Commenter: Oh hey, did you know you spelled "Keikaku wrong?" You did that like four times. Do you even bother to spell check your own titles or what? Me (A Mastermind): THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK. OH HO! I of course did not spell it wrong by accident! It was all a ploy to see who both bothered to pay attention, and who also will check comments for this exact post! ALL ACCORDING TO KEIKAKU! Commenter: You really don't believe people are gonna buy that right? You have a history of misspellings. Just because you made a comment doesn't change the fact.... Me (Not desperate at all): ALL ACCORDING TO KEKAKU!
Near is Lawful Evil - Wants to use the DN to end his govt's enemies. Light is Neutral Evil - Wants to use the DN to end criminals and protect himself. Mello is Chaotic Evil - Wants to use the DN to end anyone and everyone he feels like, he doesn't care who he hurts in the process. The way I saw the last half was: Misa was supposed to become the next death god, unless by another DN her life was going to be near endless after inheriting the lifespan of two death gods. Light engages with Near & Mello while trying to get Misa out of Ryuk's game alive. Ryuk's warning came true, as the story progressed the DN changed Light, he became the thing he hated and spent more and more time trying to hide the DN and his connection to it. At the very beginning Ryuk warned light of this and like you said the warning is absolute power corrupts.
I always thought it'd have been an interesting ending if Kira/Light died, but my Mikami and Mikami took himself and everyone at the task force out. Thus cementing Kira as a God in the mindset of society forever, but Light being gone as well as everyone else that knew the truth. That would have been interesting.
Bro, I’m rewatching it and forgot how messed up parts are. Light condemning his father from heaven nor hell for eternity is just wild. Pushed him to use the note before his death.. 🤯😅
The way light is painted in this video was not what I remember, he was not a guy who was ostracized in school. People loved light and he was popular with the ladies. He had after school activities and was really good in sports from what I remember. People wanted to be friends with him but he viewed them as idiots tbh. That’s what I remembered watching in the show. That was his act he was charming and seemed to be top of his class so no one would expect the almost seemingly perfect person to harbor so much hatred. Unless I’m remembering incorrectly
Most of that is true, except I don't think he really did many after school activities. But yeah generally he was popular, smart and on the road to success. But his ego, and cynicism lead him down a path of ruin. This guy doesn't seem to get that
Personally I don't think the video is wrong, Light is portrayed as very successful and popular. But he has the mentality of a bullied unpopular kid, in spite of his popularity.
To be fair to Naomi she didn't give Light her name right away like GR made it sound, Naomi gave him a fake name which Light IMMEDIATELY used to try and kill her but failed which lead to him working REALLY hard to try and convince her that he was trustworthy. At first Naomi wasn't buying it and was being incredibly careful while trying to sound polite as she was rejecting his attempts to get her to trust him. I think it speaks volumes of her competence and her abilities as a detective that the author themselves had to get rid of her because she was TOO good and could have more then likely helped L catch Light that much more quickly and Light's dad would have had less room defend his son.
if it wasnt for Riyuk laughing his head off whenever Naomi gave her name, or mentioned it, or Light checking his watch, Light wouldnt of known. It was only after the third time, Light asks himself "whats going on, and why is Riyuk laughing? Damn Shimigami...an alias!"
@@rbxq "he's laughed like that every time her name has come up" he didn't know until he wrote it down, and Ryuk laughing was the clue. he didn't figure it out lol
@@rbxq "he's laughed like that every time her name has come up" he didn't know until he wrote it down, and Ryuk laughing was the clue. he didn't figure it out lol
Totally agree about the intellect part at 22:30. Light and L basically play a game of chess where only Light knows all the rules and still L manages to hold his ground.
its literally the dungeon dice monsters episode of yugioh, where yugi is introduced to a brand new game and in only a few turns becomes so good at it that he can beat the creator
If you take into account L's resources like money and the power to command the police around the world and the agencies like the FBI he is by far in the advantage.
