Netflix’s One Piece has done an impressive job of bringing the anime’s more cartoonish qualities to life in live-action, but it’ll face a greater challenge adapting one of its season 2 characters on the small screen — and it’s not Chopper. Since the streamer announced its plans to transform the One Piece anime into a live-action series, there have been questions about how it would handle the more fantastical aspects of Eiichiro Oda’s world. It’s a problem live-action anime adaptations have run into time and time again, especially those in the fantasy and science-fiction genres.
Unlike many other live-action projects, Netflix’s One Piece does a solid job of adapting the less realistic elements of Oda’s original story. From Luffy D. Monkey’s (Iñaki Godoy) rubber body to the appearances of villains like Buggy the Clown (Jeff Ward) and Arlong (McKinley Belcher III), the show puts its CGI to good use. The series doesn’t attempt to work around these crucial aspects of the story. Instead, it embraces them and puts energy into getting them right. So far, it’s done so. However, One Piece season 2 will face further obstacles. Surprisingly, its biggest CGI challenge won’t be Tony Tony Chopper.
Princess Vivi’s Karoo Will Be Very Difficult To Translate To Live-Action
There’s been discussion about what Chopper will look like in One Piece season 2, as the Straw Hat Pirates’ doctor is an adorable reindeer with human intelligence. Getting Chopper’s appearance right is important for One Piece, and given his big role, it will require more CGI use than a supporting character would. However, a less prominent One Piece character will be even harder to bring to live-action: Princess Vivi’s Karoo. In the One Piece anime, Karoo is a giant duck that accompanies the Arabasta Kingdom’s princess wherever she goes. And unless the Netflix show changes the Arabasta arc, the pair will travel with the Straw Hat Pirates in season 2.
Although the live-action One Piece has proven it can adapt creatures like the Sea King and the Fish-Men, it may have a difficult time getting its audience to take a giant, CGI duck seriously. The fact that he serves as a steed — and a speedy one at that — complicates matters further. The live-action One Piece won’t just need to get his appearance right; it will also need to depict his abilities as one of the fastest forms of transportation in Arabasta. Needless to say, One Piece will have its hands full with its news characters for season 2.
Karoo Is One Of Many One Piece Season 2’s CGI Challenges
Karoo is likely to be the biggest challenge for One Piece season 2, but he’s far from the only CGI obstacle the Netflix series will face. Although Chopper won’t be the most difficult One Piece character to bring to life, he won’t necessarily be easy to recreate in live-action. Likewise, several villains from the anime’s Alabasta Arc — including the Unluckies and Miss Merry Christmas — may be difficult to capture. Laboon the whale will also require CGI, meaning that One Piece season 2 will need to use a lot of it. Hopefully, it has the budget.
