One Piece (TV Series) The Chef and the Chore Boy (2023) User Reviews

Best episode so far

[coreydingus · 9/10 · 2 September 2023]

I don't mind any of the tiny changes, it still hit all the right emotional beats & had the most fleshed out backstory so far. The Zoro & Usopp ones looked like a fan project using some cosplay costumes, with little to no weight in their brief histories. This one felt a lot more fully-realized, and Zeff's actor was easily the best of the group.

That's probably what really sold it, Zeff actually coming across like a father figure to Sanji. I don't care that everything wasn't 1:1, they nailed the heart & emotional stakes involved. And for once, the characters felt grounded in this world. Sanji's & Zeff's goodbyes were the closest this show has gotten to a genuine touching moment.

As for Arlong, he was well done but his henchmen looked goofy. I get wanting to shoot everything in-camera, but sometimes I see the costumes & fx of this show & wonder where the hell the massive budget went. Yes, the pacing overall is still pretty fast, and this DEFINITELY should've been at least a 10 episode season (Netflix's obsession with these paltry episode counts is really becoming its achilles heal), but this episode managed to get through the necessary plot elements while still getting you invested in the characters.

Side Note: Sanji is the first character aside from Luffy that really looks like their anime/manga counterpart imo. The others are "close enough," but their costumes/wigs/other looks don't really feel authentic. Sanji actually looks like his hair is natural, and not something dyed or glued on.

Anyway, really good episode. Best or 2nd best episode so far (along with the previous one).

Mix of following the original storyline

[rushikeshkulkarni1994 · 8/10 · 3 September 2023]

After such an awesome episode with Mihawk, this episode was a mix.

First half of the episode is awesome!

The flashback of Sanji and Zeff was more than awesome!

1. A totally nice visual representation of the island with the size of it being huge, but still tiny as compared to the vast ocean! I had always wondered why couldn't Sanji understand that Zeff hasn't eaten anything.

2. Staying true to the Manga and not the anime where Owner Zeff eats his own leg to survive gives that much of the depth to their relationship.

The second half of the Manga is a real real letdown. 😔 The straying away from the original manga/anime storyline in the second half was a bit too much for me.

1. Omitting Don Krieg's entire story alongwith Gin didn't sit down well with me. Gin's emotional dilemma of fighting for his captain vs duping the ones who fed him when there was no hope left for him; was one of my favourite character arcs of the Manga/anime. Heck, he is still a fan favourite to return to the main storyline stronger than ever! If at all he does, I don't know what will the TV series say!

2. And then Arlong working with Buggy to find Luffy. In the Manga, Arlong didn't care about the Grand line map. He actually is from the Grand line! I wonder how will the future seasons with Madam Shyarly be told with this not knowing the way to Grand line gimmick.

3. The worst part was the goodbye between Zeff and Sanji. The goodbye in manga/anime had so much emotional spectrum! First, everyone rubbishing the goodbyes as not being worthy of men, and then Sanji just bursting out crying, was again one of my favourite emotional moments of One Piece. In the series, Zeff actually says goodbye to him. The storyline of "real men" still becoming emotional was completely missed out. The series earlier missed out Chochou the dog's arc in the Orange Town arc. But, this was simply too much.

So, highly disappointed with the missing story lines in this episode.

Mixed feelings with this one...

[gerardsanchis-72307 · 10/10 · 2 September 2023]

On one hand, the episode itself is great, maybe lacking a bit of emotional value but still effective. On the other hand, if you compare it to the original work, you become desperate because, oh boy, it could have been muuuch better.

The consequences of not bringing Gin and Krieg to the arc are far too great. With this decision, they shifted the whole narrative and took Sanji's arc from him.

Making Sanji leave because of a tantrum was probably the worst of everything. In the manga, Sanji witnesses firsthand how Zoro and Luffy fight, putting their lives on the line, while Zeff reminds him of what really matters in this world: following your dreams. At the end, Zeff and the cooks throw Sanji's soup to the floor (despite not throwing food being a strong theme in the arc) to make him leave and fulfill his dream. This only works because we see the antagonism between Patty, Zeff, Sanji and the rest of the cooks in their philosophies. Their friendly enmity makes their bond strong, and it only works because Gin and Krieg are there. This synergy makes the farewell hit 300 times harder, but sadly, here it's just another bye-bye; we only care about it because of Sanji's flashback, which doesn't even mention the main point of his character. I could comment more on that matter, but I'd be summarizing the whole arc in the manga, and it's just better to see it for yourselves.

Following through, Garp's tantrum made no sense. Were they trying to imitate something from the manga? I don't know, but it was definitely not great. I hope it doesn't happen again.

Arlong is more decent than I thought. While it's not great, it's not bad enough to criticize, so I'm cool with it.

Luffy seems way too sensible here. Sure, he's sensible, but he's not easily depressed. It feels weird to have these kinds of feelings so early on, but oh well, at least they don't really contradict anything.

