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beanghostprincess · 7 months

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My take on OPLA's "Arlong Park" as a Nami kinnie with a lot of things to say

I have a lot of complaining to do about how OPLA wrote and directed the last two episodes and, generally speaking, Nami's character and dynamic with the others. However, and as I said the last time I wrote one of these posts about my takes on OPLA, I understand that it's really hard to make a Live Action of something so iconic and long as One Piece. However, I do think that there is some stuff that could have been done better without it being a problem with the lack of time and all that.

That being said, please enjoy my thoughts on Arlong Park and Nami's character. This will be completely messy and chaotic but it's just that I'm too lazy to organize my ideas properly.

Pre-Arlong Park

For starters, I don't like how they introduce Nami's character arc. I understand that to get attached to her character and show that she's growing fond of the crew you have to make her like them and be friends with them. And that's great! I really liked her interactions with them and it really shows that she cares deeply about all of them but she just can't get too close or else she'll put her mission and them in danger. She can't get too attached out of self-hatred and fear and she can't be herself, even if sometimes her true personality shows whenever she gets too comfortable. And it's beautiful, especially with Luffy.

However, the little hints about her past and current situation felt forced. Perhaps I'm just picky with the script, but I think it would've been way better to show us that she's enjoying her time with them but for some unsaid reason, she refuses to open up. And then, the whole thing with Arlong happens. No hints. No deep trauma-dumping with Zoro. And, please, no verbalization of her ongoing situation that she's literally trying to hide.

The thing with OPLA is that they don't let the characters show their feelings without speaking. They don't let the actors express what the character's going through with silent acting. They have to explain everything verbally as if we, the audience, were stupid.

So I have this feeling that the foreshadowing and hints for Arlong Park were forced and out of character, especially because they wanted to rush Nami's friendship with them (for no reason, since you can do that simply by showing us that she's having a good time but she doesn't let herself actually stay with them or just be herself). You can be friends with somebody and love them without knowing shit about their past or suffering (Luffy in the manga is a great example, but I'll talk about that later) so the friendship they were building between Nami and Zoro could've worked anyway without that drinking game (obviously used as a plot device to foreshadow Arlong Park).

Nami befriends them too easily, in my opinion. She obviously cares about them and wants to be with them, but she can't. That's why canonically she steals the Merry and leaves them there on their own the moment she has the chance to do it. And she cries. And feels like shit because she finally found people who genuinely wanted her and liked her, but she can't be with them. She can't because she thinks she'll hurt them. Because she thinks they'll hurt her. Because she doesn't let herself open up to anybody but herself. Because she has a mission.

OPLA could've easily done that, but for some reason decided to make Nami openly tell Zoro to not fight because they're friends (she probably would think so, but would never say it out loud. Plus, she knows better than to try to stop Zoro. That scene is bullshit) and then stay to see the fight after regretting trying to leave them because they're friends. And it's bullshit, once again, because, despite her feelings towards them, she would never let herself be happy like that. Canonically she hates betraying them, but she has to do it. And yet the live-action decided to make her say all of her feelings out loud when her whole character is about refusing to express her pain out loud.

Good job Netflix (this said with a very sarcastic tone, by the way).

One of the things that bothers me the most, too, is how she blames Luffy after the fight. Not even canon Nami would do that. Yes, she doesn't yet acknowledge Luffy as her captain, but she knows he's the one who has the last word. She's aware that it was Zoro's own stupid decision. She knows why Luffy let him do it. She knows they're stupid but they want to get stronger and follow their dreams and she won't be able to stop them even if she wants to. So it doesn't make any goddamned sense for Nami to actively fight Luffy about it. She should be smarter than this.

And yes, you can say that perhaps it's just the frustration of them being able to stupidly follow their dreams when she can't do it herself. It makes sense. She definitely is. But you can show that frustration without her yelling at Luffy for something she knows she can't change.

Also, as I said before, she expresses her feelings and worries out loud. Not even just out loud, but too loud. She yells how worried she is and how close they are now. That they are friends. And I think that their friendship could've been shown instead of just said with her words, because Nami, in the beginning, would've never let herself admit it. Not to them. Not even to herself. Their friendship and care are something she can't afford right now. And yet she's obviously delaying her mission to stay with them? And she's verbally telling them that they're friends? It makes no sense to me.

Then, Arlong shows up at the Baratie.

