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Day: 4 September 2017

Falmouth Anchor ends print publication but hasn’t lost hope

The Falmouth Anchor, the student newspaper of Falmouth University and the University of Exeter Cornwall campuses, has ended its fundraising campaign to finance its print circulation during the year 2017-2018.

This is despite the campaign receiving high-profile endorsements from senior journalists such as James Forsyth and Katy Balls, and raising enough money to fund its first two months of print.

Speaking to The Mancunion, Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper, Matt Solomons, said: “We tried our best to raise enough money to ensure that the Anchor could continue as a print publication, but eventually realised that even if we did meet our target this wouldn’t be enough to sustain the paper for the year. We had to accept that fundraising wasn’t a long term solution and that our efforts would be best focused on producing a strong online platform, rather than continuing to struggle as a newspaper.”

Everyone who donated to the fundraising campaign has been refunded, but PR Agency Gorkana Jobs have allowed The Falmouth Anchor to keep their substantial donation to fund website development.

Nonetheless, The Falmouth Anchor editorial team remain ambitious and have big plans for the year ahead.

“This year should be an interesting one for the Anchor as it’s the first time we’ve not had to worry about trying to produce the paper every month”, Matt said.

“We’ve got big plans to cover some of the biggest events on campus, like the FXU Presidential Elections and the Bottle Match (our varsity tournament against Imperial School of Mines). In previous years we haven’t had the resources to produce content suitable for these events, such as livestreams and interviews, so it’s an exciting prospect to be able to focus solely on this now.”

Amidst declining print circulation figures and falling print advertising revenue, an increasing number of newspapers are having to think carefully about their future.

Most notably, Saturday 20th March 2016 was the last day The Independent existed as a print newspaper.

Although The Falmouth Anchor took the decision to no longer exist as a print publication, Matt encouraged other student newspapers to “stand by their print publications if finances and circumstances allow it.”

Explaining his position, Matt said: “I’ve said previously that I see student newspapers as a staple of a university’s identity and atmosphere, and this is particularly prevalent when a regular physical paper, produced by students, is on show around campus.”

Despite taking this view, Matt said that he “wouldn’t underestimate the potential of becoming fully digital.

“While I love the tradition of a student newspaper, it’s hard to argue against the idea that going online opens up a host of creative freedoms to pursue. The multimedia opportunities and immediacy of online are just two reasons why I could see more publications shifting to online, and this is perhaps a reflection of the times.”

Nonetheless, Matt was certain that student journalism is here to stay, regardless of the future format in which it exists.

Encouraging incoming freshers to get involved in their University’s student newspaper, Matt Solomons said: “Student journalism exists as a platform to give students a voice and ultimately hold their respective universities to account. With free speech becoming ever more a morally grey area in our own society, I  cannot stress enough about the value that student media has for the thousands and thousands of students at university today. Many students aren’t even aware of the value these platforms have and so it’s our job as journalists to encourage as many people to get involved as possible.

“I see student journalism as a key feature of any university and would, therefore, encourage every student to try and get involved or at least appreciate the work that goes into producing print and online publications alongside completing a degree. For those who are  considering pursuing journalism as a career, nearly every journalist I have met has been involved with their student newspaper in some capacity, so take the opportunity while you can if you want some important experience before tackling the real world”.

 

82% of students suffer from stress and anxiety, UniHealth report suggests

82% of UK university students admit experiencing stress and anxiety, newly published research suggests.

The research report commissioned by UniHealth, the health and well-being messaging platform for students, indicated that 1 in 5 UK University students have suicidal feelings, 82% experience stress and anxiety and 45% have feelings of depression.

Making friends, doing well on their course, cooking, money and feeling under pressure to take drugs were the top five biggest worries for students starting university – a third of which didn’t feel supported by their institution ahead of freshers’ week.

Worryingly, three-quarters of the 1,000 students surveyed by UniHealth suggested that they don’t ask for help because they’re embarrassed, don’t know where to find it or think that it’s a waste of time.

