Summary

  • The collaboration between One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda and the creators of the Netflix adaptation was challenging, but they eventually reached an understanding.
  • Showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda have been working closely with Oda to ensure the accuracy of the show, with Owens expressing his love and respect for the source material.
  • Oda initially had reservations, but once he saw their genuine intentions to protect the show and introduce it to a wider audience, he began to trust them.

The collaboration between One Piece manga creator Eiichiro Oda and the creators of the Netflix live-action adaptation has been a challenging one. One Piece tells the story of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they attempt to crown Luffy as the King of Pirates. The manga has already been adapted into an anime series with over 1,000 episodes over the course of a run that has spanned over two decades. Now, the manga is set to be adapted for Netflix, and the adaptation will premiere on August 31.

With less than a month remaining until the show's premiere, GamesRadar+ caught up with Matt Owens to reflect on the development of Netflix's live-action One Piece show. While discussing the collaborative process with Oda, the co-showrunner explained that the manga's creator was very tough on him and Steven Maeda throughout the show's creation, but that their love for the source material helped them find a place of respect as they forged ahead. See what Owens shared below:

I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous for anything in my entire life. Here was this person who has created this story I hold so much love and reverence for, and I’m asking him to trust me with his baby. 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. But I think once he realized 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.

Editor's Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and the show covered here would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.

Netflix Is Staying True To One Piece

One Piece Live Action Cast

Netflix is offering every indication that it is determined to see the Straw Hat Pirates faithfully adapted into live-action. As a beloved franchise across multiple mediums, One Piece has already seen massive success. For the live-action show to achieve similar success, Netflix will need to secure the faith of pre-existing supporters of the anime and manga. Netflix has attempted live-action anime adaptations before, but rarely secures more than middling success, as Death Note, Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist failed to reach the heights of previous depictions.

One Piece, on the other hand, appears to be sticking close to its source material. With Owens and Maeda securing a close working relationship with the source creator, the show has everything it needs to succeed. It appears to have the same wacky personalities and bright colors that made One Piece so popular, while also leaning into a hint of realism. It doesn't hurt that Mayumi Tanaka, the original voice actor for Luffy, will be returning for the One Piece adaptation.

The live-action One Piece also offers an opportunity for those who have never even heard of the franchise to learn more about the source material, so it's no wonder that Oda is so interested in the project. It can be hard to jump into a manga or anime series that has been continuing on for decades, but Oda's involvement is an important element in ensuring that One Piece stays faithful to the original works.

Source: GamesRadar+