- nearly forgot that this is the only One Piece adaptation that has ever included the flashback of kid Luffy giving himself his iconic under-eye scar. afaik none of the anime episodes or specials have ever touched it, for understandable reasons

- the way kid Luffy gravitated to and ate the Gum Gum Fruit was a little corny, but honestly it works because it wouldn’t feel like an OP adaptation without endearing amounts of corniness

- really liked how easily you can pick out Yasopp and Lucky Roux from the Red-Haired Pirates scenes. a lesser adaptation would’ve left them out, but you hardly ever see Shanks without those two around in the anime/manga

- the fight/action sequences are REALLY fun to watch! it’s a good way of illustrating one of OP’s key charms to an audience that hasn’t read the manga or watched the anime before. I found myself rewinding + watching them over and over again

- there’s been a bunch of fandom discourse over Luffy’s “there’s good Marines and bad Marines” line, but I recall Luffy’s general attitude in the manga/anime being “Marines are my enemy, except for Koby because he’s my friend”? even if he’s being uncharacteristically charitable, he still carves out an exception for Koby because he knows that enlisting is his dream

- in that vein, another criticism I recall is that OPLA Luffy’s too much of a motivational talker, which I sort of agree. but I think that’s a cultural/adaptational thing since that feels like something a protagonist in any American superhero movie would do

- the set details continue to be ridiculously intricate. the exterior of Captain Morgan’s base and the interiors with all of the fascist-style portraits are fully built and believable locations

- would have LOVED to be a fly on the wall for the conversation the production team had with Oda about the scene where Helmeppo is playing with Zoro’s sword while naked in his bedroom

- Nami’s eyes widening when she sees Luffy’s arms stretch for the first time never gets old for me. same goes for Koby sucker-punching Helmeppo and the way Luffy blurts out his name in surprise

- the original trio having a big fight scene with a whole hoarde of Marines was a tad predictable, but it tickled me pink as a longtime fan. it’s Romance Dawn, baybee.

- especially loved Zoro deciding to make slide-in entrance into the melee with his swords drawn. really badass move

- Gum Gum Whip looked awesommeeeee

- enjoyed the little in-joke about Zoro not calling attack moves b/c of the third sword in his mouth. he can and does call out his moves in the manga/anime, but can’t do so in real life!

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- Imao @ Luffy being SO delightfully annoying while Nami's trying to crack the safe open. you can tell from Russ’s expression that she wanted to kill him that whole time

- ALSO the point where he rested his head against her's felt _very_ anime/manga Luffy to me. same goes for him swallowing the Grand Line map whole

- “It’s in a safe place. [touches stomach]” “Ew.” <— God, that moment still makes me laugh

- Who the hell is Shanks?” bro how does PIRATE HUNTER ZORO not know who Shanks is???? his bounty was pretty sizeable iirc

- I remember initially being skeptical of the Jokeresque evil clown angle for Buggy. but it REALLY works, especially because his actor does a bang-up job with his quick-witted bitchiness. the Buggy Balls being filled with sleeping gas also felt like a nod to Joker Venom

-“Is that thing for real?” [reaches for Buggy’s nose] <— Luffy, do you want to lose your fingers?

- we got a couple of good instances of Zoro and Nami snarking back and forth at each other towards the end of the first episode and the beginning of this one. but with the green room talk, you really feel their dynamic taking better shape

- Nami as a caged bird…super unsubtle foreshadowing, but I do dig it

- ngl Zoro did Helmeppo a favor with that goofy-ass haircut.