@@ira233 I disagree. Police, money and power are all in the rational realm of the believable. They are part of the rules of the world. Taking supernatural forces into account you have no idea could exist and have no idea how they work, is so far outside the box that its a miracle the law enforcement even got this far. Light can think about and take into account the work of the police, FBI etc. because they are clear wordly forces with material rules even if he has to come to terms with how much power L possesses in that field. But thinking about an invisible Shinigami who can spy out cameras in a room or a book that kills by writing in it? That's something you do not think of in a rational normal world. So I think it takes more skill to figure out a whole new wordly ruleset that challenges the way we perceive our world just to catch a killer.
@@ira233Against untraceable weapon that could kill pretty much anyone which could be used all around the world which meant that it could be anyone from 7-8 billion people? Especially considering that government backing really mattered only at the TV bait with criminal as bait after which Light just killed most people from overseas that supported him and turned away most of police of Japan? Like, quite literally, Death note destroyed most of the advantage L had...
1:34:00 I think you’re overlooking the biggest criticism of Kira’s philosophy; *if the system is so broken that you need to change it, how can you trust it to tell you who is really guilty?* kira throughout the series assumes all parties found legally guilty are in fact actually guilty
Just rewatched it recently, and something interesting that Light says is that he would actually spare criminals who he deemed as not reprehensible. He would take into account edge cases and other things so even if the law got it wrong, Light was the one actually judging them. This is how he distinguished himself from someone like Misa just killing people on the news. Light in his own delusions of grandeur was acting as the judge jury and executioner for these cases, which is why it was so obvious when someone else had the death note. Now how this changed toward the near/mellow arc when he found people who were more aligned with his ideals to do his killing for him, I'm not sure, since he would be killing more lesser criminals during that time, but one thing that's for certain is that he was judging them based on his own sense of justice and not just going along with the system of punishment that was in place, so i don't think the series assumes all parties found legally guilty are in fact actually guilty. The only people who are guilty in Kira's eyes are the people he personally deems guilty.
@@ShmichaelTI think that's more due to the context of ths Japanese prosecution rate being absurdly high. Something like 90%+ conviction rate or similar. So there are bound to be instances where something doesn't quite add up and it's more due to the prosecution bias. Of course, that is still flawed as appeals processes can take a long time and new evidence can emerge YEARS after a conviction. Also not accounting for the differences in laws between nations like drug smugglers being setenced to death in some countries or people being locked up for a seemingly small offence like weed possession. We never really went into detail about how Light felt about cases that varied from nation to nation. Self defence has different criteria in different countries. "Stand your ground" laws exist for cases like a home invasion where the invader is perhaps killed when the owner is defending themselves. In some countried this is pure self-defence regardless of other context but in others like the UK and Canada there is a "duty to retreat" on the part of the person claiming self-defence. Basically, if they kill someone when there was an option to flee the home they can actually be charged with a crime because their decision to kill the invader was excessive. If no option to retreat is available then it's considered self defence. Would Light deem these people murderers using violence when it could be avoided? Or would he see it as self-defence?
No that isn't actually the case he himself judges them to be guilty he doesn't solely believe in the system to do it which is why he sometimes kills suspects.
@@caldw615 I thought it was the other way around? That the reason why japanese prosecution rate *was* so high is because they require so much evidence to convict someone that most crimes don't make it to trial?
You've called Light socially inept, while he is everything but! He is an A student, handsome, can get a girl whenever he feels like it, his mom and sister adore him, he's respected by his father... He is antisocial at heart (because he doesn't care for people) but not socially inept. He understands what he can do to strive in society and does that when it benefits him.
Light is such an over performer in anything but empathy. If he had that notion he’d be about as much a lame character as he’s a brilliant one. It’s the lack of empathy and his over the top self justice that makes his flaw, and it’s great!
Many people didn't notice that Death Note is also an allegory/critic on the Japanese Justice System where it has an almost 100% conviction rate where an actual innocent people were convicted, jailed and even executed.
How could it be an allegory/critique of the Japanese justice system's near 100% conviction rate when most of Light's problem with the justice system in the first place is that it doesn't mete out enough convictions and punishments? And don't say that Light is supposed to be the symbolic representation of the Japanese justice system, that would be ridiculous, there's no point in the story at which Light is shown to have killed someone that didn't either commit a crime or wasn't trying to catch him. I hate the inescapable and omnipresent braindead leftist analyses of fiction as being about the same like 4 systemic critiques over and over again instead of people recognizing that stories can be about more fundamental and basic aspects of the human experience and not muh ebul capitalism or muh justice system or muh toxic masculinity every single time. People are absolutely insufferable, I wish I didn't have to live on this planet with you profoundly annoying people.