Dr Dominique Thompson, an in-house university GP said: “Being able to manage stress, eat healthily, make new friends and sleep well are vital, not only for student wellbeing but great academic outcomes. As the research suggests, many students shy away from getting help, so it’s crucial universities consider how they can offer different support services that fit with their students’ lifestyles, and digital is one of the answers.”

76% of UK students indicated that better wellbeing support from their university, support to help fit into ‘university life’ and ways to talk about their unhappiness would stop them from dropping out of studies.

Signalling the need for different types of wellbeing support, the research indicated that 28% of students would prefer to receive support via private messages sent through social media e.g. Facebook messenger.

Daphne Metland, Director at UniHealth said: “We know that wellbeing support helps a huge number of students through university life and prevents them dropping out. However, we’re also aware it’s unrealistic to ask universities to provide 24/7 face to face support… Messaging programmes delivered on Facebook Messenger offer private 24/7 messaging support and can cover a range of topics from mental wellbeing and resilience to sexual health and contraception. A digital solution means students can get the help they require, when and where they need it.”

The findings come amidst recent reports that more students than ever are dropping out of university due to mental health problems.

Further, on average, every student who drops out is suggested to cost a university £33,000.

Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal: Rampant Reds run riot at Anfield

There were always going to be goals in this game.  The past four fixtures between the two teams have seen a total of 21 goals scored.  The most memorable of these came in the opening weekend of the 2016/17 season when Liverpool came out victorious in a 4-3 win at the Emirates – their first win away at Arsenal since 2011.  Jürgen Klopp’s team went on to win the reverse fixture comfortably 3-1, and Sunday’s game saw Arsenal looking to exact revenge for the double defeat of the previous year.

Unfortunately for the Gunners, it could not have gone any worse.

Right from the start, Arsenal were on the back foot.  Aside from a fluffed chance from Welbeck early on, Arsenal could not penetrate the Liverpool penalty area, and when Roberto Firmino headed in the opener, they crumbled.

Before half time Sadio Mané curled in a sublime shot after effortlessly cutting inside Arsenal’s 18-yard box, and following the break, Mohamed Salah sprinted over half the length of the pitch with the ball before coolly slotting in past Petr Čech.

With 13 minutes left on the clock, the Egyptian turned contributor as he crossed immaculately for substitute Daniel Sturridge to nod in the final nail in the coffin.

Both managers made shock decisions on their team sheets prior to kick off.  The in-form Simon Mignolet was dropped for the demoted Loris Karius, making his first league appearance for Liverpool since December. Arsène Wenger opted to swap summer purchase Alexandre Lacazette for Danny Welbeck.  Both calls were met with bemusement by the two sets of fans, yet it was the latter that proved the most damaging.

Going into half time 2-0 down, it was thought Arsenal’s £52.7 million Frenchman would be brought on to add some much-needed flair into their lacklustre offensive performance.  Instead, Wenger chose to bring on holding midfielder Francis Coquelin in assumedly an attempt to give Granit Xhaka more support in the face of an energetic Liverpool midfield.  The decision proved futile as Liverpool enjoyed a further 45 minutes dominating the centre of the pitch, often leaving Coquelin trying to cope with the entire Liverpool midfield on his own.

However, Arsenal’s shortcomings cannot be held solely responsible for the final result.  Liverpool produced a stunning attacking display, showcasing again their new forward trio of Salah, Mané and Firmino.

Salah appears to have exorcised the ghosts of his disappointing spell at Chelsea and has made a seamless transition into Klopp’s team.  Despite a tendency to stick to his stronger left foot, Liverpool fan’s mouths will be watering at the prospect of Salah mirroring the whirlwind threat of Mané on the opposite flank.  You’d be hard pressed to find another team in the league with as much pace as Liverpool do in their attack.

Liverpool’s inconsistent defence had embarrassingly little to do.  Joël Matip was dominant at the heart of the defence, and even Alberto Moreno stood his own against future team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.  However, they will undoubtedly face tougher challenges as the season progresses, and would have benefited greatly if they had managed to secure a happy ending to the transfer saga of the summer which is Virgil Van Dijk.

