On the eve of the release Thursday on Netflix of its highly anticipated adaptation of the famous manga One Piece, the first two episodes were previewed in Paris on Tuesday evening at the Le Grand Rex cinema, an event which brought together many fans in costumes.
Organized by Netflix, the event – free – benefited from an extensive promotion with 2000 places to be won on social networks and a treasure hunt in Paris on Saturday. A preview has already taken place on August 24 in Los Angeles, with spectacular drone images above the docks and many fans dressed as their favorite character.
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The adaptation by Netflix of the cult manga, with more than 500 million copies sold, is made in real shots with real actors (“live action”) and will include eight episodes of approximately one hour. They cover the entire “East Blue arc”, the first twelve volumes of the saga. Given its 105 volumes, this series could last for years if successful. Japanese mangaka Eiichiro Oda, author of the original work started in 1997, oversees the entire series, produced by showrunner Steven Maeda.
The global community of fans will find Luffy, the Mugiwaras and the many characters imagined by Eiichiro Oda, but played by actors in the flesh. Including Inaki Godoy in the role of the hero, Luffy and his straw hat, a young adventurer launched into the perilous quest for a fabulous treasure, One Piece, traveling the oceans to become the king of pirates.
However, millions of readers are waiting for Netflix’s One Piece with caution, because previous live action adaptations of manga, such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Evolution or Death Note, had not convinced. “We want to rewrite the history of live action adaptations,” promised Netflix, which recently suffered a flood of bad reviews after the broadcast of the adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, panned by critics and canceled after ‘a season.
A special site that will trace the seven years of exchange during the production of the live action One Piece must be released soon.
