ONE PIECE Live-Action Review (Spoilers Included) Final Episode: The Legend Has Begun

I'm writing this first-round article based on the subtitled version.
Click here for the Episode 1 review
Click here for the Episode 2 review
Click here for the Episode 3 review
Click here for the Episode 4 review
Click here for the Episode 5 review
Click here for the Episode 6 review
Click here for the Episode 7 review

Finally, the Season 1 finale!

It starts with a flashback of Nami getting Arlong's tattoo.
Just watching it is painful,
the terrible treatment the young Nami receives.
Time shifts to the present, the cruelty of Arlong leaving Cocoyasi Village
without a trace.
After hearing everything about Nami from Nojiko,
Gen-san and the others from Cocoyasi Village join Nami's side.
Just like in the comic, Nami says don't fight,
this is my fight, but Luffy replies
this is our fight.
The final title logo is
Arlong's pirate flag,
with the P part being the mark of the Sun Pirates.
It's sad to think that the little details they put so much effort into
end here.
・Captain Nezumi

Watching with subtitles, it's surreal how Captain Nezumi is
called Captain Rat with such perfect pronunciation.
When Nezumi makes a false report that Luffy and his crew
were terrorizing Cocoyasi Village,
Coby objects, saying Luffy-san wouldn't do that.
The small-time crook Nezumi threatens him,
asking if he intends to talk back to a Captain,
but Garp, the cool old man, stops him by saying he is a Vice Admiral.
Nezumi says he will punish the Straw Hat Pirates,
but Garp dismisses him, saying that's unnecessary,
and continues his own search for Luffy.
Seriously, a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral staying too long in such a backwater
weakest sea, lol.
・OK! Let's Stand Up!!!
The Straw Hat Pirates finally storm Arlong Park.

Hatchan is nowhere to be seen among Arlong's crew.
Why are Kuroobi and Chew there, but...
I get Gaimon,
Piman, Tamanegi, and Ninjin,
Yosaku and Johnny,
and the Sea Cow Mohmoo,
but isn't the major executive Hatchan an
important character later on...!
I see, those blubbery lips and eight limbs are
impossible budget-wise...!!
That must be it! It has to be!
Everyone, let's make this Season 1 popular,
create a huge budget, and definitely get Netflix
to make Season 2!!!
In the Alabasta arc,
I want to see Kung Fu Dugongs
and Moving Crabs!!!

The Straw Hat Pirates finally stormed the headquarters.
Each person's cut is
very cool.
In the original, Yosaku and Johnny were stopping Gen-san and the others,
and Luffy and the others blew up the main gate
for a grand entrance! Then
asking who Arlong is! Then
knocking him out with one punch as a greeting was
the coolest flow, but
in the live-action, that's put on hold 🤣
It seems they are betting everything on the battle in the surveying room after this.
I wonder if we'll hear "Because there's a room like this..."!?

・Battle scene begins
Zoro, since his sword was broken by Mihawk,
is in a one-sword style normal swordsman state with only the Wado Ichimonji!
In the original, he borrowed swords from Yosaku and Johnny, lol.
Alright! At least let's steal two swords from the opponent!?

Usopp vs. Chew
Battle outside Arlong Park!
Usopp is fast at running away just like in the original lol.
Chew's water gun, maybe because clear water
doesn't look good on screen, it's a bit reddish
and looks incredibly dirty lol.

Sanji protects the back of Zoro,
who is fighting while holding his wounds.
Don't steal my kill.
Then don't take your eyes off him.
The two are still at each other's throats.
In the first place, in the comic,
the composition of the hard-boiled Zoro feeling annoyed
at the soft-hearted Sanji who says things like "Nami-san"
continued, and they still have that cat-and-dog relationship vibe,
but since the live-action Sanji isn't making such a goofy face
and saying "Nami-swaaan!!" as much,
it feels more like Zoro just has a strong nuance
of not yet accepting Sanji as a crewmate.
・"Use?"
One of Luffy's coolest scenes.
Luffy snaps at Arlong's comment about using Nami. Use?


Nami is not a tool!
She has dreams and desires! You stole them.
Luffy heard Nami's dream at the Baratie.
Nami replied that no one can pursue their dreams, they have to give up.
But Luffy saw through her true feelings.
Nami has a dream. But it was stolen by someone.

