#One piece live action episode 3

[sanaserena]

As promised, more screenshots! This time from Episode 3. Of all episodes, this was one of the slowest for me, but not by much!! There are so many things to like about this episode (but comparatively, Episode was more exciting). This episode marks the beginning of Usopp's recruitment to the Strawhats. So, good things I liked from this episode (a complete series overview review later, including some hiccups I didn't love, but wasn't a dealbreaker for me):

Not just for this episode, but I loved the music. As someone who has always been primarily manga over anime, I really enjoyed the take on the music for this entire series! It's literally been stuck in my head all week... Even more, I really did enjoy the themes and motifs for each character! We even get a hint of We Are or Overtaken at crucial moments in the live action!! (One of which was the introduction to Going Merry!) It's interesting, I loved the moments when these appeared, but did not immediately catch that they were versions of the Anime OST, because evidently, I don't watch the anime as often...

Helmeppo. Have I said it yet? Even if I have, I'll say it again. Aidan Scott does such an amazing job as Helmeppo. He's a complete ass, yet he's become a likeable ass (and no!! I don't mean that literal scene from Episode 1! Some days I wonder if the choice to include was like a metaphor for his character...it probably wasn't but still!) Nonetheless, this guy has so many facial expressions and pretty damn perfect for Helmeppo. I like that we get to see more of him (and Koby and Garp) as we get to see how they grow from their roots to post-timeskip in the manga.

Nami, Zoro, Luffy. Again, Episode 3 gives us more development of their dynamic as a crew. They're still not together yet, but this is also one of the reasons I really enjoy Episodes 3 and 4. You can't have the Nami, Zoro, and Luffy of live action as they are in Episodes 7 and 8 without these two episodes. Because it's in 3 & 4 that we really get to know each one and they each get to know each other. There are so many great moments. Like when Luffy is idealistically optimistic about how to get a ship, and Nami is characteristically cynical, with Zoro totally agreeing with her. And like those two moments between the three: 1) Nami asking for Luffy and Zoro's opinion on her outfit (they just don't get it), and 2) Nami and Luffy making a bet (I love this moment because we get such a lovely conclusion of it in the next episode.)

Usopp, and almost immediately we get strong Usopp and Luffy camaraderie. Which was fantastic. You can see they're almost cut from the same cloth.

Btw, have I mentioned yet how awesome Mackenyu is at Zoro. Right from the get go, I was super happy that he was cast as Zoro (despite people's complaint that Taz's hair was too short and Mackenyu was too pretty).

Inaki is great at Luffy. His Luffy isn't exactly the same as Luffy in the manga, but we're looking at two different mediums here. In essence though, he makes a wonderful Luffy. He has all the core values of Luffy, loves and hates, and seriously, Inaki gives Luffy some really wonderful faces throughout the live action!

At first, I was a bit hmmm over Klahadore's costume. it felt a bit much. But the more I watched the actor act him out, the more I forgot about the costume and focussed on the man. And well, I can say I was fully convinced.

Kaya's mansion. I do love the idea that we see events taking place at the mansion, rather than on the hill in the manga. I mean I adore that fight in the manga too, because it has many funny moments, but the live action variation does a great job bringing a different location alive. (And I love that I now know that there's electricity in One Piece... which was a question the Production designer Richard Bridgland had asked about.) I love Kaya's wardrobe. It's insane, but so wonderful to look at. Her bedroom is adorable. Her dining room tells a story. The kitchen is definitely a kitchen. And so on.

Once again, I couldn't fit all the images in this post, so look for Part 2 here: Link

[zonaenthusiast]

The panic in her eyes and his stupid face. Them in a nutshell.

[hellouniversehowareyou]

[mugiwarrasm]

I am so happy that most of us have the same headcanons

(Zoro is either Ace, Gay, or both)(I like the headcanon that says that Zoro using 🗡️🗡️🗡️ makes him Pan but I don't feel I fits Zoro)

[yamabro]

[5star-usopp]

Oh god - I’m even more in love with Zoro in live action

[miyukisluv]

the captain and his first mate

[lostsometime]

WHAT IS THE FIGHT SCENE CONVEYING? (an incomplete list)

Part 2! (For the breakdown of the five fights in the first episode, click here.)

Episode 2 - Straw Hats vs. Buggy: Again, we are getting themes of teamwork - they all have to pitch in together to take care of Buggy. However, this also shows us that Luffy is clever in his own way - he strategizes really well on the fly. Even while actively getting his ass kicked, he's able to observe his opponent and figure out how to bring him down. It also shows a bit more of the "captain" coming out - they still don't want to think of themselves as "his crew," but Zoro and Nami follow his lead in battle without hesitation.

(Luffy's ability to win over disparate people's respect and affection is especially poignant when contrasted with Buggy, who has had to force people, with threats of violence, to pretend to like him.)

Episode 3 - Kuro vs. Merry: This is not really a fight, per se, since Merry can't fight back, but it establishes 1) How ruthless Kuro is and 2) How fucking fast he is. Now we know what we're dealing with and can start getting worried (so when they pull out the Slasher flick vibes next episode, we're Right There with Nami and Kaya, feeling that fear).

It's also doing something else that I didn't pick up on my first time through, because it's specifically doing it for people who know the manga/anime. I came into this mostly canon-blind for the original One Piece - I knew broad strokes of some of the arcs and I was familiar with the premise, but that's all. In the time since I watched it, though, I've gotten into the manga a bit, so I picked up on this when I went back to watch the scene again for this post.

It's establishing for fans who know the original that they don't know what's going to happen. That characters they thought were safe might not be safe. That Merry can die - and so, by extension, can others. Now these people, too, will be scared - not just here, but in other fights, too. If they'll kill off Merry, who else might not be safe? Kaya? Zeff? Nojiko? All kinds of lovable supporting characters whose survival is now not guaranteed. It means that all the work they put into making things exciting and suspenseful isn't going to waste, because now even people who know how the manga goes are subject to the same uncertainty as the rest of us.

