The Simpsons Just Adapted Death Note Better Than Netflix

The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror episode featured an adaptation of Death Note. The successful segment has cast a darker shadow on Netflix’s version.

This year’s Treehouse of Horror saw The Simpsons go full anime in their parody of Death Note. The show even enlisted the studio responsible for Death Note to head the animation. The segment has received rave reviews, with many stating the parody is better than Netflix’s original adaptation of Death Note.

The segment, titled “Death Tome,” sees Lisa become Light Yagami and utilize her version of the Death Note. Though the segment is relatively short, it pays homage to anime while cleverly interweaving patented Simpsons humor. Unlike the Netflix adaptation, which was panned by both audiences and critics alike, The Simpsons‘ take actually plays it very close to the anime, even adding their own bit of lore to how the book of death works. The Netflix adaptation took many liberties with the source material and tried to fit it into a traditional movie format. At the same time, The Simpsons embraced all the elements that made the anime so popular.

Related: Treehouse of Horror Embraced A Major Modern Simpsons Problem

The Simpsons’ Death Note Parody Was More Authentic Than Netflix’s

From the start, it was clear the Simpsons’ production team wanted to do things right. Even going as far as incorporating some of Death Note’s popular theories into the segment. Collaborating with DR Movie was another step in the right direction. Instead of using typical Simpsons animation, the decision to mimic Death Note’s anime style added authenticity that the Netflix version lacked. While the Treehouse of Horror segment did change some rules associated with the Death Notebook, such as not being able to kill in the same way twice, the changes were mostly in line with the core tenets of the anime.

What Netflix’s Death Note Show Can Learn From The Simpsons

The upcoming adaptation of Death Note by the Duffer Brothers is already off to a better start. The episodic format of Netflix’s second try at Death Note is already fixing their original mistake with the anime. Learning from The Simpsons’ version, the new adaptation should also remain close to the source material. The Simpsons‘ segment showed that you can take calculated liberties as long as the core remains faithful.

The success of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment shows that anime adaptations can be done right. Netflix has shown that they are committed to anime adaptations, and placing the new Death Note series into the hands of the Duffer Brothers is a step in the right direction. If they can manage to recreate a fraction of the success of Stranger Things, it’ll be a win.

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