As for Arsenal, they could be looking at a similar situation to the dark years Liverpool faced following their booting from the ‘Big Four’ in 2010.  Alexis Sánchez has been subject to several bids from Manchester City, and judging by his body language on Sunday he wouldn’t need his arm twisting to swap London for Manchester come January.

With Oxlade-Chamberlain now having joined Liverpool in order to attain more game time in central midfield, and after the club withdrew interest in Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, Wenger is looking at yet again ending a transfer window with a profit.  Arsenal have the weakest squad out of the top six, and they could very well be looking at consecutive seasons in the Europa League.

Regarding Liverpool, the future is bright.  After a successful transfer window – albeit without the arrival of a new centre-back – the Merseyside giants finally have the depth required to contend in the Champions League as well as at a domestic level.

Man of the match: Sadio Mané

The Senegalese forward has hit the ground running this season after an excellent debut year at Anfield.  He has a creative footballing brain rivalling that of disillusioned team-mate Philippe Coutinho, and his lightning quick pace makes him a nightmare for any defence.  He made life hell for an Arsenal back 5 which included Héctor Bellerín and Oxlade-Chamberlain, who are no slouches themselves.

Preview: UEFA Champions League 2017/18

It could be said that last year’s Champions League ended rather predictably.  Real Madrid began the tournament as the favourites and ran riot in the final against Juventus to secure their third Champions League trophy in four seasons, and a staggering 12th European Cup.

However, the tournament did see its fair share of thrills and shocks.  Barcelona overcame a four goal deficit to knock out French titans Paris Saint Germain, and Manchester City slumped out in the round of 16 despite winning an 8 goal thriller at the Etihad – both fixtures which will surely go down in Champions League history.

This year, we are inevitably in for more of the same.  Six British teams are in the tournament for the first time since the days of the ‘Big Four’ in 2007, and German rich-boys RB Leipzig make their debut in the competition.  Here is a preview of what we can expect, from the tournament’s likely heroes to the potential surprise packages.

The favourites

It would be foolish to not tout Real Madrid as favourites once again.  In recent years they have truly made the competition their own, and as of yet, have managed to avoid losing any of their key men in this transfer window.  The meteoric rise of wonder-kid Marco Asensio is keeping poster boys Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale on their toes. Croatian dynamo Luka Modrić is enjoying the finest years of his career to date. ‘Los Vikingos’ will have their sights set on a thirteenth UCL title to add to their hall of fame.

2016/17 runners up Juventus are not to be snubbed, but with an ageing squad, and the loss of stalwart Leonardo Bonnuci to a rejuvenated AC Milan, they may struggle to emulate the run they had last season.

On the other hand, Paris Saint Germain – now the home of the Old Lady’s ex-full back Dani Alves – will be a force to be reckoned with.  Now boasting history’s most expensive footballer in Neymar, they have a formidable squad, with Kylian Mbappé recently completing a loan move to the capital (with an option for a full transfer at the end of the season).  An attack which consists of Angel Di Maria, Neymar, Edinson Cavani, and Mbappé is mouth-watering. A Brazilian-dominated defence commanded by Thiago Silva is equally impressive.   PSG will surely be looking to win their first ever European Cup, and they are surely close second favourites behind Real.

The dark horses

RB Leipzig will be relishing their first outing in European football.  Despite agreeing a deal with Liverpool to sell their key man Naby Keïta for £48 million, they will retain the Guinean star for another year, which could prove integral to their Champions League campaign.  In Group G they face 3 other clubs of a similar stature in Besiktas, Monaco, and Porto, but the Bundesliga runners up will be relieved they escaped drawing the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, or PSG.  Should they make it through the group, and perhaps with one or two more signings, they could potentially have one or two tricks up their sleeve.

Liverpool and Manchester United will also be optimistic.  Both were handed favourable draws, and Klopp and Mourinho’s teams should definitely be looking to top their respective groups.  Manchester United are still buzzing from claiming the Europa League trophy last season, and Liverpool will be fired up for their first appearance in the Champions League since 2014.  The Reds dispatched tricky qualifying opponents Hoffenheim with ease last week, and like United, have got off to a flying domestic start.  The two north-west clubs are by no means in the same bracket as Real Madrid, Bayern et al., but you’ve got to love an underdog…

Players in the spotlight

The obvious names (Ronaldo, Messi, Suárez, etc.) will doubtlessly make headlines during the various game-weeks, but there are others hot on their tail.

