One Piece the live-action series is owned by Netflix
Directed by Tim Southam
The two-episode arc we just finished did start to show a few flaws in the formula as it strains to fit as much as it can into this first season, but I’m still very optimistic about this show and where things are heading. After all, we’re only four crew members in and Sanji was always a favorite of mine back when I watched the anime which gives me a lot of hope that they can pull him off in this. Will this be a better introduction to a crew member than we got for Usopp, or will this show ultimately buckle under the weight of the franchise’s lore? Let’s find out!!
With the Black Cat pirates roundly defeated and a brand new ship as their reward, Luffy and the Straw Hats set sail only to barely escape from an attack by Vice Admiral Garp and his crew of Marines. With their pristine ship now showing some wear and tear, they set anchor at a floating restaurant to get some R and R before figuring out their next move. Of course, nothing is as simple as that when it comes to the life of a pirate, and Luffy finds himself caught between the head chef Zeff (Craig Fairbrass) and his young protégé Sanji (Taz Skylar) who are butting heads over the menu; not to mention Zeff and Luffy’s fundamental disagreement on the efficacy of IOUs when it comes to paying for meals. Still, the rest of the crew get some time to relax and it’s nice to see them getting along as best they can! Oh, and also there’s a Vampire Pirate with a big sword trying to capture Luffy. Wait, what?
After four straight episodes of non-stop action and plot-heavy adventures, this one takes a break from all that and ends up being a welcome respite for all involved. A show that’s so heavily focused on its cast of characters coming together needs to have a great deal of chemistry, and slowing things down to simply chill and enjoy each other’s company is crucial to cementing that in the audience’s mind. This is especially helpful for Usopp who was disappointingly shortchanged in what was ostensibly his origin story, and seeing how he gets along with everyone here does wonders for filling in those gaps. He’s still going to need to prove himself as more than just a tagalong in this absurdly overpowered crew, but this goes a long way to making that case. Still, it’s not an entirely plotless affair, as much as I would be fine with just watching them drink all night. The whole point of the Straw Hats arriving at this restaurant is to introduce us to Sanji who will soon become the fifth member of the crew, and once again the show manages to find a subtle balance between staying true to the source material and putting their own spin on the execution. Shows about kitchens and chefs have their own distinct style which is admirably recreated here without sacrificing the essence of the characters. Sanji as a temperamental cook is certainly in line with what we see in shows like The Bear, but it also feels accurate to what I recall of him from the anime; especially when it comes to his antagonistic relationship with his mentor Zeff who is played by Craig Fairbrass with all the loveable gruffness of a Guy Ritchie street tough. The Marines, however, are what truly drives the plot of this episode and Garp is proving to be one of the more fascinating characters so, far and the revelation that he is related to Luffy puts a lot of his actions in a new light. I’m still a little confused about the backstory, as I recall someone in one of the young pirate’s flashbacks saying that he was all alone with no family, but the little glimpses of Luffy that we see in the Vice Admiral are wildly endearing. Garp also introduces us to Mihawk, the aforementioned Vampire Pirate, and this guy is an absolute gem. I don’t know who this Steven Ward guy is, but he is yet another pitch-perfect recreation of an anime character and is perhaps the most badass dude in the entire show just going off his design, presence, and acting chops. He’s such a great character that I can’t help but feel a little bad saying that he ultimately feels a bit out of place in this episode. Vampire Pirate comes in fairly late and kicks off a plot point with Zoro that, to me, just came out of left field. I understand Zoro’s particular hang-up about being the best swordsman and it’s not inconceivable that he’d throw down the gauntlet as soon as he recognized this guy, and perhaps this duel between them happened at this exact point in the anime. In the context of this episode, however, it is a bit of a lurch and calls attention to the compressed nature of this series which is trying to do a lot with its limited runtime. That said, it’s probably a good flaw to have that your exciting action set piece feels like a bonus feature for the episode and it certainly sets us up for whatever conflict happens next. Aside from this one minor quibble that I had with the third act, I found the episode to be a really solid showing for the series which continues to show a considerable amount of foresight when trying to cover this much material. It doesn’t always nail it in terms of pacing and structure, but it gets the key details right and is proving to be one the better adaptations of a beloved property that we’ve gotten in a very long time.
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