Rarely seen “One Piece” creator Eiichiro Oda gave his blessing to Netflix‘s live-action adaptation of his bestselling manga in a video shared by the streamer Tuesday ahead of the show’s Aug. 31 launch.
While Oda’s face is covered with an illustration in the video, his voice is heard loud and clear — transmitted through a “snail phone” (or Den Den Mushi, to readers of the manga) gifted to him by “One Piece” star Iñaki Godoy and the team behind the series.
“As a Hollywood production, the action and VFX are great, not to mention the performances by the cast,” Oda, who is famously very private and does not like for his face to be shown publicly, says through the iconic communication method from “One Piece.” “But above all, I want to call attention to how perfect the Straw Hat cast are. It’s like you’re watching the Straw Hats in real life, which I’d love for you to savor.”
In Netflix’s “One Piece,” Godoy portrays aspiring pirate king Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist of Oda’s beloved manga and anime of the same name, as he sets out to find the world’s most elusive treasure, the “one piece.” On his journey, he obtains his ship, the Going Merry, along with a ragtag team of sailors, which he dubs the Straw Hat pirates: Nami (Emily Rudd), Sanji (Taz Skylar), Zoro (Mackenyu) and Usopp (Jacob Romero).
And according to Oda, these “perfect” actors are the best part of the stunt and visual-effects heavy show. The creator was heavily involved in every process of the TV series, working closely with showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda.
Check back with PvNew Wednesday for an in-depth preview story on the years-long making of Netflix’s live-action “One Piece.”
ned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram/reel/Cwh1DEQhbKT/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">A post shared by One Piece (ワンピース) (@onepiecenetflix)
