Summary
Quick Links
One of Brazil’s most famous reality shows recently dropped an unexpectedDeath Notereference while airing on free-to-air TV.
Big Brother Brasil 25 (or BBB 25) is the 25th edition of the reality show, based on the same name Dutch reality show (and licensed as part of theBig Brotherfranchise), airing on TV Globo (and affiliated channels), the largest free-to-air TV network in the country, since January 13.
Out of nowhere,the show dropped a parody ofDeath Note’s second opening(“What’s up, people?!,“by Maximum the Hormone) featuring the host, Tadeu Schmidt. TV Globo later posted it on its official accounts on social media. Check it out:
Not The First Anime Reference in the Show
This is actually not the first timeBBBreferences anime – in last year’s edition (BBB 24),Mashle’s opening"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born"by Creepy Nutswas played, and quickly caught the attention of the public. Actually, it happened on the same day that the single was officially released, so there’s likely an anime fan among the production team.
In the video, two participants dance when the music starts playing, and one of them states “I’ve never heard this one” (they wouldn’t anyway, as they had been confined in the reality show’s house for a time):
OnBBB, participants are confined in a house, out of contact with the rest of the world while trying not to be eliminated from the show. It airs every night on free-to-air television, but people can watch the live cameras installed in the house at any time through pay-per-view channels (as long as they pay for it, of course).
TV Globo’s History With Anime
Besides the free-to-air TV Globo, the Globo Group also owns paid networks and a streaming service, Globoplay, and while none of those has ever airedDeath Note,TV Globo used to air a programming block aimed at children titled TV Globinho, where a good deal of famous anime aired in Brazil, includingDragon Ball(and sequels) andDigimon.
Globoplay streamsDragon Ball Z Kai,Pokemon Sun & Moon,Digimon 2andBeyblade Burst. A few Ghibli movies have recently aired on Gloob, a paid television channel aimed at children.
This is not the first time anime has been unexpectedly referenced in Brazil – the current Vice-President of the countryonce dropped a message featuring many anime characters.
Death Noteis streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and many other services in the US.
