Every episode of Netflix’s One Piece remake, reviewed
One Piece Episode 2 review: “The Man in the Straw Hat”
This episode includes more flashbacks, mostly of Luffy’s not-so-pleasant childhood memories. We see how Luffy has become what he hopes is “a different kind of pirate,” as he likes to say. Shanks may not have let Luffy join his crew back in the day, but he certainly did care about him, as we see him come back for Luffy when he needed him the most. And also to shoo away a giant sea monster like he was telling his dog to sit.
Fast-forward to the present and Luffy and his “crew” of Nami and Zoro are working on cracking a safe containing the map of the Grand Line. The Grand Line are monster-infested, pirate-filled waters that even Google Maps would have a hard time navigating. Nami, who happens to be quite the navigation specialist, takes this opportunity to teach Luffy about the different quadrants of the sea and the mythical Grand Line where the legendary One Piece treasure is rumored to be hidden.
Just as they’re finishing up their conversation, a red flare interrupts the lesson and puts them to sleep. When they wake up, they find themselves kidnapped by a crew of pirates. And not just any pirates, but a circus led by the infamous Buggy, a clown pirate with a nose complex and a love of dismemberment. Like Luffy, Buggy has consumed a Devil Fruit: the Chop Chop Fruit, which allows him to be chopped down with no adverse effects.
Buggy’s not clowning around when it comes to treasure hunting. Zoro, who usually relies on slashing opponents down, has a hard time fighting him. Buggy’s detachable limbs seem almost unbeatable until Luffy and Nami pull off a brilliant trap and lock Buggy’s limbs in crates, followed by a Gum Gum Bazooka finisher that yeets him out of the ship in Team Rocket style.
Elsewhere, Koby’s loyalties are questioned as he starts his Marine training, but it seems like the vice admiral sees something in him. And then, just as we all let out a sigh of relief that our little ragtag crew made it out of Buggy’s circus alive and well, Nami reveals her true intentions. Away from Luffy and Zoro, she uses a communication device, letting someone know that she has the map, and to “tell him” about that.
“The Man with the Straw Hat” does an excellent job with world and character building. The fight choreography is absolutely beautiful. It is hard to take a crazy action scene from an anime and make it work in live-action, so kudos all around. Mackenyu, who plays Zoro, is a martial artist and gymnast in real life, and he’s putting those skills to great use here.