- cracking a smile over Garp not holding back on his annoyed sarcasm while interacting with Captain Morgan. that felt especially funny with how he kept his goofy dog hat

- I know not everyone liked how much real estate the Marines subplot took up in season 1…but I kind of like it? Garp taking Koby and Helmeppo under his wing was in the manga’s chapter cover side-stories (which the anime also adapted), so I like seeing that incorporated here, even if partially. plus I won’t ever pass up some sweet, sweet KobyMeppo moments

- part of me wishes I was going into this with absolutely no prior knowledge of the anime/manga. it would’ve made the reveal of Garp’s connection to Luffy towards the end of episode 4 like…five times funnier

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- Buggy trying to stretch Luffy’s limbs to their limits was actually a REALLY unsettling image? also, unsurprisingly, Buggy’s Devil Fruit powers are also very well-rendered and creepy, just like Luffy’s

- Buggy talking about Shanks like a scorned lover while doing his whole Joker monologuing bit was so very *chef’s kiss*

- very happy that a cute old man was cast to play Mayor Boodle; he doesn’t get much screentime but I liked his character a lot in the original

- neat Kryptonite angle to include fatigue when splashed with sea water to Devil Fruit side-effects, on top of being unable to swim. the latter alone is already pretty worrying, but combine the former while locking Luffy in a Houdini-style water tank? chilling stuff

- forgot to say this before, but I’m glad Luffy’s flashback was stretched (ha) out over two episodes. it helps match the present scenes beat-to-beat and it doesn’t feel choppy (HA) at all

- the CGI for the Lord of the Coast is fucking BONKERS, that fucker almost looked real. Shanks doing a Conquerer’s Haki with really silly, but again, if it’s not silly or corny then it isn’t One Piece lol

- Cabaji getting his ass beat by Zoro and Nami together was excellent. their dynamic developed quickly but it’s so solidly accurate

- Luffy quoting Shanks at Buggy, I’m 😭😭😭😭💕💕💕

- the final showdown with Buggy’s limbs swirling around everywhere was really neat and spooky. “How am I supposed to slice a guy who’s already in pieces?”

- Buggy getting reduced to a walking head with hands is every bit as goofy looking as the original, if not more so because his ankles and feet are bigger. the three of them working together to make it happen was so satisfying

- I’m still a little sad that we never got ChouChou’s story, but his cameo still meant a lot!! also Mayor Boodle offering a crate food as thanks and Luffy taking just a piece of bread was really cute

- “We can take their ships, their weapons, and even their lives. But we cannot win if we can’t take away their dreams.” Speaking from experience, eh, Garp?

- the take on that iconic scene of Shanks entrusting Luffy with his hat didn’t *quite* hit the mark, but it’s still an extremely sweet scene. the look in Shanks’ eyes is so gentle and warm, and while kid Luffy may not be a sobbing mess, the way his lip trembles and eyes water is very moving

- I love getting to see the Dendenmushi in all their weird-looking glory, I’m still so happy that they weren’t changed to regular phones, between Garp feeding Morgan’s pieces of lettuce and Nami’s tiny earpiece

- so like…Usopp’s episodes are probably where I’m the most critical. mainly since he’s my favorite Straw Hat next to Nami and I feel like Syrup Village gets a bad rap compared to the other East Blue introductory arcs. I like that arc a lot! as much as I enjoyed the horror/thriller angle they went with, certain changes still miffed me (I’ll elaborate later)

- iirc it did take Jacob Romero Gibson some time to really grow into his role as Usopp. but he’s still got his smooth-talking and confident mannerisms down, which is great!

- probably one of my few complaints about the camerawork would be too many of those weird telescope-like shots? idk if that’s the intended effect, but I do think it detracts from certain scenes

- the way Garp was wandering around his office looking for his Go board, then jauntily pulling it out is probably the most grandfatherly thing he’s done so far lmao

- on that note, I like how the live action still retains a lot of Japanese elements. the chocolate onigiri and chopsticks, the kanji on the sail of Garp’s warship, playing Go…hell, the katakana in the logo! doesn’t shy away from OP’s culture of origin, which would’ve been unheard of at one time

- I still wish the Usopp Pirates made it in somehow, it felt really important to Usopp’s backstory to have a group of kids who dream big and play pretend like he always did. I sort of get why they were left out, but…*SIGH*

