In recent times, anime and manga have started to bring about cultural shifts in the realm of wider pop culture and even entertainment in general. And leading this revolution is none other than Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece.
This revolution has only been strengthened with the release of Netflix’s One Piece live-action, which through defying the curse of former anime adaptions failing hard in execution, made a splash with both new and old fans of the manga and the animation.
Although this seems to have been a beacon of hope for live-action adaptations of the future, if Oda had never seen the 2001 action/sports film Shaolin Soccer, he may have never been convinced that his creation could be developed in the real world for the silver screen.
One Piece Creator Eiichiro Oda Reveals How Shaolin Soccer Encouraged Him To Make Netflix’s One Piece
While the past several attempts at making a live-action remake of anime and manga have been nothing but pure disasters, people were pleasantly shocked to see Netflix do such an amazing execution of adapting the beloved One Piece by Mangaka Eiichiro Oda into the real world.
In fact, people hailed this Netflix series, led by Iñaki Godoy in the role of Monkey D. Luffy, as by far the best and most appealing adaptation of an anime into a live-action series in history, which is a monumental testament to the great work that has been done with it.
But according to Oda, he wasn’t so sure that his manga would ever be in a place where a live-action of the series would even be possible. In a past interview with The New York Times, the creator revealed that he too was skeptical of the idea of a live-action One Piece series anytime soon in the future because he believed the resources weren’t there just yet.
But then, he watched Shaolin Soccer in the past one time, which made him believe that a successful adaption of his work into real life was possible. He said that the performances and CGI used in the film were enough to convince him that he just has to find a suitable partner to work with him on his vision. He said:
“When I first started, I didn’t think there was any point in drawing a manga that could be remade in live-action. But when I saw the movie Shaolin Soccer, it felt like a manga-esque world brought to life. I changed my mind. I realized times had changed, and there was technology available that could make a live-action “One Piece” happen. So I shifted to finding the right partner to bring the manga to life.”
Thus, after years of searching for someone to work with and bringing this idea to life, Oda managed to help create one of the best live-action anime adaptations.
What Is Shaolin Soccer About?
One of the best and most visually exhilarating films known as a cult classic among the plethora of Hong Kong martial arts movies, Shaolin Soccer was a gateway into what anime would look like if it was live action.
The film follows the tale of a young man, who despite being a Shaolin Kung Fu master, is treated like a nobody in the world. But when a chance to bag a $1 Million grand prize at a soccer match comes up, he encourages five of his other Shaolin master friends to take part in this tournament and show what their martial arts are capable of.
Shaolin Soccer, streaming on Pluto TV.
