Meari21

Let me start by saying that this live action iteration of the beloved manga created by Oda Eiichiro is not perfect. It's not even as great as many are claiming. And no, it's not as good as the manga or the anime, and it never will be. But it's not meant to surpass the source material or even equal it, its purpose is to introduce the series to those who haven't read the manga or seen the anime and don't plan to. It will never replace the original work and that's alright. It will never ruin the manga or anime, far from it. For those who prefer them, you can still enjoy them and they will be around for as long as people appreciate them. For long-time fans like me, it's a reminder of how much I love One Piece and that it truly is one of the greatest stories ever told, and that's all that matters.

This second season is, I dare say, better than the first. The action scenes, for one, are better choreographed, and Zoro's Kill Bill-ish fight against 100 Baroque Works agents is reason enough to watch it imho. The special effects have improved as well, but that's to be expected as Netflix started investing more money into it when it was clear that their One Piece live action will become their new cash cow for many years to come. The casting this season is more spot on. I was on the fence about Charitha Chandran's casting as Vivi at first, but she quickly grew on me. I wanted Jamie Lee Curtis for Kureha, but Katey Sagal is a more than worthy actress for Dr. Kureha, so I have no complaints about that. Mark Harelik as Dr. Hiriluk was an inspired choice, he was the character come to life much like their casting for Mihawk. Same with Joe Manganiello as Crocodile, Clive Russel as Crocus, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, and James Hiroyuki Liao as Ipponmatsu. It's like they stepped out of the manga or something. But the most perfect casting was definitely Lera Abova as Nico Robin. She is absolutely wonderful! I am looking forward to seeing more of her in the succeeding seasons.

I also liked Usopp so much more this season. They finally gave him the chance to shine and I'm glad they did because that was one of the disappointing aspects of the first season for me. But the real achievement of this season is successfully bringing Tony Tony Chopper to life. If they had messed that up, I don't think the fandom would ever forgive them for it. But thankfully, they didn't and of course we know why they got him right. This may be a live action adaptation but the creator of the manga is very much a part of the series and that's the real reason why this show has resonated with so many people, more so with those who weren't even familiar with the manga/anime initially.

I do have some beefs with it, though. Mostly the same complaints I had with the previous season so I won't repeat them here. But they are forgivable for the most part, so I don't want to dwell on them too much. I don't know how to feel about the spoilery stuff they included in this season, though. I mean, I get that they have to move things forward and it would probably have a different ending from the manga. But I'm worried that some key story arcs like Sanji's origins might be skipped because of that scene where he talks about his mother. For some reason, it felt like that scene was a kind of consolation for them skipping Sanji's story. I hope not. I also thought some scenes could've been better executed and should've had more emotional impact. But then I had the same issues with the first season. They just don't hit as hard as the anime or even the manga.

All in all, this was a fun eight hour-long-episode journey with the Straw Hats. I laughed, cried, and fell in love with One Piece all over again. As a fan, I'm just glad this live action version exists. And I am thrilled to know that people who wouldn't have dared touch the anime or manga, are acknowledging and appreciating the greatness that is One Piece because of this adaptation.