- I also wish Django was included too, but again, I could see why the writers couldn’t fit him anywhere with how they reworked the plot

- Siam and Butchie being Kaya’s staff under “Klahadore” was a pretty good change. they don’t just jump out of his ship to fight, they’re kind of his orbiter goons without actually orbiting him

- Captain Kuro’s actor resembles him so much that it’s almost scary. the golden poop accents on his suit jacket really seal the deal too

- lowkey impressed how pale and waifish Kaya’s actress looks. like her holding onto “Klahadore” doesn’t feel contrived at all

- working Arlong in this early felt a bit weird, but I get needing to build up to Arlong Park.
the fishmen and their makeup look downright amazing so far, but oof…the trap music chosen as the motif for a Black-coded fantasy was certainly…uh…A Choice 😬

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- the music that plays while Usopp tells Kaya one of his silly adventure stories is still one of my favorite tracks on the OST, it’s so sweet T-T 💕💕

- I love the set pieces for Kaya’s family mansion. they all have a quirky fanciful design, but they feel both ornate and lived in nevertheless. the touches I liked the most were the dining room walls being covered with hanging plates, the coral chandelier in the foyer, and pastel-painted trees + multicolor fairy lights in Kaya’s bedroom

- having Kuro slowly poison Kaya in a way that almost mimicks Munchhousen syndrome by proxy (i.e. a caregiver purposely making a child sicker and sicker) was a pretty interesting change. more diabolical and a better explanation for her illness than the original “she fell ill from grief” explanation

- Nami trying on fancy dinner clothes and getting zero helpful feedback from Luffy and Zoro is still another favorite scene of mine. really sounds like a femme lesbian asking her asexual friend and gay guy friend for their opinions lol

- “Funky Bar? Mirror Ball Island?” <— you can’t bushido your way out of the homosexual allegations, Zoro

- Luffy outright asking to buy the Going Merry and saying it’s because he’s a pirate who wants to sail out and do pirate stuff is every bit as uncomfortable as I remembered. I was cringing so hard that I was looking away for most of that scene

- to this day I’m still kinda mad about the writers killing off Merry when he’s only been in two scenes >:[ I liked Merry’s character design as a kid, and I remember being relieved that he survived Kuro’s attacking him

- on that note, Merry’s hair and makeup looked excellent. the ram horns and curly head hair + unibrow looked so realistic. really told me that OPLA would do well with designing characters with animal characteristics. would’ve liked to see more of him if he wasn’t FUCKING KILLED OFF FOR NO REASON! GOSH!!!

- anyway, I still enjoyed the horror-tinged rendition of Kuro’s “pussy-foot maneuver”; very unnerving and creepy, especially because his actor is such a perfect fit

- Kaya and Nami having a reluctant heart-to-heart is one of the better additions to the live action, I think? like Nami holds resentment towards Kaya and her wealth for half the episode, seeing as she had grown up with nothing. plus the way Nami pushed back at Kuro for being too controlling over Kaya’s choices felt like a tease at her own situation.

- another true-to-the-anime/manga Luffy moment: him grabbing both handles of a full soup pot and pouring *the entire thing* down his throat

- Usopp trying to warn the villagers felt significantly sadder, purely because only one person bothered to react and it was the same old guy who’s been yelling at him since he was a child

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- neglected to mention this before, but the tracks used for the Black Cat Pirates still go so hard with the way it uses a pitched-down sound of a cat yowling aggressively

- Siam and Butchie as bickering henchmen has a 90s-00s live-action kids’ movie feel to it that I really enjoy. the goofy renditions of their costumes especially helped

- the way Usopp’s not only *not* believed, but also gaslit and talked about like he’s just suffering from grief-induced delusions is just….AGGGGGGH, I know this was more or less in the original context too, but it’s still every bit as frustrating. they _definitely_ got that element of Syrup Village right

