The internet was shocked and elated when the world heard that we were getting a live-action version of one of the most well-loved anime the world has ever enjoyed from Netflix: One Piece. Being one of the most successful anime series that has graced humanity for the last twenty-four years, the love that surrounds One Piece is the definition of a cult following. Now that the live-action series is out, could it ever live up to the anime hype?
RELATED: One Piece Live-Action TV Series – Everything We Know So Far
As most amazing anime series do, One Piece became a serialised manga and became a fantastic anime. Both the manga and the anime tell the story of Monkey D. Luffy, the main character who has eaten a Devil Fruit and now has a body that seems to be made of rubber. An ambitious young man who is looking for the ultimate treasure, the “One Piece”.
One Piece started airing as an anime in 1999 and has had 20 incredible seasons. With the rare fact that the manga is still incomplete, the anime has plenty of time to catch up and keep going, possibly becoming one of the most extended anime series.
Since the anime series has been out for so long, it has built up an impeccable following, with fans from all over united under a single banner. When an anime like this is eventually turned into a live-action series, it is usually one of two ways it goes.
RELATED: One Piece Movies: How To Watch The Anime In Order
More often than not, the live-action adaptation has no hope of living up to the anime series, and fans are bitterly disappointed. Rarely do fans have anything wrong to say about the live-action. Unfortunately, what can be accomplished in live-action and animation have entirely different skill sets, so anime only sometimes translates well to live-action; however, the opposite is usually much more effective.
That being said, ONE PIECE, the live-action Netflix adaptation of the anime, finally aired on August 31, 2023, and it has blown up since. Netflix Tudum just updated their Top 10 list, and when it comes to series, ONE PIECE: Season 1 has been blown out of the water, instantly reaching first place.
The weekly Top 10 ratings have a set time frame to give you a little perspective. The latest updated info is for the week of August 28th to September 3rd. That means that in only four days, the live-action adaptation not only managed to beat all the other series on the list and reach 1st place, but it did so with a whopping 18.5 million views and over 140 million hours viewed. Talk about impressive.
Ranking as the No. 1 show in 84 countries, it has smashed a record previously held by fellow Netflix series Stranger Things. Both Stranger Things season 4 and Wednesday ranked No. 1 in 83 territories on their first weekends.
RELATED: The 9 Strongest One Piece Characters of All Time
There is still the chance that the series won’t meet people’s expectations. Still, for now, the live-action seems to be doing shockingly well. The upcoming weeks and ratings will tell us what people are thinking about the live-action adaptation and whether it can live up to the anime hype.