One Piece Musical Magic: Unveiling the Unparalleled Worldbuilding of the Straw Hats and Beyond

Summary

Netflix's live-action adaptation of "One Piece" stays faithful to the original series, with unique character themes and instruments complementing each other perfectly.

The soundtrack for "One Piece" is condensed to four hours, despite being composed for a longer duration. The music composers, who were fans of "One Piece," successfully captured the essence and uniqueness of the manga while adding their own touch and identity to the adaptation.

Netflix's live-action adaptation of the iconic manga series, One Piece, has finally premiered, garnering praise for its faithfulness to the source material despite a few notable changes. With the blessing of Eiichiro Oda, the series serves as an excellent introduction to his vast world, captivating newcomers with its heartfelt storytelling, whimsical elements, and thrilling moments.

Right from the start, it's evident that everyone involved in the production of One Piece poured their hearts into bringing the beloved series to life. The duo of Sony Belousova and Giona Ostinelli crafted an extraordinary and extensive musical score, meticulously focusing on theme-writing and instrumentation. Each character in this adaptation has their own heroic theme and distinct instrument, flawlessly complementing one another, just like the Straw Hats themselves.

Sonya Belousova And Giona Ostinelli On One Piece

Screen Rant: The soundtrack is four hours long; are you okay? I can't even imagine the amount of work that you all did on this.

Giona Ostinelli, Greg Hayes (the mix engineer), and Dave Collins (the mastering engineer) are not the only ones responsible for the success of this project. Our gratitude extends to every soloist, artist, including Aurora, Marcin, Flawless Real Talk, Wondagirl, our orchestrators, the entire team, and the music prep team. They are all exceptional talents and we owe our success to their contributions. The fact that the soundtrack is four hours long is actually impressive because typically, a film's soundtrack is only about three-quarters the length of the film. In this case, our soundtrack is not even half of what we composed for the show. It is a condensed version of our extensive work.

Giona Ostinelli emphasized the importance of releasing as much music as possible for the fans. With new villains and islands appearing every two episodes, they wanted to include all the different themes from the various islands and villains. Sonya Belousova added that the show is driven by its characters, particularly the five main ones known as the Straw Hats. Each character, including the villains, has unique thematic material and instrumentation, so not providing that to the fans would have resulted in significant backlash.

I'll share more details. During the production of The Witcher, we had a song titled "The Song of the White Wolf" that was featured in two variations. It first played with a solo violin towards the end of the episode, and then it played again during the end credits with vocals performed by Declan de Barra. Initially, we chose to include only the version with vocals in the end credits. However, we have received feedback from fans expressing their disappointment that we did not include the solo violin version as well. It is important to note that both versions are identical in terms of the musical composition. We appreciate the input from our fans and are committed to providing as much content as possible.

Were you feeling additional pressure after working on The Witcher? I know you enjoyed One Piece and were already fans, but were you concerned about the opinions and thoughts of others? Here's the thing. During our work on One Piece, as avid fans of the series, we approached the writing process through the lens of fans. We constantly asked ourselves, "What would we want to hear as fans of One Piece in One Piece?" As we wrote, we couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, thinking, "This is exceptionally cool."

Sonya Belousova revealed that their journey started before they joined the project officially, when they found out that Netflix was creating a live-action adaptation of One Piece. This revelation came after the success of their album for The Witcher, which has amassed over half a billion streams. Their song "Pass a Coin to Your Witcher" even reached the top of Billboard's rock charts, surpassing Panic at the Disco's "High Hopes". Eager to embark on a new project that would challenge them creatively, they immediately recognized One Piece as the perfect fit. Their excitement prompted them to create a brief three-minute video pitch even before officially joining the team.

In the video, we discussed the entire concept of world-building through music for One Piece. We determined the specific themes and instruments that would be assigned to each character, with all of the Straw Hat members' instrumentation ultimately combining in Luffy's theme, as he is the captain and the heart of our crew. We then proceeded to play Luffy's theme. This happened about a year and a half ago. Now, after a year and a half, the show and its soundtrack have been released, and all the concepts and the main theme we developed have remained completely faithful. Therefore, I believe it wasn't about feeling pressured, but rather about our enthusiasm for envisioning what we, as fans, would love to see and how we would approach the musical universe of this show.

So, you were writing all of this before you had the opportunity to see the scripts or learn about the casting, or at least that's when you had these ideas. How much did your musical ideas change once you actually saw the actors embodying these characters in the way they do?

