Newest Post
// On :Sunday, August 6, 2017
Hey guys, kanna here. I promised at least one Anime Monday before I went to school for my last year. So, you're going to be getting this relatively short blog post.
If you were at SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con), you'll know that they showed a clip from the highly controversial Netflix adaptation of the classic anime, Death Note. If you weren't there (like me), then you probably found out about this by word of mouth. There are...several things I want to say about this adaptation, but I'll get to them after I talk about the clip.
Ok. In this clip, Light (Nat Wolff) meets Ryuk (CGI voiced by Willem Dafoe). And...to be perfectly honest, there are only two impressive things in this clip:
1. Nat Wolff actually cursing (I mean, I haven't seen any of his stuff outside of Naked Brothers Band, so if he curses in other stuff, I stand corrected)
2. Willem Dafoe as Ryuk. I think that speaks for itself.
And it's also here where I feel that Nat Wolff's acting just...isn't good. I don't think he's going to make a good Light Yagami. His acting seems...off. Granted, the full movie hasn't been released yet, so I can't be too harsh. Even so, I feel like all my hope for him just went down the drain. Sorry, Nat, but so far, Willem Dafoe is the only redeeming thing about this. It's Anime/Manga: 2 and Netflix: 1.
So...what can we expect?
- That guy from Get Out as L (I can never remember his name...I think it's Keith something)
- Nat Wolff being unable to play a complex character like Light Yagami
- Masi Oka being his usual self (yes, he's actually in this movie; more on him later)
- An AMAZING performance from Willem Dafoe
- Hopefully decent CGI...the CGI Ryuk looks pretty cool
And...that's really about it. I don't think there's much to expect from this film. Granted, I don't think the movie will be as bad as the live-action Attack on Titan, but I still think this is going to be pretty bad.
The characters don't seem like they're going to be in character. I mean, Misa Amane (Light's love interest) is now Mia Sutton, and she's a cheerleader (and probably homicidal). I'm sorry, WHAT?
*must calm down*
The characters don't seem like they're going to be in character. I mean, Misa Amane (Light's love interest) is now Mia Sutton, and she's a cheerleader (and probably homicidal). I'm sorry, WHAT?
*must calm down*
Now for the controversial bit:
Here is the real reason there are little to no Asian actors or actresses in the film, straight from Masi Oka: "Our casting directors did an extensive search to get Asian actors, but we couldn’t find the right person, the actors we did go to didn’t speak the perfect English… and the characters had been rewritten..."
Ok. I have several things to say about this, all of which can be summed up in one word:
BULLCRAP!
Seriously, Masi, I had so much respect for you before you made that remark. I honestly doubt you spoke "perfect English" when you were little. I work with elderly Chinese people to teach them English, and their English isn't "perfect," but you know what? THEY'RE TRYING! PEOPLE. ARE. TRYING! TO LEARN ONE OF THE HARDEST LANGUAGES OUT THERE! IT'S EVEN HARD FOR NATIVE SPEAKERS!
According to Death Note News, a young Asian-American actor, Edward Zo, was told not to audition for the part of Light Yagami because he was "too Asian." Um...Masi...you're Asian-American, and you're in the movie. Don't you think that's a tad hypocritical? Anyway, for those of you who don't know Edward Zo, here's what he looks like:
Not to mention how Edward found out about the fact that he didn't get the part: through the news that Nat Wolff was in "final negotiations" for the part. And then Nat got the part. Talk about a bad way to find out news about you. I mean, imagine being called into a meeting with your coworker and your boss, only for your boss to tell your coworker IN FRONT OF YOU that your coworker got the big promotion and you didn't.
I'm trying to get an interview with Edward Zo (sort of like what I did with Jonathan Todd Ross), but so far, he hasn't responded to my message. If any of you know him personally and are willing to reach out to him and ask him for an interview with little old me (haha), that would be fantastic.
Anyway, Netflix's Death Note adaptation comes out August 25 of this year. I'm going to watch it and give it the full review it deserves. Let's just pray that it isn't as bad as the live action Attack on Titan and that my sanity stays intact. See you for the next Anime Monday!
According to Death Note News, a young Asian-American actor, Edward Zo, was told not to audition for the part of Light Yagami because he was "too Asian." Um...Masi...you're Asian-American, and you're in the movie. Don't you think that's a tad hypocritical? Anyway, for those of you who don't know Edward Zo, here's what he looks like:
Not to mention how Edward found out about the fact that he didn't get the part: through the news that Nat Wolff was in "final negotiations" for the part. And then Nat got the part. Talk about a bad way to find out news about you. I mean, imagine being called into a meeting with your coworker and your boss, only for your boss to tell your coworker IN FRONT OF YOU that your coworker got the big promotion and you didn't.
I'm trying to get an interview with Edward Zo (sort of like what I did with Jonathan Todd Ross), but so far, he hasn't responded to my message. If any of you know him personally and are willing to reach out to him and ask him for an interview with little old me (haha), that would be fantastic.
Anyway, Netflix's Death Note adaptation comes out August 25 of this year. I'm going to watch it and give it the full review it deserves. Let's just pray that it isn't as bad as the live action Attack on Titan and that my sanity stays intact. See you for the next Anime Monday!
Oh, and by the way, Mr. Oka: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (the creators of Death Note, who you, Mr. Oka, seem to have blatantly disregarded and disrespected) send their regards.
