Netflix Live-Action One Piece Review: 7 Ups And 4 Downs
8. Down: It Can Be Tonally Jarring
One of the biggest challenges of bringing animation to live-action is the visual style. Cartoons can get away with being over-exaggerated in a way that live-action simply can't. One Piece doesn't shy away from the goofier stuff, which is a good thing, but it's tough to take it seriously when needed.
One example is when the character's clothing interrupts dramatic scenes. The costumes look great in this show, but they're obviously cartoonish in a way that can be distracting. It's hard to take moments like the conversations between Koby and Garp seriously when you have to look at the former's funny circular glasses.
Additionally, the character designs can also suffer from this. Watching Sanji and Zeff dramatically argue in a grounded tone ends up being unintentionally hilarious as you see Zeff's ridiculous mustache bouncing about the place.
In general, this show attempts to strike a balance between the comedy and drama of the anime but has a much harder time thanks to its live-action medium. Anime fans might not be bothered by this, but folk who are new to One Piece could struggle to jump this hurdle.