Sonya Belousova expressed her belief that there have been no changes observed. Meanwhile, Giona Ostinelli shared a similar sentiment, stating that as fans of the manga and anime, they had a clear vision in mind while writing, strongly hoping for the characters to resemble their manga counterparts.

Sonya Belousova: The show, in my opinion, achieves an outstanding result by showcasing its own distinctive voice, identity, and music while staying true to the essence and soul of the manga. Even before reading the script, seeing the cast, or viewing any rough cuts, we immediately connected with the ideas because of our familiarity with the source material and our understanding of what the fans would desire to experience in an adaptation like this.

Your interviews show great attention to detail, such as your decision to have individual instruments for each of Zoro's swords. Was this something the showrunners requested?

Sonya Belousova: Actually, all of that stemmed from our video pitch. With the five Straw Hats being so unique and diverse, it was important for each character to have their own distinctiveness. Matt and Steve fully embraced this concept and wanted each character to stand out in their own way.

Giona Ostinelli: A few months back, during our work on certain scenes, I recall either Matt or Steve returning with a note indicating that we should consider a different theme for a character. We were amazed at how well they understood the themes. This allowed for an incredibly creative dialogue with them, enabling us to weave everything together seamlessly.

Sonya Belousova: With specific themes and instruments assigned to each of our characters, the entire team - Matt, Steve, Tomorrow Studios, and Netflix - became intimately familiar with them. It is a rare opportunity to have such deep conversations about themes and instruments. For example, suggesting the use of a theme in a particular scene or utilizing an instrument from another character just before their appearance on-screen. These conversations originated from the video in which we detailed the instrument for each character. One such example is Luffy, whose instrument is the hurdy-gurdy.

Giona Ostinelli: Adding some fiddle and banjo—

Sonya Belousova: We wanted to include a range of instruments, so we incorporated a hurdy-gurdy as the prominent choice for our pirate show. As for Nami, her instrument of choice is the flute. Throughout the entire season, the flute is predominantly used for her theme, building up to a powerful rendition titled "My Sales Are Set" in the eighth episode, performed by AURORA. Now, let's talk about Zoro. I absolutely adore this character because he provided us with endless musical opportunities. With his three swords, we came up with the idea of assigning a specific instrument to each one. The first sword was matched with the bansuri, and the reasoning behind this choice is quite simple.

Giona Ostinelli: It's an incredibly lengthy Indian flute that bears a striking resemblance to a sword. Whenever someone criticizes my playing as "wrong," I amusingly wield it like a weapon and exclaim, "Ha-ha! Battle!"

Sonya Belousova: The following instrument is a frame drum.

Giona Ostinelli: A massive frame drum.

Sonya Belousova: It's a colossal 43-inch frame drum. Among the collection of frame drums in our studio, we selectively opted for the largest one, as its sound embodies immense power and richness. It serves as the ideal accompaniment for one of the swords.

Giona Ostinelli: Holding it is quite uncomfortable. I'm still trying to figure out the proper way to hold it in front of a microphone, but those are just small details.

Sonya Belousova: It is quite massive. The third instrument is the duduk, originally from Armenia. Zoro possesses a sword called Wado Ichimonji, which is incredibly unique. This sword holds significant historical value and personal meaning for Zoro. He rarely uses it, reserving it for extraordinary occasions. Therefore, incorporating the mystical and sacred duduk as a special instrument perfectly mirrors the essence of the sword.

Giona Ostinelli: Each time Zoro grabs the Wado Ichimonji sword, we incorporate the duduk specifically for those moments. Having a designated instrument for each sword proved to be a great idea as it provides us with the ability to adjust the sound whenever needed.

Sonya Belousova: Now let's talk about Sanji. He exudes a sleek and jazzy vibe with his black suit and hair falling over one eye. To represent his character, we thought it would be fitting to create a big band jazz/funk fusion ensemble. Additionally, since Sanji specializes in kick-based martial arts, Giona here—

Giona Ostinelli: We pondered the idea of complementing it with groovy and jazzy drum beats. It seemed like a perfect fit.

Sonya Belousova: Sanji was delivering some powerful kicks while Giona was equally matching them. It was a smooth collaboration. Then we introduced Usopp, who, although still timid, aspires to be the most fearless pirate. At present, he plays the ukulele, but not just any ukulele – a ukulele with a touch of blues. While this genre doesn't officially exist, it does now in One Piece, where boundaries are nonexistent.

