ONE PIECE (2023) Review: The Live-Action Voyage That Floats

Is ONE PIECE worth watching?

Yes. ONE PIECE is a joyful, colourful pirate adventure that succeeds where most live-action anime adaptations stumble, because it takes its characters’ friendship and optimism seriously. Iñaki Godoy’s sunny, rubber-limbed Luffy sets the tone, and the crew around him quickly becomes a found family worth rooting for. The reservation is that the show’s cartoonish world does not always survive the move to live action: some effects, costumes and fight scenes look more like elaborate cosplay than a fully convincing world.

What is ONE PIECE about?

Monkey D. Luffy is a cheerful, reckless young pirate whose body stretches like rubber after he ate a mysterious fruit as a child. His dream is to find the legendary treasure known as the One Piece and become King of the Pirates. To get there he needs a crew, and he gathers one from the unlikeliest people he meets: the swordsman Zoro, the navigator Nami, the sharpshooter and storyteller Usopp and the cook Sanji. Pursued by the Marines and challenged by rival pirates, they set sail on a sea full of danger and strangeness.

ONE PIECE is an American series in English, developed by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda from Eiichiro Oda’s long-running Japanese manga, with Oda involved as an executive producer. Iñaki Godoy plays Luffy, with Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp and Taz Skylar as Sanji. This review covers the first two seasons, 16 episodes in total; the series is ongoing, with a third season in production.

Casting that captures the crew

The adaptation’s biggest achievement is its ensemble. Godoy plays Luffy with an unforced, infectious sincerity that makes the character’s boundless confidence charming rather than grating. Mackenyu brings a stoic intensity to Zoro, and his sword fights are among the most dynamic action sequences in the series.

Emily Rudd gives Nami a guarded, sharp-edged intelligence, and her backstory provides the first season with its emotional high point. Jacob Romero’s Usopp and Taz Skylar’s Sanji round out the crew with humour and swagger. Together they capture the bickering, loyal energy that has made the manga so beloved for decades.

A cartoon world, built for real

The show embraces the manga’s absurdity rather than sanding it down. Villains have outlandish powers, costumes are bold and unapologetic, and the production built practical ships and elaborate sets that give the world real texture. The tone mixes slapstick, sincerity and occasional darkness, much like the source material, and it is refreshing to see a big-budget adaptation this unembarrassed by its own silliness.

The second season pushes the crew into the Grand Line, where the world becomes stranger and the adventure moves faster, with more creatures, more unusual islands and a greater sense of scale. It feels more confident than the first, as if the creative team has learned how far the show’s style can go.

Where the seams show

Not everything translates smoothly. Luffy’s stretching powers can look rubbery in the wrong way, some creature effects are unconvincing, and several villains’ more exaggerated designs sit awkwardly in live action. The adaptation also compresses long stretches of the manga, which means some beloved arcs are streamlined and some supporting characters get less time than fans might want.

These are the costs of adapting something designed for ink and animation. The show handles them better than most, but they are noticeable.

Who should watch ONE PIECE?

It is a strong fit for longtime fans who want to see the Straw Hats brought to life, and for newcomers who would never commit to hundreds of anime episodes but enjoy energetic adventure. There is fantasy violence, some peril and occasional darker backstories, making it suitable for older children and teenagers upwards. At eight episodes per season, it is an easy binge.

If you enjoy it, try these next:

• Arcane, another adaptation that honours its source while building something new.
• The Mandalorian, for episodic, adventure-driven storytelling with a found-family heart.
• Fallout, for a beloved property turned into a funny, colourful and surprisingly faithful series.

The verdict

ONE PIECE is a big-hearted, fun and consistently charming adaptation that proves live-action anime can work when it respects the spirit of its source. The effects are uneven and some arcs feel rushed, but a superb cast and a real sense of adventure make it one of Netflix’s most enjoyable fantasy series.

Rating: 4/5