Figure 1 There are now many versions of Death Note available
If you’re anything like us, you probably find it quite difficult to keep up with all the new TV shows and movies. With so many different streaming sites available these days, it is relatively easy to miss even some of the best new shows. But hopefully, you have been watching Apple TV’s new series The Changeling.
It is a fantasy-horror-style series that seems to be all over the place, taking confusing turn after turn – but in a good way. One of the reasons why the show is so good is the presence of LaKeith Stanfield in the main role. He seems to be able to do wrong right now and is well worth remembering for Emmy Awards if you are thinking of checking out the betting markets on the Bet Now app.
But Stanfield’s performance in The Changeling also got us remembering the Death Note movie from a few years ago. With a new Duffer Brothers (of Stranger Things fame) Death Note series coming out Netflix, possibly early next year, we thought we would look back at the 2017 live action movie – as well as the enduring attraction of the story.
A Brief Death Note Recap
For any of you who have been living under a rock (or maybe only just getting into Japanese manga and anime), Death Note is one of the most popular Japanese manga series ever. Originally written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, it was featured in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 2003 to 2006. Its chapters ran for 12 volumes.
The basic plot is about the Death Note, a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written on its pages, which is found by a high school student called Light. He recognizes the power of the book and starts to target high-profile criminals in Japan and beyond. A shinigami called Ryuk then appears to Light and says that it is the original owner of the Death Note.
In a bid to solve this new spate of killings, a detective called L (played in the 2017 film by Lakeith Stanfield) is called in. Light takes offence and vows to kill the detective, as he is ruining his plans. Obviously, the story continues from there, but we don’t want to give too much away if you have never read the series.
Movie and TV Adaptations
Death Note proved to be an instant success and the story became the inspiration for a whole host of TV shows and movies. An anime version began screening on Nippon TV almost as soon as the original manga series finished and ran for 37 episodes. There were also a number of anime specials screened in Japan in the following years.
There have been a whole slew of live-action movies, going as far back as 2006. These have spawned their own spin-offs as well, making the Death Note franchise one of the biggest and wide-ranging in the genre. There was a also live-action series – again on Nippon TV – that aired in 2015.
The Death Note tag continues to be a major selling point and there have also been several soundtracks released, a video game for Nintendo, and even a musical version of the story.
Death Note 2017
It is the 2017 Netflix movie version that we are remembering here though. Not because it is the best version of the story (spoiler: it really isn’t, by quite a long way), but because it is a perfect example of Hollywood taking what had been a hugely successful manga and thinking it needed to be adapted for a “western” audience.
In this Adam Wingard-directed version, which was said to be loosely based on the original manga, the action is largely transplanted to Seattle for reasons that don’t seem entirely clear. Maybe Netflix just didn’t see a Tokyo setting selling. Anyway, Light, played by Nat Wolff, discovers the Death Note after his cop father dies and realizes the power it holds to get him revenge.
Ryuk makes an appearance here as well, in CGI but wonderfully played by Willem Dafoe. As we mentioned before, LaKeith Stanfield plays L, the detective sent to solve the murders. He actually is in Tokyo at first but travels to Seattle to apprehend the murderer.
The story does take some different turns from the original manga. But the main problem is that Wingard doesn’t seem to know exactly what kind of movie he is making. Is it a comedy? Or is it a horror? Maybe a teen drama? It is not made clear and the result is, frankly, something of a mess.
Dafoe and Stanfield are the only ones that come out of this version well, with both playing their characters as they really should be – no matter what your opinion on Hollywood adaptations of manga is. Stanfield, in particular, attacks the role with his usual charm and mystery, bringing some of the manga oddities to a film that ends up strangely devoid of them.
Figure 2 We’re hoping that the new TV series is better than the Netflix film
Legacy of Death Note
It is fair to say that the 2017 Death Note movie is not one for re-watching. You should give it a go if you want to see how LaKeith Stanfield can light up anything he is in. But if you are a fan of the original manga series, you will probably end up being disappointed.
The good news, though, is that Death Note lives. There have been countless versions of the story – in a variety of different media – and that shows no sign of slowing up. There was a sequel to the 2017 film originally planned, but everything has gone a little quiet on that front.
What is more exciting is the Duffer Brothers’ involvement in a new live action series for Netflix. There is no news on when this is going to be available yet. But the Death Note story was designed to be told in chapters and that has to be the ideal format on screen too. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long to see what they have come up with.