@@lostzephyr2191 Idk why you went on a spiel about leftism when this person was mentioning the Japanese justice system, you sound like you just wanted to bitch about leftists to the first person who pissed you off lmao. People's lack of reading comprehension or media literacy has nothing to do with their political leanings because I can absolutely count on my hands the amount of Republicans who watched the Barbie movie and went absolutely feral with the most brain dead takes from the most basic themes the plot practically hand fed to the audience. Anyway, Death Note IS a commentary about what justice is but does not have a single conclusion though. Light's version of justice is incredibly flawed which becomes more apparent over time, he's a teenager, albeit an intelligent one, with very rigid views due to his upbringing as his father is a cop. His father follows the law, the law is flawed. The system IS flawed. Just as Light is flawed. He fails to see the real issues in the structure of the his society that creates crime in the first place and takes it upon himself to be judge, jury, and executioner instead with that rigid black and white view. L's personal brand of justice is self-serving more than it is actually helpful for the sake of being helpful, it's pretty much a game to him and he's willing to do unsavory things to be right, to win. He works just within the bounds of the law and is willing to bend them to some degree to get results. That's the point. Like most people who do analysis on Death Note know this. Your little rant is just sad. You're so mad that you didn't even make a proper point, it's all over the place.
Misa is the most OP human in the verse. Not only does she have a death not, and the eyes of a shinigami, Her charisma stat is so high that 2 death gods died for her. Don't sleep on her.
@@iiAyJayoa lot of people who are currently dead were op af in life. You can be op and still die, homie. Just one really famous example is Darth Vader.
The Soundtrack of this anime is phenomenal. Cobtrasting these nearly biblical sounds wuth those edgy guitar riffs, was simply brilliant. Really great work
when L died I honestly stopped watching because it felt like the story ended from there. But when I finished the whole anime, I thought it made perfect sense that N was the one that caught Light. throughout L and Light's battle, I always got the sense that the two are trying to win out of ego and need for superiority. The sense that I got from the both of them was "I know this guy is as smart as me, I need to beat him so I can shove it to the other's face that i'm smarter". With N, I didn't get that feeling when he was looking for Kira. He just wanted to do his job, and he did. I honestly think L and Light's egos played a big part on their downfall
Agreed, L and Light seemed to be playing for the thrill of cat-and-mouse, not the result only and were highly dismissive of other players, enemy or even their own team, seeing everyone else as beneath them and insignificant, sometimes even a hassle and liability, only being laser-focused on each other. While Near looked deep into Kira supporter profiles and habits, trusted competence of his team plus Mello and sowed doubts in Light's camp. It wasn't some ego thing to take him ALL BY HIMSELF like L would've, other players were crucial in cornering Light completely. When people say how much they hate Near and he isn't L, I think ironically he would agree as he only seems to accept successor title as something that "has to be done" and a hassle, not some passion project for the fun of it. And in his victory speech gives credit to others (Mello and Gevanni), embodying "ape together strong" message that allowed him to topple individual overpowered players like Light and L.
To be fair, Misa’s intelligence mostly exists in a non fixed state just like Schrödinger’s cat. She is both incredibly intelligent (see her exposing higuchi in the yotsuba arc) and incredibly dumb (see the majority of the series), until plot happens and she must become one of the two according to what the writers need
To be fair, I've known people like Misa. In most situations they don't give as much thought as needed (if any at all) but if focused, or cornered, can knuckle down and make connections very quickly. Hell, I'm pretty airheaded a lot of the time myself lol. I just don't really think all that much when I don't have to burn the brain calories. But when applying myself ot puzzles or in a crisis, I almost become a different person and zip from A to B to C to D, skip to G, check F, assume E as given, then move to L- etc. So when judging if someone like Misa is being moved around like a plot tool, it's important to note *when* she's being intelligent and what scenarios prompt it. IF those are consistent, then it's less that she's being flipped, and more that she processes those situations differently. For example, someone can be extremely intelligent, great at math, but terrible at budgeting, making seemingly dumbass financial choices.