- Kaya not believing Usopp and getting upset enough to hit him also hurt to watch, but still felt very believable, as did him refusing to leave her side. one of the few moments in the live-action where Usopp *didn’t* take a backseat to his own introductory arc

- trying to work Koby and Helmeppo into this arc felt…odd, but I can see how the writers wanted to play up the latter’s jealousy and bitterness over losing his nepo-baby street cred around the Marines. also to show Koby’s inner conflict over living his dream as a Marine and doing the right thing, neither of which line up as much as he had hoped

- Kuro trapping Kaya in the fully locked-down mansion was one of the better Syrup Village changes. I don’t think a straight adaptation of the Straw Hats trying to hold off a land invasion by the Black Cat Pirates would have worked anywhere near as well

- on that note, I have noted the resemblance to the Nightmare on Elm Street movies on first watch. how Kuro menacingly drags + stabs his claw blades across walls and objects is really giving Freddy Krueger. but. BUT!!! the way the moonlight shines through the shutters and inner walls? that’s People Under the Stairs, baby (one of Wes Craven’s more criminally underrated films, highly recommend)

- lol’d @ Helmeppo getting sucker-punched a second time. also cute that he thought shooting Luffy with a gun would work (because, well…he doesn’t know)

- *excellent* touch to have Zoro walking in the opposite direction of the mansion after he makes it out of the well. I look forward to that classic running gag showing up in full-force in season 2

- speaking of…I appreciate the amount of details added to his flashback? the samurai village really does look and feel like it would be connected to Wano (like it is canonically) from the kendo equipment to Kuina’s traditional Japanese funeral

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- Kuro ripping Kaya’s parents’ bedroom apart while going on his angry tirade about how much he secretly hated Kaya *was* pretty upsetting. more brutal than the original, and seeing Kaya tremble and tear up from his betrayal made her trying to pull a knife on him very compelling

- although I wasn’t expecting Usopp to play a bigger role during the fight with Kuro, it still really annoys me how *little* he ended up doing? aside from one (1) hit and buying time for Luffy by protecting Nami and Kaya. neither of which are bad things, but like…his last stand, when he’s so battered he could barely move, was genuinely a moving moment in his introductory arc? the way he go relegated to being a side character in this fight felt so wrong to me

- Siam and Butchie only came in to fight once Zoro got to the foyer, which felt a bit delayed tome but they put up a surprisingly decent fight before Zoro cleaned their clocks

- Luffy’s fight with Kuro is very short, but it’s also still effectively intense. the way Kuro disappears and reappears in the corner of your eye and behind different furniture felt very uncomfortable and dreadful. almost demonic even, until Luffy perked his ears up of course

- imho the Gum Gum Bell could’ve used a louder GONNNNNNG on impact, because the moment Luffy skullbashed Kuro always looked like it REALLY fucking hurt

- the whole “naming Going Merry after Merry as a way to respect his memory” felt tacked on, given that the Strawhats (and the audience) only knew him for a few minutes at most. that was sort of the case in the anime/manga, but 1) Merry was around in the story a lot more 2) he FUCKING LIVED in that continuity FFFFFFFFF

- We Are! score swelling as Going Merry sails with Luffy perched on her head…a stirring longtime fan moment :’)

- also Nami dropping her guard and resting bitchface and laughing over Luffy and Usopp’s argument was really cute :’’’)

- again, I sometimes wish I was a totally new fan just to experience that blindsiding shock and hilarity of hearing Luffy say “…Grandpa?” when he recognized Garp through the telescope

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- the Straw Hats attempting to fend off their first ship attack, only for it to be an absolutely clumsy clusterfuck, is just about what I expected from this point of the story

- The moment where Garp throws a cannon ball with his bare hand, but then laughs maniacally after Luffy deflected it with Gum Gum Balloon and destroyed his mast = 100% how I remember him from the manga

- “Your training begins today…but first, lunch.” <— in case there was any doubt that Garp and Luffy are related. also conspicuously leaves out all of the ways Garp tormented the S H I T out of Luffy when he was a child. but those details might be covered at some point later

- Nami sending Zoro to have a talk with Luffy, only for Zoro to drop it at first opportunity was hilariously in-character. he approaches Nami’s guardedness the complete opposite way, but I think that’s because he sees a kindred spirit in her personality

- Baratie is hands-down my favorite set in all of season 1, it was a functioning restaurant and it looked so fucking cool and accurate!!! still sad it was dismantled, that would’ve been a peak OP fan pilgrimage

- Patty’s weirdly uptight and serious in the live action, he wasn’t really like that in the original from what I remember? the kitchen didn’t really need another hard-ass with Zeff helming it

- the role of Sanji basically fits Taz Skyler like a glove. he’s got the wild legwork kicking down, the “getting passionately mad about food/ingredients” down, AND the “chauvinistic but in the thirstiest way possible” down

- Sanji devolving into fawning verbally the minute he notices Nami was too perfect, as was her totally stonewalling him lmfao. get used to that, Nami-swannnnn~

- Jin’s brief scene was almost haunting. not enough to convince Luffy to stop pursuing the One Piece ofc, but he genuinely sounds so rattled and fearful for his life when he talks about having barely escaped the Grand Line alive

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- Baratie theme music is easily the higher end of the soundtrack, those jazzy numbers are all bangers

- Mihawk is the highlight of the whole episode, he’s probably the cuntiest of all the antagonists we’ve gotten so far. his castanet-filled pasodoble theme music, his dead-pan surliness, the accent, the casually destructive sword-swings…goddamn. annihilate me

- Helmeppo being smug because Koby’s idealism keeps getting shattered is lowkey annoying, but that’s kind of the point lol. anything for some KobyMeppo

- Nami and Zoro bouncing assumptions off each other over drinks felt so true to how similar the two of them are, I wish that scene was just a smidge longer

- quick to suggest hiding/running at the first sign of danger, going full party animal in a silly costume, and ratcheting up the Great Captain Usopp stories once he’s drunk ? oh yeah, Jacob Gibson’s fully Usopp now. he’s come so far in such a short time 👏👏👏💕💕💕

- Nami’s skittishness activating after learning about Garp was a clever way to propel the plot forward a bit faster. between that and Zoro challenging Mihawk, she was practically clawing at the walls to get out of there

- the episode really does well in demonstrating how immature and over his head Luffy is, driving home that if he’s gonna be a pirate captain then he actually needs to play the part

- even when the one-on-one fights are brief, the live action draws so much tension out of them. Zoro vs. Mihawk is demonstrative of that. using that tiny blade to send Zoro sliding back over and over was chilling

- the final blow had this awful skewering sound, I almost though Zoro got gutted like a fish (and he kinda was)

- “If I fail to become the greatest swordsman, won’t you be disappointed?””You could never disappoint me. :)”<— ZoLu shippers ate so good with that scene

- kinda wish Makenyu had tears streaming down in his rendition of Zoro’s “I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!” but there was an intensity in his eyes that made me believe he was going his whole heart into saying it. spoken like a lifelong stan

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- Luffy disassociating because his first-mate is dying right in front of him was a rare moment of vulnerability. I’m half wondering how this could be incorporated if OPLA were to ever adapt the Marineford arc when [redacted] gets killed

- giving Sanji a fervent, vocal hatred for anyone adding oregano to his food is so fucking funny. I think of that whenever I add oregano to my spaghetti meat sauce

- Zeff’s improvised seaman’s surgery on Zoro was *extremely* cool! I’m pretty squeamish about watching stuff like that usually, but the fish skin tourniquets and fishing line sutures were clever pre-Chopper first aid methods. also looked it up and fish skin actually IS used for medical purposes, including skin grafts! amazing stuff

- “waddy itchy monkey” <— I was glad that Luffy’s inability to remember certain names became a running gag, but am especially so that it’s not just there to annoy Buggy

