Anime fans around the world, brace yourselves. Before the year is out, Netflix will start streaming the live-action One Piece series.
Netflix revealed this information following the release of a new poster of the film's central character, Luffy, on its Twitter account with the caption: "Adventure is on the horizon! One Piece sets sail in 2023." Though there is no set release date, the streamer also added the film to its library.
The film is based on the wildly successful Japanese manga series of the same name, created by Eiichiro Oda. The anime adaptation of the manga debuted in 1999 and has been running ever since, making it one of the longest-running shows currently airing. In 2015, Eiichiro Oda broke the Guinness World Record for the World’s Most Published Comics Series by a Single Author with over 320 million copies sold worldwide.
One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate with a body made out of rubber. Luffy sets out from the East Blue Sea in search of the legendary treasure known as One Piece in order to declare himself King of the Pirates after being inspired by his childhood idol.
The series' fifteenth feature film, One Piece Film: Red, was released by Toei Animation last year. The film has earned over $246.5 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing anime film and the fourth-highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.
The live-action film's cast consists of:
- Inaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy
- Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro
- Emily Rudd as Nami
- Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp
- Taz Skylar as Vinsmoke Sanji
- Peter Gadiot as Red-Haired Shanks
- Morgan Davies as Coby
- Vincent Regan as Monkey D. Garp
- Jeff Ward as Buggy
I think it's safe to say that a lot of One Piece fans are skeptical of the live-action series. It will be produced by the same company behind the canceled live-action series, Cowboy Bebop. We're hoping the involvement of Eiichiro Oda and all the painful lessons they've learned from Cowboy Bebop will make a difference.
