Eiichiro Oda, the original creator, writer and illustrator of the famous One Piece manga, has showered unreserved praise on the cast of Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation, calling them “perfect”.
Created in 1997, the manga was quickly picked up and published by Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine before being turned into a popular anime TV series two years later. A massive hit in both Japan and overseas, the anime is still running, making it one of the longest-running series of the genre of all time.
One Piece follows Monkey D Luffy, a charismatic young pirate with rubber-based superpowers, who leads his ‘Straw Hat’ pirate crew in search of the legendary One Piece treasure, which will grant him status as King of the Pirates.
Oda delivered his kind words on the series in a particularly unique way: via the hilariously disturbing ‘snail phone’, a fan-favourite and popular component of both the manga and anime show. “As a Hollywood production, the action and VFX are great,” he began.
“Not to mention the performances by the cast. But above all,” Oda continued, “I want to call attention to how perfect the Straw Hat cast are. It’s like you’re watching the real Straw Hats in real life – which I’d love for you to savour.”
Oda is notorious for his privacy, avoiding showing his face in public where possible. In a video posted on the official One Piece Netflix Instagram page, Iñaki Godoy, the live-action actor for Monkey D Luffy, presented Oda with a real-life snail phone – Oda’s face, however, was covered by animation.
Emma Sullivan, director of the live-action adaptation, recently revealed what it was like working closely with Oda to ensure long-time fans are kept “happy”. Netflix’s One Piece airs all eight episodes on August 31st.
Watch Oda’s message to Netflix below.