I SAW ONE PIECE LIVE ACTION SEASON 2 EARLY!

Last night, I had the honor of seeing One Piece live action season 2 episode 1 at the premiere here in Los Angeles. Here are my thoughts and a review in under an hour because check out for this hotel is at 11:00 and it's 10:00 a.m. Also, I will not be talking about any spoilers or anything throughout the video. That'll be at the very end and I'll give a heads-up when I'm about to. So, let's go quickly. First off, as an overall review, I absolutely loved the episode. There was a lot in the very first episode. It covers a ton. I don't remember the the pacing being that breakneck in the the first season. But, one thing that still just blows my mind about the One Piece live action is the set design and just like how grand it is. Like them walking into Loguetown, it it's almost like you think of like Disney World recreated like Hogwarts or what is it? Diagon Alley? It's been a long time since I've seen a Harry Potter or been to Disney World. You can just tell there's a lot of passion in it. Now, standout actors and actresses, dude, I I might like Buggy in the live action more than the anime. I'm not going to lie. I'm not the biggest Buggy stan like some of you freaks. But, my god, it almost feels like in the live action, they don't even give what's his name? Jeff actor. Jeff Ward. I don't think they even give Jeff Ward a script. I think they just say, "Hey, man, get in there." That's how natural all his dialogue and everything feels. Now, another standout from the very first episode was Usopp. He has a very like not emotional but like heavy scene. And I think it's because I haven't ever like I okay, I've connected with Usopp in the anime before, but I don't think on like that quite of a level. I don't know. I think they just make Usopp in the live action a more easy to understand person because it's not over the top like scared. Kind of like Sanji. Like they tuned down Sanji's flirting like obviously in season 1 of the live action and I think it makes him more approachable. Same for Usopp. Usopp in the live action, yes, is scared, but it's not to the point of like cowering after every tiny little sound or possible threat. It's more of like a real person vulnerability where you're like, "Okay, anybody else in the world would be scared right here." So, like I can put myself in his shoes. I've already run out of camera angle ideas. I also want to say which until the end of the video because I said I would hold like sort of spoilers to the end, but I think they did a really good job like one-for-one as first per se, like adapting certain scenes from the anime or manga to the live-action. Because I know there's a lot a lot of hardcore fans that like there is these really particular character moments that they have to see. But, I think they also see it as vital to the character and like who they are in the in the story. Now, if you remember season 1 of the live-action where and this is spoilers for season 1, I guess, and in the anime technically. Not spoilers for season 2 yet. In season 1, they reveal very early that Garp is Luffy's grandfather. And as you guys know that watch the anime, that doesn't happen until Post-Enies Lobby, which is like episode 250 or something. There are again, I'll talk about at the end of the video, a lot of those moments in this very first episode. I and if it's this first episode like this, I can't even imagine the rest of the season. Like by the end of the season, we might see Kaido. I ain't going to lie, twin. But, I think they're doing that in a in a way to try to hook in viewers that aren't particularly watching the anime because like the live-action is going to take a lot longer to come out. And if you haven't had that connection to the anime or manga, you're not going to have the amount of time or patience to be like, "Okay, where was that character and why am I supposed to care about this character? And just because you showed this character in a flashback doesn't mean I care about them now." So, I think they have to rearrange some stuff for the general audience to make it more digestible. I think what's also cool is they kind of started exploring more of like or explaining more of the world in this episode in terms of the geography of everything because I feel like in season 1, it's straight-up just like, "Yeah, we're pirates. We're going to go sail." But, Nami even starts like kind of breaking down um how the oceans work and like how they're supposed to get into the Grand Line, which I feel like is kind of vital for, again, the normal audience, the normie, the norman audience to understand that this isn't just like a sea. Like, it's it's a very different, very unorthodox. Can I say another standout in the first episode is Tashigi? I I don't know her actress's name. I'll put her up on screen. Oh my gosh. Again, very likable character. I feel like they took her So, in the anime, from what I remember, at least from the first time you meet Tashigi in the anime, she gives off the sort of like stuck-up, always got