Shueisha’s Official ‘One Piece’ Columnist Denies Report That Netflix’s Live-Action Adaptation Flopped During Test Screenings
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Given Netflix’s infamous handling of such live-action adaptations as Death Note and Cowboy Bebop, it comes as no surprise that fans have been concerned with just what the streaming service will do to the behemoth of a series that is Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece.
One Piece Live Action KV (2023) via Twitter
As such, when a leaker claimed that the upcoming Netflix series had tested horribly with audiences, many fans felt that their worst fears had actually been realized.
“One Piece tested horribly,” claimed a Twitter user named @DivinitySeeker1 on April 13th. “The CGI looked bad and the story didn’t make sense to non-fans, and they’re rewriting entire eps.”
@DivinitySeeker1 via Twitter
“On #OnePiece: in the first episode the first half is completely all flashbacks/features a Young Luffy,” they further relayed. “Before we jump to the present and rush through introductions to Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji all within the remaining 15 minutes, a major deviation from the source material.”
@DivinitySeeker1 via Twitter
They further claimed that “As for the tone of the show: it’s not really working. The makeup/look of some of the cast look off, and the show jumps between being over the top goofy to being serious, and it’s jarring and inconsistent. They also built a giant set for Baratie for Episode 3.”
@DivinitySeeker1 via Twitter
“This is all I know!” @DivinitySeeker1 eventually confirmed. “I know nothing about the original source material so I’m just repeating some of what I think may be of interest to a source connected to Netflix projects and execution of their roadmap.”
@DivinitySeeker1 via Twitter
“I’ve only seen a few screen caps of the cast of OP and it looks fine to me?” they added. “Nothing spectacular, they just look like normal humans but some of their hair colours looked unnatural (one of the guys has green hair, another has a really unflattering blonde and a girl has orange)
@DivinitySeeker1 via Twitter
Unsurprisingly – particularly given Netflix’s aforementioned habit of absolutely butchering a given piece of source material when adapting it to live-action – soon after its publication, @DivinitySeeker1’s tweet went viral, spreading like wildfire across the internet.
However, the fire didn’t rage long, as its rampage soon drew the attention of the official One Piece columnist for Shueisha’s V Jump magazine, Greg Werner.
Source: One Piece Episode 48 “The Town of the Beginning and the End – Arrival at Loguetown” (2000), Toei Animation
Leaping into the fray on April 17th, Werner assserted “That test audience article [a reference to one of the many articles which reported on @DivinitySeeker1’s claims] that you don’t need to read, click, or share is entirely true.
Though Werner did not provide any concrete evidence to support his rebuttal, his insight is lent credibility by the fact that he is an active member of Shueisha’s One Piece media team.
Greg Werner via Twitter
While little information regarding Netflix’s live-action One Piece has been revealed outside of its casting, an alleged leak of the first episode’s script previously provided exclusively to Bounding Into Comics suggests that the series will closely follow the anime while also expanding on scenes, such as those concerning Zoro’s past, that were only hinted at in the manga.
As of this writing, Netflix is rumored to be eying One Piece’s live action adaptation to set launch onto the stream platform on August 31st.
Source: One Piece Episode 2 “Enter the Great Swordsman! Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro!” (1999), Toei Animation
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