Binge-worthy: Set sail on another adventure with live-action version of hit manga One Piece

One Piece

Premiering on Thursday on Netflix
4 stars

One Piece is Hollywood’s long-awaited live-action adaptation of the beloved manga series of the same name.

But you do not have to know anything about the Japanese graphic novels to get lost in this story of a wannabe pirate in search of adventure – and perhaps a surrogate family.

Here are three reasons to catch the fantasy action-comedy series on Netflix, which was overseen by One Piece’s legendary manga creator Eiichiro Oda himself:

1. Not your typical pirate yarn

Based on Oda’s long-running comic-book series (1997 to present), the show is set in a world of endless oceans, islands and fantastical beasts, which pirates roam in search of the ultimate prize – a hidden treasure known as the “One Piece”.

A free-spirited young man named Luffy (Inaki Godoy) dreams of being one of them, albeit a nicer and more honourable version, like the pirate he idolised as a child.

And to help him, he recruits a crew of fellow misfits, including brooding swordsman Zoro (Mackenyu) and wily thief Nami (Emily Rudd).

But unlike most pirate tales, there is an intriguing political backdrop – one in which a World Government and its seafaring army, the Marines, are the antagonists, while the freewheeling pirates are a grassroots rebellion of sorts.

2. Appealing characters well acted

Most of the actors on the show are not famous, but Godoy, Mackenyu and Rudd are well cast and have charisma to spare.

Godoy, a Mexican performer, conveys Luffy’s irrepressible reckless idealism; Mackenyu, who is Japanese American, has the star quality of a J-pop idol; and American actress Rudd plays “tough girl with soft centre” to perfection.

The writers take time to develop these and other characters, and give them interesting backstories, along with plenty of banter and chemistry.

3. Top-tier world-building

One Piece is the sort of richly imagined world that hit Hollywood franchises are made of.

Visually, it has a dreamy, stylised and very computer-generated look that sets it apart – and is not unlike what you might see on the image-generating artificial intelligence app Midjourney.

Luffy and other characters have superpowers too, although the show manages to avoid the associated cliches by not taking those abilities, or itself, too seriously.

Given the mishmash of genres, the story sometimes feels a bit scattered tonally, but the friendships, humour and grand adventure tie it all together beautifully.

One Piece premieres on Netflix on Thursday.