ONE PIECE SERIES. Netflix has released eight episodes of its One Piece series. Is a sequel in the form of a season 2 already planned?
[Updated September 2, 2023 9:00 AM] Two days after the One Piece series went live on Netflix, fans were able to binge-watch all eight episodes of the first season. But we will have to be patient to see the rest. For the time being, season 2 is not confirmed: everything will depend on the audiences that the series will achieve, which cost 18 million dollars per episode, one of the most expensive series in history.
We will therefore have to wait for Netflix to confirm the release of a season 2 to rejoice. Either way, the manga offers plenty of storylines for a sequel. The finale of One Piece also teases the arrival of a new antagonist in potential future episodes (warning, spoilers). We can see, from behind, Smoker, a Navy officer who swallowed a devil fruit surrounding him in smoke, who is on a mission to capture Luffy. He is the main antagonist of the Loguetown arc in the manga.
If season 2 of the One Piece series is confirmed, we could also see new members of the crew, like Chopper or Robin, but also Ace, Vivi, and the terrifying Crocodile, big bad and leader of Baroque Works. This should thus open on the Saga Alabasta. It is therefore a very dense and eventful arc that would open if season 2, to be seen however if changes will be made!
So what about early feedback from aficionados? According to the American review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, which has been taken by fans, the public gives a rating of 94% positive opinion. For their part, 26 reviews from the international press were identified, to give the score of 81%. In France, we are not left out, since the spectator critics have, for the moment, given the score of 3.6/5 to the series, out of 92 ratings. And these rave reviews are also found on social networks.
According to AFP, a 22-year-old fan named Marouane noted “changes” from the One Piece manga but praised “top special effects”. The One Piece Passion fan account, for its part, hailed “a real revolution” in a video shared on social networks. “In terms of adaptations, there will be a before and after One Piece.”
On X (fire Twitter), users who were able to see the first two episodes are already conquered, many welcoming certain characters like Baggy the Clown or Zorro, but also the humor and the rhythm of the series. “What a slap and what a pleasure to re-discover One Piece like this”, can we read on the social network”, “ackenyu Arata who is absolutely goatesque [greatest of all time, ndlr] in the role of Roronoa Zoro.” fans are conquered, the question now is whether this adaptation will also succeed in convincing neophytes of the universe of Eiichiro Oda.
Media that saw the series before its release were totally wowed by Netflix’s One Piece. This is the case of Allociné, who believes that the series is “a success as unexpected as it is gratifying, coupled with an adaptation rather faithful to Eiichiro Oda’s manga”. BFM TV, for its part, salutes the cast and in particular “the energy that Iñaki Godoy, the young interpreter of Luffy, perfectly knew how to restore to the screen”. The media, however, deplores a “disappointing staging”. The Hollywood Reporter, specializing in cinema and streaming news in the United States, for its part judges this live-action adaptation of “delight”, deploring that the series is not sufficiently “sophisticated”, but remains a “pure pleasure “, being both “wacky” “and “genuinely cool”. For its part, the Hollywood Handle hails a “well-crafted experience that keeps the viewer in suspense for eight episodes.” Rant, who “knew nothing about the universe”, was “still very moved by the characters and the energy of the show.”
There is one person that had to be satisfied with the Netflix series: Eiichiro Oda, creator of One Piece. The mangaka had confided on July 22, in a letter relayed on the social networks of the streaming platform, that he had “made no concessions” on the series, without really giving his opinion on the final rendering. However, he wanted to be reassuring about the quality of the project: “So much work has been provided: from the involvement of the actors to the development of the universe, including the costumes, the dialogues and everything that is proper to live action… The fact that so many people collaborated on this project was a celebration in itself.”
However, he admitted that scenes, which he did not find up to par, had been returned. He did not fail to have a thought for the interpreter of Luffy, Iñaki Godoyn “who embodies him wonderfully”. “The producers and crew are pros at live action, plus they’re true One Piece fans. The more you know about the manga, the more love they’ve put into this version jumps out. eyes.”
As other disappointing live-action manga adaptations have shown in the past, adapting a Japanese comic can be a real headache. Eiichiro Oda, author of the best-selling shonen series in the world, participated in the development of the series, but this does not prevent scriptwriting freedoms and differences.
This season 1 of the One Piece series largely adapts the East Bue arc, that is to say the first 12 volumes of the manga. However, among the changes worth noting is the more prominent place taken by Koby, Luffy’s friend from the Navy. Also, Garp’s character is introduced earlier in the series, while he doesn’t interact with his grandson until much later in the manga. The series is also more graphic in these scenes of violence than the manga could have been, at least at the beginning. This is certainly why on Netflix, the series is not recommended for children under 13 years old.
Monkey D. Luffy is a young man who has always dreamed of adventure and piracy. After ingesting a devil fruit that gives him powers of elasticity, he leaves his village to set out to conquer One Piece, a treasure that will allow him to become king of the pirates. But to carry out his mission, Luffy will have to assemble an exceptional crew to face the creatures of the oceans, the Navy, and the pirates of the seas. The One Piece series is the adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s cult manga.
The first season of One Piece only adapts part of Eiichiro Oda’s river manga. The eight episodes of the One Piece series deal with the first 12 books of the series, after the Aarlong arc and when Nami permanently joins the Straw Hat Crew (which also marks the end of the East Blue Saga).
One Piece has been a true pop cultural phenomenon for 25 years. Since 1997, Eiichiro Oda’s manga has defied all predictions to establish itself as one of the most popular Japanese comics around the world. In total, more than 500 million copies have been sold worldwide, including 4.5 million sold in 2021 in France alone.
The author of One Piece is also entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for the “largest number of copies in circulation of the same series of comics by the same author”. Note also that the series is still being published, since the 105th volume will be released in France on September 30. Japanese fans will be able to discover the 107th volume by the end of the year.
The first season of the One Piece series was released this Thursday, August 31, 2023 at 9:01 AM. It is on Netflix that manga fans can discover the eight episodes of this live-action adaptation of the cult manga. To see the series, it will therefore be enough to have a subscription to the streaming platform, the prices of which vary from 5.99 euros / month with advertisements to 17.99 euros / month.
The One Piece series was highly anticipated by fans of Eiichiro Oda’s saga around the world. The first season was released on Netflix on August 31, 2023. For now, it is not yet known if a sequel will be released. It would not be difficult to offer a season 2 to the series in terms of plot, since the first season adapts the first 10-12 volumes of the manga, which currently has 106 in Japan (as of July 4, 2023)!
However, it would have to be a gigantic success with Netflix subscribers, as season 1 cost $18 million per episode, becoming one of the most expensive series in history (behind House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power in particular). If a season 2 is confirmed, fans will have to be patient, as it took three years from the start of production on season 1 (2020) to its release on Netflix on July 31, 2023.