Episode 4 - Zoro vs. Black Cat Pirates: Okay, this one is mostly for Spectacle, but it also gives a lovely bit of character work since this is the first time we're seeing Zoro fight since getting his Backstory Flashback earlier in the episode. We know what the third sword means to him now. We get it when Sham takes it from him, what that means and why he prioritizes getting it back.

Episode 4 - Luffy vs. Kuro: We got a bit of this also with Buggy, but it's an important theme, so they spend a lot of time on it - how confident Luffy is in who he is and what he wants, and how stubbornly he trusts in his friends. Many, many baddies are going to try and do this, to attack his self-esteem or tell him to Be Less Like Himself, and none of them are going to succeed, ever, because Luffy knows exactly who he is.

Episode 5 - Sanji vs. Those Two Guys: Look, here's the thing. There are two things Sanji is good at and those are 1) cooking and 2) kicking people in the face. So that's what his first two scenes gotta show him doing! It's less than 3 minutes, his introduction, and they hit their marks perfectly. Point one, amazing cooking, point two, cussing at Zeff, point three, kicking shitheads in the face. It's such a neat little package. Beautifully done. This is how you introduce a major character in the back half of an eight-episode season - you need to show us who he is, what he wants, and why we should care immediately. And they do! By the end of Sanji's introduction scene I was sold on him as a character.

I think I'll need to do another post for the rest, but the one last thing I want to point out is that, like my earlier post, this post is also analyzing five separate fights. And it takes us into episode 5. I just want to point that out again because it is remarkable to me that they managed to fit 5 combat scenes into one episode for the premiere. They had so much they had to do in that one episode and the fact that they pulled it off impresses me so much I'm still boggling at it, something like 8 months later.

[black-and-yellow]

can't stop drawing the clown (send help)

[mangomaking]

FOREVER fascinated by this goober's glow-up... He is one of my favorites :)

[elementalladymallorie]

I love how subtle some of the things in the live action are about characterizations and then how on the other hand they're not quite as it. If that makes sense.

Like if you don't know the manga there are subtle hints that Garp knows Luffy. Koby's uncomfortable look at the taking the pirate's dreams talk (which was kind of ?? when I heard it) to show how he's still very kind underneath it all and what his compass is. and then like Zoro recognizing Kuro because of course he's a bounty hunter who would've seen that face and Zoro is pretty observant as well.

Then it's the things like turning Syrup village to a ship building one to show why Usopp is the one fixing the Merry Go while they're travelling. Luffy freeing the people captured by Buggy, which is something Luffy's always been doing but it felt more...subtle? Before the Nika reveal so here it's much more out right before the Arlong Park bits. And Merry going from a small smile to a big to show what the heart of One Piece is.

It's got it's ups and downs but I kind of love these little things/changes

[sanaserena]

Part 2 of my mini review for Episode 3 OPLA. The first part is here: Link.

A few more points to like!

It's a very key moment in Episode 3 where Zoro name drops Wado Ichimonji, the name of his beloved sword. We see why in Episode 4 (for those who aren't familiar with the manga or the anime), and we see the other end of this piece of knowledge in Episode 6. We can't have that moment without this one, even if Luffy is being Luffy and says it wrong.

I do really love the Bounty Poster aesthetic used in the OPLA.

I wanted to catch more shots from the end of the episode, but that would be too spoilery.

[zonaenthusiast]

go boys, give her nothing!

[mistninja]

Almost done watching alabasta. It's even better than I remember

[chromatic-lamina]

I watched episode 3 & 4 of OPLA, and I think the reveal at the end of episode 4 about Luffy being Garp's grandpa probably really hooked in a lot of people who don't know anything about the series. Honestly, I don't remember much about the beginning of One Piece, so I'm not really sure what order things happen (but I do know that Koby and Helmeppo are not in Syrup Village!)/

Cost-wise, I guess it was good to have all of Syrup Village played out in Kaya's house, but I would've liked to have seen it on the Kuro Neko Pirates ship and the beach, as in the manga, but again, understand why it wasn't. Also, maybe it was shot there too to up the female rep. Kaya getting a much bigger role.

A lot of the series, particularly the villains, is 1960s Batman kitsch, and I don't really mind that (in fact, I love 1960s Batman). The actors playing Sham and Buchi had a lot of fun! All those knives everywhere. Just realised that Django wasn't around. But I know there's been an increase in Fullbody and Django art, so I figure they must feature soon.

Bit sad that the Usopp Pirates (Tamanegi, Ninjin and Piiman [onion, carrot and pepper] ) didn't make an appearance, and also, Usopp ultimately saving the village from the Kuro Neko Pirates—with help from his friends—and then not taking credit, is such an important part of his character. That is, he boasts and stretches the truth continually, but when he's truly heroic, he lays low, and people often don't even know. Arc after arc he does that. So, it will be interesting to see how that plays out with it not being included here.

I don't know about the handling of Zoro and Kuina's story either. I don't think it's bad to place it here in a flashback from Syrup Village, but I think that maybe we needed to get to know Zoro just a little better. Overall, though, I am enjoying it. I do remember the Going Merry getting attacked by Garp at some point, so I guess this was it!

Loved Zoro calling Helmeppo "haircut". I know he improves (in the manga at least), but we haven't seen that improvement yet, and he deserved it.

OH: PS: Edit in: I love all the subtle scenes that let us who know know that Zoro is terrible with directions, but I don't think that the crew or the new viewers know yet!

[rrandomtthings]

I don’t think we’ve talked ab how good Iñaki Godoy is as Luffy enough yet