straight-A student. Which like, she's still kind of likable, but still like she like there's an inkling that she thinks she's maybe better than you. At least that's what I remember from her first interactions with Zoro and like and and like seeing him as lesser, but still connecting on that point of of them both being swordsmen. Just like Usopp, I feel like they took her character and made her extremely likable. She's this intelligent, but still like doe-eyed, happy to be there, excited to learn about swords and find swords. Again, maybe it's just because I had this perception of the character in my head before, but I just I think they nailed it. Okay, I will talk about one thing. I know I know, hold your gasps that I did not like. And I don't know if it's her fault, but it's sort of Alvida's character. I don't know if it's the way lines are delivered, but every time she was like sort of part of like a sequence, it felt a little bit awkward, but I think in part to that, half of the problem is the CGI for like her ability and everything. As you guys know, she has like Well, okay, this is kind of spoilers for the If you're If you only watch the live action, this is a spoiler for Alvida's power. She has the slip-slip fruit, like where it just stuff goes off of her. It's not that it's it's it's pretty simple. And I think that power is just really hard to translate to the live action because I think the only time where I was watching and I was I was like like I started sucking my teeth was during those CGI moments. I was like that just that did not look good. There's one scene where she takes her like her Is it a bōguwa? And she like hits Luffy, but you never even see it connect. Like it's her swinging. It's a match cut to it moving and then it's a match cut to it not connecting, but Luffy just going flying and I was like that It's like early 2000s MTV skit What what's going on here? But again, the CGI isn't particularly at fault and maybe the line delivery, like I said, is almost a a direct outcome of that, but yeah, that was That was probably the only Was that the only bad part really? Man, Nami's smiling so much in this season, by the way. It is so nice. Like I feel like in season 1 she had to be reserved because she was still doing all the stuff with Arlong and was still like under his control, but now like you you almost feel like a new energy to Nami and I feel like the actress Emily Is it Emily Rudd? I feel like she understood that completely. Like that she's supposed to be this sort of like reborn fresh adventure person. We also got to see all the actors and actresses on the the red carpet, at least all I think all the Straw Hats and then just a bunch of random characters. And man, dude, I knew Iñaki Godoy had like crazy energy, the guy that plays Luffy. And like sort of infectious energy. It's it's unreal in person, even more so. That guy, I swear, could light up a room. I don't know if he just turns it on and can turn it off in private, but my goodness. I thought bro was going to bounce off of the walls of that red carpet. He saw someone cos playing Ace, HE GOES, "MY BROTHER!" >> [screaming] >> OKAY, NOW I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT LIKE more specific stuff that happens in this season and then I'll save like the really big stuff for the end if you really just want to save it for the the live action. I think the best scene that was translated from the anime or manga at least this first episode was the scene of Zoro getting his swords in Loguetown. My goodness, I I every single actor and actress Zoro, Tashigi, and I'm going to be honest, I've never remembered the store owner's name. I've always remember what he looks like cuz he's got the wackiest hair. But all three of them were were acting their damn hearts out, bro. It felt like I was watching an HBO drama. I'm not going to lie. Like I know Mackenyu is huge in Japan and I think I understand why. Like I thought he was okay as Zoro in the first season. I thought he was a little bit too over the top in terms of being like, you know, brooding like, oh, I don't I don't care about anything like But I think in this first episode at least, it's starting to kind of I don't know if it's growing on me or if he's changing the way he's doing things, but man, the episode the the the part with him getting his blades, it was it was amazing, bro. So, if you want to click off now, I'm going to get into sort of spoiler territory for specific things that happened in the episode, specific characters that show up that you might not think about. So, I'm I'm literally going to spoil the first episode. If you don't want that, click off the video now. This has been I mean, TLDR, I love the episode and I can't wait for season 2 and I'm very excited for the future of the live action and I think it's got a bright future. So, if this is the end with me here, thank you for watching the video. Now, let's get into it. So, I posted a TikTok and a YouTube short talking about this stuff. If you want just like the TLDR First things first, first