Netflix’s upcoming reboot ofDeath Noteseems to have the perfect opportunity to make up for one of the biggest storytelling criticisms that weighed down the original anime. While it is hard not to be skeptical about the new live-action take on the anime, it could potentially succeed if it gets a few things right.
SinceDeath Noteis often considered the ideal gateway anime for many, it makes sense that it was chosen as one of the first shows by Netflix to receive a full-scale live-action treatment. Unfortunately, Netflix’s firstlive-actionDeath Noteadaptationwas not received too well and was heavily criticized for taking too many creative liberties.
Despite the first adaptation’s underwhelming reception, Netflix is giving the anime a second shot by adapting it again. With the Duffer Brothers as its creators, thenew live-actionDeath Noterebootalready seems to have immense potential. However, to be able to succeed, it must retcon one story from the original anime.
Netflix’s Death Note Reboot Can Reverse One Character’s Fate To Fix The Animes Biggest Issue
Death Notehas often been heavily criticized for its portrayal of female characters. Despite being an incredibly well-written show, the anime either keeps female characters sidelined or merely depicts them as hypersexualized love interests for the main character, Light Yagami.
Netflix’s first live-action adaptation of the anime did not exactly fix this issue, but the next one could by changing Naomi Misora’s fate. Former FBI agent Naomi is introduced in one of the earlier arcs of the anime series, where she quickly decodes how Kira might have murdered her husband, Ray.
Her ability to deduce how Kira must have been responsible for her husband’s death proves how intelligent she is. When Light first meets Naomi Misora inDeath Note, he even struggles to outwit and kill her, which proves she poses a genuine threat to him. Unfortunately, Light eventually manages to get her real name in the anime and kills her before she can get in touch with L.
The upcoming reboot could avoid giving her the same fate and make her a worthy investigator in the Kira mystery. She could join forces with L and give Light a far more formidable challenge than he faced in the original anime. This would not only significantly raise the stakes for themain character in Netflix’sDeath Notereboot but also give a female character more agency and narrative weight.
Netflix Can Redeem Itself If The New Death Note Reboot Does Things Right
Netflix got theOne Piecelive-action right, but it is still making up for all the damage caused by many previous anime adaptations. In hindsight, Netflix’s first live-action take onDeath Notewas not too bad. However, its biggest issue was that it tried a little too hard to be its own thing instead of honoring the anime.
Did You Know: Death Note’s illustrator, Takeshi Obata, is a Tim Burton fan and used Edward Scissorhands as an inspiration to design the Shinigami Ryuk.
If Duffer Brother’sDeath Notereboot sees the light of day, it must strike the right balance between capturing the source material’s essence and fixing story elements that weighed down the original story. If it manages to achieve this, it will be hailed as the best live-action adaptation of an anime and encourage viewers to trust the streamer’s future live-action takes on anime.
Death Note
Cast
Death Note follows high school student Light Yagami, who discovers a mysterious notebook granting the power to kill anyone by writing their name in it. As Light uses the notebook to enact his own sense of justice, he attracts the attention of the enigmatic detective known as L, leading to a complex game of cat and mouse. This Japanese anime series explores themes of morality, power, and the consequences of absolute authority.