Giona Ostinelli: Definitely bigger.

Sonya Belousova: Perhaps even larger. So, it will be a journey for Usopp. However, having all those instruments was absolutely necessary because the show is so intricate. It consists of eight episodes, totaling roughly eight hours of music. It's a substantial amount of material, and it's easy to become overwhelmed with everything that's happening. Therefore, it is crucial to have a coherent storyline both visually and musically for a complex show like this.

Giona Ostinelli: Writing for it is incredibly enjoyable as well because this approach applies not only to the main characters but also to all the villains. Even the Going Merry has its own theme. For instance, we hear the Going Merry theme when Luffy first encounters the ship, and then in episode eight during the barrel pledge, the entire scene begins with the Going Merry theme. Additionally, when each character makes their pledge, their own instrument or snippets of their theme blend with the Going Merry theme.

Sonya Belousova emphasizes the importance of creating a dialogue, both visually and musically, to achieve cohesiveness and unity.

Have you used all these instruments before? Did you have to learn anything new?

Giona Ostinelli: I had to embrace the challenge of the mandolin. As a drummer by trade, I initially played drums and then ventured into piano. However, during the pandemic, I took the opportunity to learn guitars, bass, and other stringed instruments. The decision to try the mandolin was exciting, but I soon realized that the thin strings posed a significant challenge. It felt like a true test of my skills with this instrument.

Sonya Belousova: We had the pleasure of working with an exceptional soloist, Johann Frank, who recorded the ukulele for us. However, for certain scenes where his presence wasn't necessary, Giona skillfully took over the ukulele, adding unique textures and cool elements. What else did we do?

Giona Ostinelli: In addition to that, we also incorporated various percussion instruments such as bongos, congas, and more.

Sonya Belousova: After working on The Witcher, our studio became filled with such a vast assortment of instruments that we ran out of space. Even if we did have some room left after The Witcher, it is now completely occupied with instruments. In addition to incorporating mandolin and ukulele for the first time in this project, we have also acquired a variety of drums. Specifically, we utilize distinctive bongos and congas throughout the musical composition. Furthermore, we have obtained a log drum.

Giona Ostinelli: This particular instrument is a rectangular wooden piece. It resembles a box with carved tongues.

Sonya Belousova: The variety of sonorities that can be produced is impressive. It has a distinctive and somewhat unconventional sound, which adds a quirky element that was fitting for the show.

Giona Ostinelli: In The Witcher, Sonya had most of the vocal solos, but in One Piece, I had the chance to demonstrate my vocal abilities. We discovered that I could sing at a higher pitch than Sonya.

Sonya Belousova performed the background vocals on The Witcher to achieve the desired magical, Witcher-like sound. Is that implying that my singing doesn't possess a magical quality?

Sonya Belousova: It's unlikely that everyone loves you as much as they love you, Giona. However, on One Piece, Giona had the perfect opportunity to showcase his vocal skills. An excellent example of this is in episode one, during the courtyard fight scene with Captain "Axe-Hand" Morgan. This is where Giona's incredible singing abilities truly shine.

Giona Ostinelli: I still remember when we were in the recording studio. We tried out a few different variations of the vocals, like singing in one octave and then going higher by an octave. I recall Sonya encouraging me to do it once more, but I replied, "Let's do it tomorrow, please."

Sonya Belousova: We neglected to consider Buggy, an important adversary of ours. He is a truly remarkable villain, possessing immense power combined with a deranged clown persona, giving him a distinct circus-like aura. To capture his essence in a unique way, we had to devise a circus-inspired musical theme with a twist. For Buggy, we created a high-energy riff as his theme. One of his signature moves is called "Chop chop," as he has the ability to split his body into multiple parts. To fully incorporate this move into his musical theme, we thought, "What if we literally incorporate 'Chop chop' into his musical theme?" So, when you listen closely to the riff, you can actually hear the repeated phrase, "Chop chop chop chop chop."

Giona Ostinelli: I recorded myself saying, "Chop chop chop chop chop!" We recorded it and layered it multiple times.

Sonya Belousova revealed that they incorporated the hurdy-gurdy instrument into The Witcher and One Piece. In The Witcher, they used the hurdy-gurdy in a traditional manner to accompany the dances in the Cintra scenes. However, they took it a step further in One Piece by utilizing the hurdy-gurdy for both Luffy and Kuro. When combined with a shrieking dulcimer, the resulting sound resembled meowing cats, which perfectly suited Kuro as the captain of the Black Cat pirate crew. Matt and Steve, upon hearing the track, even mistook it for a recording of an actual cat, to which Sonya clarified that it was the unique sound produced by the hurdy-gurdy.

