The Fantastic ‘One Piece’ Ends Netflix’s Run of Terrible Anime Adaptations
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There are roughly 47,000—oh, wait, a new Netflix Original just dropped; make that 47,001—TV shows and movies coming out each week. At Obsessed, we consider it our social duty to help you see the best and skip the rest.
We’ve already got a variety of in-depth, exclusive coverage on all of your streaming favorites and new releases, but sometimes what you’re looking for is a simple Do or Don’t. That’s why we created See/Skip, to tell you exactly what our writers think you should See and what you can Skip from the past week’s crowded entertainment landscape.
See: One Piece
One Piece isn’t just Netflix finally producing a fantastic live-action anime adaptation, after so many failed attempts—it’s a fantastic series on its own. Packed with invigorating pirate adventures and danger at every turn, this seafaring sensation will delight fans and newbies alike.
Here’s Coleman Spilde’s take:
“There are more than 1,000 episodes of the wildly popular Japanese anime series One Piece. I, however, have never seen a single one. Sure, over the years I’ve seen glimpses of the show’s lead character, a pirate boy named Monkey D. Luffy, in his iconic straw hat. But it never struck me to peer further, to take the plunge and figure out exactly what this show was all about. After all, watching 1,000 episodes and counting is incomprehensibly daunting. It’s far easier to say, ‘Look at that guy in his funny little hat!’ and be on your merry way.
‘One Piece’ Review: Netflix Scores Big With Its Thrilling Adaptation
But like all immensely popular international media, it was only a matter of time before it was Americanized and spat out into a live-action remake on some streaming service. This time around, that streamer would be Netflix, which is home to the highly anticipated eight-episode first season of One Piece, premiering Aug. 31. Given the platform’s abysmal history with live-action anime adaptations—not to mention the massive fanbase and lore that One Piece has generated so far over its 24-year run—it would be easy to brush off Netflix’s take as a low-quality imitation, one that’s as money-hungry as its bands of vicious pirates.”
See: The Equalizer 3
The Equalizer 3 finds Denzel Washington’s vigilante taking on the Italian mafia. Though Robert McCall is facing notorious crime bosses, he’s also plagued by his own conscience, with Washington’s empathetic performance selling the B-movie action.
Here’s Nick Schager’s take:
“Action movies are expressions of their stars’ preferred personas: Tom Cruise, the fanatical daredevil savior; Keanu Reeves, the cool, sleek agent of death; and Liam Neeson, the gruff, paternalistic avenger. The same holds true for Denzel Washington, who in The Equalizer gets to be a wise, caring mentor, a lone warrior, and a virtuous vigilante. He’s also the baddest man on the planet, refusing to turn the other cheek to injustice and righting wrongs with extreme prejudice. Loosely reimagining the ’80s TV series of the same name, the Equalizer films are vehicles designed to spotlight everything audiences love about Washington, from his graceful style and heartfelt empathy to his nonchalant charm and ferocious intensity.
Denzel Washington Makes ‘The Equalizer 3’ Worth Watching
All those traits remain in full effect in The Equalizer 3 (in theaters Sept. 1), the third and supposedly final chapter in a serviceable trilogy defined by its meat-and-potatoes carnage and its headliner’s exceptional charisma. Director Antoine Fuqua’s latest relocates Washington’s Robert McCall—a former Marine who most assume is dead—from Boston to Italy, where he’s introduced having already laid waste to a veritable army of bodyguards at a gated vineyard estate.”
Skip: Choose Love
Choose Love takes advantage of the interactive capabilities of Netflix’s interface for a fun conceit—a choose-your-own-adventure rom-com—but beyond that, the options and story are bland and laughably conventional. In the end, the viewer’s decisions have barely any impact on the ending.
Here’s Fletcher Peters’ take:
“As Netflix phases out its DVD mailing service and cuts off the ability to have a shared family account, the streamer is offering up a splashy new form of viewing that will surely make up for these huge losses. That innovative entertainment comes in the form of interactive specials, where watchers can ‘choose’ the outcome of the story’s protagonist by selecting a button on their remote. Worth jumping over hurdles to log into a Netflix account amid their password-sharing crackdown? Perhaps not. But, hey, Netflix is trying to do something, anything, to make itself stand out from its streaming competitors these days.
Netflix’s Interactive ‘Choose Love’ Is a Waste of a Fun Idea
On the heels of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, and a handful of kid-centric options comes Choose Love, Netflix’s first standalone interactive special made for adults. Choose Love is a romantic comedy where you get to call the shots in the leading lady’s love life. Well, kind of. Most of the decisions you make for Cami (Laura Marano) don’t actually have any lasting effect on the plot. But pressing a button to make the story move a little bit forward is fun, right?”
See: Fionna and Cake
Fionna and Cake is not just a pseudo-continuation of the beloved Adventure Time cartoon, but rather something new and undeniably exciting. What could easily be a lazy cash grab is filled with surprises as fascinating as the series’ long journey to TV.
Here’s Allegra Frank’s take:
“Of the many unforgettable characters on Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, which ended in 2018, none have a more fascinating backstory than Fionna and Cake. It’s not just that they’re a gender-swapped pair of characters inspired directly by Adventure Time heroes Finn the Human and Jake the Dog; it’s that Fionna and Cake’s origins stem from fan art. Considering how ebullient the Adventure Time fandom remains, it tracks that their love for the show would imprint upon it directly.
‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ May Be the Most Exciting Show of the Year
But since the characters made their onscreen debut in a fluffy installment of Adventure Time’s third season, Fionna and Cake have evolved beyond fun nods to the rabid fanbase. With their new Max series, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, the pair have become lead characters in their own right—in a story that has a shockingly direct impact on Adventure Time itself.”
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