It is not new news that the online web series platform of ‘Netflix’ has never failed to surprise us with its wonderful content and this time it is the live adaptation of the manga and anime series ‘One Piece’ that has left the fans of the popular series thrilled and excited to have a glimpse of it on the screen. As the hopes soared high in the air, there were certain inhibitions and apprehensions as to, whether the live-action series could ever be captured fully on the screen or not. However, in a recent post on his social media account, the creator of the manga series, Eiichiro Oda, has showered his praises and approval of the series as well as the casting of the series.

The Seal of Approval

The creator of the series Eiichiro Oda has showered his immense praises on the way the cast and the crew of the Netflix series have been able to perfectly capture the spirit of the pirate series action on the screen. On top of that, he has taken the moment to specifically talk approvingly of the actors, who have been playing the ‘Straw Hat Pirates’. He felt that the actors had been able to perfectly execute the portrayal of the characters in the exact way he designed them and wanted them to be. He even went to the extent of requesting the fans to have a joyous experience of seeing the characters come to life in the most captivating way possible.

Though the face of the creator was not visible in the video, where he was speaking approvingly of the cast, his voice could be heard through something that is known as the ‘snail phone’ that was given to him by the actor Inaki Godoy. At the same time, the ‘snail phone’ was also used in the series, ‘One Piece World’. It has been reported that Inaki Godoy was the actor, who played the role of the ‘Monkey D. Luffy’ in the web series on Netflix.

Eiichiro Oda is famous for being extremely disciplined about the way his work would be shown on the screen. He started making manga and anime characters since the year of 1997 and is continuing now. At present, he has been able to publish more than 105 volumes. He also has been closely affiliated with the production of the series on the online platform Netflix which was developed by Matt Owens and Steve Maeda. The series was produced by Tomorrow Studios and Shuiesha, who are also the publishers of the sequence of the manga.

One of the significant hurdles that the makers of the movie have faced is getting the formidable and daunting world of the manga series into the realm of live-action. The web series is renowned for its larger-than-life world-building that is unique in its designs and characters and the settings that transpire us into a world of pirate fantasy. It turns out to be a visual pleasure to witness how the series has maintained a successful balance between authenticity and practicality.

The success of the web series will be largely based on the efficient adaptation of the various characters that feature in the live-action series, such as Luffy, Zoro and Nami. Bringing the characters into existence not just resembled the original characters from the series but has also been able to capture the intricacy of their personalities. The announcements of the casting, under the strict guidance of the Eiichiro Oda, have been regarded with enthusiasm with billions and billions of fans already praising the stellar performances.

One of the significant aspects of this film was that the first choice of Eiichiro Oda himself was the actor Naki Godoy, who he felt could be a perfect portrayal of the character of ‘Luffy’. Eiichiro Oda also revealed that he fell in love with the skills in energetic acting of Inaki Godoy in a video of his audition. This led him to be determined that he would not be able to think of anything else other than to play the role of the beloved character in the web series on Netflix.

As per Emma Sullivan, who is one of the directors of the series on Netflix, Eiichiro Oda would keep a strict vigilance on every unfolding of the shooting that would including from the preparation of the scripts to the visual effects. Emma Sullivan revealed how Eiichiro Oda would plan the reshooting of certain sequences and alterations if he felt that certain things were not as per his decisions. “You want them [fans] to be happy, you know, but I think the only way we can do that is to make [Eiichiro] Oda happy. When he saw stuff that he didn’t like, we redid it,” told the director. “He’s the leader, really, and I think if Oda says he’s happy with it, then the fans will be happy. But you know, we just hope we did our best,” added the director.

With every possibility of a failure, the creators of the web series on Netflix have tried to the best of their abilities to stay true to the source material of Eiichiro Oda. Both the cast and the crew have displayed immense respect towards the way things have turned out in the manga series and as a result, with the release of the trailer, the live-action series has been successful in captivating various kinds of fans and has become quite a coveted addition to the franchise.

As fans, we are eagerly and quite impatiently waiting for the release of the series to be able to binge-watch on Netflix and chill in the fantastical world of pirates with a pack of popcorn. The adaptation, with the release of its trailer, has been able to garner severe love and applause. It makes us realize the power of exploring even the domain of the live-action world of manga creatively, fully honouring the spirit of the original creation. With the backup of Eiichiro Oda, the series, ‘One Piece’ series has embarked on a journey within itself to catch over the heart and imagination of the billions and billions of fans throughout the world.