Over the years, few anime live-action series have reached the success that One Piece’s did. When the first season was released on August 31, 2023, fans of Eiichiro Oda’s iconic manga praised it as a faithful and entertaining adaptation. Its camera work, special effects, music, and cast perfectly encapsulated what fans love about Luffy’s journey.

The popularity of One Piece’s live-action adaptation is woefully not shared by other series made by Netflix, like their attempt to recreate the magic of Cowboy Bebop. Their version of Spike’s adventures failed to entice fans, due to a lack of understanding of what made fans love the series.

One Piece's Live-Action Version Absolutely Nails the Manga & Anime's Tone

From the Characters to the Music, Everything Resembles Oda’s Original Idea

One of the most praised traits of the One Piece live-action adaptation was its outstanding job recreating the world created by Oda. Despite the various differences between the original anime and the Netflix series, the main concepts, themes, and atmosphere are present. Thanks to the hard work put into the series, every aspect of the world feels genuinely taken out of the manga, from the beautiful scenery to the characters themselves. The actors selected for the roles have a clear and deep understanding of what makes the Straw Hat Crew so beloved.

Iñaki Godoy is the living embodiment of Luffy’s determination, kindness, and fun-loving attitude. His interpretation of the character is an almost perfect representation of what makes the protagonist so special. The rest of the crew is equally expertly portrayed, with none of the main characters’ personalities being altered. The environment in which the story takes place was also taken straight from the manga. From episode #1, the ships and islands that Luffy visits are adorned to make them look and feel authentic. The props, colors, and locations were carefully selected to make them feel like part of the anime.

Luffy’s vessel was a work of art, as the detailed design of the Going Merry looks almost identical to its animated counterpart. It is this level of care and attention to detail that helped the series stand out from other anime-inspired live-actions. The creators might have altered the pacing of the story, introduced characters earlier, or removed unnecessary elements, but they did so only when necessary. Their respect for Oda’s creation and desire to create something authentic was by far the best thing that could have happened to the adaptation.

Cowboy Bebop Live Action Just Doesn't Get What the Anime Was Going For

The Series Did Not Understand What Made Spike’s Adventure So Iconic

While the One Piece live-action series was praised for being accurate and respectful of the source material, the Cowboy Bebop adaptation was criticized for the opposite. As soon as the first episode was released, fans realized that the show would not be able to recapture the magic of Shinichiro Watanabe’s creation. As the series begins, the drastic changes to the source material are noticeable, with a much faster pace and less world-building being present. The adaptation also heavily focused on the comedic nature of the anime, despite the original having a delicate balance between humor and drama.

For many fans, the worst alteration made by the series was the many changes between the anime version of Faye and her live-action counterpart. Not only was the beloved bounty hunter introduced much earlier, a decision that did not improve the overall story, but her personality was also heavily altered. When compared with the original anime series, the live-action feels more like a lightly inspired tribute than an actual adaptation, which hurt its success greatly among fans.

Tone & Atmosphere Are Two of the Biggest Factors for Determining an Adaptation's Success

One Piece’s Life-Action Is a Perfect Example of This

Even though the visual effects and cast of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop were excellent, the biggest issue this series had was the lack of details that would bring its world to life. Unlike the One Piece adaptation, which carefully crafted the environment and settings to look similar to the anime, Spike’s adventure feels bland. While Luffy travels to beautiful islands accompanied by stunning visuals and epic music, Spike walks around nearly empty cities. Although there are undoubtedly some impressive scenery in the Cowboy Bebop adaptation, like the space pirate’s ship, these do nothing to prevent other scenes from feeling uninteresting.

The decision to make the live-action much more comedic than the original anime also hurt the success of the series. One Piece’s adaptation did its best to maintain the same tone as the anime. As Luffy and his friends travel the world, the music, colors, and expressions help convey a sense of freedom and adventure. Still, whenever the show needed to address serious issues, like Nami’s sad backstory, the carefree atmosphere went away. Cowboy Bebop’s adaptation took the serious tone that made the original anime a hit and dialed it back to try and make it more approachable.

The Creator’s Involvement Was Also Vital for Their Success

Watanabe and Oda’s Visions Were Not Equally Respected

Shortly before the Cowboy Bebop live-action was released to the public, Watanabe received a copy of the series to watch. The creator of this iconic franchise later claimed in an interview that he could not make it past the first episode, as the show felt completely different from his masterpiece. When asked why he believed this was the case, he revealed that the notes he gave the creators of the adaptation were mostly ignored, meaning that his original vision was not considered for the final product.

It was clearly not Cowboy Bebop.

- Shinichiro Watanabe

One Piece’s adaptation, on the other hand, worked from beginning to end with Oda overseeing the show. The series had to alter and reshot several of the most important moments until the creator of the manga was satisfied with the result. Oda helping to maintain the tone and themes of his story is by far one of the best decisions the team of the Netflix show could have taken. Doing so ensured that the magic of the anime was recreated by the live-action, a feat that would have been nearly impossible without the author’s aid.

Despite the high hopes fans had for the Cowboy Bebop adaptation, its many flaws landed it a spot among the worst anime live-actions in history. Nonetheless, it seems as if the industry is beginning to understand what fans truly wish to see, as proven by the success of Netflix’s One Piece. If other shows learn from their victories, many amazing adaptations of beloved anime could become a reality.