DEATH NOTE Musical Reaction - Ep. 52 of Musicals I Know Nothing About

Reacting to Death Note The Musical was like going to a Rock concert and teenage Barbara and I are SO here for it!
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👀 UPCOMING REACTIONS - add your favourite shows: / barbara20is. .
***Copyright Disclaimer: none of the songs in this video belongs to me. This is a non-commercial video for entertainment purposes only.
#deathnote #musicaltheatre #reaction

[@Barbara2.0]

Yes, my brain COMPLETELY erased the fact that Rem was originally a female from my memory, for some reason

[@s3noi]

in my country's dub Rem was voiced as a man, which created a mandela effect of her being a man, so i can relate to your confusion lol. I would guess this might've gotten lost in a lot of translations too, maybe even for censoring the fact she was in love with Misa

[@ZerkaiGG]

For "Hurricane", it may seem like a cheesy metaphor, but it's 100% in-character for Light. He's likening his cleansing of the world to a Force Of Nature, an "Act of God".

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

Agreed! It’s my favorite villain song of all time after the first time I heard it.

[@rainbowandre9580]

13:52 Wait, wait, wait, hear me out. In the context of the show, this song is actually DEVASTATING. It's the one that always brings me to tears wwhenever I rewatch the show (I recommend the Korean version. You can find it online with English subs). So, "We all need a Hero" happens after Misa Misa's concert. Light's sister is really excited and asks his brother if he enjoyed the concert. Light says that he specially liked when Misa Misa dedicated her last song to Kira. Sayori looks at Light and says she hated that part because Kira is a bad person. Killing people is bad. Then Light asks her what would she tell Kira if he was in front of her and Sayori answers "I would ask him to stop doing what he's doing. I know you're intentions are good, but that's not the right way to achieve justice... I would tell him to be just like my brother" And then she starts singing that song while Ryuk laughes maliciously because of the irony of the whole situation.

[@Barbara2.0]

Wow it would've made all the difference if they had kept that in for the concert, gives the song an actual purpose

[@basyagross]

​@@Barbara2.0I think that cutting out a lot of the dialogue was one of the main weaknesses of the concert version. Without that stuff, you lose so much of the character's relationships and motivations. Also keeping the original lyrics, rather than doing translations of the Japanese (or even Korean) lyrics. After hearing the Japanese lyrics the English ones feel a bit like an early draft, as opposed to a finished version.

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

Oh no they cut out the dialogue?!?! Hopefully they don’t cut too much out if the actual musical when it goes into production.

[@basyagross]

@@questworldiangreenknight7455 Based off what I've read they cut at least 20% of the book out. So not everything, but clearly enough that it had an impact.

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

@@basyagross Oh I meant the dialogue from the previous musical production lol. I haven’t read the book but I did watch all of the anime 😄🤷🏻‍♂️

[@AVeryOriginalUsername]

25:30 Rem was always a woman, she just had a deeper voice in the anime.

[@kingsloth1121]

I'm so happy this musical is getting more recognition and is being adapted into more languages. Cause for so long all we had for English content was the concept album.

[@hihi-heart]

Apparently, despite the overture not being 40 seconds, it’s still accompanied by a 40-second countdown! ⏰💀

[@katkin_24]

I absolutely LOVE this musical! I genuinely have no idea how many times I have listened to this soundtrack 😂. ‘The Way It Ends’ is probably my favourite song out of all of them but there is not a bad song on the album. 2nd favourite is ‘Stalemate’… Jeremy Jordan and Jarrod Spector did such a good job bringing Light and L to life. The blend of their voices is just magical!

[@katkin_24]

I could spend hours analysing this show and still miss some of the symbolism My favourite fun facts: - Whenever L and Light harmonise L always has the higher harmony showing how he has the higher moral ground (additionally when Soichiro and L were singing together they were singing the same harmony showing that they’re on the same side of the case) - Misa’s first song was dedicated to Kira and has a gospel type feel to it showing how she thinks of Kira as her God - Soichiro’s (Light’s dad) songs all have a traditional sound to show how he stands by his values and the traditional sense of right and wrong - L singing the lines “as if another’s will has moved me” shows that he knows Light is controlling his actions through the Death Note (a musical only plot) and has already accepted that he is going to die as Light has complete control over what happens next - Misa’s song “I’ll only love you more” just sounds like a nice generic love song to everyone but Light as she contains references to the death note that only he will understand - The amount of tennis puns in ‘Playing his game’

[@DerekMckean]

