Why Original Death Note is better than the Netflix Film

Director Adam Wingard took the Death Note story, stripped away the best parts, added completely unnecessary scenes and served up something which is more plot hole than movie.

Let’s first appreciate his work. He had to distil over 12 hours ( the run time of the anime ) of story line into less than two hours .And that is without taking into account the extra details from manga comics. He wouldn’t look to add things, as the story is already a very rich and layered one.

Many who are fans of the anime will most likely be annoyed with the film. Here are some ways which I think the original is better.

The book falls from the sky for a reason

Shinigami Ryuk drops it in his realm and goes to retrieve it from the human world. We get a backstory of what life is like for Ryuk and why the book exists.

In the film, it just randomly appears out of nowhere and Light (main character) has to deal with a massive demon following him around for no apparent reason.

Ryuk doesn’t make a mess when he first appears to Light

 He just appears at the window. In the film, Ryuk has to mess up a classroom, scaring out Light, before saying anything.

Questions after morality and life after death get brought up

Light asks himself if writing a name in the death note would make him a murderer, and Ryuk explains that those who use it won’t go to heaven or hell – suggesting some form of purgatory instead.

In film, Light is shown casually writing names in it over popcorn with his new cheerleader girlfriend.

Light puts more effort into concealing the Death Note

Ryuk tells Light if any other human will touch the book it belong to that person. Then Light makes a setup and elaborate setup he has to conceal it from anyone who may go looking for it.

In the film, we see Light clinging to it a lot – then whenwhen his house gets raided He’s left worrying it’s been taken- until his girlfriend reveals she’s saved it and took it with her.

L is given less of an identity, which makes him more mysterious

When investing the case, L initially appears as a disembodied voice on a laptop, and we don’t see him for several episodes.

In the movie, L is a guy wearing a balaclava to conceal part of his face. But he removes it when he feels like it, which sort of eliminates the mystery

Ryuk has creepy powers that make things more interesting

For example, he tells Light that his kind can see how much life a human has left, as it’s displayed above their heads.

In the movie, Ryuk just sort of lurks in the background having a good laugh and making a mess.

The plot develops at a more realistic pace

There is a more focus on an in-depth investigation taking place, with Light spending a lot of time theorizing and coming up with strategies.

In the movie, Light goes from being a loner to dating a popular girl pretty rapidly, and his relationship with his father swings between extremes to keep up with the story.