Summary

• Get Light Yagami right: Make him complex, conflicted, and emotionally intelligent.
• Emphasize the relationship between Light and L: Make their rivalry engaging and intense.
• Focus on the core elements: Make Light evasive, respect L's character, and minimize romance.

Death Note is getting another live-action adaptation by Netflix, but in order to do the series justice, it needs to avoid some fatal errors from the 2017 adaptation. Death Note is a popular Japanese manga series released between 2003 and 2006, which went on to inspire an anime series in 2006. Since then, the series has also inspired several other adaptations, including a live-action movie made for Netflix in 2017. Like many other live-action anime adaptations, the movie was a critical failure, earning largely negative reviews.

However, Netflix recently announced that another live-action anime adaptation of the series is in the works, this time as a TV series that is being created by Stranger Things creators, the Duffer brothers. Moving away from a movie to a series is a good start, but there are several other elements that the Duffers will need to improve from the earlier adaptation to create a successful adaptation. Fortunately, with the 2017 film to hand, it's easy to highlight some of the many elements that the movie did wrong to help improve the future series' chances of success.

8 Light Yagami As A Complex Protagonist

A Conflicted Genius, Not An Emotionally Void Brute

First and foremost, the new series will need to get its central protagonist right to have any chance at winning over the fanbase. Light Yagami was an extremely complex character who had conflicting feelings ing the Death Note until he became addicted to the power. Light Turner, on the other hand, had no qualms ing the Death Note and was largely void of emotion throughout. The leading character needs to have some redeeming qualities and a sense of genius to deliver the character as intended, and make the series more gripping.

7 The Relationship Between Light And L

An Elaborate Game Of Chess Between Geniuses

One of the most engaging parts of the entire story is the relationship between Light and L. Throughout the Manga and the original anime series, the rivals are caught in a game of cat and mouse between two equally brilliant young men. At certain times, it appears that either character has the upper hand, only for the tides to suddenly turn, and the other character to come out on top. The film lacked any real connection between the two leading characters and thus lost a vital part of what made the story engaging and entertaining.

6 Light Needs To Evade Capture

Light Has A Strong Sense Of Self-Preservation

One of the core elements of Light's character is his desire to evade capture and continue delivering his vigilante justice. While the movie had to compress the story, it lacked any sense of Light trying to avoid being captured, with most of his actions being completely reckless and spontaneous, rather than well-thought-out, and protecting his identity. To keep the series interesting, and Light in control of the Death Note, the new series will need to see Light employ clever tactics to avoid being caught, and remain an anonymous killer for as long as possible.

5 L Deserves More Respect

He Is A Pivotal Character, Not A Joke

In the Manga and anime series, L is incredibly quirky and eccentric, to the point that others around him struggle to understand him. Despite this, his position as a world-famous investigator and his extraordinary skills earn him the respect of those around him. One of the biggest injustices of the 2017 Death Note movie comes from the lack of respect towards L's character, and how he was relegated to being an odd joke, rather than a pivotal character. The character appeared overly emotional, and others failed to recognize his importance and intelligence, which undermined his credibility with the audience.

4 Less Focus On Romance

Light Is Not Capable Of Loving Someone Else

The original story of Death Note is not about romance, with the bulk of the story revolving around the rivalry between Light and L. When female characters are introduced as potential love interests to Light, he only sees them as pawns in his game, and tools to be used to serve whatever purpose he decides is important. The Netflix live-action anime movie failed to recognize this, and while the final scenes of the movie see Light behave more like the source material, the movie spends some time developing a romance story that is meaningless and void.

3 Coherent Storytelling

The Story Needs To Naturally And Logically Progress

The ending of the 2017 Death Note sees Light betray his love interest, Mia Sutton, to avoid being caught. However, this ending is not consistent with the story being told up to that point. While it feels more authentic to the source material, the entire story needs to be coherent and deliver the overall message. If Light eventually pulls off a clever stunt, it needs to be established that he is capable of that, or that he develops the skills to carry this sort of complicated trick off. Having the character suddenly become a genius tactician can't just happen suddenly.

2 Ryuk's Motivation

A God Of Death Seeking Entertainment

Ryuk is a powerful demonic being in the manga, but much of his character is reduced to simply being a scary-looking spirit in the movie. Ryuk is a Shinigami, who seeks to derive pleasure from delivering a powerful relic, known as the Death Note, into the human realm and causing mayhem and mischief. His motivations for doing what he does are derived from a twisted sense of pleasure at the childish dealings of humanity with the introduction of his superior powers. In the 2017 movie, Ryuk had very little motivation, appeared inconsistent, and lacked any real dimensions.

1 Moral Ambiguity

The Show Should Leave Things Open-Ended

The film became a clear anti-hero story, with Light as the immoral protagonist. Part of what makes the original stories brilliant is a sense of ambiguity around the morality of the characters and their actions. Killing is wrong, but Light eliminates some of society's worst people, including rapists and murderers. L is a brilliant detective seeking to bring Light to justice, but sometimes his methods appear detached and cold. The story is layered and thought-provoking, and this should be true in the Netflix-adapted series of Death Note, or it will fail to capture what made the original stories worthwhile.