In the world of anime, Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is the best Shonen series that has kept the fans entertained for 27 years. Despite being nearly three decades old, it takes its readers and viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions. The series features unforeseen twists, heartbreaking deaths, and a world that features something unique to its fans in every episode of the manga.
The live-action adaptation of the fan-favorite title took the world by storm as the series exceeded everyone’s expectations, receiving overwhelmingly positive reactions from fans and critics around the world.
Hence, the mangaka is proud of his vision that became a cultural phenomenon, taking his legacy to a whole new level. Although Oda-Sensei kept a close eye on the project, he shed light on how one aspect of the show was different from the manga that he was grateful for.
Eiichiro Oda is Grateful For How The Dialogues Turned Out For the Live-Adaptation
There’s no denying that Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus is the most popular Shonen series of this generation, which has inspired the likes of Kohei Horikoshi. Hence, some fans go to the extent of calling the series the unprecedented king of the Shonen genre.
The series holds some crazy numbers—that is, 500 million copies of the manga sold worldwide and 1,100 episodes for the anime adaptation. With no signs of slowing down, the franchise decided to work on a live-action series that became the epitome of perfection.
The series’ success speaks for itself; it became the best live-action project of all time, which puts the adaptation curse to rest. Moreover, the overwhelmingly positive reaction from the fans has ensured that the show will return for a second season.
The show had been heavily true to the source material, but the TV series created its own legacy by featuring something unique that the mangaka is grateful for.
During an exclusive interview with The New York Times, Oda-Sensei shared how he had to “cut the words” due to space and how it poses a problem. He said,
In a manga, the more dialogue you put in, the less space you have to draw, so I cut the words as much as possible. But when people actually talk, the conversations are different. In live-action dramas, there’s always a lot of dialogue.
He continued that spoken conversations are different, and the show did a great job of giving a natural feel to its scripts, a notion that he is proud of.
If the characters spoke in real life, their speeches would have the natural feel that’s in the scripts. I’m very happy about how that turned out.
While the author is proud of how the newest addition to his project has turned out, he gets candid about how the overall experience, he had with the title.
Eiichiro Oda on How it Feels to See His Magnum Opus Run for 27 Years
One Piece has been the most influential Shonen series in the world and has continued to grow in popularity with each passing day. The manga has been published since 1997, with an anime adaptation airing the episodes in 1999.
The title has kept his audience hooked on the work by featuring something new and unique, which seems to be a task in itself. However, it is the burning passion and dedication to his work that keep him going.
In the same interview, the interviewer asked him if he had imagined that the series “would run for more than 25 years.” The mangaka replied,
I never thought “One Piece” would last this long: When I began, I imagined it might run for five years. But it was my first time doing something serialized, and I found that as I kept writing, the characters took on lives of their own. Before I knew it, they were writing the story for me, and it just kept going.
Nevertheless, the popularity of the title goes strong as countless fan theories revolve around the series, which also happens to fuel the fame revolving around the title. Hence, fans do not mind, even if the show continues for another decade or two.
One Piece live-action can be streamed on Netflix. However, season 2 doesn’t have a release date. Meanwhile, fans can also stream the anime on Crunchyroll.
