One Piece Producers to Adapt Samurai Champloo With Series Creator Shinichirō Watanabe

With Tomorrow Studios earning rave reviews for its work on Netflix‘s second season of One Piece, it was only a matter of time before it set its sights on another fan-favorite property to adapt into live-action. According to Variety, Tomorrow Studios is partnering with Shinichirō Watanabe for an adaptation of his groovy anime series Samurai Champloo.

The project hails from producers Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements, who founded Tomorrow Studios with the idea of bringing beloved anime to life in live-action, with insane attention to detail and an unabashed flair for the ridiculous.

“We had dinner with [Watanabe] in Japan and said, if we move forward on doing ‘Samurai Champloo,’ we really want you to be a part of the creative,” Clements told Variety. “We were thrilled that he was willing to do that.”

What’s Samurai Champloo About?

In Samurai Champloo, Fuu, a waitress who works in a teahouse, rescues two master swordsmen, Mugen and Jin, from their execution to help her find the “samurai who smells of sunflowers.”

Samurai Champloo is considered a cult classic among anime fans, with its 26-episode run airing from 2004-2005. The action-packed anime drips with style, stand-out character chemistry, and a killer soundtrack that keeps the combat groovy and smooth.

“We’ve learned,” said Adelstein. “Having the creator there to bless the creative is really important.”

Praise For Tomorrow Studios’ One Piece

Indeed. Having Eiichiro Oda on board for Netflix’s One Piece certainly helped raise the adaptation above others we’ve seen. To its credit, One Piece is a rip-roaring, swashbuckling bit of fun. The series wears its anime roots on its sleeve with pride, making few compromises in its presentation, character roster, and off-the-wall action and drama. You can read our 9/10 review for One Piece Season 2 here, where we talk in-depth about the show’s knockout performances, elaborate sets, jaw-dropping costumes, brilliant use of CGI, the introduction of Tony Tony Chopper, and much more.

Later this week, we’ll present a piece about other anime we’d love to see get the live-action treatment (preferably from Tomorrow Studios), so be sure to keep an eye out for that.

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