By JOHN CARTER JR.
Tiger Media Network
From the best-selling manga and manga artist of all time, “One Piece” has sold more than half a billion copies to date. The series would go on to produce video games, toys, clothing, food, a live-action television Netflix series and anything else you could imagine.
That being said, the most known product of the iconic Eiichiro Oda manga series is the anime series adaptation. Among the many story arcs throughout the “One Piece” series, it is the Alabasta Arc that stands out as its most memorable to many fans. Warlord of the sea Sir Crocodile and his secret Baroque Works organization, Princess Vivi Nefertari of the Alabasta kingdom, Chopper the Reindeer, Mrs. All Sunday or Nico Robin, devil fruit classifications, Fire fist Ace, Queer icon and Master of Okama Kenpo Mr. 2 Bon Clay and many more important or fan favorite facets of the legendary manga series were introduced in this arc.
With the anime series gaining more and more popularity over the years, the next step would, of course, be to adapt portions of the series into films and live-action. With Netflix’s live-action series adaptation coming out in a few days, let’s take a look at a film adaptation of the fan-favorite Alabasta arc to see what makes the arc so special but to also examine the shortcomings of the adaptation.
Let’s examine the negative aspects of this arc along with the film adaptation first to clear the way for all the good we get here. First, the major problem for the original Alabasta arc regardless of the adaptation or the manga is that Oda did not have all of his ideas for how his world would function from the beginning. The introduction for haki, further diversifying the types of devil fruits, the history and true strength of the seven warlords of the sea, and their interactions with major factions (the marines, world government, Emperors of the Sea and so on) are all factors that have negatively affected who this are seems to legitimately make sense in the grand schemes of the greater “One Piece” story. The biggest problem in the story is how the character Crocodile is to be interpreted. Crocodile is one of the seven warlords of the sea with one of the most powerful devil fruits in the series. The character would later go on to confront some of the most powerful characters in the series. Doflamingo, Mihawk and Akainu are examples of this. He saved fire-fist Ace from execution right in front of fleet admiral Sengoku and faced Whitebeard for a second time. He escaped the world’s greatest prison and survived the war of the best. With those feats alone he sounds like a late-game antagonist but in this arc, he is defeated by Luffy, with barely any experience or haki. This becomes especially apparent when we see Luffy suffer defeats by Crocodile that should have killed him if its plot armor wasn’t equipped. It is less of an issue with the arc itself and more of an issue with 25 years’ worth of power creep and not knowing if the series was going to last as long as it did.
This adaptation heavily cuts down on the content and characters in the arc. No Ace, Smoker, Tashigi, reduced interactions for all the characters involved, even reduced fights for the Straw Hat Pirates and Officer agents of Baroque Works. No Rain Dinners Casino, Dance powder, Mr. Prince, Mr. 3 Galdino or Bananawani were present. The lack of the components does lessen the grand scale of the arc and makes Crocodile seem less like the cunning villain he is — especially as we have less information about his efforts. Due to this, the film has some noticeable pacing issues that detract from the effectiveness of the arc. That being said, this is an arc in the “One Piece” story where the overarching goal is shared by all participants so the strict focus on Luffy and Vivi’s efforts is passable.
Next, let’s talk about the good in this arc and the film adaptation. Starting again with the arc as a whole. What makes the arc separate from the overall “One Piece” story is how beloved almost all components of the story are. Many fan-favorite villains that would eventually go on to be heroes are here. Heroes that made their appearance here are beloved by the fans. Vivi Nefertari, Robin, Bon Clay and Crocodile all ranked highly on the “One Piece” global poll. Fans still hold out hope that Vivi will become a full member of the straw hat crew, and some even rooting for Bon Clay. The arc is also among the first in the genre of anime to portray a queer character in a positive light in Mr. 2 Bon Clay, who becomes a protagonist in their own right in a “One Piece” cover story as well as the impel down arc. What’s more is the nostalgic affection fans have for the heartwarming stories of all the island inhabitants we meet island to island throughout the whole arc but specifically the love we have for characters like Pell, Chaka, Mr. 8 Igaram and King Cobra Nefertari. The fight scenes and match-ups for all the current Straw Hat Pirates and even memorable one-off villains like Mrs. Merry Christmas and Mr. 4 are memorable. That being said, the one thing that stands out as a better aspect of the film adaptation over the anime is the animation of some of the characters — particularly in the final Crocodile vs. Luffy fight. While the logistics of a powerful logia fruit user and challenger of the greatest emperor of the sea being defeated by a non-haki imbued punch is frankly disappointing, the fight is still sick in its visceral tenacity and improved animation.
Alabasta has its problems regardless of adaptation whether it be a film or an anime series. That being said, it is still among my favorite arcs in “One Piece” with Impel Down/Marineford competing with it for my top spot. The arc is definitely better portrayed in the anime than in the film but has some better animated moments. Regardless of the means, however, I’d suggest to anime fans to watch “One Piece” from the start of the east blue through this arc at the very least for the aforementioned reason. With Cross Guild on the move, Vivi coming back into focus and Crocodile, Mr. 1, 2 and 3 still actively in the story, we can look forward to more realized journeys for our favorite classic characters. Here’s to hoping we get some redemption for the problems in this fan-favorite arc and who knows, maybe the Crocodile is Luffy’s mom theory is just as real as the “One Piece.”
John Carter Jr. is a member of Tiger Media Network with a love for movies and music.