Netflix also appears to be learning from past mistakes. Six years after the universally panned adaptation of Death Note, its 2023 live- action version of One Piece, featuring an international cast, won widespread praise. While there are attempts to make live-action treatments feel more authentic, Dr King says it needs a more thoughtful approach: "You can go too far in trying to be respectful and end up exoticising it." The cast and crew should be "aware of the product that's being made", he adds. For example, One Piece, at its heart, is a series about pirates. "It allows them to interpret the text in the spirit of the original. Without being a slave to the adaptation, it's allowed to be free," he says. Will the live-action version of Solo Leveling replicate One Piece's success? "The overall tone of the series is comparable to a darker superhero movie. If the fights are cool and Sung Jin-woo gets a few chances to be a badass each episode, fans likely won't complain too much," Mr Thew says. Fans are indeed hopeful because Solo Leveling will be led by a Korean cast and crew. "It is a good way to maintain most of the core of the story - some of the Hollywood casting leads to the loss of small cultural or story nuances, and these are sometimes the backbone of the story, " says Archie Moyo, a fan from Zimbabwe. "I'm excited about the live-action because it will introduce a lot more people to the Solo Leveling world."