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Did Netflix Make A Decent Death Note Film?


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xchampion



Joined: 21 Jan 2009
Posts: 370
Location: Idaho Falls, Idaho
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:37 pm Reply with quote
It's interesting they did this in more of a feature style than an review style. I'd probably say just from the way Deb Aoki wrote about the film it's about a 7 or an 8, and at worst a recommended watch.
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 835
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:17 pm Reply with quote
It's kind of funny that so many shit movies are released that "it didn't suck" is high praise Laughing
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ryanvamp



Joined: 08 May 2007
Posts: 416
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:24 pm Reply with quote
No thanks.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:56 pm Reply with quote
xchampion wrote:
It's interesting they did this in more of a feature style than an review style. I'd probably say just from the way Deb Aoki wrote about the film it's about a 7 or an 8, and at worst a recommended watch.


We'll have a more in-depth, spoilery review when the film is released. Doesn't come out for another month.
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Merxamers



Joined: 09 Dec 2013
Posts: 720
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 2:07 pm Reply with quote
Looks neat. I'm actually more interested in a story that does it's own thing with the source material premise, and that sounds like that's what this is.

On an unrelated note, i actually really enjoyed the Ghost in the Shell film, and i guess i was the only one? Oh well. I'll be looking for Death Note when it hits Netflix.
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Gasero



Joined: 24 Jul 2009
Posts: 939
Location: USA
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 2:49 pm Reply with quote
I like the fact that the production staff did not try to reproduce the original story of Death Note. If I want to watch/read the original story again, I would go to the source material.

I view Death Note as one of those Romeo and Juliet type stories that are ever-lasting. The themes and personalities are present in every culture and can be realized in different ways. The story of Death Note is not geographically or culturally limited, and I expect to see many more stories like this in the future.

That being said, I remain cautiously optimistic that this Death Note production will appease most of the audience.
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meruru



Joined: 16 Jun 2009
Posts: 470
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:21 pm Reply with quote
Um, did they accidentally make Light a weaboo? I mean, who else would choose "Kira" as their alias because it's the English spelling of the Japanese spelling of the English word "killer"? Anime hyper
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debaoki



Joined: 03 Dec 2009
Posts: 11
Location: Emeryville, CA
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:36 pm Reply with quote
meruru wrote:
Um, did they accidentally make Light a weaboo? I mean, who else would choose "Kira" as their alias because it's the English spelling of the Japanese spelling of the English word "killer"? Anime hyper


No, he's not a weeaboo in the film. He chooses "Kira" and spoiler[murders several japanese gangsters in Tokyo in an effort to throw off investigators, make them believe that Kira is in Japan, and/or is Japanese.] I think it was more a way to rationalize including "Kira" in the story and give a nod to its Japanese origins. But Light himself in this movie is absolutely not portrayed as an anime fan or Japanese wannabe.


Last edited by debaoki on Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:57 pm; edited 2 times in total
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razberry_yum



Joined: 30 Jun 2007
Posts: 169
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:46 pm Reply with quote
"That said, there's not much chemistry between L and Light as they match wits, so I don't expect a lot of BL/slash doujinshi to come out of this film."

BUMMER. But then again, not at all surprising...that WOULD be one of the elements an American remake would try to tone down or omit--wouldn't want to imply anything between the two main male characters.

Seriously though, homosexual undertones aside, the cautious friendship between Light and L and the way they tried to outwit each other was one of the things I liked about the original manga; it was fun and fascinating. I hope in muting the chemistry we still get some remnants of that relationship. And I'm actually glad they changed the character of Misa to someone more proactive and independent; of the three leads, that was definitely one character in need of a revision. I also never had a problem with the ethnicity of the casting for L; in the end, it's the performance that matters for that character. I would also say his chemistry with Light matters too but since it sounds like they went a different way with that, I guess that's a moot point now.
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Oneeyedjacks



Joined: 21 Dec 2009
Posts: 307
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 4:11 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
This is probably not going to be a popular opinion, but I preferred Stanfield's L to the manga L, because he brought a degree of passion and emotional complexity to the character that made him one of the more interesting characters in this cast.