Misa to me was actually VERY interesting; she seems more intelligent than us (like the audience) because of her manipulation and success of using the death notes only disability to find Light. But then she’d slip into this “stupid” persona, like she’d have a moment of genuine genius like Light or L and then she’d slip back into being a ditz when Light reappeared
The best way to describe it is that when it comes to the mental mind games of the series, Light and L are marathon runners and Misa is a sprinter. She can come up with great plans , but is unable to keep up with the long term battles between our main two leads
Death Note has the best pacing I have seen in any show across any genre. I usually take my time with TV shows even short ones, but I finished Death Note in like 2 sittings. Light is honestly one of the most memorable protagonists ever. Incredible anime and will always be my top 10. It was also the gateway for MANY people into anime.
Light is a terrible person but I wouldn't disagree that he was a very entertaining character to watch. Nobody other than Light comes to my mind when thinking about a pure evil anime MC.
@@woofer3284 "Pure evil" Is kind of exaggerating it, sure he did alot of bad things and is not a good person but his goal in the end was not pure evil.
A 97 minute Glass Reflection video on the manga/anime that made me the lover of both mediums I am today? Hell yes. Seriously a formative series for me in high school; where I went from a kid who just watched Pokemon and the like, to greatly expanding my horizons.
Kids are stupid, all of them. And it has always been like this. In 20 years you are going to look back at this moment and think to yourself "Wow, he was totally right, I was very stupid." I can guarantee that. Mammals are born into this world knowing NOTHING, they are completely helpless. They can't even feed themselves. Without their mothers or some other caretaker that can meet their needs, they would instantly die upon birth. And in the case of humans, it takes at least 18 years before they are actually capable of doing for themselves. And don't even fully mature until they are in their 20's. And just a reminder, that goes for ALL humans, you, me, everyone. There are no exceptions.
I‘m not mad about Mikami‘s mistake of double checking his notebook. It was out of his routine, but it was a human thing to do. A stark contrast to his and Light‘s mastermind complex. They thought they were gods - or doing God’s work - yet what brought Kira‘s demise was so mundane. I also prefer the manga‘s ending. Light‘s finaly meltdown animated was of course entertaining, but it was PAINFUL to read in the manga. Him begging, on his knees, for Ryuk‘s mercy, making him anything but a cool headed, masterminded God, made the reader pity how pathetic he is. Then again, I liked the way we got to see Light run away, and cross paths with his innocent highschool student version. A glimpse of what could have been if the notebook and the power had not corrupted him. All in all an absolute masterpiece. I would sell half of my life span to watch and read Death Note for the first time again.
Agreed, the manga ending felt a lot more fitting to me. Light resorting to begging Ryuk when he knew from early on that’s not how it works. That really showed how low he’s fallen and was out of options for victory.
I didn't like the Manga ending. It was so random and out of character. The whole story, he was pretty cool, calm, and collected. Then, randomly becomes a hysterical crybaby begging Ryuk for his life.... Nah. The Anime did it way better in my opinion.
@@bobbykite8705 might’ve seemed random but it was very in-character. Light was exposed to all who’ve been investigating Kira to be the exact kind of childish killer with a god complex that L and Near theorized. To the very end, that righteous facade he spent so many years building up came crashing down. But different strokes for different folks I guess.
I always figured the last part of Death Note was depressing on purpose to make a statement about how justice sometimes gives little closure or satisfaction when weighed against everything lost in the process.
Finally an actual detailed retrospective on what makes this series so unique and great and keeps me coming back to it, not just surface level analysis of the light/L dynamic.
Because the majority of who Light killed were scumbags, Rapists, attempted rapists, thieves, corporate greed people, etc. So that is something a lot of people want to see. Scum of the world cowering in fear at their death to an otherworldly power they know they can't escape.
Yep I’m only 40 minutes in so not sure if it’ll be mention but death note is 107 chapters to reflect on Buddhism’s 107 sins of mankind the author said he agreed his with Near that “justice” is subjective light using the death note (really not much different from any other weapon) to enforce his will into the world is just as legitimate as L’s justice and L’s justice as legit as Misa’s justice.