It'a ashame the 2015 album with Jeremy Jordan had to get leaked by one of Frank Wildhorn's associates in otder for us to hear an album that was supposwd to just be a demo for asisn producers and was never meant to be released. I thought it was originally goingvyo be released but apparently the new york demo was necer to be rekeased.. But fear not! The 2023 London concert cast is busy recording it and it will be released on Ghostlight records. Its going to bd called the London Concept Recording. And unfortunately it is a couple tracks short of the 2015 demo. When it was less known on social media, i burned a CD for one of my ex-friends. I think the driving marketing force for the music was Kim Junsu singing Hurricane from the Korean production. And then slowly built up momentum from there. Unfortunately, Broadway critics hate Frank Wildhorn's musicals, whereas his other productions such as Dracula The Musical has done well in Korea, Japan, and Austria. So even if Death Note were to come to Broadway, New York critics probably would be prepared to pan it.

[@tschuh191]

They need to avoid the american psycho mistake, and put this show on off broadway to slowly grow and then maybe broadway....but I would rather this just be successful off broadway.

[@DerekMckean]

@@tschuh191 or a national tour.

[@yusifvn9145]

I honestly love all of the songs from the demo album and I’m so excited for an official recording to be released. Borrowed Time isn’t referring to Miss give half her years for the eyes, but to the sacrifice a shinigami made for her. Geleus, a friend of Rem fell in love with Miss, and she was meant to die so he did the same thing Rem would later do for Misa and killed the person threatening her. When Geleus died, his years went to Misa, so she is literally living on borrowed time from Geleus, and later Rem when she sacrificed herself too

[@VinniePaul91]

I really like that they picked a waltz for only human. A waltz perfectly works for both Ryuk's cynical comedic and Rem's hopeful romantic view.

[@rzeka8682]

There are actually quite a lot of stage play adaptations of anime in Japan, just not musicals. also rem was actually a woman (female? since she's not human) in the source material

[@Barbara2.0]

My brain COMPLETELY erased that about Rem from my memory, for some reason

[@luciencartervo5356]

There’s also actually a few musical adaptations of them. Like, the 4 MHA ones, and the 4 Demon Slayer ones

[@secretbluegirl]

8:20 I don’t know if that was the intention but I remember some comments saying that it shows Light as a force of nature & contrasts him with L’s artificial coding songs/personality. Still cheesy but that could work I suppose

[@Barbara2.0]

Wow when I thought it couldn't get cheesier 😆

[@elizabethk007]

I cannot believe it took me until your KZbin short review of it to discover this incredible gem of a musical. I hope I get to see it live one day

[@bernardblack7870]

The japanese version of Hurricane is more nuanced, but since Light is a reddit edgelord in every version, the childish overly dramatic hurricane metaphor is actually not too unfitting.

[@risottopose9970]

This was a video I did not expect but I’m excited for this

[@killainreverse]

I was so excited when I saw this video. This musical deserves so much recognition and I'm so happy that you did a video for it. Love your reactions!

[@leadingblind1629]

Oh honey, if you've got a problem with all the lyrics and you're not a fan of ballads, I take it back. Stay away from Frank wildhorn. Just asked for a list of specific songs to respond to instead The sister is actually minorly pivotal in the show. she's the only reason she has a clue that Misa even exists before she shows up on his doorstep. Which would make the exposition feel clunkier if they had to change it around that hard. And you also seem to have slightly forgotten that we have no idea how much time Misa has. She has so much borrowed time because she was already supposed to be dead, but she got God knows how many years from jealous. That said, she cut her life in half twice in the anime and it turned out she only had about five years after that so... Maybe 20 years? Jealous was slacking

[@mimikrue]

35:00 "Old as the word goodbye" links to death note's religious themes because it comes from people contracting the phrase "God be with ye" - I don't think that this is a common fact, though. I only learnt this from of an analysis video of this musical's music so it is a bit of an iffy reference to have for the final word of the show

[@sarcasticwanderer1148]

I... did not know there was a death note musical... 🏃🏿🏃🏿 brb gonna go listen to the soundtrack

[@Barbara2.0]

You're welcome ;) hahahaha

[@rimfire8217]

Oh did not expect this. Also a recommendation; The Dolls of New Albion.

