[ SECRET POST #3860 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3860 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 48 secrets from Secret Submission Post #553.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Death Note is just too heavily steeped in Japanese culture and values to ever be properly or accurately adapted into an American series.

Still, I like the guy they got to play L. He's a cutie.

[(Anonymous)]

I think they could do it (America certainly has a long media history of vigilantism for Light and super-talented weird geniuses for L), but they'd have to put in a fair bit of work to make it interesting, and they obviously haven't done that here.

[(Anonymous)]

I disagree completely. What's Japanese culture/values about Death Note that wouldn't work in any Western setting? The moral question of killing criminals translates virtually anywhere, and Tokyo is a first-world, relatively Western (yes, it is) urban setting. It'd work just fine in NYC, or Paris, or London.

Like the only thing that seems "Japanese" is the "Shinigami", but "Death God" (or maybe "Grim Reaper") pretty much translates perfectly into an American context. I literally can't think of any other core tenet of Death Note - or frankly, any other major detail - that can't be translated word-for-word to America.

[(Anonymous)]

Everything about Light doesn't fit in America. A brilliant honor student would not be considered "crush worthy" or popular by Amerilard standards.

[(Anonymous)]

DA I don't know if you're from the United States or not but you seem to be making assumptions either based on stereotypes or based on one personal experience (which is not accurate for the whole country.) Honor students can be popular in the states, they were in my school.

I could very easily see a story where Light is going to a top notch private school in the states and is popular among his peers.

[(Anonymous)]

Why in the world not? You sound like you're talking about simplified Hollywood fictional versions of high school, with the "cool jocks" and the "nerds". That's not real life. An extremely handsome guy with brilliant grades, who was previously an athletic champion, who is extremely socially savvy would absolutely be worshiped in an American school. It's all about looks and your social skills, and Light excels in both. The most popular guys in my very American high school were the ones who went on to MIT.

[(Anonymous)]

To fit with the Japanese version, American Light would have to be at very least upper-middle class. I'm thinking even the old money, country club, Yale-bound type. I didn't even mind that he would be white -- to be honest, a white ubermensch douche sounds about right for him. The moment they showed him looking like your average school shooter I knew this remake was going to be trash.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you! I agree 100%.

[(Anonymous)]

While I'm sure Light is probably from an middle class background, perhaps even upper-middle class, I think you're making him out to be a little more aristocratic than he is. He would of course be Yale-bound, but not because his family has any connections. Light absolutely has to be capable based 100% off of his own capabilities and intelligence. He can't come from a family background that pulls strings or particularly advantages him; that dulls down Light's immense ability, which is what the show is really about. Same with him being rich. Light doesn't need to be rich to accomplish the things he wants to accomplish, and he's not rich in the original and I'm not sure what would be accomplished by making him rich. Plus I'm not sure that fits his Japanese counterpart; his dad was a cop and his mom a housewife, that doesn't indicate uber money. Sure, his dad became the police chief and that's nothing to scoff at, but even police chief is different from smarmy old money profession like lawyer, professor, CEO, etc.

Light can't be lower class, granted - he has to want for nothing, and he shouldn't be personally invested in any war against crime beyond the ideals his father instilled upon him being in the police force. Light acts from an idealistic perspective, not a survivalist goal, and certainly not as revenge against any act done against him (like Misa might).

I personally think Light works just fine as a Japanese-American, especially if the setting were an area with a high Asian population. I also think you're not losing much by casting him as white, but I would hesitate to cast him as an oppressed minority (beyond what could be justified with him being Japanese in a white society) because again, Light shouldn't be personally affected by crime/injustice or you might risk telling a different story.

[(Anonymous)]

We have to make changes to account for the socio-political differences in Japan and the US, though. While AIRT is silly to suggest that the themes of Death Note are just impossible to transfer to an American setting, they're not entirely off in their suggestion that a smart, accomplished youth from a civil servant family background might not quite represent the model image you want for the character in the US. Where I disagree with them is this: America absolutely does have a culture that venerates individual success. However, class differences are more keenly felt here, so to make the character work, I say we double-down.

For example, Light's family did not need to be particularly well-off in the original. But in today's America, a certain level of wealth is definitely needed to provide the kind of privilege cushion that would have engendered a "I can personally fix the world" mindset in a teenager. His father is probably not a chief of police anymore since that profession is still perceived as distinctly blue collar in the US -- and considering the level of crimes the story will be dealing with, would a chief of police have the necessary clearance to be part of the investigation? If you want to keep him in law enforcement, I say make him a US Attorney. In order for Light to be admired by his peers, he has to be surrounded by peers who value similar things. Private school is a must.

[(Anonymous)]

Spoken like someone who knows nothing about the intricacies of Japanese culture.

[(Anonymous)]

Lmao enlighten me. I lived in Tokyo for five years, I'd like to hear what ~intricacies~ are non transferable.

[digitalghosts]

It definitely can be adapted and would serve as in interesting sociological picture. Light picked up the note as he was bored of collectivism centred culture and believed to be outside the machine unlike his peers. All the time he had been convinced he is the one who will change the world for better and in the end it will be worth it. It is a pretty universal story - take a teen who thinks they are different, have a strong sense of justice, believe they are the only ones whobcan change the world as they see the truth. Give them a notebook to kill people and pretty much yeah.

The best way to adapt that would probably be just using the concept as we have a certain image of characters where varations might make then feel too foreign.