Reclusive ‘One Piece’ Creator Praises Netflix Adaptation’s ‘Perfect’ Cast as He Receives Manga’s Iconic ‘Snail Phone’ From Star Iñaki Godoy

Rarely seen One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda gave his blessing to Netflixs live-action adaptation of his bestselling manga in a video shared by the streamer Tuesday ahead of the shows Aug. 31 launch.

While Odas face is covered with an illustration in the video, his voice is heard loud and clear transmitted through a snail phone (or Den Den Mushi, to readers of the manga) gifted to him by One Piece star Iaki Godoy and the team behind the series.

As a Hollywood production, the action and VFX are great, not to mention the performances by the cast, Oda, who is famously very private and does not like for his face to be shown publicly, says through the iconic communication method from One Piece. But above all, I want to call attention to how perfect the Straw Hat cast are. Its like youre watching the Straw Hats in real life, which Id love for you to savor.

In Netflixs One Piece, Godoy portrays aspiring pirate king Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist of Odas beloved manga and anime of the same name, as he sets out to find the worlds most elusive treasure, the one piece. On his journey, he obtains his ship, the Going Merry, along with a ragtag team of sailors, which he dubs the Straw Hat pirates: Nami (Emily Rudd), Sanji (Taz Skylar), Zoro (Mackenyu) and Usopp (Jacob Romero).

And according to Oda, these perfect actors are the best part of the stunt and visual-effects heavy show. The creator was heavily involved in every process of the TV series, working closely with showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda.

Check back with Variety Wednesday for an in-depth preview story on the years-long making of Netflixs live-action One Piece.

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