One Piece Live Action fans ruthlessly slam Netflix's Avatar Live Action

Thursday, February 22, 2024 saw the latest Netflix live action adaptation following the incredibly successful One Piece Live Action drop in the form of the Avatar Live Action series. Serving as an adaptation of the original American animated series Avatar the Last Airbender, fans of the original were initially very optimistic when the series was announced. This was largely due to confirmation that the original creators of the series would be working closely with the production.

Likewise, the eventual release and overwhelming initial success of the One Piece Live Action series bolstered the faith of Avatar fans in Netflix’s looming adaptation of their series. However, news of the original creators leaving the Avatar Live Action production due to creative differences began chipping away at this faith.

Subsequent information revealed about the Avatar Live Action series continued to erode fans’ trust, eventually resulting in outward criticism of the series prior to its official release. Now that the series has been released, it seems that longtime fans’ worst fears have come true, and One Piece Live Action fans are taking the opportunity to relish in their series’ successful adaptation.

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One Piece Live Action fans don’t hold back following brutal first 24 hours for Avatar Live Action series

Why One Piece fans are gloating, explained

While it may seem that One Piece Live Action fans are being unnecessarily harsh regarding the Avatar Live Action, it’s difficult to say whether the fanbase is truly being excessive or not. Much of this difficulty stems from the fact that Netflix’s adaptation of author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s original manga series truly is considered the first successful adaptation of its kind.

Prior to the series’ release in August 2023, live action adaptations of successful anime and manga properties were plagued by the likes of Dragon Ball Evolution, Netflix’s Death Note film, and more. Whether for straying too far from or downright ignoring source material, not capturing the magic of the original series, or simply trying to do too many new things, no prior live action adaptation was considered truly successful.

Likewise, the success of the One Piece Live Action series resulted in fans saying it had officially broken the live action curse which had plagued anime properties for so many years prior. While Netflix’s Yu Yu Hakusho adaptation was met with similar praise, it seems that the streaming service completely whiffed on their Avatar Live Action series.

Ironically, much of the criticism on the Avatar adaptation is very similar to those lobbied at anime adaptations prior to Netflix’s version of One Piece. The Avatar adaptation is said to stray much too far from its source material, and not trust viewers to draw connections as the original once did. The term “character assassination” has also been thrown the production’s way, especially as it relates to protagonist Aang and central character Sokka.

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Fan reaction

One Piece Live Action fans react to the Avatar Live Action's lack of success (Images via X users @MeanMisterKien, @_Sul_Op_, @namgiseokay, @Tyrocks12ty)

Likewise, One Piece Live Action fans are relishing in their series still remaining on top in the world of successful live action adaptations of animated original properties. While most fans are simply gloating, others are taking the time to explain where they felt the Avatar Live Action went wrong and the One Piece adaptation went right. Unsurprisingly, most of this constructive criticism centers on many of the points made above.

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Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2024 progresses.