Will Oda be able to save the chain of live-action anime adaptations with One Piece?

The Internet went Gum Gum when it was announced that almost a decade after its first ever televised anime and first-ever manga issue, One piece is going to get its very own live-action Netflix series, which brought along the huge responsibility of righting the wrongs of its predecessors. 

Back-in 2017, the creator of one of the longest-ever running anime, Eiichiro Oda announced that he will be working alongside Tomorrow Studio to develop a live-action series about the Straw Hats and that caused a huge buzz all over the Internet, but a buzz with a few grunts of doubts too. This will be the third live-action Netflix adaptation of a major anime after an ada Death Note (2017) and Cowboy Bebop (2021)  (No, we will not talk about that Dragonball Evolution movie) and it's safe to say that both of them were very easily forgettable. 

Both the adaptations received a consistent stretch of negative response, which was one of the causes that led to Netflix cancelling Tomorrow Studios’ Cowboy Bebop after just one season, not the exact realisation of “whatever happens, happens” that the huge fanbase of the anime had in mind. On the other hand, the one-off live-action Death Note movie could not even get to the base level of the anime even after roping in an actor like Willem Dafoe for the role of Ryuk, which was the only good part about the movie.

Ever since Oda made the decision about a live-action One Piece series public, one thing that he has repeatedly stressed on is his constant involvement in the project and how will be the one to have the final say when it comes to giving a final green-signal to the series. Oda is definitely taking this project in its utmost seriousness because One piece is as big as it gets. When it comes to anime live-action adaptations, this might just be one of the last few pieces of patience for Netflix related to experimenting with anime or manga. 

Recently, Oda shared a letter to his fans on instagram, in which he shared a few updates on the series and how it has been taking shape. In the letter he mentioned how it was the writing time for the whole world to witness the tale of Luffy and other Straw Hats but how it was important for him that it is done in the best way possible. 

It has been seven years since the announcement, and it was only last year that Netflix teased us with the first look of the series. It was later on followed by the cast and crew. It was supposed to debut this year, but the final date slate is yet to be announced, which might be an indication that Eiichiro Oda is not satisfied with the final product. If that comes along with the confidence that this might be a new good road for fans to go Gum Gum, it will be undoubtedly worth it.