big change they made. Do you remember the conversation between Garp and Roger before Roger's executed where Roger tells Garp that he has a son. Remember that scene? You remember when that scene happens? Paramount War, like episode 400? It happens in this episode. He doesn't tell him who his son is, but it's kind of insane. I think it's the very first scene in the in the the I see a lot of discussion online that people think that they're doing that to make the viewer possibly think that it could be Luffy, that Luffy is Roger's son. And I don't know if that's possible because Garp would probably know. But at the same time he couldn't. Like Roger could have had a son and Roger could be Garp's son, kind of. So I I I think I think that was an interesting change. I think that was probably the most confusing change to make because it didn't make that much sense. But it's still really well done scene. I think that was probably the second best scene in it, like I said, next to the Zoro Tashigi sword shop scene. Because they're starting to leave these long pauses. Like when Garp and Roger are talking, you hear the general ambiance of like the prison that Roger's in. And there's a part where they just stand there and they stare at each other. And you just you sit there and you feel it, bro. Like I I don't know if they did that in season 1 at all, like really let scenes hang, but I love what shows do. All right, second thing that they changed {slash} kind of spoiled, um, Bartolomeo, as we all know, was at Loguetown when the whole thing happened with Luffy. And that's where he first saw Luffy, I'm pretty sure. He's in the show. And I don't mean he's like in the background and sees what happens. No, uh, Nami, first off, I think he tries to rob Nami. And then Nami like is like, "Okay, you got to like work on like robbing people. Like you suck at this." Um, so he he then takes his target and switches his target to Luffy and tries to rob Luffy. And through this process, um, follows Luffy through a lot of the whole episode and learns about who he is, like sees him dealing with Buggy and everything and all that. It I I'm not going to lie, as I was watching, I was like, "That's so crazy they have him here. Why is he here?" Like especially when I first saw him. But then over the course of the episode, I I don't know who the actor is for Bart because it's kind of a secret. Um, dude, he he killed it in terms of his expression because at first he's like he looks me, has no eyebrows. He's got the nose ring, he's got the hair and everything. At first, he's like, he's like really just like he looks like it's just like an evil dude. Over the course of the episode, you see him like open up more and more and more and more. And by the end of the episode, he's like he's like that Bart you know where like uh he looks at Luffy with this like sunshine in his eyes. So, I I feel like whoever he is, shout out you, man. You understand the character very well. I honestly thought they were going to tease his devil fruit in some way, but never did. But, I mean that would be maybe going like a bit too far in terms of just showing stuff. Because now is since he's like an established character, and I mean he's established. He was in the entire episode basically. But, the audience's reaction to seeing him was priceless. I wish I could go back. I wish I had been recording, but I didn't want to get banned from present and future events. Now, the last thing, and this might be the thing people talk about most, um is that Sabo himself makes an appearance in the episode after Dragon saves Luffy from Smoker in Loguetown. It cuts to him seeing Going Merry leaving. Um also, Dragon's voice. I don't know who plays him. My goodness, he's got a buttery voice. It's almost like an Avengers like Endgame moment where a character makes a cameo. It's Honestly, that's what this episode felt like with like Bart, and then like Roger and Garp's conversation, and this. It I'm not even kidding. It It's Dragon standing there, and then it does like a a slight pan, and you can see someone standing behind him. And you can like assume right away, and then it like it fades like uh uh Dragon's no longer in the focus. It refocuses, and you just see Sabo standing there. The funniest thing though, I feel like is like no one that just watches the live-action will know who that is, especially if they don't pause on it. It's very short, and it's very obvious who it is. He's got the hat and everything. You can't really see the actor or anything. It may not The actor may not even be cast. It might just be like an extra. To show him this early is kind of insane because now that means they're probably going to do the backstory differently because it's always a secret that Sabo's even alive to the viewer in the anime because you first see the backstory and you're like, "Oh, there was a third guy, a third brother between Luffy and Ace." And then you're like, "Oh, he died." Now, I don't know if they're going to tease Sabo even more beyond that, but now they show that