The Simpsons has done two totally different homages to Death Note, one animated and one on paper. So let’s take a look at both and see what changed.
(Also, in this video, TheRealJims finally watches a whole anime series.)
Music Credits:
1:09 “Ground Zero” (Final Fantasy IX) by halc
3:54 “Mercenary Boxing” (Street Fighter II) by Malcos
8:06 “Chasing Waterfalls” (Donkey Kong Country 3) by Blue Magic
10:16 “Serenity” (Final Fantasy VII) by Mustin
15:30 “In Bayshire” (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s: Duel Transer) by Radiowar
18:24 “Like a Dream” (Dark Souls II) by RoeTaKa
#TheSimpsons
27 Comments
…And either is better than the
netflix adaptation
Light being made a Shinigami is just a theory? Doesn't Ryuk refer to the shinigami who asks him about his time in the human world as Light?
The second magic book may be a reference to how the original Death Note one shot gave the Death Note the ability to bring people back to life by erasing their names from the notebook.
I had no clue what they were parodying but it was seriously one of my favourite episodes ever
The notebook that brings people back isn't in Death Note obviously, but the one-shot manga that Obata and Ohba made before the actual series DID include a "Death Eraser", which let you erase a name from the Death Note and brought the person back to life.
To be honest I'm not as excited as everyone else about the parody- it came out very well, and I really enjoyed spotting the cast in the crowds in their anime forms, much like I liked doing the same on the LA-Z Rider gag. Bart being L was predictable but still pretty fun, and overall it's definitely one of the most iconic treehouse of horror segments yet.
I don't know if you plan on doing a video on the episode as a whole, but I'd like to see a bit of commentary on the last segment, as they crammed so many references to old beloved episodes it's almost a homage to the legacy of this show, even if rather vapid.
16:55 wait, is Krusty still not Ryuk in the animated one? They share the same color scheme
Light appeared in Death Parade, and if you pay attention there are references throughout it to the events happening in Death note
I am glad we live in a world were we can have both the Comic and the Cartoon. I prefer elements from each, but enjoy both.
Great video! Would love to see more like it. I am curious if there are more instances of both the show and the comic parodying the same subject matter?
Lisa as Light would be perfect if not for the fact that it tempts me to simp for an 8 year old. Environmentalist Light Yagami is my type and this is entrapment
I'm being a huge nerd but the Netflix adaption basically changes one rule and I'd have to watch the simpsons one but it changes 3 rules just to be creative and end the story quickly
The rule I want to talk about is the shinigam's name. In the original, ryuk tells light that shinigami write each others names all the time, it just doesn't work on them. Netflix suggests it works, but ryuk kills anyone who tries and the simpsons assumes it works fine
…damnit, now I want to see these!
I'm glad I came back to death note later in my life, I heard about it when I was in high-school but I wasn't mature enough to really understand/get into the show. All in all its a great show and I absolutely loved it
I didn't know about the comic. I'll definitely have to pick it up sometime. Still, I think the Treehouse version is superior. It got its yucks in while still staying pretty true to the source. The comic version seems like the kind thing I would've expected from a modern Treehouse segment, so if nothing else, I'm glad it exists so we could get something better animated.
As cool as this segment is, though, I thought it the weakest of this year's Treehouse. Pookadook is just so damn good. It's rare for the show to genuinely depict danger, and even more so for Maggie to be in peril. It's great! As for Simpsonsworld, it somehow manages to be good, breezy fun despite its thick gag density. It's a hoot!
I too Stan King Matsuda and wonder if the last arc was any good.
"On this channel we stan Matsuda" amen brother 🙏
Matsuda should be the Ralph character
Never seen the ep. I avoided clicking on this video because I was not sure if it actually was the Simpsons or not. Well I hope this comment supports the algorithm in this video’s favour
At first I thought the Shinigami was supposed to be Moe, but he didn't sound that much like him, and then he turned out to be an entirely new character instead.
I didn't like the first segment very much, where Marge gets possessed. Julie Kavner sounds like she's recording this from her deathbed. (I stopped watching the show years ago and only watched this one for the Death Note parody, so it was surprising to hear how different Marge sounds now.) I guess reminding everyone that we're all going to die is kind of scary, but I don't think that's what they were going for.
The third one was mildly amusing, but they already did a Westworld parody with Itchy & Scratchy Land. This one was different enough that it didn't bother me too much.
Also, Detective L: doesn't he smell?
I love how you showed the screenshot of that episode where Bart gets a cellphone to say "2008"
Fun fact: The notebook that can bring people back isn't completely unique to The Simpsons. The original Death Note one shot that released before the full series had Ryuk hand the main character a special eraser so that when someone's name was erased from the book, the person comes back to life (which the main character uses on himself later in the one shot). It didn't get carried over but more rules and punishments for using the Death Note were added (such as the user being condemned to purgatory for using it)
Matsuda for president 🙋
Milhouse would be a perfect Misa
I haven't seen Death Note but I like both versions the Simpsons did. Like Jim said it largely depends on what you want: loose parody playing with the concept or a mote faithful 1:1 spoof. The comic has that "Spaceballs" feeling to it. It's set in a universe with the same/similar concepts but it tells its own story. The show version is more faithful, makes minor adjustments to work around motivation and runtime. It's good their so different because it give us two different flavors.
I had this as a Simpsons comic as a kid but Bart was light, Kristy was Ryu and Lisa was L
Yes, the original Death Note series was better from an enjoyment standpoint but this one seems to be better written as to it having less potholes.
My take for the tv special
The comic having a second book that brings people back to life. Might actually be a reference to the Eraser in the pilot chapter that let you remove deaths.