There are a lot of questions to address when you decide to make a live-action version of a beloved piece of animation. But among the most difficult is, “How close do we get to the original, and where should we establish our own identity?” What makes this quandary so difficult is that not everyone is going to agree where that incredibly fine line falls, especially among fans. Netflix’s One Piece live action adaptation definitely establishes its own identity, but it’s also obsessed with trying to do right by the series’ established fans. To that end, both brilliantly and boldly, it’s bringing in the entire original voice cast from the anime to dub the series in Japanese.
The first peek at the Japanese dub was released by Netflix yesterday, simultaneous to an event in Los Angeles which premiered episode one. The experience of watching an American-produced live action production, but hearing these Japanese voice actors I know and love, is surreal. I’ll almost certainly get used to it when I inevitably re-watch the series dubbed (you got me, Netflix, okay?), but there’s a little feelingthat the voice track is “floating” about the picture. At the same time, that voice track is like a cozy blanket and a warm hot chocolate. It soothes my soul.
The reason the Japanese dub sounds so soothing is not a comment on the quality of the live action performances. Especially when it comes to the Straw Hats, the performances from OPLA’s cast are (by and large) great. Still, to anyone who fell in love with One Piece through the anime sub (which is a lot of people), this cast is the experience of One Piece. They’ve been playing these characters uninterrupted for nearly 25 years—not only in the anime, but in every game, every film, every bizarre Japanese-language tie-in advertisement. Hell, even the One Piece stunt show at Universal Studios Japan has an audio track featuring the anime actors. Hearing them together automatically says, “make no mistake, you’re watching One Piece.”
The differences—and the risks
That doesn’t mean the Japanese voice actors—Mayumi Tanaka as Luffy, Kazuya Nakai as Zoro, Akemi Okamura as Nami, Kappei Yamaguchi as Usopp, and Hiroaki Hirata as Sanji—are playing their characters exactly as they would in the anime. From this trailer, Luffy, Nami, and Sanji especially sound notably lower-pitched. Overall, there’s a slightly more “serious” and “cinematic” vibe permeating the performances, which reflects the differentiated tone of the production itself. It’s rather fascinating to behold.
Still, the characteristic, silly punchiness fans love still shine through. Zoro and Sanji arguing about who saved whose ass is absolutely classic. And for whatever reason, Luffy flatly complaining at the end of the trailer that his face is missing among the wanted signs (“ore no kao ga ne“) really got me. But of course, as excellent as Iñaki Godoy’s performance is, for One Piece fans reared on the anime sub, there’s nothing like Tanaka’s delivery of, “I’m Monkey D. Luffy, and I’m going to be king of the pirates.”
Bringing in direct elements from the original can be a double-edged sword. For example, while having Yoko Kanno score Netflix’s live action Cowboy Bebop (also from Tomorrow Studios) made the experience more tolerable, it also underscored (no pun intended) that what you were watching was not that Cowboy Bebop.
For Cowboy Bebop, inviting that comparison worked against it. Whether or not this is going to be true for One Piece remains to be seen. The people most likely to watch the Japanese dub are, of course, the Japanese audience—who grew up in a culture where One Piece is ubiquitous—and internationally, super-fans of the anime. In other words: perhaps the two hardest audiences to please.
Still, it was an arguably necessary move to bring them in for the Japanese dub. You simply can’t not. And for what it’s worth, I’m just thrilled at the idea of having eight hour-long episodes where I get to bask in Tanaka’s performance of Luffy bring front and center. The brilliant and long-awaited unveiling of Gear 5 aside, it feels like ages since we’ve just gotten to chill with Luffy in the anime. (That new ending, though.) I’m excited to chill with my boy—both the new version provided by Godoy, and the tried-and-true version I love from Tanaka.
(Featured image: Netflix)
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Kirsten Carey
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