Neymar will be playing out of his skin to try and help PSG reach European glory.  Now he is out from under the shadow of Messi, he is eyeing up the first Ballon d’Or to be awarded to a Brazilian since Kaká, ten years ago.

Belgian wing-wizard Eden Hazard will be champing at the bit to play once more in the European Cup, and after a stellar season in the Premier League in the 2016/17 campaign, he could be central to Chelsea’s aspirations in the competition.  If he is hoping to break into the 3 final Ballon D’Or nominees, or even lure transfer attention from Real Madrid, European form is essential.

Kid prodigies Kylian Mbappé, Marco Asensio, and Marcus Rashford will also be joining the party, gaining vital European experience at staggeringly young ages.  Asensio looks destined for big, big things, and both club and country will be praying he repeats his form from last season in this year’s competition.  Mbappé will no longer be the main man of his club, which might help ground him and stop his ego from drowning out his talent, which has so often proven to be the downfall of countless young talents in the past.  Rashford is making his debut in the tournament and has yet to show any signs of being fazed by big occasions.  I would be very surprised if the UCL stage proves too big for him.

Verdict:

Group Stage

Group A:  1. Manchester United  2. Benfica  3. Basel  4. CSKA Moscow

Group B:  1. Paris Saint-Germain  2. Bayern Munich  3. Celtic  4. Anderlecht

Group C:  1. Atletico Madrid 2. Chelsea 3. Roma 4. Qarabag

Group D:  1. Barcelona 2. Juventus 3. Sporting Lisbon 4. Olympiakos

Group E:  1. Liverpool 2. Sevilla 3. Spartak Moscow 4. Maribor

Group F:  1. Napoli 2. Manchester City 3. Shakhtar Donetsk 4. Feyenoord

Group G:  1. Monaco 2. RB Leipzig 3. Porto 4. Besiktas

Group H:  1. Real Madrid 2. Borussia Dortmund 3. Tottenham 4. Apoel

Tournament Winners

Real Madrid

Top Scorer

Neymar (PSG)

‘Villains’ – Queens of the Stone Age

Sex and rock ’n’ roll have been in bed with one another from the beginning.

The genre is innately blessed with the attributes of sexiness, taboo and bad behaviour like a pair of Elvis’ suede underpants. The best bands know that rock can still be music to make love to. On album three, the Arctic Monkeys discovered this to great success, taking them from yappy upstarts to smooth crooners and making them a better band for it.

The man they learned this from was their then-producer Josh Homme, the lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, heart, soul, mind and body of Queens of the Stone Age. In a 20 year career spent directing one of the most acclaimed and heaviest bands in rock, Homme has always maintained this sexy element in his music.

Exhilarating song structures, tightly clenched rhythms and lyrics with cheek have always been the basis of Josh Homme’s sound. For this, his band have spent two decades sat back as they ascend through the ranks of hard rock to be one of the best acts still around.

In 2017, this sexiness is still at the heart of Homme’s sound. Much else surrounding it has changed, however. Lead single from their seventh album, “The Way You Used to Do”, their grooviest song to date – and perhaps their least characteristic – shows this off impeccably.

Ripped from the purest of rock’s roots, it sounds more like a Chuck Berry twist number than anything, handclaps and slinky guitar squeals inviting listeners for a boogie over a brawl in a mosh pit. Homme’s words are directed to “a girl he first met [when] she was seventeen”, Brody Dalle, who he has been married to since 2007, having “jumped like an arsonist to a perfect match / Burned alive” and brilliantly capture his witty, salacious style. A track then, with the same old Josh Homme sex appeal, just wearing a jazz suit instead of leather jacket.

