Netflix is setting sail where no streaming service has gone before when its new action-packed series One Piece debuts in August.
Based on the popular Japanese manga series, One Piece follows the high-seas adventures of Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu), Nami (Emily Rudd), Usopp (Jacob Romero) and Sanji (Taz Skylar). Luffy is a young adventurer who sets off from his small village on a journey to "One Piece," a mythical treasure. To find it, however, Luffy must find a crew, search the seas and outwit treacherous rivals along the way.
Adapting the bestselling manga into a high-budget show was a seven-year process, One Piece’s creator Eiichiro Oda wrote in a letter Netflix shared.
“There was so much that went into it — all the efforts by the actors, the building of the world and the costumes, presenting things in a way that only be done in live action, the dialogue — and the process of so many people putting their heads together was a festivity in and of itself," Oda wrote.
Oda-Sensei was hands-on throughout the process. Once filming wrapped, the producers even agreed to re-shoot scenes because he felt “they weren’t good enough to put into the world.” There were also some lines he felt didn’t quite fit the show’s hero, Luffy.
“But when I saw the filmed scenes, I went, ‘It works when it’s Iñaki performing it as Luffy!" he added. "As a matter of fact, it works great!!’”
One Piece premieres on Netflix on Aug. 31.
