One Piece Season 2: A Perfect Adaptation Doomed by Netflix's Slowness

The Right Anime Adaptation

Netflix's live-action anime adaptations often become the subject of ridicule. But in 2023, One Piece changed the game. The project was warmly received by both critics and viewers: at the time of writing, the first season has 86% "freshness" from the press and 95% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes. Even devoted fans were delighted.

The secret lies in how the show's creators translated the story into a new format. The plot of "One Piece" does not repeat the original source verbatim, but rather invents something of its own, based on the original. For example, Vice Admiral Garp (Vincent Regan) was revealed in the very first season of the series, which covers less than a hundred chapters of the manga. Although in the comic, he was only mentioned in the 430s chapters.

The characters are also praised. Thanks to the successful casting of actors, the on-screen images do not change the original, but only ground it. Even if the viewer wants to find fault with someone, accusing them of not conforming to the canon, they are unlikely to succeed. Eiichiro Oda, the author of the manga, has long revealed which character belongs to which ethnicity. The show's creators try to adhere to this, and Oda himself oversees the process.

Another plus is the graphics and design, which hit the sweet spot. If you look at the frames without context, they are likely to cause a feeling of awkwardness. From the outside, it looks as if several cosplayers got together and decided to play out the script of their favorite anime. But that's the point.

One Piece initially balanced on the verge of stupidity and tragedy. The main characters always had a dramatic backstory, and they constantly found themselves in difficult situations where their lives were at stake. Thanks to this, "One Piece" evokes a storm of emotions and makes you think about many things.

But all this was presented with humor. Sometimes excessive even for manga — this is especially noticeable recently, after the revelation of some of the protagonist's features. The silly design of characters, locations, and objects has always been part of this work. Let's remember at least the snail instead of a telephone.

It is difficult to translate this into a live format with a serious face. Therefore, the show's creators don't even try, otherwise it would only get worse. But it is worth admitting that this formula is unlikely to suit most other adaptations.

The second season successfully picked up what the first one started. Several new characters appeared here, and the plot became more ambitious. Although it is only beginning to immerse the viewer in the secrets of "One Piece", the difference from the first season is noticeable.

As before, the cast is well-chosen. I would like to mention Captain Smoker, Tashigi, Miss Wednesday, and Miss All Sunday separately.

Actor Callum Kerr as Smoker does not look as stern and imposing as the character is drawn in the manga. Nevertheless, he conveys the contrast between a good person and a strict commander well.

The situation with Tashigi is more controversial. Julia Revald does not look very similar to the heroine and constantly makes strange grimaces. But she conveys the character's awkwardness and weakness well in contrast to Zoro (Mackenyu Arata). Although in a separate scene of the series, Tashigi single-handedly defeated Mr. Eleven, whereas in the original this happened off-screen.

The role of Miss Wednesday was played by Charithra Chandran. Initially, there were questions about her: the actress hardly looks like the heroine because of her skin color. I was also skeptical about the cast, although she corresponds to the canon, albeit with a stretch. However, during the viewing, all doubts disappeared. The actress so perfectly embodied the character that her emotions touched me to the core.

Miss All Sunday was embodied on the screen by Lera Abova — an actress originally from the Altai Territory, who moved to Germany as a child. And here the creators of the series remained true to the author's idea: according to Oda, the heroine has Russian roots.

She turned out exactly as she should be: mysterious and unpredictable. Miss All Sunday is playing her own game, and if you are not familiar with the original, you can't even imagine what she is thinking and what she is trying to achieve. It's a pity that she was given little screen time, but Lera Abova steals every scene.

The graphics in the second season have become significantly better. Obviously, after the success of the first, the project's budget increased. And although some frames may still seem ridiculous from the outside, I repeat: that's the intention!

There is almost no new original music in the second season, and what remains from the first sounds bland. But some reworked compositions from the anime fit the tone well, creating the right mood and anticipation of a great adventure in time. Although I would like something more memorable.

Second Season in Detail

Let's go through the episodes.

The first episode immerses the viewer in the town of Loguetown. I would compare it to the second episode of the first season about Orange Town — they are structurally similar. Both episodes remove everything superfluous from the original. Clown Buggy (Jeff Ward) with his show appears in them in all his glory.

The Loguetown series brings a lot of new things to the plot. Two heroes appear here at once, long before their debut in the original. And if one of them was later added to these events by retcon, then the appearance of the other is controversial. So much so that it could ruin his image in the future.

Looking ahead, I note: there are plenty of hooks for further events in the second season. There is both a story about Sanji's past (Taz Skylar), albeit without context, and a teaser for the story of Fish-Man Island, and a mention of Elbaf — the homeland of the giants. Its plot in the anime has not even started yet, it is only in the manga. It is clear that the series has taken its own pace, and this seems like the right decision.

There are also problems in the series. The show almost directly answers the question of how Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) was saved from Captain Smoker. Fans of the manga and anime are still wondering: was it a mystical coincidence or the powers of one of the characters? The understatement perfectly suited the situation, hinting at the protagonist's chosen status. But the series clearly shows what exactly happened.

Also, the logic suffers in places. For example, if the main character is wearing handcuffs that deprive him of his powers, how did he survive a lightning strike? Previously, this was explained by the fact that he is rubber.

Some characters in the episode look frankly weak. The new green-haired hero needed better makeup, and Alvida (Ilia Isorelýs Paulino) should have had her actress replaced, as the character was supposed to change drastically in appearance.

The second episode is dedicated to Reverse Mountain. I liked how Luffy's actions were changed. Although he tried to fight Laboon, in the end the hero convinced him to let his friends go in a different way. And that's in his style: Luffy respects other people's dreams, sincerely sympathizes with them, and he has loved music since childhood.

