“True bravery is not the absence of fear, but going into battle in spite of it,” is what the giant Broggy tells Usopp when met with cold feet, and that is how I will define Netflix’s One Piece Live Action Season 2’s spirit when it comes to adapting one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever created. The show already has a behemoth task of translating Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus for a medium it was never made for, and for attempting to do it anyway, the entire team behind the show deserves as many flowers as possible.

The series continues the chronicles of Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and his Straw Hat Pirates right where we left them at the end of Season 1, charting their voyage to 4 truly magnificent islands as they enter the fabled Grand Line. Filled with a heartbroken whale, peculiar assassins, and a group of doctors draped in pink who look like a rock album cover when standing together, this season jumps leaps and bounds to tell the epic story of the source material.

However, what on the surface looks like a bane for any storyteller becomes the biggest curse for the Netflix series. What has always been a tale defined by ‌persistent character growth and world-building, the live-action adaptation becomes a hyper-speed train that just zooms past‌ right in front of your face. 

You can never rush due process for a meal that is supposed to be slow-cooked. Sure, some tricks and hacks at your disposal may aid you in reaching the end goal a little earlier than the original time, but you always make a sacrifice of flavor for each minute you try to save. The same is the case for a story. What is meant to be an epic fantasy saga can never be turned into ‌bite-sized speed-run stories. And sadly, that is exactly what seems to be happening in the latest season of Netflix’s brave effort to adapt One Piece.

Serving as a precursor to one of the most stunning arcs of the original manga, the Alabasta Arc, the story fails to do justice to almost every story that is used to set up the big encounter with Mr. 0 in the desert kingdom. Introducing countless characters way ahead of time, not to further the story but in an attempt at fan service, this is one of the key flaws that I believe will come to haunt the show. 

The sprinkle of Ms. All Sunday (Lera Abova)  throughout the season, introducing Brook (Martial T. Batchamen) way ahead of time, sowing the seeds of the imminent introduction of both of Luffy’s brothers, Ace and Sabo, and going even further to already reveal that Gol D. Roger has a son. The show keeps ‌foreshadowing things well into the future, while failing to make the present feel consequential. I did struggle to believe it, but the live-action series has now shown or mentioned 9 of the 10 Straw Hats already. 

You are not allowed to spend time connecting and getting attached to the characters right in front of you. Not because they are not interesting, but because the storyline is too fixated on the future and giving you those big-money moments. While the show translates some of the most iconic scenes from the anime/manga into live-action, they do lack a certain feel to them. Instead of feeling grand, they end up feeling gimmicky a lot of the time. While one can say that maybe re-creating the same scale may not be practical, we do have a plethora of examples where insane feats were achieved in the same medium. 

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Scenes like the iconic Luffy on the execution platform feel like they got lost in translation, and to be very honest, this season also lacks the signature humour that is associated with the show. While one may be able to look past all the flaws, it is just impossible to ignore the fact that this season cut out one of my favorite characters of all time, Karoo. And even though they might introduce the amazing commander of the Supersonic Duck Squadron in season 3, it hurts that he will never get to be the honorary Straw Hat that we all know him to be. 

Some of the changes made to the characters, however, are truly amazing. Be it Zoro’s (Mackenyu) fear of failure, taking the form of Dracule Mihawk, who constantly berates him and pushes him to become a better swordsman, or Sanji (Taz Skylar) showing a much softer and more vulnerable side of himself to Nami (Emily Rudd). Even Usopp’s (Jacob Gibson) struggles with his fears feel very believable; his scenes with the giant Broggy are definitely one highlight of the season, along with Zoro’s spectacular fight scenes with the Baroque Works at Whiskey Peak. 

If there is one thing that can be said about literally every single person who has watched, is watching, or will watch One Piece is that we all love Tony Tony Chopper. So, when I heard that we would finally be getting the beloved doctor of the crew, the blue-nosed bundle of joy, and the occasional monster in season 2 of the live-action adaptation, I was practically oozing excitement. And I am so glad they managed to tell his story well, though it is riddled with many changes from the original. The finale cuts out a key struggle Chopper goes through, trying to decide whether he wants to stay with Doctorine or join the Straw Hats. But hey, as the popular sentiment of the community states, you can never hate Chopper. So for that, I give this season a thumbs up.

The backstory of Chopper and Dr. Hiriluk is undoubtedly the highlight of the season for me. A tale of two social outcasts who manage to not only save each other from loneliness but end up becoming father and son is truly beautiful. Pain, loss, death, love, belonging, suffering, acceptance, dream, friendship, and the true meaning of being a pirate — that episode truly encapsulated almost everything we love about One Piece. 

In a lot of ways, this season fails to impress in terms of storytelling. The show is somehow able to be unpredictable for both the fan who is getting introduced to One Piece and the fan who already knows all there is to know from the anime and the manga. While the live-action fans grapple with the loose storytelling and a lack of complexity among characters, fans from anime/manga are shocked more at the treatment of the source material. However, the acting performances from all five main leads of the show are truly splendid, especially Jacob Gibson’s Usopp and Mackenyu’s Zoro. The casting for this series has been the best aspect and a truly commendable feat. However, Charithra Chandran’s Vivi seems to be a character that is picked from the world of Bridgerton and just placed into the One Piece series.

Her character, which has the potential to be one of the most important in not only this arc, but the future events to come, is yet to swoon me like the rest of the cast, but maybe One Piece Live Action Season 3 will fix it once Karoo joins her. One Piece Live Action Season 2 is much like a first ride into a theme park; it is definitely not the best, but it surely leaves you excited for what is to come, and let us hope you do know your way around water, because a Crocodile is up ahead.

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What do you think of One Piece Live Action Season 2? Let us know in the comments.