So, it looks like there is not a lot of love out there for “Death Note”. Of course, I'm not talking about the original anime or manga, which are classics in the otaku community, but the upcoming live action adaptation. This dissatisfaction follows the release of the new “Death Note” teaser trailer, due to the apparent whitewashing of characters and uprooting the story from Japan and placing it in Seattle. Already, two of my friends have written articles describing how the new “Death Note” is problematic and even wrong.

Even though they are my friends, I disagree with their position. My position is that the situation is not as black-and-white as it appears, and that the “Death Note” movie might actually be a decent interpretation of the original anime and manga. I intend to look at both articles and counter their main points.

I’ll start with my friend Ashley’s article. In her “Death Note” article, she says:

“In this new film adaptation, all of the main characters are white.”

This statement is incorrect. Though the protagonist of “Death Note,” Light, is being played by a white actor, the antagonist of the series, L, is being played by a black actor. I understand what Ashley means from her statement, since other characters are being played by white actors; however, I think it is important to note that some of the characters highlight diversity. And yes, L is a major character. For those not familiar with the original “Death Note,” L is a genius detective seeking the true identity of a supernatural killer known as Kira. L suspects that it is Light, and the two engage in a battle of the minds. L is also Japanese in the original story. While everyone is upset that Light is being played by a white actor, no one really seems all that outraged about a black L.

Ashley also points out a change in the main character’s name:

“Light Yagami isn't even allowed to keep his original name, with his American alias being Light Turner instead.”

Since a white actor has been cast to play Light, I think it is important that the name was changed, because I think that a white guy with the name “Yagami” would open up even more hate, which would be much more deserved.

But then again, the crew of “Death Note” could have avoided all of this if they had cast an Asian American actor as Light. Ashley points out that:

“Japanese Americans-- and Asian Americans in general-- are steeped in a culture where they are lucky to ever see someone who looks like them in their favorite TV show or movie.”

I do agree that Hollywood and the entertainment media needs to do more to provide representation Asian Americans in movies and television. As a Mexican American, I think that too many POC in entertainment are either minor characters or stereotypes. However, I believe that is a Hollywood problem. With “Death Note” being adapted to the US with a new version of Light, I do not believe there was any obligation to cast an Asian American actor. It would have been nice if they did, but unfortunately, they didn’t.

What I am concerned about, is Ashley’s following point:

“Edward Zo, an Asian American actor and YouTuber, was actually turned away from the "Death Note" auditions because he was "too Asian," and they weren't looking for someone like that to play Light.”

My opinion is that Light’s race is not relevant to the story of “Death Note.” They could have cast a Latino actor, and I would think it’d be fine, so it would be outrageous if Edward Zo’s claims are true and he was turned away because of his race. I say “if” because Asian actor Yoshi Sudarso also auditioned for “Death Note” and did not have the same experience as Zo. However, that does not mean that Zo was lying. It would not surprise me if the crew had no interest in casting an Asian lead, and that I find frustrating.

Another of Ashley’s claims that I want to spend a good amount of time on is this:

“Everything within the story centers on Japanese cultural beliefs and values.”

I disagree with this statement. The story of “Death Note” is about a teenager who discovers a notebook that belonged to a god of death. With that notebook, the teenager is capable of killing anyone whose name is written in the notebook. A battle of the minds ensues between this teenager and a mysterious detective. This is not a story that is specific to Japan. This story can be set in Mexico or France, and it is still “Death Note.” Take the character of Ryuk, for example. He is a shinigami, or a god of death. Though not called by the same name, gods of death and grim reapers are common throughout the world and in different cultures. Even some of the shinigami shown briefly in the anime are obviously representatives of different cultures, like a shinigami wearing a feathered headdress.

“Death Note” is also heavily influenced by western culture and contains many biblical references. Just look at the recurring image of the apple throughout the anime. In western culture, apples are symbols of temptation and are often used to represent the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden from the biblical book of Genesis. Light’s name can also be a reference to the devil himself. The devil’s Latin name, Lucifer, is interpreted as meaning “morning star” or “light-bearer” and was believed to be one of God’s most beautiful angels, until he turned against God because of his own pride and desires. Remind you of anyone? For more about the Christian themes in “Death Note”, there is a cool video by YouTuber, Mother’s Basement, that really breaks down the opening of the series image by image.

In their article about “Death Note”, my friend, Chain, makes a similar argument. As they state in the title of their article, Chain does not believe “Death Note” should be set in the US. Using an example from an anthropology class, they make the claim that:

“It turns out a story does, in fact, change when it is told in a different culture.”

My response to that is, good! I see nothing wrong with that-- in fact, I believe that is one of the joys of adaptations. For example, look at the Odyssey (the mythic epic by Homer, not this website). It took place in ancient Greece with Greek characters and the story was likely more relatable to people of that era and from that culture than it was for people of today. Now look at “O’ Brother Where Art Thou.” It is an American film that takes the story of the Odyssey and places it in the American South during the 1930’s. Of course, the characters in this film were not Greek and many of the elements of the story had to be changed to fit this new setting.