I hated the ending, not because of what happens but how it happened. Light became an idiot basically outing himself in such an uncharacteristic way. I could not care less for L’s sidekicks that had no way to live up to him, if the series had ended at the first season, L dying and Light been found out thanks to L’s foresight that would have been perfect IMO. But I am glad many people loved season two and the ending we got, the anime had a chance to give a different take but it is what it is.
@@AzguardMikewhatever, let them make the same juvenile "haha gay" joke for over a decade without understanding that shite is written differently from the Latin alphabet.
I remember during the Mellow and Near arc, Light tries manipulating another women for some reason. I don't remember how much she actually helps Light, but I do remember one scene where she's passive aggressively fights Misa Misa over who's Light's best girl. Then, she's kidnapped by Mellow and Light orders her to set herself on fire to kill Mellow which she somehow does... off panel. In fact Misa Misa isn't even mentioned in the manga's final chapter as if the creators forgot about her. Women are treated really weird in Ohba's stories, and it gets weirder if you read Platinum End and Bakuman.
Preach, I always felt slightly uncomfortable or alienated about it but couldn’t put it into words. I think a lot of the women are essentially props or devices for the male characters, even misa and her treatment by the others as a tool or butt of the joke. None of them really felt like real fleshed out people, very shallow somehow
@@omnipotentfaces1514I think if Obha wanted, he wouldn't include such characters, but does so to meet Jumps' standards. At the same time, he makes them do as little as possible, but it gets progressively awkward the more he's expected to give them bigger roles.
@@omnipotentfaces1514 What's worse is Misa was ultimately put there because Ohba realized there were too many male characters. She's pretty much eye candy and then her final act was offing herself off screen. Depressing shit.
That's the thing that makes me uncomfortable when I say DN is still my favorite anime/manga. Like the lack of well written female characters doesn't make the story garbage, but it is sad when you take into consideration how his other works do the same thing. Separating the creator is hard sometimes. I really liked Naomi, and it's tragic she left so early.
Now that I've watched the video: Amazing. Peak discussion and analysis. I have enjoyed revisiting Death Note over the years to see how my views on it change as I age because as you said it continues to be relevant. I used to be a full Kira supporter as an edgy teen and younger adult. Now in my late 20s I take bigger issue with his killing of innocent people and realize the nuance that the word "criminal" isn't so black and white. But something that no discussion of Death Note ever brings up is that after Light's death (I forget if this is in the manga or anime or both) Matsuda makes a point that while crime has dropped 80% and wars had ceased, they started back up again soon after the end of Kira. And I think that small bit provides a very interesting wrench in the question of whether or not Kira is ultimately good by asking if the ends justify the means.
Well, we will never know just how long things would've lasted that way. However, I love the discussion you are trying to start about that age old question, and like you, never wanted Light to die and dreaded finishing the show after realizing he was done for even with L gone. After revisiting the series, I of course have grown up and changed my stance, and actually quite like the ending, but a small piece of me clings on to that naive idealism; That Light sought a better place and that just maybe the ends really do justify his less than ideal means.
It's an age old question for a reason. Beyond the heavy religious symbolism in this series (the apple, life and death, light dying in the middle of a staircase symbolising he's reaching neither heaven nor hell...etc.) The series shedding light on the matter without giving a proper answer is the best it could do. However regardless of how obvious that point is I'm glad for its inclusion since it sheds a light on human behaviour. People tend to not care about their actions until the consequences are real and tangible. While karma, good and evil, heaven and hell are hypotheticals to many, they're distant. Bring a real consequense such as a hypothetical entity that kills you if youre a bad person and suddenly "commiting sin" is not as easy, not necessarily out of conviction or beleif but rather out of fear. It's a dark and harsh truth but a very real one.
@@dragonwarriorz1light was never “justice” dont forget he killed ANYONE who crossed him which included innocent ppl, light was just childish and immature and that reflected his views on the world, and the main reason why crime dropped was bcs ppl were just scared of kira and his power, the world didnt get “better” everyone was just scared, like how abusive narcissistic parents hit and yell at their kids to make them scared and have power over them
I was THIS close to bemoaning how you failed to mention the amazing Death Note musical, when you slipped it in at the very last second, lol. Seriously, even if anyone here doesn’t want to sit through the entire stage production, PLEASE at the very least give the demo album a listen. It is PHENOMENAL and far better than it has any right being.
