Death Note

We all know the anime was GOLDEN. The Japanese live action movies imo weren't that bad and I also managed to get my hands on Death Note: The Musical and found myself pleasently surprised. They were all it's own thing, but following pretty much the same formula (and it worked). The Netflix's awful attempt at rebooting or somehow renowating this universe failed horribly.

This adaptation on the other hand DIDN'T fail at all. Apparently you *can* tweek a few things and introduce new ideas and make a very good show. Who would have thought. I was a bit surprised at the beginning because Light was much more human in the earlier episodes than what I was used to, but it worked very well. I very much enjoyed wathing his descend into calculating darkness, because literally anyone could be him. It felt much more relatable than if he was this sort of cold genius right off the bat. As far as events go, it pretty closely followed the anime version, but with small and bigger twists thrown here and there. There were also stuff that I found more realistic? Like it could happen to anyone, in the real world. It was a psychological, refreshing and thrilling masterpiece. This version also had my most favourite version of Near. First of all, he's introduced pretty very early on as a side character so it doesn't feel like someone dropped a bomb on you when he becomes bigger part of the plot later. The portrayal of Light's and L's relationship felt very well done and natural. Both actors were incredible and their cat-and-mouse game was incredibly fun to watch. I could go on and on but this review has already gotten very long so I'm just going to tell you - go watch it, give it a chance, it's really worth it.

Different from the comics, but it was still good as a drama

This is an acceptable adaptation of the source material.. with restrained content and decent execution, but with enough changes to make it different.

But I ask.. what is the reason to make some very important foundational changes that will ripple throughout the series, when the rest of the story will try to remain the same? There's no reason to change Light, of all characters, to be a wimpy fanboy. What was Light 's ego is now desperation and weakness.. and now the character isn't as much fun to watch or root for, and missed the point. Instead, this series seems to be made with L at its core, affecting many other things in the way.

There's also some cheap CGI, lots of conveniences, poor explanations and rushed developments that make this something of a chore to get through.

If it's not going to be like the best version of it, for those that decide to watch this first.. it could ruin the experience. And for those that have already seen it, there's nothing to gain from it.

Honestly, watch the faithful Anime adaptation or read the original Manga instead..

I really like this live action mini series version of Death Note. It is a very engrossing story and has a much better pace than the anime series. The anime started out as a masterpiece and then drug on and on forever with a tedious conclusion. This is a reworking of the original and I actually like the live action story tweaks a lot. Light is also much more likable instead of a genius egomaniac. I also found the L character to be very likable and smartly played by the actor. Misa is also less annoying. Some fans of the anime have commented on the changes that were made. I think they were definitely for the better. About the only place I have been able to find this series is on Crunchyroll.

After seeing the disastrous Death Note 2017 Netflix adaptation, it's clear that they completely butchered it. However, Death Note 2015 (the 11-episode drama) is a whole different story. This series is as close to the original as it gets, and honestly, I think it even improves on it in some areas.

The drama made some smart adjustments, tweaking Light and L's attitudes while keeping the other characters faithful to the original. The plot got some key changes, but ultimately, it leads to the same outcome. It's brilliant, making subtle fixes that really work. The tension is palpable, and the music is spot on. The cast also did an amazing job, with every character looking just right.

I was hooked from the first episode, which pulled me in and had me binge-watching it in no time.

I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but if you're a Death Note fan, this is absolutely a must-watch.

9.5/10.