[@trainwreck-is-a-wreck]

yesss i was gonna recommend this too! i never see anyone talk about it

[@theotica0608]

OMG IM SO FUCKING OBSESSED WITH THIS MUSICAL SINCE I DISCOVERED IT (2 weeks ago) AND IM SO HAPPY YOURE TALKING ABOUT IT AAAAAAAAAA i think i shouldnt be so excited about it but whatever

[@Lycanicpotato]

I’m pretty sure that Rem is originally a woman so I think that’s the reason

[@Iaiiao]

I love this show so much. I'm so happy more people are discovering it

[@ajmalaika1287]

Ohh great timing since I finished a video essay on the smart musical composition (linked in comments) and how it gives the main boys clear themes and instruments. Some songs feels a little same-y to me even if I am blinded by my love of alt rock. But in terms of adaptation I think this one’s up there and upholds the themes of the original

[@ajmalaika1287]

m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKvbhY16pNOir5o&pp=ygUSZGVhdGggbm90ZSBtdXNpY2Fs

[@robertphillips213]

The Hurricane is symbolically linked to Za'afiel: Angel of Vengeance, Divine Anger, and Chief of the Angels of Destruction, also the Angel of Hurricanes. Known as the Wrath of God.

[@Angelo_MS]

Rem has always been a woman though?

[@Barbara2.0]

For some reason my brain just couldn't remember that, for the life of me!

[@Angelo_MS]

@@Barbara2.0 she does have a very interesting androgynous design

[@krystalhuntress6795]

Ohhhh I love this musical so much My favourite version is the Korean productions!

[@zachh2213]

29:35 the borrowed time line is also really strong because she's only alive because Jealous (another Shinigami) gave up his life to save her. That adds more nuance to her decision to take the Shinigami eye deal as well because she wasn't supposed to have this time anyways; All of her time is borrowed.

[@catarinacosta4182]

Rem is a woman in all of the versions of death note from what I know. Shinigami just dont look that diferent

[@catarinacosta4182]

So yes, its kinda gay how she is incredibly invested on Misa on every version lmao

[@lokemikaze]

in this house we love and support frank wildhorn 👏👏👏 istg everything that man touches is a bop. i agree on the lyrics - the english lyrics feel very poetic and would potentially work as stand-alone songs, but the japanese lyrics are a lot more plot driven and show us character development, so i prefer them for the musical as a whole! i didn't get to see the english concert version (praying for a full west end production), so i'm basing this off of the japanese version, but i actually prefer musical-misa over anime-misa 😅 i always found misa really annoying and over-exaggerated, but the musical makes her feel more nuanced and natural imo. also, idk if you caught onto it, but the lyrics in "i'll only love you more" are actually kinda genius - it *sounds* like just another sappy love song, but it's filled with double meanings and messages for kira, like "give you half my years" and "i'll read your name and see your face" referencing the eye deal anyway i'm gonna stop before i go off on an entire rant hkdkgkdkg in conclusion i love this musical and i will forever be in love with frank wildhorn's genius 💕

[@Ven0mancer]

Show spoilers ahead i always interpreted misas borrowed time line to be about the god of death that died saving her life and giving her who knows how many years in the process

[@Orange-tf3bf]

I love this show! I actually saw this before the anime, it so holds up

[@tschuh191]

I believe this is the best adaptation (besides the anime) I have the same problem with the lyrics. When they did the japanese production, there were rewrites. I kind of wish they rewrote hurricane to fit the new japanese version. Otherwise this was a blast.

[@NayvieNoir]

Completely off topic but between the hair and the earrings, I’m experiencing severe bi panic

[@Barbara2.0]

Sorry, didn't mean to cause any panic xD But been there, know how it feels, you have my sympathy hahahaha ❤

[@Flareontoast]

Barbara commenting about the sexual tension and blurred lines, it just made me remember about how popular/influential L/Light was from the moment the DN anime came out (lol) the amount of AMVs and other fan content, the original "toxic yaoi" ship, it truly was an experience to be an anime fan in the early 2000s

[@eddiegreenhill421]

‘The game begins’ is literally Lin a seat.

[@LukeSilver-fe7iv]

The musical is one of the few reasons I decided to finish the anime since I didn't really care for it in the beginning but damn the musical slaps hard. Except Misa's song they annoy me all except the ones she sings with Rem

[@pokemonlovers4907]

Recommendation: Charlie and the chocolate factory (the 2013 west end version.

[@15two]

FRANK WILDHORN if he has one fan it is me. he also wrote the music for jekyll and hyde and dracula the musical, as well as my fav: wonderland the musical. the plot is kinda convoluted but the songs slap

[@merrysleeps]

32:15 the point is that this isn't normal-- all of L's actions here are predetermined and he's being controlled by the death note from here until he dies.

