Netflix’s One Piece has been out for a little while now, and it has been hailed by critics, fans, and newcomers as perhaps the greatest anime adaptation. Now that is up for debate, and I myself still say that one of the best anime adaptations is the Rurouni Kenshin films (also on Netflix). However, Rotten Tomatoes itself has the series at 85% for critic reviews and 96% for audiences. One Piece reached the Top 10 in 93 countries, while it debuted at number 1 in 46. To achieve this with fans is honestly incredible. It so rarely happens, and with so many adaptations collapsing even now, having One Piece achieve this is a breath of fresh sea air. Watching it, I quickly realised Netflix’s One Piece is the perfect introduction to its source material.
What I have found from looking up various reactions and reviews from across the great wide web is that many fans have stories to tell about their experience with the Netflix iteration of One Piece. The story that pops up the most, that hits me right in the heart, is the number of mainstream audience members watching One Piece and falling in love with its over-the-top characters and outlandish world.
One example is a couple I know. He’s a fan of anime and enjoys One Piece, so he thought he’d show his wife the Netflix adaptation. She’s open-minded and enjoys anime but doesn’t consider herself a fan of the art form. My favourite experience of watching anime with her was when we all saw Dragon Ball Super: Broly in the cinema. She’d never watched Dragon Ball of any kind before. However, she thought it was great fun and described this world in hilarious fashion, “So they get stronger by their hair changing colour?” Honestly, she wasn’t wrong.
Related: The Mostly Unknown Cast of One Piece Is A Blessing And A Curse
When she saw One Piece, she fell in love with its ridiculous Saturday morning aesthetics. It helped that it was infused with emotional and intense stories. After binging the series, she stated quite eloquently, “I want to be as confident and positive as Loofy.” She misspelt his name, but she was nonetheless inspired to watch One Piece, adding, “I will try the anime.” She isn’t the only one. I found multiple stories across the internet where mainstream audiences watched the Netflix iteration and fell in love. To the point where they wanted to jump into the actual anime. Many people have found a deeper connection with their partners, and it’s wonderful. One husband I found on Reddit, for example, stated his wife, who had never watched anime, loved One Piece and now wanted to watch the anime.
The reason I believe this happened is because the Netflix adaptation of One Piece doesn’t pull back on the outlandish nature of Oda’s work. If anything, it leans into and at times enhances it. Examples include Zoro’s interaction with Mr. 7 and Merry’s fate with Kuro, which in my opinion enhance both moments.
People have been charmed by the antics of Luffy and the Straw Hat crew. They want more of this wildness and the anime and manga are right there for them. It’s a credit to the team behind the Netflix series. The reason I say this is because whenever an adaptation is announced, what people will always say is, “At least it’ll get more eyes on the original.” With One Piece we got everything we wanted: An interesting new take on the legendary series that can bring in new fans.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning for many new fans to head out to the Grand Line.