Not the decision I would've made but, okay, let's take it.

And Nami of course goes with him, but I don't like how they made it happen.

The thing is, Nami canonically steals the ship and goes to Arlong Park because she has her life there. Her duty. You can see clearly in the manga how much she wants to stay with the crew but how her hometown is more important than her own happiness. Here, it just looks like Arlong came for her and she goes with him only because he's there. If he hadn't shown up, she probably would've just stayed with the others as far as we know. Which is, once again, bullshit and out of character.

She goes with Arlong, acts like the villain, and goes away.

And it's pretty much rushed and it feels forced. So, well... Let's say I only liked Baratie because of Sanji (off-topic, but his backstory and scenes were the best. But perhaps I'm just not objective since he's my favorite Mugiwara hehe).

Arlong Park

The crew's reaction

It doesn't make sense. Let's just say it like that.

In the manga, both Usopp and Zoro get righteously angry at Nami because she stole their ship and that's the main reason why they decide to agree with Luffy and go look for her.

However, here, Nami didn't steal anything from them. And yet they're... Mad at her?

Zoro and Usopp know better than to just leave her behind because she was the one leaving them first. I understand that Usopp might be a coward and he doesn't want to get into fights for a girl he just met, so I kind of get why he doesn't agree with Luffy. However, Zoro is supposed to know that she isn't like this. They've had... A lot of bonding scenes together and yet he's like: "If she wants to be left alone, then so be it". And I get it because Zoro is, well, Zoro. But OPLA!Zoro has bonded with Nami. He obviously respects her decision here, but acting like she betrayed them is stupid because she never stole anything from them besides the map (which was hers to begin with, by the way). They don't have reasons to hate her and if they were going to make her go without stealing the Merry then they could've also made the whole crew agree with Luffy to get her back.

No comment on Sanji, by the way, he does great. Great Sanji. Taz I love you (please ignore my blatant favoritism).

They encounter Nami and, once again, I don't like how verbal they are all the damn time. Luffy should NEVER tell her to ask for help if she needs it. He knows she needs help, he just wants her to be the one to say it and he knows she will once she's ready. I liked Nami saying something along the lines of "No, this is the 'me' you want me to be" though. Great line.

Then they meet Nojiko, and let me tell you... I have so many issues with this I don't think I'll ever finish talking about it.

First things first, why the fuck is Nojiko unaware of Nami's intentions? The whole thing about Nojiko is that she loves Nami to death and knows the reasons why she's doing all of this. That's why she's able to tell the crew about their past with sadness but love and care and so much worry for Nami's wellbeing. She meets the crew and instantly knows how much they care about her. That's why she helps them: She wants Nami to finally be free and have more people who love her in her life.

Instead, OPLA makes Nojiko hate her sister because apparently, she thinks she betrayed them. Cool. More unnecessary angst for Nami (sarcastic comment, again).

But that doesn't bother me that much. You know what bothers me? What enrages me?

Luffy hears Nami's backstory.

Why. The. Fuck. Is. He. There.

Literally this was just the writers' choice because they fucking wanted to because there's nothing stopping them from making him climb to the rooftop the second Nojiko starts talking. He keeps saying he wants to hear Nami's feelings from her, and yet he stays to hear what happened to her.

What makes Luffy such a great person and captain is how little he cares about his crew's pasts. He doesn't want to know about how they used to be or what happened to them, as long as they stay true to how they are now. And what makes Luffy and Nami's bond so important and beautiful and strong, is how much Nami hates what happened to her and how little Luffy cares. Nami hates herself for what she did, and Luffy loves her because of who she is now. Perfect balance. Beautiful, precious bond.

OPLA could've just fixed it by making Luffy climb to the rooftop sooner, and they didn't. I don't know why yet. But they didn't. And it makes me so mad...I need to talk to the writers or I swear to God-

That makes his conversation with Zoro not make any sense, but hey! Pretty Zolu scene that I appreciate and it was really beautiful to watch. Not complaining here.

Nami asking for help (THE Arlong Park scene. THE moment. THE straw hat thing)

Despite Emily's amazing acting (God, I love her. As a director/writer wannabe I can easily see that she's a pleasure to work with because Oh mY gOd) I didn't really enjoy the scene. This has to do with the directing and not the acting or script, by the way.

