I'm a different kind of Netflix adaptation
Recently I've been on something of a roll in calling ever single modern adaptation painfully and unbelievable bad, ill conceived, or totally adverse to the point of the source material. I don't think the act of making differences and being that tiny bit unfaithful is a crime, especially when it comes to adaptation towards totally distinct forms of media, but there's an expectation of 'spirit', that ephemeral and immeasurable quantity, that needs to be maintained from one aspect to the other. Capture the spirit of a how a book felt, how it hit you in the right places at the right moment, how it characterised the right characters in the perfect manner. When it's done correctly you get that moment of understanding and pathos which transcends those who know both media and compares and contrasts obsessively- you just get people who see the good for what it is.
Shows like Halo never understood what it was that made the character of Master Chief compelling in really any form. They see the very basic function of Master Chief as an avatar for the player and assume that made up all he was. Well, it ain't really that simple, is it? Frey Holland is the avatar for all six people who play Forspoken and she was an unbearable ass that no one wants to remember. Master Chief is more than just his function, he's a bit of a character too. Primarily, the man is a badass and an exemplar of his rank and role to a degree that surpasses his position as a 'Master Chief' or even an 'Enhanced human'. At times he's a role model to even humanity itself with his staunch conviction to very human morals and motivations. I understand how a jaded writer could look at that and immediately assume the 'superman problem', thinking such a character needs to be made coarse with gritty character dialogue and complex sexual dalliances with prisoner enemy agents (Thanks for that one, Paramount.) in order to be compelling- but the truth is you just need to understand the character.
Albert Wesker from Resident Evil was another example of what I mean. In the Resident Evil TV show the best part by far was the various faces of Albert Wesker as played by the late Lance Reddick, but even then that character failed to capture the Albert we know from the games. Set after the 'death' of Wesker, the TV show was meant to show us a series of clones of the old Albert Wesker that... well they're trying to... cheat death? (I cannot remember Resident Evil for the life of me.) But they lost the fun of Wesker. Wesker was an opportunist when we met him, but he was also cocky, indulgent, masturbatory- all the synonyms! He thought himself the most intelligent in the room, in an almost Dio-esque fashion, and that's what made him so fun to kick the crap out of. To prove him wrong. They failed to capture that, as well as just about everything that made Resident Evil fun- and so the show was... less than fun.
Which brings us around to One Piece. Now I'll be honest, I've never got into One Piece. Something about a never ending series filled to the brim of campy messages about 'friendship' stretched across an action anime just failed to spark my imagination. And I found Anime Luffy to be emblematic of all the worst character traits in your typical anime protagonist. Stupid, hungry and overbearingly optimistic to the point where it seems nothing is ever serious if he's in the scene. Now I didn't watch much of the anime, and I'm told he becomes a better character with time- but now I don't need to swallow my pride and return to the show I wrote off because we've got ourselves a live action adaptation and it's... watchable. More than watchable. I actually really like it.
My thoughts on all the trailers was largely negative. I was mostly just sad that the show's creator was getting involved with what looked to be an incoming bomb and wanted to shield him from the inevitable criticism after the fact because he seemed like a good enough guy. Turns out it was me doing him a disservice because I didn't believe enough in the guy to whip the Netflix adaptors into shape and ensure they were doing everything they could to make One Piece a show worthy of his legacy. The first real hint of this was when we all saw the ship designs and realised- "oh wait, they're actually making the ships and not just CG'ing them? Huh, that's a lot more effort than I expected..." but what no-one expected was for that passion to persist through the action, the drama and the characters in a way that would make the show a hit.
I loved the casting job they did on practically everyone! Luffy's actor,
But if the heroes are solidly cast than the villains are simply brilliant. Who'd have thought that the bizarre and deranged designs of the original Manga could play out with decent accuracy to a live-action show without coming across as stupid and goofy. Well... Arlong's nose looks kind of dumb... and the action can look a little silly when it's Luffy throwing the punches... but in substance all the villains steal the show! Buggy and the failed clown routine could have been really embarrassing if they played it wrong, but just the right hint of deranged menace with the pathetic sprinkle of a guy who thinks he's more funny than he is and they nailed him! And don't even get me started with Mihawk. Oh. My. God. It's like the guy stepped right out of the comic. And they make him just insanely stupidly cool in his introduction alone. That's the kind of over-the-top excitement Anime has held a monopoly on for too long!
More importantly than all of that, however. There's emotion, and pathos, and characters. My heart sings for moments like the symbolism of Zorro struggling to crawl out of the well whilst beset with flashbacks reminding him of what he set off to become in the first place- or the surprisingly horrowing story of Sanji and his turbulent but heartfelt relationship with his adopted father figure. There's a heart to this show, and that's what has been missing in every other adaptation under god's green earth. I'm beyond pleased we've got one right, and though it's not enough to get me to sit through the 20,000 minutes of One Piece anime out there, (it's actually just over 24,000 at this point) this show has sparked a love in me for something I had no interest in before. Let it be known, far and wide, from the East sea to the Grand line, good adaptations can exist. You just need to have a heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment