TV: One Piece (2023 Netflix series)

Netflix has had a pretty spotty record with adapting anime into live-action, and it's not hard to explain. In addition to the inherent challenge of modifying Japanese IPs for a global audience, the jump to live action imposes budget and performance constraints that require a lot of skill to overcome. When you don't, you get lifeless adaptations of beloved classics like Death Note and Cowboy Bebop.

One Piece seems like it would be the toughest ask yet - a fantastical, effects-heavy pirate world filled with zany characters and a meandering plot (both the manga and the anime have run for over 25 years, with no signs of stopping).

But somehow, miraculously, One Piece is good:

How did One Piece succeed? Well, unlike other ill-fated adaptations, the show enlisted the help of the original creator, Eiichiro Oda, to make sure things didn't go too far off the rails (plotwise, the first season is a fairly faithful adaptation of various arcs from the beginning of the manga/anime). Perhaps more importantly, the showrunners absolutely nailed the casting, especially for the happy-go-lucky-yet-roguish protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. When you have a group of likable actors playing charming characters in madcap situations, you have a great show.