Word of the Week #413:
So I have talked in the past about adaptations, particularly touching on Neflix’s live action adaptations of anime series.
Now, Netflix’s Death Note was atrocious. That’s undeniable.
But more recently, some Netflix adaptations have been relatively palatable.
By all accounts, the One Piece show was good, and over the past week, we got the much awaited Avatar live action show.
Personally, I did not like the show. It is by no means a disaster, but they are just changing WAY too much for my taste. And these are not just cosmetic changes; key plot points and characters traits which truly worked in the original and are by no means dated just yet have been warped.
And yes, there is an argument to be made—as an old friend did make—that these remakes are making the franchises accessible to a new batch of fans who grow up generally disinclined towards anime but all the while listening to people like me badgering them to try these series. This can be a softer, safer way for them to enter the fandoms.
In many ways, it is similar to how so many of us were introduced to pizzas and tacos through Pizza Hut and Taco Bell respectively.
Now, as much as I may appreciate these fast food brands for that, it is important to remember that there is more to pizzas than Pizza Hut. I hope we are not creating a community that thinks otherwise.