But we’re talking about anime and a story with Eastern influences! This isn’t about a Western story being made into a Western movie! It’s outrageous to take a story from Japan and westernize it! Okay, but what about Christopher Nolan’s “Inception?" It’s an American action and science fiction story about entering people’s dreams and using their dreams to manipulate their actions in the real world. A very original premise...except that it's based off of the Japanese animated film, “Paprika.” The characters and plot are changed and “Inception” has a bit more action, but Christopher Nolan has stated that “Paprika” was an inspiration for “Inception.” Even some of the scenes from “Inception” parallel scenes from “Paprika.”

Okay, but “Inception” was only inspired by “Paprika,” it’s not a direct adaptation. Fine, let’s look at the American crime drama “The Departed.” It has a primarily white cast...and it was based off of a Hong Kong film, “Infernal Affairs,” which features a Chinese cast. Does “The Departed” take place in Hong Kong? Nope, it takes place in Boston. Are the main characters of “The Departed” played by Asian actors? Nope, I am pretty sure that Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon are not Asian.

Now, let’s reverse it. Has Japan ever taken anything with Western origins and adapted it for a Japanese audience? Yes! One example would be the recent anime, “91 Days”. This anime is a revenge story set in prohibition-era United States. It involves the mafia, hit men, and a lot of the tropes of classic gangster films. “91 Days” is unlike many anime because of this very Western setting, and it does not try to hide that it has American influences. Even the title card resembles the poster of “Scarface” and the title of “The Godfather”.

Another example? “Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt.” It’s a very crude and lewd anime about fallen angels fighting demons and monsters. The creators of the series came up with it after watching the American cartoon, “Drawn Together,” which is known for it’s very crass and offensive humor. “Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt” also does not feel like a conventional anime. It seems to have more in common with “Family Guy” and “South Park” than “Fullmetal Alchemist” or “Sailor Moon.” This anime series is so American and Western that many people prefer the English dub over the original Japanese version.

So, does this mean that I believe that whitewashing is okay or no big deal? No, I just believe that the way a story is adapted matters. Take the US live action adaptation of “Ghost in the Shell.” The movie is supposed to be a faithful adaptation of the original anime, and even the setting remains in Japan. In this situation, the main character of the original anime, Major Matoko Kusanagi, should be played by a Japanese or Japanese American actress. Scarlett Johansson is a talented actress, but casting her as the Major is whitewashing and problematic. The points that I make in this article defending "Death Note" do not really apply to “Ghost in the Shell”

From the little information that we, as an audience, have gotten so far, the “Death Note” movie will not be a 100% faithful adaptation of the anime or manga. Light Yagami is now Light Turner; Misa is now Mia, and no longer an idol but a cheerleader; L looks more like a masked vigilante than an emo detective; and the story takes place in Seattle instead of Japan. The movie will also likely only be around two hours long and the anime was over 30 episodes long (the manga was 108 chapters), so I doubt that the entire story is going to be stuffed in such a relatively short amount of time. And because the story takes place in the US, there will likely be other changes to the story. This brings me to Chain’s next point, regarding the US justice system.

“Our incarceration rate is the highest in the world, by the way...it’s incredibly racially slanted, with black and latinx populations incarcerated at proportionally way higher rates than white folk...1 in 5 prisoners in the US were incarcerated for drug offenses….We are also one of the only industrialized countries left to legally try teenagers as adults, and to continue to support the death penalty.”

Because of how broken our justice and prison system is, Chain thinks that a “Death Note” movie set in the US would be unsuitable and inappropriate. I mean, if Light Turner is like the Light Yagami from the anime and manga, his actions would cause a lot of controversy, especially with the ongoing conversation about police brutality against people of color. But if done right, I think that this fact will make Light Turner an even more interesting character.

If Light Turner is as morally self-righteous as Light Yagami, he will look at the broken justice system and take it upon himself to fix it. He won’t kill people who are wrongfully convicted or given a lengthy sentence because of the color of their skin. He would likely target those who openly break the law and get away with it. He would target the corrupt politicians, the dirty cops, and the Brock Turners of the world, and expect praise for his actions. I foresee this making Light Turner a character as interesting as Light Yagami.

Of course, I have no idea what the US adaptation of “Death Note” will be like. If history says anything about live action versions of anime, “Death Note” is probably going to fail miserably. It is also likely that the director, writer, or actors will end up doing something that makes the movie blatantly offensive and racist. Something like that would not surprise me, though I hope that it does not happen. I really want “Death Note” to be a success and for anime to become more mainstream in popular culture.

Should “Death Note” have cast more Asian American leads? I do not think they had an obligation to do so, but it would have been really nice to see. However, I think “Death Note” is just being labeled as the villain in an entertainment industry that ignores Asian, Latino, and African American actors. This is something bigger than “Death Note” and I hope that whoever is making the next anime adaptation realizes this, especially if they make an anime that is centered in Japan and Japanese culture, like “Naruto” or "Bleach”.

Though there is a lot of division on this topic, one thing that I think everyone can agree on is that this “Death Note” movie better include the potato chip scene. It has no chance of pleasing anyone without it.