Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Arts·Commotion

Is One Piece the only good live action anime adaptation?

Animes have huge fan bases all over the world, and the one thing fans agree on is whenever someone attempts to make a live action adaptation it falls flat. But, One Piece might just be different. The Netflix adaptation has been receiving positive acclaim and critic Alison Herman explains why.

Writer Alison Herman explains why the new series has been more successful than past attempts

Oliver Thompson · CBC Arts ·
A boy in a straw hat stretches his cheek like rubber.
Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy in season 1 of One Piece. (Courtesy of Netflix)
4:59The first good live action anime adaptation?
One thing anime fans seem to agree on is that live action anime adaptations tend to suck. Alison Herman explains why the new live action version of the popular manga series One Piece has been more successful than past attempts.

Animes have huge fan bases all over the world. But, live action anime adaptations seem to be cursed. Netflix's Cowboy Bebop was cancelled after one season. So there was a lot of buzz about One Piece, with rumours that it might be the first actually good adaptation.

One Piece is about a teenager named Monkey D. Luffy who wants to be the King of the Pirates. The story is set in a colorful, fantasy world. People communicate across distances with snails, and there's magical fruit that gives Monkey the power to stretch his body like rubber. 

Writer Alison Herman joined Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the anime adaptation that's receiving acclaim. 

WATCH | Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Alison Herman produced by Jane van Koeverden.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Oliver Thompson

Oliver Thompson is a writer, producer and musician. Originally from the UK, where he worked for the BBC, Oliver moved to Canada in 2018.