One Piece (Season 2)
TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2026
One Piece (Season 2, 2026, USA/Japan)
Creators: Matt Owens and Steven Maeda (based on the manga by Eiichiro Oda)
Directors: Emma Sullivan, Josef Kubota Wladyka, Christoph Schrewe and Lukas Ettlin
Mini-review:
After almost three years of waiting, the One Piece live-action adaptation is back bigger and better than before. It's now much more confident in its tone, embracing the manga's big, campy heart with complete pride, and it's finally found the proper pacing. That allows for improved character writing and development, which is key for the show to work in the long run. Plus, it's finally perfected its sense of humor, especially when it comes to Zoro (Mackenyu's line delivery gives me life). It even got me quite emotional for a few moments there, too, like Chopper's story, Sanji's anecdote about his mother or Laboon's episode. As in the first season, the ensemble remains one of the show's biggest strengths; the casting team has a gift for finding the personified version of these characters. The action scenes have also seen vast improvement; they're much smoother than before and as impactful as the show deserves. There are some seriously insane set pieces in this season.
My only complaint continues to be the cinematography; I just feel like the somber lighting and constant use of close-ups don't really suit the world and style of One Piece. I guess the CGI is a bit of a mixed bag as well: incredible effects for stuff like Smoke's power or Chopper, but things like the CGI-enhanced backgrounds look kinda ugly. Nevertheless, this show has cemented itself as the best shonen manga/anime live-action adaptation of all time. Here's to many more seasons!