[@charmainedethierry4166]

I would make 1 kill and 1 kill only, maybe it'll help with my cptsd

[@eli5950]

fun fact: the lyrics of playing his game are even gayer in the japanese version

[@LizardBeaming]

I personally like the (translation of the) Japanese lyrics so much more... First time listening to the English album was a bit of a disappointment. So much more simplistic. The cast was alright, but Misa did give me whiplash. Fuka Yuzuki put so much more emotion and pain in Borrowed Time. That said, it's great that Death Note the Musical is appearing on new stages!

[@LizardBeaming]

Also wasn't Rem always female? I'm not super familiar with other Death Note media but it seems like Rem wasn't genderbend for the musical in any way.

[@minimi870]

29:10 I think this is actually, about how she was supposed to die but she was saved by a shinigami, who died for her. So she is only alive because he sacrificed himself. Personally, I think this also kind of ties into her recklessness that she made the deal for the shinigami eyes twice, for example. Because she doesn't care about her life. It was never hers to begin with.

[@-chenlanying5818]

Timestamps for They're only human

[@kimbrulee_the_musical]

about the concept of the book though… what if multiple people have the same name? do they both die???

[@user-lx7bs7sf6y]

I love this stage show I’m it’s biggest defender tbh

[@LukeSilver-fe7iv]

The part where Ryuk sings Kira Kira sounds a lot like the opening song in Rio to me.

[@s3r3nity]

The japanese version of Hurricane is just called Death Note and is much more straight forward, no rain metaphors lol. I prefer it!

[@s3r3nity]

Ohhh I think we have the same opinion on the English lyrics rhymes and cheesiness 😹 thank goodness. I prefer the Japanese versions of all the songs because of that and wish they'd have redone the English lyrics, but I'll take whatever I can get to have a chance to see the musical irl lol. Also I rly love how you explain how the music fits with the characters and the plot. Like about how the ryhthym of Ls song shows his personality.

[@blerp2107]

"I caught the European premiere" you mean you saw THE Adam Pascal as Ryuk?????????????? OMG

[@Broadwaybaby707]

Oh ok

[@VinniePaul91]

A forced Hurricane reference and it's not written by Lin-Manuel?

[@Mirmi11]

27:33 *remembers Japanese lyrics* ...boy, it could, indeed 😅

[@alyssaaug8253]

If you want to listen to more dark rock musicals, I recommend Lizzie. It's about Lizzie Borden ❤️

[@amnesiacapothecary]

My favorite thing to be born of the Hurricane motif is actually at the end of the show. Spoilers below for the show but I can only assume you know what happens if you’re here. . . . . . . . The Hurricane metaphor, as others have said, seems built to contradict L’s more code-based/calculated approach to things. It’s an “act of God”. The harsh piano at the start is more than enough of an indicator lol. However, once it’s all over, Requiem starts. And guess what it starts with? A soft piano. As well, there’s a lyric “Feel every gentle breeze / whisper through the trees / as the seasons turn” Ryuk sees this as a small part of his life, like us humans view seasons, so that links that line up. The first two however see a comparison to Hurricane, comparing his supposed reign of terror as nothing more than a small trifle. Just a little fun fact that i love

[@Broadwaybaby707]

Where did you find this album/soundtrack ?

[@Barbara2.0]

It's on KZbin as a playlist

[@marisandinianimelove]

I would have love you towatch the Japanese Musical version since there's new songs and the "Hurricane" actually has more nuance lyrics

[@krystalhuntress6795]

Would you be interested in reacting go the soundtrack of Lizzie the Musical? It's on the West End right now!

[@Barbara2.0]

Going in a few days, can't wait!

[@Orliepoo]

Ordinary Days, please.

[@Rosemary-wm9gb]

Whoa receding hairline.

[@yoyoeldas]

