The Man in the Straw Hat Review: To do justice to the story’s epic scope, Netflix’s live-action One Piece adaptation has to find the sweet spot between brevity and accuracy. It isn’t easy to recount such information without revealing crucial plot points, but The Man in the Straw Hat manages it, albeit with space for improvement.
Several new faces join the Straw Hat Pirates in this episode. Vice Admiral Garp appears in this series in a different form than what is depicted in the manga or anime; his appearance differs in terms of age and suit wear; also, his voice differs slightly when compared to what is seen on-screen or read aloud. However, he remains an important player in the history of the Grand Line and may soon prove an adversary as the series progresses.
Seeing One Piece, a series that has always celebrated the wacky and cartoony, brought to life was a treat. Examples include Garp’s questioning of Koby and Buggy’s ability to split into several sections thanks to his Devil Fruit.
The second episode of the One Piece anime series more than lived up to the high standards set by the manga. It was interesting and enjoyable, with attacks that flowed smoothly into one another and had excellent pace. Greatly showcasing the acting abilities of its ensemble, the program focuses on Luffy/Shanks in both the past and the present.
One Piece’s prologue does a good job of drawing viewers into the series’ world. It was an excellent beginning that left viewers wanting more action and adventure, along with stunning sweeping panoramas of big cities and huge open oceans supported by lovely music and soundtrack.
Since Luffy and his crew are still hunting for the Grand Line Map, Buggy the Clown takes them captive aboard his circus-themed barge and tortures them until they reveal its location. Agents of SHIELD’s Jeff Ward, who played Buggy, stole the show with his flamboyant style and penchant for flash.
The Straw Hats, upon realizing they are hostages, immediately think it is the Marines at fault; however, Luffy swiftly corrects their assumption by warning them he knows they are pirates and will murder everyone if he does not acquire their map. The crew now suspects they will be far more harmful than first thought.
An infamous pirate captain known as “Buggy the Clown” (Jeff Ward) has arrived in Orange Town and taken Luffy hostage, demanding the town’s Grand Line map or threatening to destroy it if they don’t hand it over. Luffy is unyielding, but he has a plan B if they don’t give up: because Nami was captured with him, she’ll get an opportunity to show off her thievery abilities.
Characters we know and love from the source material appear in this episode, but they don’t have the same dramatic impact as in the original. Maybe there’s just too much going on in each episode for anything to sink in; for example, when Shanks gives Luffy his hat but immediately takes it back since so much else is happening so rapidly.
However, even diehard series fans will find something to love about this installment. It’s great to see the crew become more knit, and the new sequences between Zoro and Nami are particularly strong; their witty banter is fun to watch, and their mutual mistrust makes for an interesting story aspect.
We had only seen hints of Nami’s tough side up until now. Her memories of her youth are conveyed beautifully, giving depth to a character who often is depicted as two-dimensional stereotypes.
At the beginning of this episode, we see young Luffy at Makino’s bar, practicing his Gum Gum Pistol as the owner tells him not to make others afraid of him. Makino then shares some history on Devil Fruit abilities and Mother Ocean’s scorn for people who eat them, setting the scenario for what occurs later in this episode.
An unexpected gas blast knocks down the Straw Hat Pirates’ crew as they enter the little port of Orange Town on their way to Grand Line. After waking up, Luffy, Zoro, and Nami discover that they are inside the circus of the pirate Buggy the Clown, who is pursuing the Grand Line map; to avoid capture, Luffy swallows the map, and Nami uses her extraordinary talents to buy time from Buggy.
When Luffy and his pals come to, they’re being held captive by a band of clown pirates commanded by Buggy the Clown, who, like Luffy, has eaten a Devil Fruit. Chop Chop Fruit allows him to disassemble himself at will, making him much more dangerous than a clown with a severe nose issue. Luffy fought against his bindings at first, but after witnessing Buggy torment a little boy, he eventually gave up and punched Buggy square in the face, sending his severed head flying into the crowd.
Buggy puts his head back on but can’t get out of the tank fast enough since the ocean is filling it up. He makes fun of Luffy for being abandoned, assuming that Shanks is dead so that he may amaze Luffy. In response, Luffy tells Nami and Zoro that this is what his grandpa taught him, and they form a plan to trap all of his body parts.
