Popular manga series 'One Piece' set for live-action TV adaptation

Nina Oiki, a gender and politics researcher at Tokyo's Waseda University, poses for a photo with some of her favourite "One Piece" anime character goods in Tokyo. Photo: AP

Hit Japanese manga One Piece is coming to Netflix as a live-action series - a development that's both exciting and worrisome for fans who have seen mixed success in a growing list of Hollywood adaptations.

Chronicling the coming-of-age adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate with a heart of gold, the world's bestselling manga series has already been adapted into an anime TV series with over 900 episodes. There are also 13 animated movies, One Piece video games and merchandise galore.