Ohhhhh boy here comes the self-indulgent rant: I don't like this show, with good reason; at the same time, it is also a guilty pleasure (and I listen to it every now and then). I think it is a superficial adaptation of a thematically rich source material, discarded almost everything that made the show thrilling in favor of the melodramatic. But then, the songs are so catchy, however structurally lazy I think they are, and the vocals on the album are just on fire. Really, Jeremy Jordan, Jarrod Spector, Adrienne Warren... their voices on this bring the music to life. Heck, they give me life. But, watching your reaction video, it seems we share some opinions :) 1. The lyrics. Man, the lyrics of this show are juvenile. Cheesy, the word you've used several times. Hurricane is awful. I just go blind on the lyrics whenever i listen to it. Now, I want to mention that the Japanese production did a much better job rewriting the lyrics. For instance, the hurricane metaphor is entirely gone. What we get instead is a clear progression of Light's train of thoughts holding the Death Note in his palm, from disbelief, to fear, doubt, glimmer of hope, resolve, and most importantly, self-martyrdom. He HAS to be the one to do it, even at the expense of his soul. That is something I find really significant about his character that the English script fails to mention. Anyways, the Japanese production at least does a much better job with most of the lyrics, casting out repetition for room to explore the characters' specific motives, and I was disappointed that no one bothered to rework the English lyrics after the successful Japanese run. 2. The songs. You know the principle about musical numbers should advance the plot or characters to justify its existence? More than half of Death Note's songs are static, there only to portray a "vibe" rather than provide information ("All or nothing now, let's get to it" What the hell is this "it"?), and it just keeps repeating itself. The songs don't move the plot; they stop the show, frequently, and the creators don't seem to care. That's why sometimes we feel like we get the point already, can't we just move on? So like, I do enjoy those Light vs L duets, and Misa's love ballads are pretty too, but I do feel like my intellectual faculties just shut down when I listen to them. The often generic and unspecific pop lyrics really don't help distinguishing character voice either. I fully agree with your comment about the recurring technology imagery in L's lyrics that goes nowhere with his character, because that's how I feel these lyrics often are. Fluff. The best lyrics in the show are, as you said, the father's songs, and the Requiem. Seriously, the Requiem is beautiful, resonant, and nuanced. I mourn the fact that such brilliance comes so late. 3. I totally agree with you on Misa's character. Misa in the anime touches on some interesting and dark themes. A victim turned murderer. A worshipper of divine justice. The human character caught between two superhuman minds (that does not make her dumb, I stress!). The musical sees none of that. No, it's all about love, true love. What I can't abide with this show is how it sentimentalizes Misa's romantic attraction/obsession to the point of full indulgence, while neglecting everything else. With each song sounding so genuinely romantic, Misa is now portrayed as nothing more than your standard ingenue and romantic protagonist, ready for love and willing to sacrifice her life for love, and we are not given anything to imply that the creators believe otherwise. 4. Speaking of love, this show did Rem dirty. In my opinion, what makes Rem's character so effective in the anime is her silent resolve (in contrast with Light and L's ego-driven monologues). She never speaks much, but when she does, it only takes one or two lines to make it clear how deeply she cares for Misa. Rem's death in the anime is equally as tragic as L's particularly because we are only shown a glimpse of it. She gives her life for Misa, without any lingering thought or any big statement to make. In her silence, her dedication speaks volumes. Now the musical... yeah you can probably tell I hate When Love Comes (on top of the fact that it's yet another showstopper after like 10 of them already). Either the musical seems intent on compressing characters with complexity into simple caricatures, or it has decided that big, loud, show-stopping pop ballads are bound to make the audience really feel for the characters. They don't. Overall, I just think Death Note the Musical is such a wasted potential, because like you said, animes tend to be dramatic and there's a lot of possibilities on the stage. And musically, it really is enjoyable. But the show completely misses what makes the anime such a thrilling experience--the intricate plotting, the psychological manipulations. There could have been a chance to explore those through songs, but instead the show prioritizes making the characters look and sound cool (like pictures on a poster). Even the dialogue tends to rush through these details, often jumping into conclusions without ever convincing us that the characters came up with it. It is somewhat still faithful to the anime's plot, but in the end it feels like a rock concert annotated by a Wikipedia plot summary.

[@Barbara2.0]

Some really great points you make and, as you can see on the video, I agree with basically all of them. This show had a lot of potential but to be honest, I don't think they ever had the intention of creating something as complex as the source material (take the amount of unnecessary love songs, for example) which is a shame but also a choice, right? Musical theatre is often underestimated as a medium though, so I'm not surprised. Still think they did a relatively good job condensing it into a two-hour show and still being faithful to the anime. Light and L are really well translated, I think. And of course, really catchy music. But yeah, definitely room for a lot of improvement

[@bakingkitty1034]

Ok, I have no idea if you are at all interested, but I was introduced to the musical a couple days ago through this video lovely video by IzzyIzTrash. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKvbhY16pNOir5osi=gulgXBpQl2qqA1XU She goes into a lot of song analysis and after reading you comment, I think that the musical suffers the most from placing its complexities in way too subtle places. Izzy goes into detail, but the musical structure of the songs is chock full of references and details that are just unnoticeable if you don’t know what to look for.