By the way, the enchanting performance of the song "Bink's Sake" was a pleasant surprise - even though it is not sung in Japanese.

The characters in the adaptation often behave differently than in the manga, but each time they remain similar to themselves - they just unfold from a different angle. Again, the series does not follow the original exactly, but comes up with its own, based on the original source. However, in places the logic is still lacking. It's strange that Crocus (Clive Russell) didn't think of what Luffy eventually did himself.

The third episode is Whiskey Peak. The episode is dedicated to Zoro and how he gracefully deals with opponents one by one, keeping count of the victims.

The fight choreography is top-notch. The green-haired swordsman deftly jumps around the location, demonstrating excellent movement staging. In my opinion, this is the best fight scene in the entire season. But the blood was strange: Zoro has it on his blades, but it is not visible when he strikes. This creates a certain dissonance.

The idea of weaving in Dracule Mihawk (Steven Ward), who haunts Roronoa and motivates him, is a great find. He is a colorful character with a flashy design and convincing acting. In addition, he deepens the image of the Straw Hat Pirates swordsman.

Mr. Nine (Daniel Lasker) is one of the best casting decisions. The actor perfectly embodied the character, and the character's design is brilliantly conveyed. But with Miss Monday (Chi Mhende) there was a miss: the actress's physical form frankly does not live up to the character.

It's a pity that the fight between Zoro and Luffy was cut from the plot. In the manga, it was not only funny, but also showed their immense power. By the way, the protagonist's abilities in the series have been noticeably weakened.

There is less humor in the adaptation, although the references remain. Especially pleasing is the joke about Zoro getting lost: in the future, this will become an integral feature of the hero.

The fourth and fifth episodes take us to the island of Little Garden.

The giants here raise questions. They fit perfectly into their original image, but the script around them is too fleeting. If it was just about getting to know the characters, it could be explained. However, they too easily believe the protagonists in a confusing situation. The necessary conflict disappears, which makes what is happening look unnatural.

Mr. Three turned out to be very funny. His role was played by David Dastmalchian, familiar to viewers from the Marvel and DC cinematic universes. The image of such a strange character accurately fits into the usual role of the actor, who regularly embodies bizarre characters on the screen.

Other "Baroque Works" agents are also good. Mr. Five (Camrus Johnson) is funny. Miss Goldenweek (Sofia Anne Caruso) is written even deeper in the series than in the original. And Miss Valentine (Jazzara Jaslyn) is pleasantly annoying to the viewer.

In the same arc, the rivalry between Zoro and Sanji begins. The relationship between all the members of the team in the series is shown to be very warm, and each such moment enhances the chemistry. It's easy to believe that we have not just a club of interests, but a real family.

Unfortunately, they skimped on Usopp's (Jacob Romero Gibson) line. He effectively saves his friends, but there are enough logical questions about the scene itself. Most likely, this is due to the fact that the series lacks the duck Karoo, which is important for this arc in the manga.

The remaining episodes are dedicated to the events on Drum Island. And now this is the strongest part of the entire series.

The visual side of the project is revealed here best:

The dramatic line is also as good as the visuals. The story of the blue-nosed deer brings tears to your eyes, you want to sincerely sympathize with the hero (it is not surprising that at the time of publication of the article, the episode with his past received a score of 9.6 out of 10 on IMDb). In combination with good graphics, design and a reworked soundtrack, Drum Island leaves the impression of a cute and touching fairy tale.

True, the final duel was redone. If Luffy used to deal with Wapol (Rob Colletti) alone, here his friends helped him. This only benefited, as it once again emphasizes the cohesion of the main characters.

Too slow, Netflix!

This magnificence has one significant drawback: the production time. The adaptation of One Piece was announced back in 2020, although filming only began in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It turns out that it took four whole years to create two seasons, which fit 154 chapters of the manga (at the time of writing, more than 1170 have been released)! It's scary to imagine how long it will take to adapt the entire original source. And it's not even finished yet!

Yes, the authors are being cunning: they are speeding up the pace, hanging "Chekhov's guns" much earlier, simplifying the narrative and the characters. So far, they manage not to lose much in quality, although you can always find a reason to nitpick.

The project has been extended in advance for a third season, and its production has already started. Judging by the current pace, the premiere is unlikely to take place before 2027. Most likely, the sequel will be entirely devoted to the Alabasta Island arc.

But such a pace is still not enough, because the actors are not getting any younger. Emily Rudd, who plays Nami, turned 33 this year, although her character is only 17 years old at the time of the events described. If production does not speed up, in a few seasons the team will have to seriously think about replacing the cast.

Diagnosis

The second season of "One Piece" not only did not lower the bar of the first, but in many ways raised it. There are enough events here that are interesting to watch, and they do not sag in quality at all.

The series is in many ways reminiscent of anime - this is evident in the character design, scenery and staging of scenes. In dynamics, everything looks natural and pleases the eye. The Drum Island arc turned out to be especially successful: it is unlikely to leave the viewer indifferent.

The characters are similar to their prototypes from the original source, but behave a little differently. Somewhere their behavior is simplified, and somewhere it reveals a new side of the character, which looks quite appropriate (as in the moment when Sanji tells Nami about his childhood).

Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting some confusion, sometimes controversial design of minor characters, problems with logic and a decrease in the degree of humor. The authors have greatly simplified many elements of the story and thrown enough plot hooks for the future. Whether they will be able to balance all this so that a bunch of plot holes do not form in the script is an open question.

However, these shortcomings do not prevent the series from doing the main thing: immersing the viewer in its quirky world, captivating with a mysterious story and pleasing with the main characters, between whom there is an excellent chemistry. The main problem of adaptation is still the low pace of production: there is still a lot of content ahead, and time is not on the side of the actors.

Summarizing: the season can be safely recommended to both long-time fans of the franchise and new viewers.