- Sanji’s flashback was so sooooooo grueling. I remember the time lapses being dreadful, and they still were. the reveal of what Zeff actually did—all because he shares Sanji’s dream of finding the All Blue—was very well-handled

- Nami reading Noland the Liar to Zoro as a little nod to the Skypiea arc…goddamn I want to see how OPLA would handle that arc, even though that’s still a little ways away (i.e. after the Alabasta arc, which would take up ALL of season 3, probably)

- I did like that it was Nami telling him what he needed to hear (i.e. if you insist on being a pirate captain, you need to act like it and make difficult decisions to keep your crew alive). it’s the last one-on-one she has with Luffy before Arlong shows up and it felt meaningful

- I know Luffy asking everyone what their dream are is a little corny, even by One Piece standards. but him asking Nami and her saying “not everyone gets to follow their dreams” that felt extra sad, knowing what I know about her soon-to-be-revealed backstory

- the trap music to announce the Arlong Pirates is still really uncomfortable, particularly with how the antiblack racism elements are laid so thick this early into the story. granted, the latter is *canonically* accurate to how Oda wrote fishmen’s history of oppression by humans to parallel white supremacy irt Black American history. but I could imagine it being really awkward and extremely questionable for Black viewers to watch

- the big jump out of the water looked extremely silly in an MCU-esque way, but I also know OP’s anime physics were very VERY tricky for the production team to recreate

- no no NOOOOOOO at Garp giving Koby false hope and pulling the rug out from under him in front of the whole fleet!!! 😭😭😭 #onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- had such a massive heart sink hearing Nami try and fail to stop the Straw Hats from fighting Arlong. I’d hate to think about how many people Nami couldn’t let herself get close to because she knew Arlong would kill them :’(

- completely forgot about Buggy hiding one of his ears in the band of Luffy’s hat

- the Arlong brawl was pretty fun. my favorite parts of the soundtrack are the fast-paced jazzy ones with a bunch of saxophones. feels reminiscent of the anime OST’s own battle music. I’m thinking specifically of 「負けられない!」 (https://youtu.be/ffmGEHpdAJA)

- Nami telling Arlong to drop Luffy into the ocean instead of killing him directly sounded cold and cruel, but I’m guessing she did it knowing that someone would save him? kind of like how in the anime/manga, she pretended to stab Usopp and let him fall into the Arlong Park pool that carried him out to the ocean alive

- between Luffy trying to communicate to comatose Zoro and Nami’s betrayal, I think this episode’s the closest we get to him crying on-screen. you can see his face trembling and eyes beginning to water, but the dam doesn’t outright break

- Luffy jumping onto Zoro and yelling in his face with joy counts as another moment I could easily see happening in the manga/anime. Luffy’s a very *physical* character, so it really helps his performance when Godoy replicates that aspect. ZoLu shippers had a feast off these past two episodes for sure

now, onto the last two episodes of season 1!

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- just like how my attachment to Usopp affects my view of OPLA’s rendition by of the Syrup Village arc, have mixed feelings about the changes made to the Arlong Park arc due to my emotional investment in Nami. now, these changes aren’t *quite* as vexing to me, but the tone and angles taken do affect the overall execution in wags that I’m still not super thrilled about

- the way Sanji guessed Nami’s situation out of pure thirst is very in-character, as is him bickering with Zoro. I liked that he still calls Zoro mosshead/marimo like in the manga/anime

- lol @ Zoro dropping Buggy’s head into a barrel when he tries to sing a bawdy sea shanti about Nami

- “we don’t lie about money on this crew” <— faaaaaaamous last words, dear fucking lord dude

- I haven’t had a chance to praise McKinley Belcher’s performance as Arlong! he nails Arlong’s calmly smug yet quick-tempered demeanor, every word spoken to any human with dripping content and hatred. he’s even got the heavy footfalls down. I found his tongue clicks unsettling too

- the decision to have Nami’s map room at the bottom of the Arlong Park pagoda was a little odd to me, but it makes sense not to want to build all of those unused floors just to put it at the top for accuracy. in contrast to the cluttered, tiny map room in the manga/anime, the wider one with its sea chart barrels is equally lonely and oppressively dark. the ankle chain anchored to the floor alone manages to say a lot

- OPLA Bellemere strikes me as just a *touch* too feminine—not overtly so, but I couldn’t ever see her wearing lipstick—but that could be my personal taste talking here? she was a kinda butchy in the manga/anime. which doesn’t really come across much here?