After Nami escapes the circus, she and Zoro team together to defeat Buggy. But then Cabaji (Sven Ruygrok) walks in as an antagonist, aiming at Zoro because Zoro killed his brother. Zoro could free Cabaji from his shackles by picking the lock on his cage while Nami distracted Cabaji long enough for Zoro to use one of his knives to free him.
Although Buggy tries to submerge Luffy in seawater and drown him, Luffy’s escape helps his crew escape, and they are finally able to regain control of Orange Town.
Vice Admiral Garp believes the unreliable Marine Captain Morgan when Morgan portrays Luffy as a violent and cruel criminal, despite Garp’s knowledge. But Luffy is unfazed and declares his goal to be a pirate king.
Under Garp’s careful supervision, Koby and Helmeppo begin their Marine training, with Koby first shocking Garp by demonstrating his ability to fend off many Marines on his own. Garp also teaches the lads certain self-assurance maneuvers that give them a boost for their future endeavors.
The tale is well-progressed and starts briskly in the second episode of One Piece’s first season. In contrast to the first episode’s concentration on Orange Town, this one features a good mix of flashbacks and present-day action thanks to Buggy’s circus pirates and the Marines, Shanks, and Zoro.
This episode is a significant step up from the last, entirely devoted to the Marines’ fight to secure the castle gates. This episode illustrates the importance of the live-action adaptation by doing a fantastic job of introducing new characters and building up the narrative arc of a renowned comic.
Action and hilarity abound in “The Man in the Straw Hat,” the second episode of Season 1 of “One Piece.” Slapstick humor and action-packed swashbuckling sequences are staples of One Piece episodes, but this one ups the ante by throwing in some slasher horror elements. When Luffy and his crew arrive in Orange Town, they find Buggy the Clown and his pirate henchmen holding the town hostage with their Chop-Chop Fruit powers. Buggy tries to use his chop-chop Fruit powers against Luffy, but the young pirate gets the upper hand by showing a softer side of pirates through his compassion.
The Man in the Straw Hat Review – One Piece Live Action S01E02: Episode Info
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
The Man in the Straw Hat Review – One Piece Live Action S01E02: Cast
- Iñaki Godoy: Monkey D. Luffy
- Emily Rudd: Nami
- Mackenyu: Roronoa Zoro
- Morgan Davies: Koby
- Vincent Regan: Garp
- Jeff Ward: Buggy
- Aidan Scott: Helmeppo
- Peter Gadiot: Red Hair Shanks
- Colton Osorio: Young Luffy
- Langley Kirkwood: Ax Hand Morgan
- Tamer Burjaq: Higuma
- Kathleen Stephens: Makino
- Armand Aucamp: Bogard
- Sven Ruygrok: Cabaji
- Stevel Marc: Yassop the Great
- Ntlanhla Morgan Kutu: Lucky Roux
- Laudo Liebenberg: Benn Beckman
- Lindsay Reardon: Mayor Boodle
The Man in the Straw Hat Review – One Piece Live Action S01E02: Crew
- Director: Marc Jobst
- Writing Credits: Eiichirô Oda, Ian Stokes, Matt Owens, Steven Maeda, Allison Weintraub, Lindsay Gelfand, Tom Hyndman
- Producer: Amie Horiuchi, Takuma Naitô
- Executive Producer: Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Tetsu Fujimura, Marc Jobst, Steven Maeda, Eiichirô Oda, Matt Owens, Tim Southam, Chris Symes
- Co-Executive Producer: Diego Gutierrez, Laura Jacqmin, Damani Johnson, Nic Louie, Ian Stokes, Stephen Welke
- Co-Producer: Tiffany Greshler
- Associate Producer: Robert W. Egami
- Consulting Producer: Zack Estrin
- South African Producer: Marisa Sonemann-Turner, Rudi Van As
- Animation & Special Effects: Incessant Rain Studios, Rising Sun Pictures, Filmograph
The Man in the Straw Hat Review – One Piece Live Action S01E02: Other Info
- Air Date: Aug 31, 2023
- Runtime: 55m
- Distributor: Netflix
- Production Co: Film Afrika Worldwide, Kaji Productions, Shueisha, Tomorrow Studios