It’s been over two months since this tune first aroused Queens fans, and now finally with the full release of Villains, it’s clear the rest of the band’s new songs stay a similar course, both in sound and quality. “Feet Don’t Fail Me” kicks off proceedings in typically intense QOTSA fashion, unsettling guitars creeping up on you like an Ennio Morricone score played by Jefferson Airplane, before boiling over into one of the most irresistible riffs the band have come up with. It’s simple. It’s seductive. It’s a pleasant surprise.

The rest of the album follows this tone, moving straight into “The Way We Used to Do” and “Domesticated Animals”, which works around a three chord progression as beginner-friendly as ‘Smoke on the Water’.

As the song rises to a sore-throat finale, a cinematic string section transitions into the moody synth opening of “Fortress”, another unexpected turn for the rock purists. The synth comes back for “Un-Reborn Again”, which features a full bridge made of strings and a saxophone in the outro. Neither song suffers for it in the slightest, proving QOTSA have reached a point where their experimenting can be welcomed without risk of tainting their hard rock style.

The dabbling in unexplored sounds doesn’t stop there. There is a waft of something British going on in this album. On “Head Like a Haunted House”, their thrashing is almost reminiscent of protégés the Arctic Monkeys. The full-band staccato of “The Evil Has Landed” resembles one-time collaborators Biffy Clyro. Both songs possess a very Led Zeppelin feel, picked up possibly from Homme’s sessions with John Paul Jones in 2009. The latter is also the album’s undoubted stand out, spaffing out an array of riffs and time signatures to drown the listener in incredibly crafted noise.

This all amounts to a half-step in a poppier direction. The half-step is accommodated by Mark Ronson on production, called in to help make something, in Homme’s words, “very tight… with the air sucked out of it”.

It’s not obvious whether Ronson’s funky tendencies have influenced anything asides from the odd string or brass instrument, but the clean shaven sound Homme was after can be heard everywhere. He sadly fails to make the most of drummer Jon Theodore, who is capable of so much more than simply ‘keeping it all together’ at the back of the mix, leaving it to the rest of the band to add rhythmic diversity. There are also far fewer guitar solos and shouty moments on this record, and one can’t help but miss the teeth-baring band of old at times.

The musicianship everywhere else is as ambitious and accurate as you’d hope, however. Homme’s crooning is as far from the strained wailing of his early years it’s ever been. On ‘Villains of Circumstance’, a track destined to end the season finale of a show about a time-travelling biker gang at war with vampires, his falsetto chorus of “Always, evermore, and on and on” is hauntingly catchy.

Lyrically, he’s the same silver tongued bastard, telling his “love slave” on ‘Domesticated Animals’ to “give us a smile / You got a number, is it the same? / Who you belong to? / You feral or tame?” Overall, he sounds like a man revelling in the challenges he’s set himself and in the end makes it all look far too easy.

Like so many other bands, QOTSA burden an early record that remains an undisputed classic; Songs for the Dead, which turned fifteen last week, will constantly be the album to beat, not just for Homme himself, but for all aspiring rock bands. Villains isn’t quite Songs for the Dead. It’s more on a par with their last album …Like Clockwork, which came out in 2013 after a six year hiatus to become their best effort since their behemoth masterpiece.

What’s odd – and endearing – about Villains though is it doesn’t seem to care for comparisons. Homme and the boys have proved they can do fast and furious and now they’re looking for something more subtle. They sound like a band holding their breath and trying a few new things between the sheets. Their open-mindedness reaps rewards, ensuring they remain the meanest, cleanest, sleaziest act in rock music. Conservative QOTSA fans who only like it rough might struggle with this effort, but that is their loss – this is an accomplished and exciting instalment from one of the only bands left in rock with something interesting to say and will surely go on to be the genre’s album of the year.

8/10

Review: Your Name

With Studio Ghibli maestro Hayao Miyazaki set to retire, the realm of Japanese animation is seeking a new king.  The release of The Red Turtle earlier this year proved that Ghibli was by no means dwindling, yet director Michaël Dudok de Wit was only making a fleeting cameo and is by no means intending to fill the shoes left by Miyazaki.

