'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
One of the most divisive anime-related projects of the 2023 year is none other than Netflix’s One Piece live-action adaptation, set to premiere on Thursday, August 31, 2023. Following the release of the series’ first trailer last weekend at Netflix’s Tudum 2023 event, discourse concerning the series has intensified.
While some fans are praising the One Piece live-action adaptation based on this exciting first look, others are instead heavily critiquing it, even going as far as to prematurely call it a flop. Many are citing the CGI effects seen in the trailer, despite the short length of these scenes not giving a complete and proper look at the quality of the effects.
Unsurprisingly, this has led to a deep dive into the series’ production, with many naysayers looking for any holes in the budget for the One Piece live-action series. However, such an investigation has unearthed a shocking fact about the series’ overall budget, one that many big names in the series’ fandom are happily highlighting.
One Piece live-action per-episode budget eclipses household name series
The latest
A Twitter user and series fan @Geo_AW (Geo) shared that the budget for Netflix’s upcoming One Piece live-action adaptation series is actually much higher than expected. In fact, from a per-episode standpoint, the budget surpasses that of the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones series and the latest season of Disney's The Mandalorian series.
Both The Mandalorian and Game of Thrones often have a 15 million-dollar per-episode budget, which is generally a standard rate for productions of their popularity and magnitude. However, Netflix’s live-action One Piece series actually eclipses these numbers by a fairly wide margin, registering a per-episode budget of 18 million.
Likewise, with all three series having a total of eight episodes for the season in question, the comparisons are fairly easy to make and eliminate any major issues in comparing them. For many, this is emphasizing both how much Netflix is betting on the adaptation taking off as well as how unfair it is to judge the series based on a fairly short teaser trailer.
There’s also the possibility that the series’ staff will clean up some of the shots seen in the trailer following its release and the criticism some fans have levied against it. With over two months to go until the series’ premiere from the time of the trailer’s release, there’s certainly more than enough time to fine-tune some aspects of the series’ production.
In any case, it’s clear that levying such harsh criticism against the series is unwarranted at this time. The series’ budget alone gives it the credibility needed for judgment to be held off until the series’ August 31 premiere. Likewise, calling the series a flop based on one teaser trailer is presumptuous, to say the least.
Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
