Until this most recent San Diego Comic Con, Netflix had never actually held a panel in the infamous Hall H and the largest room for franchises with the biggest followings. The first original programming to appear among their multiple panels – none other than the upcoming film Death Note which is based on a popular anime series that’s set to premiere in August. If you aren’t familiar with the anime series, it tells the story of a teenager named Light who receives a mysterious notebook said to kill anyone’s name that is written inside of it.
The cast briefly appeared onstage alongside director Adam Wingard before receiving a Skype call from the blood thirsty demonic entity Ryuk (not your average Skype session unless you’re into some shady activities.) Ryuk insisted that the audience should be given an exclusive first look at a scene from the film, prompting them to turn our attention to the infamous moment when Light and Ryuk first come into contact. The scene itself proved to be a creepy transition from seemingly average to showcasing examples of horror fueled tension. Ryuk (voiced by Willem Defoe) sticks to the shadows and it manages to keep the creepiness of the anime without being too direct and makes Ryuk feel like the ominous being he has alwyas been in the origional animation.
Light’s reaction to the situation is borderline comedic with shrill screams and a couple zingers at Ryuk’s demeanor. Just as he’s finally tempted to take action and give a cliche bully a taste of his own medicine, the scene is cut and we miss the potentially gruesome death. I suppose we will just have to wait until August 25 to see what the movie holds, but until then you can check out the SDCC scene below and let us know what you think, in the comment section.
