One Piece Live Action is finally here. It has been almost five years since the series was first announced. After waiting for such a long time, fans can enjoy Monkey D. Luffy’s enthralling journey in live-action. One Piece manga was first written in 1997, and the anime aired in 1999. After 1000+ manga chapters and episodes, it remains one of the best anime of the modern day.
Fans had high hopes for the live-action. It is safe to say that the series did not disappoint. But Eiichiro Oda almost gave up on the live-action. He could not find the perfect actor to portray one of the major characters in his anime. Eventually, he did find him, and it resulted in a masterpiece of a show.
Inaki Godoy Impressed Eiichiro Oda
Monkey D. Luffy is the heart of the Straw Hat Pirates as well as One Piece. Portraying him is not an easy task. The difficult part is that, even though he is the main character, he acts goofy and silly throughout the anime. This made Eiichiro Oda almost give up hope on One Piece Live Action. Then came Inaki Godoy. He plays the role of Monkey D. Luffy so gracefully that hardcore One Piece fans have started to adore him.
Inaki Godoy’s resume includes The Imperfects and a telemundo named La querida del Centauro. Though he is pretty inexperienced for such a huge role, his performance left Eiichiro Oda impressed. Steven Maeda, producer of One Piece Live Action, said during an interview that Godoy’s acting showed the same level of charm as Monkey D. Luffy. It is not an easy task to impress a mangaka who has been writing a manga and managing an anime with over 1000+ episodes. He sold the character to its creator.
Steven Maeda said, “He (Eiichiro Oda) certainly didn’t think that we were going to be able to cast someone for Luffy as good as Iñaki, but I think he was really sold when he saw some of the footage.”
The whole team of One Piece Live Action is lucky to have found Inaki Godoy. They could not think of anyone else other than him. If he had not been good, the whole show would have been another failure to fall under the anime adaptation list.
The Whole One Piece Live Action Cast Is Impressive
It is not only Inaki Godoy who steals the show. Rather it is the whole cast of One Piece Live Action that has created a strong fanbase for themselves. Mackenyu Maeda as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji are all success stories. Apart from the Strawhats, Vincent Regan’s Monkey D. Garp and Jeff Ward’s Buggy the Clown are also well written.
One Piece Live Action falls into the elite list of live-action that has managed to capture the real essence of the anime. It is a hit series, and fans are sure to wait for the next season. With a few changes here and there, the show will be another trophy for Eiichiro Oda.
Source: Collider