Before his latest film, Makoto Shinkai was flying firmly under the radar.  Despite critical success with Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011) and The Garden of Words (2013), Shinkai was far from emulating the international acclaim which Miyazaki boasts.  However, Your Name has proven to be his breakthrough project, and already he is being touted as ‘the new Miyazaki’.

The film opens with a spectacular sequence showing a meteor crossing the sky, debris plummeting towards the ground.  This is followed by Tokyo high school boy Taki waking up to find he is in the rural town of Itomori, and now has the body of a high school girl – Mitsuha.

What follows is a chain of events in which the two characters find themselves sporadically and unpredictably switching bodies.  Your Name’s story shares more in common with Freaky Friday (1976) than with pictures such as My Neighbor Totoro (1988) or Spirited Away (2001).  But don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking the film is a teenage romp or a comedy caper.

Albeit charmingly witty and with plenty of gags about teenage insecurities and dilemmas – when Taki wakes up in Mitsuha’s body his first impulse is to fondle the breasts he has found himself attributed – Your Name is beautiful, moving and at times perplexing.  Fate, time travel, and the supernatural form the cornerstone of the narrative, but love stands strong as the driving force behind the animation’s events.

With every time the characters wake up to find themselves in the other’s body, they gradually fall in love with each other.  The film’s twist may seem telegraphed to some, but it does not detract at all from how stunning and heart-warming Shinkai’s creation is.

And as the spiritual and emotional connection between the two protagonists grows, there is the looming threat in the background of the falling star which threatens to crash down on the town of Itomori – akin to the meteoric backdrop of Lars von Trier’s Melancholia (2011).

As impressive as the film is, it would be wrong to hold it in as high a regard as the greater of Miyazaki’s masterpieces.  The plot at times seems to lose momentum and it could definitely be argued that coherence is sacrificed for complexity and over-ambition.  Works such as Princess Mononoke (1997) or Ponyo (2008), despite their other-worldly nature, remained simple and grounded, whereas Your Name occasionally teeters on the edge of convolution.

The regular intermissions of montage sequences backed by Japanese pop will divide international audiences.  Some will find it adorable and culturally absorbing.  Others will cringe and eagerly await the return to normality.  I have to confess I occasionally found myself longing for the delicate yet powerful orchestral scores of Ghibli regular Jose Hisaishi, during the upbeat pop-interludes by Japanese rock band Radwimps.

Nevertheless, Your Name is fantastic.  Released in Japan in August of last year, it has since overtaken Spirited Away as the highest-grossing anime film of all time.  It will undoubtedly be in the running for an Academy Award come January, and we can only hope there is more to come from Shinkai.  Despite not quite echoing the sheer genius and enchantment which Miyazaki’s back catalogue holds, it is a stunning emergence by the director onto the international scene.

4/5

Review: Death Note

Death Note is a ubiquitous and quintessential anime. A series so accessible and watchable it’s frequently cited as an entry point for the medium. So present is it, your mates whose only reference point to Japanimation is Spirited Away will have probably heard of it.

Hollywood has been threatening a big screen adaptation of the property for some years now. As one of maybe five people who quite liked the latest attempt to make “Anime US” a thing, Ghost in the Shell (2017), I was ready to give Adam Wingard’s Death Note a fair shot.

How fortunate it is, therefore, that Death Note has found its home as a Netflix Original, as to pay full price to see this in a cinema would have been a grave misfortune.

The inexplicably named Light Turner (né Yagami) stumbles across a notebook that grants its user the power to kill at will. A morally complex and sadistic premise that Light finds enthralling.

The original Japanese story becomes a quest for Godlike superiority over a crime-free new world that descends into a frantic and tense cat-and-mouse game between the narcissistic Light and an eccentric detective who goes only by L. The inclusion of iconic character Ryuk — here voiced by Willem Dafoe, in so few scenes he is almost not worth mentioning — a Shinigami (or death god) makes the manga typically Japanese, yet Wingard’s film rejects Death Note’s East Asian roots with extreme prejudice and malice of forethought.

Moving the action from Tokyo to Seattle is a predictably dreary Hollywood decision. The ingenious plotting of the original series, handed to Netflix on a silver platter, would have excused the lack of foresight at play here, had it not been completely discarded.