The enemy is none other than the guy in front of him.
Luffy smashes Arlong's Kiribachi to pieces in anger.
Whew! This scene gave me chills even in live-action.
Somehow, early Luffy has the impression of being good at sensing things
without being told and having the power to see through people's true feelings,
and that stood out especially in this live-action version.
I won't forgive anyone who hurts my friends.
Luffy learned a strong way of life from Shanks,
and Nami from Belle-mere.
This is a classic manga trope.
It seems like a trait of ally characters who inherit the souls
of their exemplary mentors or benefactors.
・Zoro and Sanji fighting while bickering

Zoro, whose wounds haven't healed yet, and

Sanji, who is unleashing flashy techniques.
Wait, Sanji, if you move that flashily while carrying the bag
containing Buggy's head on your shoulder,
Buggy-san will throw up inside the bag... lol.
And as expected, Buggy jumps out.
He reattaches to the remaining body parts

that were displayed in Arlong Park
and makes a run for it...
He was a villain, or rather a clown, you couldn't hate until the very end.
・Usopp's conclusion!
Usopp fakes his death with ketchup.
I love this development from the original.
A scene where a character who was a weakling stands up for his friends.
The live-action Usopp also stood up.
In the original, Usopp poured alcohol on him and then
used a Fire Star to ignite the alcohol
and got the KO.
However, in the live-action version, it was

that the water gun Chew was spraying
was actually a water gun generated by drinking the alcohol bottle he was holding,
so he shot a Fire Star into it to ignite it!
So that's why it had a bit of color lol.
Honestly, I thought it was dirty lol. Sorry, Chew lol.
Congratulations on your first victory, brave warrior of the sea.
・Kuroobi vs. Zoro and Sanji
Since Kuroobi had a grudge with Sanji from the Baratie,
he targets Sanji first.
Zoro immediately slashes from behind,
but is easily parried.
Wait, Kuroobi, isn't he far stronger than in the original? lol
To think he could hold his own against Zoro and Sanji at the same time!
See, now Zoro has nothing to do,
that's why I told you to bring out Hatchan!
・Arlong's teeth regrowing
It's quite gross when seen in live-action lol.

Also, this actor laughs "Shahahaha" properly every now and then,
but he runs out of breath in the second half
and it becomes raspy, which is cute lol.
・Mouton Shot explodes!
Kuroobi makes fun of Nami,
and Sanji gets enraged at that.
Zoro also unintentionally says that was bad.
The special move Mouton Shot is unveiled!
I didn't think I'd see it,
so I was incredibly happy lol.

I thought Zoro and Sanji wouldn't shout their special moves
in the live-action due to their characters,
but they did it properly!
They shouted it!
A Mouton Shot with authentic, good pronunciation!
Thinking about it, everyone except Zoro

says their special move names lol.
In the end, even Sanji says
strong guys shout their special moves lol.
Zoro looks at them coldly, thinking you guys are the same lol.
Well, Zoro has his sword in his mouth,
so he can't say it lol.
By bringing in this setting,
it's camouflaged well lol.
Usopp, who finished the fight, and
Nami, who managed to escape from the surveying room,
also join up.
Sanji reaches out his arms saying "Nami-san!" but
gets rejected.
A smile spreads across my face at the treatment being no different from the original.

・Gum-Gum Gatling followed by Battle Axe!
Luffy smashes Arlong Park to pieces.
Even the angle of the axe was faithfully recreated!
Another cool Luffy quote:
"Nami, you are my friend!"
As expected, the best enemy and the best story development
in the East Blue arc is this Arlong Park.

Actually, from Baratie to Arlong Park,
it's a collection of some of the best scenes in ONE PIECE,
and since you can read it faster and more smoothly than now,
it's very popular, but I'm really glad I could watch it in live-action.
・The Straw Hat Pirates hold a banquet with the townspeople

Speaking of ONE PIECE, this banquet is
a standard aesthetic for the end of a chapter,
but I realized this is the first time in the drama
that there's a banquet involving the whole town.
While everyone is happily having a banquet in the joy of being freed from Arlong,
the Marines and Garp arrive.
A completely original development.
Wait, with less than 20 minutes left,
how will they wrap it up if they go to the Garp battle!?!
・Garp finally confronts Luffy
To think I'd see a fight between a grandfather and grandson
way before the Summit War lol.
Garp avoids Luffy's punch with a sound and effect
like Observation Haki.

