Most people who have even dabbled in watching anime will be familiar with the seriesDeath Note,which centers around high schooler Light Yagami who finds a notebook dropped by a death god which will kill the name of any person written within it. The series grapples heavily with themes of morality, of good versus evil, as Light decides to kill all of the world’s worst criminals with the use of his new Death Note and some mischievous encouragement from the death god, Ryuk.
Death Noteis one of the most popular animes out there, and has incredibly positive ratings from critics and viewers alike. There have been plenty of adaptations of the story made in Japan, but back in 2017, Netflix produced a movie adaptation that fell completely flat with audience members.
But now the Duffer brothers have said they want to take a crack at it. TheStranger Thingscreatorshave started their own production company and already plan to make a live-actionDeath Noteseries and much more. Viewers already have big expectations for the filmmakers and lots of things they hope to see done right in this new version. Here are a few things audiences are hoping for.
Accurate Casting
One thing the Netflix movie was faulted for time and time again was the inaccurate, mostlywhite-washed castingthat took away a lot of significant and impactful cultural pieces from the story. The cast had no Asian actors in any lead role and completely changed the setting to be in America. The change in location makes the presence of a Japanese Shinigami, a death god, feel much more out of place than it does in the anime.
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The movie tried to make it more accessible to a wider audience, especially an American audience, but it simply didn’t work for the story at all. Now the Duffer brothers have a chance to represent the story accurately. Having it set in Japan and told by an Asian cast would make the story feel much more at home and having all the cultural aspects would most likely make it easier for audiences to understand and connect with.
A Great Soundtrack
This anime series is known for many things, but one of the prominent features is its incredible opening credits theme as well as the music throughout. Regarded as having one ofthe best anime soundtracks, the music throughout the series helps to maintain the suspense and growing dread, as well as portray the characters within the story. The music from the live-action movie was neither really hit or miss. It just sort ofwas.
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But the Duffer Brothers are known for their music and use of it to create haunting atmospheres and represent the events and emotions within the story.Stranger Thingshas great use of sound and music, and hopefully that pattern will continue in the creator’s live-actionDeath Noteseries.
Light’s Accurate Personality
In the live-action movie, the characterization of Light Yagami was extremely different from the source material of both the manga and anime. In the anime, he is cunning and incredibly calculating, always three steps ahead, and never backs down from his self-confidence. In the movie he’s unwise and lets emotions get the best of him (as seen in interactions against L and in the bonding that happens with Mia/Misa), he’s reckless and impulsive. The Light fans saw in the movie was nothing like the Light they knew and loved. The thing that makes Light so special is his brilliance at such a young age and that he is capable of outsmarting police and government as he uses the Death Note to kill various criminals.
The show tackles themes of good and evil and shows the greyness of morality through the story of Light – because even though he’s the protagonist,it’s unclear if he’s the hero. The movie reached for these themes but fell short. Hopefully, the Duffer brothers can pick up the slack. Audiences have seen them produce startling villains and morally ambiguous characters, so they should be able to pull it off within alive-actionDeath Noteseries. The story and characters all revolve around Light – if he isn’t convincing and isn’t sharply written, then everything just begins to fall apart.
IfStranger Thingsis anything to go off of, then there might just be some hope for a new adaptation of the story. The Duffer brothers definitely have the tools and skills they need to make it happen. It’s just a matter of it all coming together. The story needs the right cast and characterization to make it all work out, and maybe this new production will give some lesser-known Asian actors a chance to tell the story and right the wrongs of Netflix’s movie adaptation.
There’s a lot of potential for this new series, and audiences are crossing their fingers that this adaptation does the source material justice, so let’s see if they can pull it off.
