Original ‘Death Note’ Creators Give Netflix Adaptation the Official Stamp of Approval in Exclusive Japanese Interview

You asked for it, they gave it! In an interview with Japanese entertainment magazine Comic Natalie, original series creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata finally set the record straight: they love the Netflix film, they thanked the crew several months ago for a reason, and here's why.

Writer Ohba reveals:

“It was much more interesting than I thought. There are parts that closely follow the original and parts that are completely changed — but in a sensible way.”

To describe the upcoming Netflix adaptation as anything close to “sensible” seems quite a stretch. It's not something most viewers like to associate with the film. And yet Tsugumi Ohba — the genius behind Light Yagami's plans to become god of the new world — disagrees. In fact, he believes it is precisely because of this that the movie will be enjoyed by a wider audience, and not just the fans.

Artist Takeshi Obata, who worked closely with Ohba in bringing Death Note to life, similarly defies convention and gives the film a glowing rating, the verbal equivalent of a perfect score, explaining:

“The characters all stayed true to their motivations. It’s just like what I intended 'Death Note' to be. This is the kind of 'Death Note' I wanted to draw.”

Ohba and Obata’s earlier feedback — which they shared with actor and producer Masi Oka during a private screening of the film in Japan — became the subject of much contention for its alleged lack of sincerity. Some fans in the West even went so far as to accuse them of being paid to give only positive feedback. However if we add that up with what the critics have been saying so far — and again it's not something fans are expecting — the reaction oddly makes a lot of sense.

A Partial Success

If you were hoping for more backlash, concentrated ridicule, or comments along the lines of Assassin’s Creed or Dragonball Evolution, prepare to be disappointed. The critics have already seen the movie and they all agree on one thing: the film is not as bad as it seems. Certainly it isn't perfect, or the best, but it's not completely awful either.

Gamespot explains that “there’s little that should enrage most fans.” The film takes great liberties with the plot and some with the characters, and doesn’t even try to replicate the anime’s entire story, but “it does cram a lot of story in, which turns out to be both a good and a bad thing.” According to IGN, director Adam Wingard was able to “partially succeed” at finally “bucking the trend of low-quality American anime remakes.”

LRM agrees and gives Death Note a plus rating — “a great adaptation that has the ability to stand pretty well on its own.” JoBlo disagrees and calls the film “frequently awkward, but not terrible, clearly ambitious but keeps tripping over its own feet.”

The general sentiment is: the film is far from being an accurate adaptation. Fans already know this, but not that it isn’t as bad as everyone thought it would be. Even Tsugumi Ohba echoed the same sentiment. Perhaps he too originally had his doubts, but upon watching, felt the issue had been blown way out of proportion. Maybe he’s right.

Well there you have it. Death Note’s original creators actually loved the film and the critics are partially backing them up on it. Kira might as well have delivered the verdict himself.

The American adaptation of Death Note, directed by Adam Wingard and starring Nat Wolff as Light Turner and Willem Dafoe as Ryuk, will officially debut on Netflix on August 25.