- the tangerine rind pinwheels are really cute. I liked this nod to the pinwheel in Genzo’s hat that he used to make baby Nami laugh in the anime/manga

- Garp arriving at Baratie and Zeff placating him with an offer dozens of more-rare-than-medium steaks on the house…like grandfather like grandson lmao

- seeing Cocoyashi Village completely dirt poor and cowering at the sight of Nami was heartbreaking, as was the mournful look in Genzo’s eyes and the resentful way that Nojiko spat at her feet

- on that note, this is a major change I feel conflicted about: Nojiko—and by extension, Genzo and the rest of Cocoyashi’s villagers—not being in on Nami’s plan to save up millions of Berry to buy the village free them all from Arlong. their knowing all along was such an emotional moment for her after Arlong inevitably breaks his promise. it’s not detrimental, but idk it doesn’t sit right for me

#onepiece #onepieceliveaction #opla

- “Arlong has bled us dry.” “Then find more blood.” <— Rudd’s delivery here was so cold that it chilled me

- the blurry wide lens shots got more than a little ridiculous in the first half of the episode. idk who insists on adding them so much or what they’re trying to convey with it. like you’re looking through a telescope I guess? I’m not a fan of it, personally

- one of my favorite aspects of Rudd’s Nami is how she can say one thing with mouth while her eyes say the opposite. it’s interesting how desperate she looks while verbally pushing the Straw Hats away

- “You don’t know women, they never say what they mean.” “Like any woman, she’s a mystery to be unraveled.” <— someone on Tumblr said that OPLA Sanji speaks like one of those alpha male podcasters if they actually liked women, and that’s pretty much spot-on lol

- Bellemere’s death flashback wasn’t perfect, but I think it hit all of the emotional beats because I still get misty-eyed and tense whenever I watch it. having Arlong shoot her in the close quarters of that tiny hut managed to rattle me a bit, as did kid Nami crying and calling her “Mom” over and over

- Luffy being there to listen to Nojiko tell them that part of the story was another change I’m still not sure about? I’m not miffed exactly, but he walked away beforehand in the anime/manga because he said wasn’t interested, implying he didn’t need a reason to justify wanting Nami back. it was a good half-measure to have him quietly walk out once the flashback ended though

- Nezumi making a microaggression and pissing off Arlong was about as awkward and hamfisted as I remember it, if not more. also good lord @ the Jinbei line

- Helmeppo getting Koby buzzed enough on liquor to spill the beans about Luffy and Garp being related, I’m….😭😭😭💀💀💀

- Zeff bringing out his finest wine while dodging questions and tantalizing Garp with gratuitous meat cooking stories is a fun little bonus old man yaoi I nearly forgot about

- “You don’t understand.” “Then *make* me understand.” <— on second thought, I think Nojiko learning directly from Nami what’s actually been happening all of these years was far more emotional. Nami letting Nojiko hold all of that hatred towards her, and Nojiko processing that in real time had a better impact than I remembered

- I actually did get close to crying when Nezumi and his Marine goons steal all of Nami’s Berry for the village at Arlong’s behest. Rudd’s performance was so fucking heart-wrenching

- although I don’t think anything can hold a candle to the “Luffy…help me” scene in Japanese version of the anime. OPLA’S version’s actually better than the English dub’s attempt! still got misty-eyed, and Nami’s anger and anguish felt far more raw in how Rudd conveyed it