8 Big Changes The Death Note Remake Made
7. Japan To America
Definitely the most
controversial change.
Most mainstream cinema is American, therefore it is dominated by American themes. Whilst the original story is uniquely Japanese, the remake Americanises the story up to the point of mundanity, and focuses on themes and images such as high school, the prom, and a boat-load of teen angst. It almost feels like a John Hughes film, which is something we’ve seen a hundred times before.
This change is the root of the remake’s problem. The characters were altered to adapt to the environment, then the story was manipulated to adapt to the characters.
If the story had simply stayed in Japan, then it would have been easier to create a faithful adaptation.