Iñaki Godoy, the central star of Netflix’s forthcoming live-action adaptation, One Piece, has promised that the series “stays true” to the original anime story.
The One Piece trailer unveiled during the TUDUM fan event by the streaming giant seemed highly encouraging; however, several fans have remained sceptical that a live-action adaptation might detract from the artistic vision of the anime original.
This scepticism is fuelled by a history of disappointing Western adaptations of classic anime franchises. Speed Racer, Ghost in the Shell, Death Note, and Cowboy Bebop are among notable examples.
However, with the anime creator Eiichiro Oda heavily involved in the new project and Godoy’s assurance, it appears One Piece could be something of a trend breaker. “We want to honour the work of Mr Oda and the whole history of One Piece,” Godoy told SFX Magazine prior to the SAG-AFTRA strikes. “We respect it, we love it, we think it’s great. And the live-action definitely stays true to the source material.
“The history of One Piece is great, and more people should know about it because it can inspire you to be the best version of yourself and to be more friendly and follow your dreams.”
Crucially, Netflix was “asked not to mess with” the backstories of the pirates or the powers belonging to the devil fruits.
The new series’ director, Matt Owens, told SFX that attaining Oda’s approval to create a live-action adaptation was a challenge. “I’m not going to lie, he was tough in the beginning – this wasn’t the first attempt at a live-action One Piece, and we weren’t the first people to try to express it in a new way,” he explained.
“But I think once he realised we were coming from the right place – trying to protect this series and create a new avenue for even more people to fall in love with it – he started to trust us.”
Watch the trailer for One Piece below.
