Netflix’s American live-action ‘Death Note’ adaptation seems to add to the pile of shit

No, that’s not the latest set of ‘Death Note‘ cosplayers you see there: it’s L and Light from the new adaptation of Death Note.

Released yesterday on Twitter via Netflix’s account, the trailer and cast were released for this ill-fated movie.

You can watch the trailer below:

Now, it’s clear from the get-go they’re pretty much going to erase the important Japanese context, which is pretty important for a story like ‘Death Note.’ One of the bigger problems is how they’re going to take issue with the way American prison culture as it’s pretty different than Japanese, especially when you consider how the Japanese is a lot more homogeneous and is more community-based.

When you have a culture like America, especially when you consider the racial disparities in incarcerated African-American men alone, it’s probably not the best idea to have your main character be a troubled white dude go up against a hooded black man.

It doesn’t stop there, though. They changed the name Light Yagami to … Light Turner, and then put the singular Japanese man (Overwatch) into the role of an actual white character of L’s butler. Though I guess that exchange is a perfect representation of how America generally sees what the roles should always be.

Anyway, while we’re here, let’s get reactions!

https://twitter.com/amemekoutarou/status/844612619780677632

https://twitter.com/woIfboys/status/844603029126971392

https://twitter.com/gravitypriest/status/844670010484310016

https://twitter.com/sourslushie/status/844575601549885440

https://twitter.com/alolagrimer/status/844589489041367040

But, of course, I’m only one person in this Internet sphere who has been burned more than once by Hollywood and Japanese cinema alike for shitty live actions. Every time a live action for an anime gets revealed, be it Japanese or American, I always ask myself: “How badly will they fuck this up?

I ask you, readers, is this part of some great keikaku (‘plan’) to reignite the Hot Topic cosplays of days long past? Or is anime finally crossing over to mainstream North American shores to bring normies in to anime?

About Lily

Bringing nothing but the beef of truth in the Kpoposphere and Jpoposphere.