Overall, I found the season really entertaining, and you can clearly see how much attention to detail went into it. At first, I was honestly worried it would turn out like The Witcher, where it sometimes felt like the creators didn’t really understand the source material. So big praise here, especially for the casting. They absolutely nailed it.
Warning: spoilers for the new season below.
I also never expected Chopper to be adapted this well. Episode 7 in particular was really strong for me.
One thing that bothered me a bit isn’t really the adaptation itself, but the source material. Wapol just isn’t a strong enough antagonist for a season finale. Because of that, the whole season feels more like a buildup to Alabasta. That’s fine in principle, but it does take some impact away from the finale.
Some of the changes still pulled me out of the experience. In my opinion, Luffy is portrayed as too weak. In the original, he barely struggled before facing Crocodile, and that was important to make his eventual defeat hit much harder.
Also, in serious scenes, Luffy sometimes comes across as a bit awkward or even “cringe.” That already bothered me in season 1, since those moments felt much more epic in the manga.
At times, the characters also act a bit out of character. It doesn’t really fit that Sanji wouldn’t react to Zoro hitting a woman, and Usopp cheating on Kaya also feels off.
The final fight, unfortunately, doesn’t feel as epic as it did in the manga. It was probably kept inside the castle for budget reasons, but the scene just doesn’t have the same impact as the iconic moment with the flag on the roof.