One-Piece has officially become an International sensation.  If your kids are not talking about this Manga, or the Anime then you guys might be living under a rock!  This cultural phenomenon has captured the pre-teen, teenage and early 20’s generations.  So much so that recently Netflix made a live-action series following this story. Although my kids have been obsessed with this series,  I do not have time to read all 1100 chapters (maybe there are more now??). But I was excited to check out the live series to finally find out about these characters that my kids have been obsessed with.

I have to say that I think the Live-Action Series was really well done.  Apparently the author of One-Piece, Eiichiro Oda, hand-picked the actor who plays the main character; Monkey D. Luffy.  Luffy is played by Inaki Godoy. Godoy is known for his work on the show “The Imperfects”, and does an excellent job as Luffy.  The series is based around Pirates vs. Marines in many ways but the deeper themes go much farther.  In truth the series is about making your own destiny and deciding that you can live outside of stereotypes.  Pirates are seen to be bad, but Luffy has a heart of gold and is incredibly kind and helpful to everyone he meets.  He values loyalty and friendship and is instantly likeable even to the harshest of characters because of his pure determination and confidence in who he is and his purpose–to become King of the Pirates.

The live-action is obviously different from the Anime or the Manga, but I still feel the episodes were well done and capture the overall essence of the series so far. There are still many characters to meet and a lot of storyline to get through but I truly hope it is granted more seasons so we can see how it all turns out. The characters have incredible back-stories and depth, and the acting, fighting and scenery are well done.  Not quite as comical as the Anime (given the difference in format), but still has comedic elements. It’s an enjoyable and fun series for multiple age groups, although the adult themes do make it inappropriate for young children. Highly recommend!