nerds complaining about her character.

[Jman]

2 hours ago, EmpressAngel said:

There's really no good way to handle Alvida that's not gonna get crucified by half the reviews. Her entire plot is being an incompetent fat lady who gets punched in the face so hard she goes flying across the ocean and returns as a competent thin lady. Adapt that faithfully and the non-anime watchers are going to have issues with the main character hitting a woman as a gag and the fat/thin depiction; adapt it for casual viewers and the anime fans are going to lose their shit about their cartoon being changed to appease the general audience and probably throw in some slurs because clickbait anime bros are goddamn horrible. They really should have just cut Alvida entirely, rearranged Coby to be on Buggy's crew, and blamed it on having to streamline the adaptation instead of not wanting to deal with nerds complaining about her character.

Unfortunately, with Oda having a fair degree of veto power on this, I don't think characters can be completely excised.  So you're dealing with a bad hand.  

Recast, put the work in to look like Alvida is supposed to post Devil Fruit, or end up canceled like Bebop where it's a punchline for just about everyone and everyone involved becomes a pariah in Hollywood except the script coordinator who's a child of a Netflix VP.  Gotta pick one.

Edited March 10, 2022 by Jman

[DragonSinger]

19 hours ago, Jman said:

The pronouns I don't give a shit about, and it's considered polite these days.  That's fine.

Fucking up Alivda's arc the same way Bebop fucked up...everyone, that's where the show needs to die in a fire.  Even if the days of Robert DeNiro losing AND gaining tons of weight to play Jake LaMotta are long gone.  Either put her on the diet Marvel uses to give sitcom actors abs or recast her for post Smooth Smooth fruit Alvida.  

Y'all are the fucking worst.

[Jman]

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-03-28/netflix-live-action-one-piece-series-casts-peter-gadiot-as-shanks/.184123
 

We have a Shanks.

Also a suggested Kureha -

 

[Jman]

Making One Piece is one thing.  Spending all this money on it is where I get confused.  They can definitely afford to make Alvida’s actress drop the weight.

[Jman]

Looks like we’re going to get our first look at what they’ve come up with on June 6.  In the interim, Netflix has added more episodes of the anime proper to their service.

[ben0119]

They cast Luffy with a Mexican actor?  Luffy is Brazilian.  That's not exactly the same thing.  If One Piece is popular in Brazil, those fans will be especially pissed.  Unless his parents are from Brazil and moved to Mexico.  But, you can't find much info about this guy.  He doesn't have a Wikipedia page and the imdb page doesn't say much.  And I take those celebrity gossip "stat" sites with a grain of salt.

There are some naturally voluptuous women like that, but probably not so many that are great accesses.  Besides, Nami didn't look like that when the show started and I kind of prefer her original look.

One Piece is a battle Shonen.  Similar to fighting games, men and women fight each other all the time, it's not a big deal.  Plus, Alvida was a comedic villain. 

I take it fat suits have been canceled, since we haven't seen them in a while?  They didn't cast a fat guy to play Robotnik, and Jim Carrey didn't wear a fat suit for the role.  Unless he does in Sonic 2?  No SPOILERS please. 🤣

But, if the character is really so problematic, it's not like she is such an important character.  After her initial intro and hilarious defeat, I never expected to see her again, and she really didn't need to come back.  That is definitely one of those characters Oda didn't need to bring back.  So, unless she does something really important or epic in the episodes past where Toonami is right now, I don't get why she HAD to be in the show?

Yeah, you gotta throw a lot of money at this show for it to work.  I wonder if the Usopp actor will have a prosthetic nose.

[Jman]

No trailers or footage, just casting and physical sets. 
 

Yeah, the woman playing Nojiko is getting the usual reception.