Is Hollywood finally doing anime right?

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series One Piece has been described as a surprise hit, receiving mostly praise from critics.

The show follows a group of pirates on the hunt for some mythical treasure, known as the One Piece, mirroring Eiichiro Oda’s original storylines.

Whilst other manga live action crossovers have disappointed, the show appears to have bucked the trend.

“[It’s] a candy-coloured confection with a childish glee” said Variety.

The Hollywood Reporter agreed that “the series neither takes itself too seriously, nor apologises for its silliness”.

“It may satisfy fans of the original, who are happy to see events more or less faithfully replicated, but most of the verve and personality of the anime are gone, replaced by busyness [and] elaborate but uninteresting production design”.

“The energy of the world-building and the chemistry between the characters is enough to carry things in the early going. But once the novelty fades, some of the problems begin to assert themselves.”

“The production team has done an enviable job of recreating the anime’s vibrant settings and costumes, which include clown pirates, shark-men, multi-coloured ships and punk-esque hair dyes.

“It certainly looks gorgeous in a way many anime adaptations chicken out on,” she added.

Hollywood doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to adapting anime, with productions including The Ghost in the Shell, Dragonball Evolution and Death Notebeing universally panned.

But with the genre continuing to have huge global appeal and commercial success, it makes sense that production houses continue to try and crack the format.

Variety’s Alison Herman acknowledged One Piece’s success in the area – calling it a “best-case scenario” – but had less flattering things to say about Netflix’s approach to adapting existing properties, including Wednesday, Umbrella Academy and The Witcher.

“These shows are both wildly popular and culturally slight. There’s a frictionless quality to them that’s friendly to a binge, unchallenging to the audience, and antithetical to achieving true novelty,” she wrote.

“[One Piece’s] spirit takes after that of its protagonist, who knows perfectly well that his ambitions sound preposterous to most people, and who does not care one lick.

“It just adds to the sense that this is all one big, joyous game of make-believe – albeit one constructed with an adult writer’s mind for continuity,” she wrote.

The series premiered on Netflix on Thursday, with all eight episodes available instantly.