And like that it's over, I have now officially seen every bit of Death Note out there. Anime, Japanese movies, American travesty and now the Japanese live action series.
I went in with low expectations, as much as I adore Death Note I was fresh off the live action films and expected this to be a cheaply made rushed adaptation of the anime but I couldn't have been anymore wrong.
Little did I realise that this fantastic 11 part series has a true identity of it's own. It follows the original story but tweaks it here and there in some minor and some major parts to make it standout. Normally I hate it when stories do that but here because it's so damn good it was forgivable.
The performances are excellent, the writing is flawless and I was captivated once again almost as if I was watching the Death Note anime for the first time.
It isn't flawless overall, there are questionable moments, the cgi isn't great and in places it does look cheap but you can get past all of that with ease.
The shifts in storyline actually add to it, though I do find some of the decisions quite baffling especially when it comes to Nia.
This is essential viewing for fans of Death Note alike the anime and the live action Japanese films. The only poor Death Note is the American version but let's just pretend that never happened.
The Good:
Amazing soundtrack
Beautifully written
Well acted
The Bad:
Some dodgy cgi
Some questionable plot changes
Ryuk gets just plain annoying
Kento Yamazaki plays a great character, but it's really not L
Things I Learnt From This Series:
Hollywood had so much source material to use for their movie and still made that embarrassment
I still don't know what sex Nia was supposed to be
I went in with low expectations, as much as I adore Death Note I was fresh off the live action films and expected this to be a cheaply made rushed adaptation of the anime but I couldn't have been anymore wrong.
Little did I realise that this fantastic 11 part series has a true identity of it's own. It follows the original story but tweaks it here and there in some minor and some major parts to make it standout. Normally I hate it when stories do that but here because it's so damn good it was forgivable.
The performances are excellent, the writing is flawless and I was captivated once again almost as if I was watching the Death Note anime for the first time.
It isn't flawless overall, there are questionable moments, the cgi isn't great and in places it does look cheap but you can get past all of that with ease.
The shifts in storyline actually add to it, though I do find some of the decisions quite baffling especially when it comes to Nia.
This is essential viewing for fans of Death Note alike the anime and the live action Japanese films. The only poor Death Note is the American version but let's just pretend that never happened.
The Good:
Amazing soundtrack
Beautifully written
Well acted
The Bad:
Some dodgy cgi
Some questionable plot changes
Ryuk gets just plain annoying
Kento Yamazaki plays a great character, but it's really not L
Things I Learnt From This Series:
Hollywood had so much source material to use for their movie and still made that embarrassment
I still don't know what sex Nia was supposed to be