Except for a few rare exceptions, the live-action adaptations of animanga series usually missed the mark. Netflix’s One Piece live-action series however series ended the curse, delivering a perfect adaptation with soul and grit. And now, in an official release, Netflix has revealed the viewership number to prove it.
One Piece live-action topped Netflix’s viewership chart
Beating the likes of The Witcher Season 3, All the Light We Cannot See, and Lupin Part 3, among others, One Piece live-action series took the top spot in both viewers and hours watched. Netflix revealed that One Piece live-action Season 1, released on 31st August 2023, amassed 71.6 million views with nearly 550 million hours watched globally.
Those are mind-boggling viewer numbers and add weight to the quality of the live-action adaptation by Netflix. Thanks to the involvement of One Piece author Eiichiro Oda and the story being quite close to the source material led to its success among fans. However, the outstanding cast as well as Tomorrow Studios (producer of OP live-action) deserve all the praise.
The live-action adaptation, in turn, brought new viewers to the anime and movie series. It has been revealed that Luffy, played by Iñaki Godoy, and his Straw Hat crew helped more than double the “viewing of the anime film and series.”
What to expect from One Piece live-action Season 2?
We expect these numbers to further fuel the producers and actors to elevate the quality of the live-action adaptation in Season 2. For those unaware, Season 1’s success quickly saw Netflix greenlight the next season in September 2023.
Recently, we learned that the casting for One Piece live-action Season 2 is underway. The production team sent out casting calls for some of the most-anticipated characters, apart from Chopper and Smoker, for the Arabasta arc adaptation. They are in search of actors to play Nico Robin, Tashigi, Vivi Nefertari, Miss Goldenweek, and several others.
One Piece Season 2 is set to start shooting in June later this year, which means it won’t be releasing on Netflix until 2025. What are your expectations from Season 2? Can it beat the viewership numbers of the debut season?