But isn't that the point of L though? He's not supposed to be a particularly passionate or emotionally complex character, but rather, a more straight-forward, mysterious, and obsessive character.

And plus, if they've removed most of the cat-and-mouse chemistry between Light and L, then I really don't see much of a need to even bother seeing this movie, since my favorite part of the series is missing.
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ARC-1300



Joined: 06 Feb 2012
Posts: 360
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:37 pm Reply with quote
Well lets hope it actually delivers. The review itself actually makes it sound promising. I wouldn't really expect it to follow the source material. It's interesting though the comments for this movie have been,there's usually a very vocal fan base who say they hate the anime/manga ending ,you would think they would jump and be delighted at the different direction this film takes. Sigh,anime fans sometimes.
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razberry_yum



Joined: 30 Jun 2007
Posts: 169
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:42 pm Reply with quote
ARC-1300 wrote:
Well lets hope it actually delivers. The review itself actually makes it sound promising. I wouldn't really expect it to follow the source material. It's interesting though the comments for this movie have been,there's usually a very vocal fan base who say they hate the anime/manga ending ,you would think they would jump and be delighted at the different direction this film takes. Sigh,anime fans sometimes.


Well it would depend on the portrayal of this new L, right? If we don't end up even liking this L, who would care what fate befalls him? Reason why we cared about the original L is because we were actually attached to him.
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mrsticky005



Joined: 06 Nov 2008
Posts: 113
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:18 pm Reply with quote
" L has been transformed from a scruffy Japanese guy in a white sweater to an African-American man in a black hoodie"

L is never once said to be Japanese in the manga or anime. The only thing we know about his background is that he grew up in England. That's it. We don't know where he was born,
who his parents were. Nothing.

Of course this doesn't disqualify him from being Japanese. But he could just as easily
be Chinese, Korean, Russian, European, American, Hell he could even be extremely light skinned African. Honestly it's up for grabs.
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bleachj0j



Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Posts: 923
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:20 pm Reply with quote
"That said, there's not much chemistry between L and Light as they match wits, so I don't expect a lot of BL/slash doujinshi to come out of this film."

That kind of sucks if true. I mean that is a great appeal of Death Note throughout all its adaptations. The cat and mouse dynamic of Light and L, and the somewhat friendship and respect they development despite the circumstances. That seems like a big thing to miss. It actually makes me even less excited for the movie.
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 7163
Location: Another Kingdom
PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:45 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
In the world of western superhero comics, news of the latest movie or TV adaptation of a popular comics series sparks giddy anticipation amongst fans. In the world of N. American manga fandom, seeing a Hollywood adaptation of a Japanese manga in the coming attractions line-up is cause for skepticism, dismissal and disdain.


Heh, stuff like this is why I love observing groups of fans. In particular, I love seeing differences in behavior and in reactions to similar things and figuring out the reasons behind them.

Gasero wrote:
I like the fact that the production staff did not try to reproduce the original story of Death Note. If I want to watch/read the original story again, I would go to the source material.

I view Death Note as one of those Romeo and Juliet type stories that are ever-lasting. The themes and personalities are present in every culture and can be realized in different ways. The story of Death Note is not geographically or culturally limited, and I expect to see many more stories like this in the future.

That being said, I remain cautiously optimistic that this Death Note production will appease most of the audience.


That's how I always felt: The premise of Death Note is one of the most universal in all of manga and anime. It is basically that a very smart young man finds a supernatural notebook that will kill anyone whose name is written on it. Nothing Japanese about that at all, and it can be understood in any culture with a writing system.

mrsticky005 wrote:
" L has been transformed from a scruffy Japanese guy in a white sweater to an African-American man in a black hoodie"

L is never once said to be Japanese in the manga or anime. The only thing we know about his background is that he grew up in England. That's it. We don't know where he was born,
who his parents were. Nothing.

Of course this doesn't disqualify him from being Japanese. But he could just as easily
be Chinese, Korean, Russian, European, American, Hell he could even be extremely light skinned African. Honestly it's up for grabs.


I could have sworn that How to Read indicates L is half-Japanese, half-white. Or was that something in the BB Murders book?
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