In a few days, Netflix will finally release the highly anticipated live-action adaptation of One Piece. And to prepare for what’s to come, the series’ director, Emma Sullivan, reveals they have redone stuff that Eiichiro Oda, creator of the manga on which the show is based, doesn’t like.
Oda created One Piece, which began its serialization in 1997 and eventually became a huge media franchise. It has spawned a festival film, a long-running anime series that started in 1999, several animated movies, one OVA, and 13 TV specials. And this year, its series of adaptations will be bigger than ever with the coming of Netflix’s One Piece.
In an interview with RadioTimes, Sullivan admitted that they knew how passionate fans were regarding their favorite franchise and only wanted the best for it. That said, they wanted them to be happy with this new offering, but she believed they could only do so if they could please Oda himself.
“When he saw stuff that he didn't like, we redid it,” she said. “So, 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.”
What is Eiichiro Oda’s involvement in Netflix’s One Piece?
Oda has been heavily involved in the making of Netflix’s One Piece. In a talk with Netflix Originals director Ted Biaselli on The Gayest Episode Ever podcast, he revealed that the live-action adaptation came together with the mangaka’s approval. He even kept “the crew on track when things get muddled.”
Netflix works directly with Oda, but considering he has never worked on TV before, they have taught him what will and won’t work when it comes to TV shows. “He's got a vision,” Biaselli said.
“There's this give and take in education of what works in live-action and what doesn't work,” he continued. “He'll tell us we're missing the point, that [this thing] isn't what this scene is about. Then we'll all go, oh, okay.”
In 2020, the series writer Matt Owens revealed on RogerBase streaming event that he and his team sent scripts to Oda regularly when the pre-production of Netflix’s One Piece started. With his heavy involvement, the Japanese artist and his team would read all the outlines and scripts and give the writers some notes.
And as Netflix knows how valuable this series is, the streamer reveals that everything it does about it is to try to please a wider audience. Hopefully, they will succeed.
Netflix’s One Piece will be finally released on Thursday, August 31. With the promotions and all the things that have been said about this new series, it can be denied that it has successfully excited fans with its upcoming release.