I hate the shots. I just- I just hate the shots they use in this show, in general. Always. But this time it made me cringe in the worst moment because it's supposed to be a heartbreaking, captivating scene.

Diving the scene like the anime does is a beautiful thing to do, but the shots are just TOO. DAMN. CLOSE. So it doesn't look pleasant and it bothers me. Again, maybe I'm just picky.

Also, Luffy should've covered Nami's eyes with the straw hat. I know it seems like a dumb thing to say, but it's (in my opinion) one of the things that makes this scene so special and beautiful in canon. It's Luffy's way of telling her not to cry. He gives her his hat as a metaphor. Simbolism. A promise. Yadda, yadda, yadda. He gives her his most precious and important thing in the world as a way of welcoming her to the crew and showing that he trusts and loves her. As a way of saying "Here. Have this. I will help you and then I will come back for this later and you will be coming with me. You have to take care of it". He's literally referencing Shanks here, guys!!! He did the same with him!!! So it might seem stupid, but it wasn't hard to just use a shot to make it look like he had covered her eyes completely.

Leaving that aside, Emily's acting was outstanding and I can't wait to see her in Alabasta with Vivi because that's going to be insanely good for my soul.

Nami's flashback

I don't have much to say about it besides that the acting was awesome, the setting was really really gorgeous, and it's just how I imagined Nami's past would be portrayed. Lil Nojiko and Nami are extremely cute and talented and Bellemere was amazing.

However, I must say that I did find it weird how Nami is the one asking Arlong if she can work for him. Like I get that her plan was to buy the village back but, like- Just make Arlong interested in Nami first so that way she can come up with the plan and agree to his conditions.

Also, it doesn't make sense to use chains on Nami if she's willingly working for him and was the one to ask first. They treat her like a prisoner for no reason? To be honest they should've just changed that scene to the canon one to make Arlong force her to work with him.

Fights

I'm not an expert and despite being a fan of a lot of shonen animes, fighting isn't really my thing. I just sit there waiting until the actual plot starts again, not gonna lie.

But I must say that the Zosan argument about what Luffy needs (full of jealousy, by the way. Zoro, I know what you are!!) was pretty funny and Usopp was a delight to watch. The fight with Arlong happened a bit too fast in my opinion and they could've been way more creative with the choreography but, again, I'm no expert. I just know that the fight is like only the first 15 minutes and that's a big no-no when it comes to closing plots.

Once again, this is just a product of the overuse of the Marines and their screentime. They could've just changed the whole Garp plot and added more of Arlong Park (we will always miss you, Hachi. You deserved to be with us).

Post-Arlong Park

I don't have much to say about the party. Really cute. They're really sweet together and I enjoyed watching them acting like the family they are. Zoro and Sanji bickering is pure gold, Nami smiling as she looks around at her new life, and Luffy cheering Usopp up!!! That was the sweetest thing ever. I died. I loved every second of that scene because our sniper deserves all the love in the world.

Then Garp shows up and does the most unnecessary thing in the world. Which is fighting Luffy for no fucking reason and then walk away. Waste of time. Doesn't do anything to the plot. Incredibly boring, too. Hope they fix their dynamic and Garp's character (and the overuse of the Marine's screentime) next season. Although I won't complain if Smoker and Tashigi are on my screen 24/7 in s2 because I love them to death and Tashigi is my girlfriend (real).

Overall Opinion

I didn't hate Arlong Park, per se, but as a person who relates to Nami's character a lot (she's extremely important to me for a lot of reasons. I even have her tattoo!!) I can't help but feel a little disappointed at what her arc turned out to be.

That being said, I still enjoyed the last two episodes and I seriously think that the last scene (the crew talking about their dreams) is literally the best scene of all. In every way.

🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊

If you're reading this, I love you for being so interested in my opinion <3 I literally just write these to put my thoughts into words. It's really fun!! But I'm aware that it can be pretty long JKZDBDJKSDHJK (I could talk about this show for hours). Also, if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, ignore them. I'm too lazy today to read all of this and fix them, ngl.

Tag: @leiatroublecat TikTok editing account where I post my OPLA edits: seraspring

#i swear to god i love opla #i just love complaining about the stuff i love #i have a lot of good and nice things to say about the live action but i prefer to focus my essays on what i would change #nami i love you you're just like me fr #she's our precious weather queen #emily rudd the actress that you are #one piece #opla #one piece live action #nami one piece #arlong park

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