With the imminent arrival of the long-awaited remake of “One Piece” on Netflixtitled “THE ONE PIECE”, the original manga creator, Eiichiro Oda, made it clear that the new series should not be limited to being a simple copy of the original work. In an effort to ensure that the adaptation has its own identity, Oda encouraged the production team to focus on interpretation and creativity rather than faithfully replicating every detail of the manga.

In the video posted to the Netflix Anime YouTube channel, director Masashi Koizuka revealed some of the advice Oda gave the staff before starting production. «I remember Oda-sensei telling us, 'I want you to express your vision instead of copying and pasting work.'» commented Koizuka. «For example, it is preferable that you create your own interpretation and expression rather than recreating a manga panel as is.». This perspective has allowed the team to approach the series in different ways, which has been an exciting challenge for the young and passionate team members.

The production team shared some details about how they plan to continue while also deviating from the original work. Visual director Tomonori Kuroda mentioned that one of the goals is to emulate the softness and roundness of Oda's signature lines. For his part, Koizuka stressed that the goal is not to perfectly imitate the manga panels, but rather to capture the essence and emotion that fans experienced when reading them, with the ambition of even surpassing that perfection.

To achieve this approach, Koizuka decided to draw inspiration from the young staff members who grew up reading “One Piece” and who are now working on the adaptation. «Those who understand the passion for a specific structure» Koizuka observed, «and who enjoyed reading the series are all together as a team. They say, 'This is it, this is what's important'».

“THE ONE PIECE,” produced by WIT STUDIO, will also take advantage of modern technology to capture the essence of manga without aiming for a 1:1 representation. Koizuka showed off a 3D map of the different settings, such as the Marine base in Shells Town, which will allow the team to explore different camera angles and present Morgan's dominance over the town in a way the manga didn't necessarily do. This includes the possibility of changing or “improving” some of the scenarios, taking ideas from the creative team.

Recently, the first concept art for “THE ONE PIECE” was released along with staff comments, adding to other important announcements made during One Piece Day '24. The concept art has led many to speculate that the freedom offered by streaming platforms could allow THE ONE PIECE to explore a darker tone than its television anime predecessor.

Source: Comic Book Resources