It's a good episode, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, especially because I wanted to see a lot of the Baratie come to life. At least I know the ones who are here for the first time will enjoy it, so that's great!

Great episode

[rich-12169 · 9/10 · 7 September 2023]

But. I just hate that obvious fake our double cross. Did the director tell her to act worse in this scene. Like Yes we are going for the double cross but we want it to be obvious..So in this scene if you could just not act so good that would be great.

It honestly feels like that. Her acting and voice just take a huge nose dive at the end.,

But wow what a great episode..So DARK!. I was not expecting that. Was this made by the same people who did Lemmony Snicket. It really feels like it.

I need more..so yeah I guess it would have been nice if the kid got a tan during the 85 days at sea...and te.

Luffy and Arlong

[ahmedhaitham · 7/10 · 1 September 2023]

The fight was very bad and unrealistic to One Piece standards and to reality. Luffy had many chances to dodge and he didn't. Luffy had many chances to resist some attacks or holds and he didn't. Luffy was super slow . Since when did normal attacks hurt Luffy?

Zeff was weaker than in the manga or the anime and started the fight with a bullet inside his restaurant!

However, the part with Sanji and Zeff's story was very very good! Could have been better? Of course, but we are thankful!

Good job Oda and Netflix team!

Good job Netflix and Oda!

Good to the crew and makeup team!

Good job for all the production team!

"Why are we bringing the waiter?"

[LegendaryFang56 · 7/10 · 20 September 2023]

(700-word review) Sanji's backstory, specifically the twist at the end, and the much more surprising twist and subsequent betrayal by a particular character - though it was made less of a surprise here because bits and pieces were leading up to it, whereas it was sudden and shocking in the manga - likely landed well with many of the viewers who haven't read the manga or watched the anime. Some fans of the source material may have enjoyed this episode even more because they got to see each of them (especially the backstory) in live-action. I assume it was one of the season's best for many people.

I was previously familiar with the backstory details, most notably the ultimate twist, alongside the surprising discovery of Nami's allegiance and her pivotal decision that leads to a highly memorable scene, which bodes well for the remaining two episodes. But, contrary to the likelihood that having prior knowledge did not have the same effect on other people, I believe that "lessened" the expected impact of those two things. More controversially, Sanji's backstory was the weaker one, and the whole thing with Nami landed better, with the subtle piercing effect of it on Luffy (on top of his reaction), not to mention it sets up her backstory. More importantly, it adds to the effective dynamic of the crew and how much Luffy values her, leading to that iconic moment, which will undoubtedly land for me if only due to the reunion.

Another perspective to consider is how good the previous episode was, going above and beyond and establishing, with ease, the standard to live up to and (hopefully) surpass, either with the final two, possibly both, but more generally, encompassing the entire show. It cooked up a massive fire and left it sizzling, while this one had difficulties keeping that sizzle going, let alone reviving it back to a fire.

However, on the plus side, Arlong's arrival at the Baratie propelled a slightly overarching weakness to considerable improvement. That fight sequence was good, and Buggy's reappearance was fantastic. He was the best part of this episode. There was also something that may have gone under the radar, and it relates to certain shots in previous episodes that weren't particularly liked; well, the revelation that he's been eavesdropping with his "eyes and ears everywhere" explains those shots, though I was already a fan of them before this recontextualization and deeper meaning. But at least there's an actual reason, beyond being a directing choice, for the people who were turned off.

I also liked the scene with Zoro and Luffy after the former woke up, featuring Usopp. The emotional connection present on Luffy's part, complimented further by Zoro's vow and the weight behind it, was noticeably well-executed, and the comedic relief moments of the hug and the arm yank were not only funny but they increased the sincerity of the scene; the way Zeff's mustache was flopping as he was prodding Sanji to go after his dream, the final goodbyes between them at the end was surprisingly impactful, largely thanks to Taz Skylar's acting, Zoro's reaction to Buggy, which was enhanced by that circus-y score cue kicking in, and Nami's outfits - the costume department needs massive applause for their excellent job here.

But that final shot of Koby after Garp's speech was hilarious. I've always been indifferent concerning that subplot. I've seen some complaints about it, coming down to frustration about the amount of screen time it's receiving: how Usopp's story deserved a chunk, and now Sanji's story - both of which were practically on the back-burner within THEIR stories. While I'm still indifferent towards those sentiments and observations, that subplot/the scenes with Koby and Garp are becoming tedious now. They seem to lack variation; it's the same conversations over and over, seasoned with the continual bug-eyed, jittery acting by Koby's actor - that never bothered me much until now, as it's growing old, despite the potential trueness and faithfulness to his character in the manga. And what was up with Garp's speech? What was different about that declaration compared to his initial avenue of action? I must've missed something subtle that indicated a significant change in the course of action.