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Netflix's 'Death Note' grossly misunderstands why the original was a success

by Emily Reuben The infamous manga Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by the impressive Takeshi Obata from 2003 to 2006, became immensely popular for its themes discussing human morality and justice. After the manga’s great success, an anime series was created in 2006 followed by two video games, four live action films, two novels, a television drama, a musical (I’m serious), and a miniseries. Obviously, Death Note is extremely successful and marketable; it can be made in almost any form and consumers will buy into it even if the content is poor in quality. The Netflix original film, Death Note, is a prime example of both creative liberty gone awry and a failed Western anime adaption. Netflix’s latest film Death Note shows little respect for the ingenious source material it vaguely resembles. Even without taking the original Death Note series into account, Netflix’s recent attempt is ridden with plot holes, ill-defined characters, poor cinematography, and even baffling music choices.

When a killer notebook falls from the sky…

Americanized and robbed of all purpose

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sometimes humorous Death Note
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Dutch Angles don’t make you artsy

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Adaptations don’t have to be bad… but this one is.

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It doesn’t work as an adaptation or a standalone film…

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