Giona Ostinelli and Sonya Belousova successfully recorded the sound of sharpening knives to match Kuro's trademark claws without any harm to themselves or the microphones.

The direction given by Matt and Steve for the Straw Hats was to exclusively use acoustic instruments. They wanted to avoid any electronic instruments in their music. However, for the Marines and Arlong, we were allowed to incorporate electronic instruments. The Marines being more technologically advanced allowed us to use electric guitars and synthesizers. As a result, we acquired a few hardware synthesizers and had a great time experimenting with them.

Now that this is all out and it's all done, do you have a favorite cue from the soundtrack?

Sonya Belousova: It’s four hours long!

I know!

Sonya Belousova: It’s like, “You’re my dragons. You’re my babies!”

Giona Ostinelli: “Wealth Fame Power” for me, or—

For example, consider the track "Let's Disappear," which serves as the opening theme for episode five. Additionally,

Sonya Belousova: Undoubtedly, "My Sails Are Set" is our top choice because AURORA's talent is truly exceptional. We are absolutely thrilled to have found our musical Nami, as we were in search of a global artist who could effectively portray such a complex character. Nami possesses an array of traits, from being an exceptional sea navigator and a total badass, to having a deep and dramatic past filled with childhood trauma. It was essential to find an artist who could capture all these layers of her character, while conveying vulnerability and emotional depth, yet also possessing a powerful voice. AURORA was the perfect fit. Her performance of the song starts off fragile and delicate, but as we reach the final chorus and the powerful chanting takes over, she truly gives it her all. I absolutely adore the song, and it was an amazing experience collaborating with AURORA.

Giona Ostinelli: Additionally, the scene in episode three where we transition from Nami and Kaya's conversation. We have a beautiful duet between the flute and oboe, and then we seamlessly cut—

Sonya Belousova believes that the track is titled "Kaya & Usopp."

Giona Ostinelli explains the sequence of events, starting with Usopp and Luffy engaging in conversation in the kitchen. The music transitions into a bluesy, rocky ukulele melody. Afterward, the scene shifts back to Nami before returning to Usopp and Luffy. Once Luffy realizes the identity of Usopp's father, a powerful rendition of the theme begins, evoking a feeling of goosebumps with every listen.

Sonya Belousova expresses her love for a track and describes it as an excellent example of musical storytelling. She compares it to a dialogue happening on screen between different characters, emphasizing the musical dialogue happening within the instruments. The instrumentation changes according to the characters, and Sonya appreciates the complexity of the scene.

In the case of "Zoro vs Mihawk" featuring Marcin, Sonya highlights their admiration for Mihawk, played by the talented actor Steve Ward. They were immediately drawn to Mihawk's on-screen awesomeness and were determined to find an artist who could capture that essence in the music. Marcin was the perfect choice, and even before starting to write the music, they believed in his ability to deliver a performance that would exceed expectations. Sonya is wholeheartedly satisfied with the track, which she describes as one thousand percent.

Clearly, there is currently no work being done on writing or filming for a season two. However, both of you have already exceeded expectations. Have you started creating music that you hope to include in upcoming seasons?

Sonya Belousova: Personally, I am in need of a vacation.

Giona Ostinelli: As of right now, it's a very silent type of music. Very relaxing.

Sonya Belousova: When you go on Spotify and you click, like, “Lounge” [or] “Ambient music”.

Giona Ostinelli: White noise.

Sonya Belousova: That's it right now. But ideas are happening.

About One Piece

Discover the incredible world of One Piece, the bestselling manga series by Eiichiro Oda that has captured the hearts of millions. Join Monkey D. Luffy, a spirited young adventurer, as he embarks on a thrilling quest for freedom. Determined to locate the legendary treasure known as One Piece and become the King of the Pirates, Luffy must first gather his dream team and secure a ship to navigate the vast oceans. Along the way, he will outsmart his enemies, outmaneuver the Marines, and explore every corner of the majestic blue seas. Don't miss our fascinating One Piece interviews available here.

Director Marc Jobst

Director Emma Sullivan

Editor Tessa Verfuss

All 8 episodes of One Piece season 1 are currently available to stream on Netflix.