One of the most entertaining aspects of the perfectly paced opening episodes is Light’s experimentation with the various rules of the note, yet Wingard elects to disregard them, instead scribing his own rules in order to fumble an original plot of contrivances and contradictions. L’s second guessing and double bluffs of Light’s experimentation are dumbed down to Sherlockian deductions and assumptions, montages breezing through the most exciting plot points, to prioritise weak foot chases and a horribly misjudged romance.

Misa Amane’s presence lends yet more Japanese flavour to the original. A bratty, faux-gothic model in possession of her own Death Note and Shinigami, unhealthily obsessed with Light’s quest, the character is divisive. She has agency and moral quandaries of her own, whilst simultaneously encompassing and satirising Japanese celebrity culture.

Despite her stereotypical shrillness and objectifying outfits, the character who debuted thirteen years ago is more rounded, proactive, and empowering than Margaret Qualley’s offering, Mia Sutton. Reduced to a high school cheerleader, stripped of her own notebook and accompanying death god, Mia is introduced in leery slow-motion, accompanied throughout by 80s glam rock. It is perhaps the most offensive thing about Wingard’s adaptation.

Having already established the two characters as thoroughly unlikeable, Mia is almost immediately told of Light’s newfound powers. She proclaims “these people are sheep” and proceeds to psychotically manipulate Light into killing as many criminals as possible, clearly because she finds it arousing.

The film gets ever so close to an explicit sex scene that intercuts passionate embraces with furious scribbling of names and explicit, violent deaths. The fact that Light largely despised Misa in the source material adds insult to injury. Each loving look and soft moan of “what about this guy?” during the obligatory hot and heavy scenes feel like a repulsive shot to the gut.

Lakeith Stanfield is perhaps the only on-screen presence treating the material seriously. And yet, the methodical and child-like L here turns into an emotionally unstable action hero by the last 20 minutes. Scenes in which the camera panic zooms into the face of Nat Wolff, now canonised as a serial over-actor, and Stanfield, screaming, laughing, and arguing, seem to be an attempt to fondly recreate the heightened, confrontational style of anime. However, they are acted and shot so limply I couldn’t help but think one of my favourite aspects of Asian media was being made fun of. Fans of the anime will be thrilled to learn that Watari, personal assistant to L and least interesting character in the series, is the only character who remains Japanese. Given an unnecessary set piece in the third act stretches the rules of the film’s universe to breaking point, one wonders whether Watari’s extended role is intended as recompense for Wingard’s cultural ignorance.

Death Note says a lot about American cinema’s reckless abandon when it comes to adaptation. We can only hope that it serves as a warning to Hollywood to be more selective. US remakes of films such as Seven Samurai (The Magnificent Seven) and Godzilla work, or, at least, come and go without ruffling the feathers of those quick to label them as whitewashing, because their roots do not lie solely in Japanese culture.

Kurosawa’s samurai films, when not adaptations of Shakespeare’s tragedies, were, at heart, a response to the American Western. Godzilla and the subsequent kaiju mythos were bred from the devastation of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attacks, yet owe a debt to early American monster movies King Kong and The Lost World. Westernised adaptations, though not always good, never feel jarring or culturally insensitive in the same way Death Note did. To remove it from its Japanese setting is to remove what made the original series so pertinent.

Death Note does not go out of its way to offend, but it’s a film longing for a higher budget — the CG creature Ryuk spends most of his time out of focus, obscuring its ropey effects — and a director and cast who understand what made the original so rich. An adaptation, at the very least, should entice new viewers into giving the original source material a go. Instead, Death Note simply lends more ammunition to those convinced that anime is melodramatic, confusing schlock.

I pray that Wingard’s attempt to Westernise such a cultural phenomenon falls into obscurity. A nice little experiment, but ultimately a failure. A warning to any filmmaker or studio wishing to rip a precious property from its cultural breeding ground.

This is not Death Note. This is Netflix presents Adam Wingard’s Death Note (2017). This is a plea to Western cinema: never do this again.