Are they already foreshadowing Haki in the live-action version!? lol
Luffy gets beaten up by a fist of love.
An encounter with a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral
in the East Blue stage is way too impossible lol.
Luffy falls down helplessly,
but even so, while laughing,
he powerfully boasts that he will become the Pirate King someday.
Garp sees him overlapping with Roger.
He starts laughing loudly.
He says he was testing his resolve.

Huh!?
No, that's pushing it too far for a test,
Vice Admiral Garp!!

Luffy: "Can't you go easy on me?"

No, that line is just too accurate lol.
Luffy-san's half-angry face lol. That's really it lol.
Garp says everything must be done seriously.
Ah, that's right, this guy
is Luffy's grandfather.
This family doesn't know any other way to fight
than seriously.

The Greatest Villain in the East
This subtitle
is one of my favorite titles
in all of ONE PIECE.
Luffy's wanted poster is made
out of spite for the arrest of Captain Nezumi.
Nezumi is actually the one who created the foothold
for Luffy to rise (?), isn't he?
Coby comes to deliver it.

If anything, Coby had way more screen time
than Sanji... lol
Luffy is happy that the wanted poster is made,
and he hugs Coby.
Coby, in reality,
you're quite the corrupt cop lol.
Coby says it's time to say goodbye.

No, how many times have you come to see Luffy

in these few months 🤣
Surely you'll see him again soon in Season 2!
Become a good Marine,

become a good pirate (!?),
the two swear to each other.
It goes without saying that this work
is a marine romance
unfolded with the perspectives of these two as the axis.


Has it come, Luffy.Luffy's wanted poster is finally distributed.
The newspaper that Luffy has become a wanted man
reaches Makino-san, Kaya, and Zeff.
Mihawk also reaches Shanks.
Has it come, Luffy...!! The Red-Haired Pirates
and Hawk-Eye start a banquet.
Garp is also showing his doting grandfather side,
saying "as expected of my grandson."
What that cook said is correct,
from now on it's your era,
he encourages the growth of Koby and Helmeppo.
No, Helmeppo is becoming too much of a good guy,
this will make fujoshi swarm all at once.

I quite like the changes in the world situation
immediately after each chapter ends in ONE PIECE,
and it's where the story finally moves in a big way.
Rather than a break between chapters, I
want to watch this as the main event.
・

The Legend Has BegunFinally, to the launching ceremony before entering the Grand Line.
There must be many people who love this scene in the original too.
The initial group of five loudly declares their dreams,
and this scene of "Let's go! Grand Line!"
Interspersing cuts of their childhoods,
the members shout their dreams: to find the All Blue, to be the world's greatest swordsman,
to be a brave warrior of the sea, to draw a world map,
and to become the Pirate King.
Somehow, the direction of child scenes -> adult scenes

reminded me of the second ending song

RUN!RUN!RUN!and as an old guy, it was so emotional that Ialmost cried...
I love that ending the most...
The nostalgia and emotion, combined with
the memory filter, hit me all at once,
and oh no, tears...

Well, the ship has its sails set firmly,
riding the waves and moving forward powerfully today,
Luffy and the others' adventure is just beginning.

Episode 8 finale summary!
Doesn't the final launching ceremony make everything
perfect?
Iñaki Luffy, who grew during the journey,
the way he walks on the deck at the end
looks exactly like Luffy.
Like he jumped straight out
of the comic.
Seeing Sanji looking happy bringing a barrel,
and everyone gathering to hold the launching ceremony as Luffy calls out to his guys,
I thought, ah, they've become true friends.
A relationship where each talks about their dreams, shares drinks,

and laughs together.
I thought this is the aesthetic of friendship, effort, and victory
that ONE PIECE has embodied until now.
Smoker appeared at the end.
If Season 2 starts, it will be the execution scene in Loguetown,
and Buggy-san, who has a love-hate relationship, is still alive,
so depending on the popularity of the series,
couldn't they make it up to Alabasta!?
No, fly all the way to Skypiea!!!
Anyway, I want to watch much, much more!
Thank you to everyone in Hollywood,
thank you Eiichiro Oda-sensei,
thank you ONE PIECE.
The summary of the entire Hollywood live-action ONE PIECE
is next time!