A roiling combination of fantasy, steampunk, action, and adventure, One Piece vexes nearly as often as it delights. Overall, however, the good wins out big time. This amazing and amusing series rarely fails to entertain and endear.

The One Piece universe began in the comics in 1997. It expanded to animation in 1999. Now a live-action series joins the franchise. A rich history can prove to be a mixed blessing. Some fans love newer iterations because of the source material; others, in spite of it. Some refuse to accept anything except the original media, because nothing else can measure up to their conceptions and expectations.

This review only addresses the new live-action series, not anything else in the vast storytelling tapestry preceding it. I’m evaluating this show strictly on its own merits without comparing it to any of the other versions which I’ve neither read nor seen.

Crazy, frenetic fun. This series defies easy description. At its core, the show emphasizes two themes: the bonds of chosen family, and never giving up one’s dream. One Piece never succumbs to cynicism or hopelessness. Plotwise, we basically see the origin stories of the five main characters: what made them who they are and how they came together as a crew. Their quest for the ultimate pirate treasure, the titular One Piece, is at this point incidental to the show.

Iñaki Godoy leads the cast as Monkey D. Luffy, a young man determined to find the One Piece and become the pirate king. He absolutely shines in the role: unapologetically idealistic, enthusiastic, and charming, with a blazing smile and irresistible energy. The heart and soul of the show, he embodies the series’ themes of loyalty, determination, and optimism. He never winks at the audience, gives in to irony, or plays the character as anything less than one hundred percent genuine. He is a joy to watch and more than ably anchors the whole show. It would fall apart without his charisma.

Which is not to discount the rest of the spectacular cast. By the end of this season, Monkey has acquired a crew of four: navigator Nami, cook Sanji, swordsman/‘first officer’ Zoro, and ‘sharpshooter’ (kind of) Usopp. Because the series shows us their origins, we see the older and younger versions of all of these characters. The two sets of performers match remarkably well in appearance and all do a most wonderful job portraying the characters.

Completely scattershot costuming lacks any semblance of rhyme or reason. Some consistency would have been nice. The steampunk sets are more consistent in an especially ostentatious baroque style. The fight scenes also lack internal logic at times with characters’ abilities vanishing then reappearing as required by the plot. Comic-book violence abounds, which ranges from at best sigh-inducing to at worst, cringe- and/or yawn-inducing. Many times, despite being skillfully choreographed and presented, the fast-paced scenes drag on too long. They look pretty yet lack any real suspense, nor progress the plot for as much time as they take. Less would have been more.

Utterly over the top, the bad guys lack all nuance. This doesn’t go for the marines, who are sometimes friend and sometimes foe. But most of the various pirate captains we see and the Fishmen lack any redeeming qualities. Oddly, although allegedly, well, fish, we don’t see much of the Fishmen in the water. Nor do we seen any Fishwomen. Aside from oddly huge lips, a bizarrely spiked nose, and sometimes a fin on their backs, the Fishmen basically look anatomically human.

Verdict: One Piece somehow exceeds the sum of its parts. It shouldn’t work at all, let alone nearly as well as it does. But, undoubtedly due in no small part to the absolutely fantastic cast, this show is a fun, refreshing reprieve from all the grim, bleak, apocalyptic stuff on screen right now. 8/10

Rigel Ailur

http://www.BluetrixBooks.com