backstory and they're like, "Oh, the top hat." And you remember that scene. You're like, "Oh, that guy's alive and he's >> [snorts] >> with Dragon." I don't think they even said Dragon's name, but he's with that guy that saved Luffy. So, yeah, three big things. Again, the first season, the only thing they did or change was Garp the the Garp reveal. This one was episode one. We got Garp, Roger conversation, Bartolomeo in the cast, and Sabo. Sabo in Loguetown is just it's insane. I I like it though. I I I think it's bold and I I think in the long run it'll pay off because like I said, they don't have the time to get the normal audience involved and and invested in these characters like they do the anime. Like they know the anime viewers are psychos and will wait 5 years just to see the you know Gaimon's left butt cheek again. But normal viewers like they're going to click off if they don't have like these interesting, you know, plot points and stuff sort of laid out. And not to say that the anime doesn't, it just takes a lot longer to do that. You can't in live action. It's just not possible. Couple of things I was on the Reddit looking at like certain questions people had and I wanted to talk on them as well. They I said earlier in the video scenes that they adapted that people really were looking forward to. The Smoker ice cream scene is in it, which I I liked a lot. The bluefin elephant tuna fish that Sanji gets in Loguetown is in it. It looks as wacky, but like at the same time you're like, "No, I can see that existing in the world of One Piece." Let me see what else. Smoker's CGI powers look amazing, by the way. I think they really nailed it, but I I feel like that's going to be one of the easier Devil Fruits to do in comparison to stuff way later on. I was talking to Cam after I don't know how they're going to do some stuff. I really don't. I was talking about Bart and like how his inflection changes. After the execution stand, Luffy's hat filters down and it lands at his feet and you see Bart pick it up. He's like like witnessing everything that happened and Luffy just comes strolling by, swipes it and like he's going he's like, "Thanks, man." And I swear it's like straight out of the anime. It was perfect. Yeah, someone did ask there there is no Buggy mobile. Sorry, Buggy fans. But like I said, Buggy absolutely killed it in this episode. I'm not even going to talk about the scene with Buggy that I really liked because I don't want to even say anything about it. I want you guys to see it. It was hilarious. Again, Jeff Ward, you're a genius. I don't know who came up with that bit, but it was it was the it was the most un- unexpecting thing that that shocked me and I was just like, "Yeah, [ __ ] it. Let's let's run with it. This is hilarious for no reason." And I think one more thing that like really gave me chills in the theater was when Luffy's on the execution platform in Loguetown. It has a scene with him laughing as he as Buggy's about to execute him. Like which we all we all we know is important scene in the anime because it's sort of like a parallel to Roger. Afterwards, there's a scene with Smoker and Tashigi in a bar and she's like asking about what happened and he's like, "You know the craziest thing is? When he was up there, he laughed." And like it lets that line hang and then it's like silence for a bit and he turns around he goes, "He laughed, Tashigi." And I I almost like it felt like so direct of a reference to like Roger laughing whatever either he was being executed or he reached, you know, Laugh Tale. Um, I don't know if that was intentional, but I straight up got chills up and down my body to when I was Rock Oh, and one more thing. I think this is the last thing. Um, they're really they're really running with the Zoro getting lost bit. I think there were three jokes in this one episode about Zoro getting lost. Like there was one where like he offered to lead the way and they all shouted no. There's another scene where like where's Zoro and the camera pans and it's like him like 5 ft away like looking confused. It I I love it, bro. And the whole theater was busting out laughing every time that happened. But yeah, guys, that has been it for my sort of review for One Piece live action season 2 episode 1. If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them in the comments because I feel like there's a lot to cover and a lot of people are wondering what did didn't get adapted. Again, I only saw episode 1, so I don't have all the answers, um, but I will be reacting to season 2 on the live channel, so make sure you subscribe over there. Um, but that's been it. Again, there will be a full vlog that I'm uploading within a day or two or three from now of just my whole journey throughout all of it. Footage from the red carpet, everything. This was just more meant to be a video that I could get up for you guys to know my thoughts on the season. So, with that being said, I will see you guys very soon. Shout out Cam for inviting me to live action premiere. Uh, you're ugly.