One Peace Creator Had Two Specific Requests for Netflix Adaptation
Obviously, the mangaka is doing everything to prevent One Piece from repeating the fate of Cowboy Bebop and Death Note.
One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda didn't give the creators of the One Piece adaptation full creative freedom. Earlier it was reported that One Piece will be released by Netflix only when the mangaka is completely satisfied with the show.
Eiichiro Oda revealed that the creators of the show from the Tomorrow Studio perfectly understand the characters of the original source and all the elements of the television adaptation are in perfect harmony with each other.
Oda admitted that he once thought it would be difficult for a foreign team to take on the project, but apparently he changed his mind.
Showrunner Matt Owens admitted that Oda had two demands for the adaptation. First, Oda demanded that no changes be made to the backstory of the Straw Hat Pirates. Owens said:
“Because they're so pivotal to who they are as people, what their dreams and motivations are, and how Luffy digs into that as he meets them and helps them rediscover those dreams.”
The second requirement was that the creators of the adaptation strictly adhere to the unique powers of each character:
“Specific devil fruit powers and other skill sets were all carefully crafted by Oda and a lot of imagination went into what different people can do and what the rules are with that.”
While it remains to be seen how faithfully the Netflix adaptation will follow the original, the direct supervision of the mangaka himself gives fans very high hopes for at least a decent live-action adaptation with their favorite characters.
In addition, One Piece is reportedly the most expensive Netflix project at the moment, costing around $150 million. Considering how many strange creatures there are in the world of One Piece, it can be assumed that most of the budget went to CGI, and the sum is encouraging.
Many fans greeted the news of the One Piece adaptation with skepticism. Netflix is notorious for its failed anime adaptations, such as Cowboy Bebop and Death Note, which were destined to be resounding failures.
Fans are hoping that One Piece will be the one that breaks the trend of bad adaptations and doesn't insult the legacy of the original anime.
Neftlix's One Piece releases August 31st.
Source: Shueisha via OP Netflix Fan on X (formerly known as Twitter)