I wish more use was made of cause of death. imagine "Raye Penber died of infection from a paper cut he got from the envelope holding the letter he sent clearing Light Yagami of being Kira"
With how much Light planned ahead before his incarceration, Im surprised he didn’t instruct Mikami to test the notebook before arriving to ensure it wasn’t swapped out prior. Just got too sure of himself post his victory against L. Great video man!
in his monologue Light said that Mikami "confirmed it" was the real notebook, and Light had no other way to contact for the final days before the warehouse
You wouldn't need to go far. All Light had to do was to instruct Mikami to keep some pages of hidden as an emergency when he first gave it to him. Light was using the watch trick since the start of the story, it's unthinkable the he wouldn't tell Mikami to do the same. Let's say "Use those only when it's absolutely necessary, and don't have the acess to the whole notebook Hell Mikami was giving Takada spare pages while he pretended to do the kills, so that concept it's nothing new.. And that wouldn't even hinge on his predicition whole near's plan thing. Near, the spk and Mello would have no why to prepare for this, or even predict that would happen. It would've been the easiest win of all time, and it would be so simple.
"Mikami, buy a watch with a fast retracting underside (like the one Light wears all the time) and keep a piece of the notebook inside. Always wear your watch and keep a needle or pen on hand. On the day our enemies gather, kill them all with that page. Do this, and you shall meet your GOD of this new world!"
I liked the ending of the live action movies because it feels like even though he still dies, L won. He was there to see Light defeated and prove he was Kira. I wish they would make a prequel with Near and Mello though, especially Mello and Matt's character's who were different and interesting and had very little screen/page time.🧡
The most hateful thing about Kira is that he doesnt see any structural reasons for people to act their way and just strengthens structures that lead to violence by reinforcing his ideas this way. No one is really helped
The thing that's really good about Death Note is that light doesn't immediately believe in the power of the notebook nor does he confidently bend the rules to his whim. He questions the book and calls it stupid at first and he even has to practice what he can do with the note before setting more grand plans into action. We get to see the character learn and we learn along with them
It is so cool to see you do long form reviews of completed anime again. This is the content I have always enjoyed the most from you. I hope you have other retrospectives in the pipeline.
@@shadowreaver752 The stuff I grew up with is cool and all but it would be nice to see him give something modern a similar treatment. Modern anime seems so disposable. It would be nice to see some shows get a light put on it 2-5 years after they came out.
I remember a theory from years ago, this might be me misremembering a bit I admit, but I remember this idea that Light ended up becoming a Shinigami himself. The curse of using the death note was that the user doesn't get the same gift of death as everyone else but instead is cursed to the near eternal boredom of being one of the gods of death, with no memory of their previous life. Forced to watch and not directly interfere with life at all. A fitting punishment for the man who tried to manipulate everything for his own selfish views of morality.
I think I remember an epilogue chapter where Light has to relive all the deaths he gave to others in the Shinigami realm? And he wrote so many names in the Death Note, he was going to use that time to search for the God of the Shinigami's and try to become one himself.
yes! i remember this theory. it's supported by one of the anime adjacent movies, with Ryuk recounting the story to an unknown death god (implied to be Light reincarnated.)
Really excited to watch a Death Note retrospective. It's legacy has been cemented as one of the anime greats & classics and it very much deserves a deep dive.
As other commenters have mentioned, I do really hope you look into the death note musical. It is a really beautiful adaptation and musical, I particularly like how it changes for the time frame and adapts Misa and Rems relationship. A definite must watch
1:08:00 Headcanon: The death eraser is canon; Rem just didn't know as it's obscure (why would death gods use it as it would remove the life they stole and could trigger the law that kills them) and Ryuk is such a troll that he decided not to tell Light XD
Off topic. It's been about 9 years since I've watched one of your videos. Your anime reviews got me into so many anime that I never would've watched otherwise, so I'm happy to see you still making content!
The first Death Note review was one of the videos that made me a fan of glass reflection. I wasn't a fan from the very beginning or anything, but I hopped on the train pretty early. Watching Arkada change and try new things in his videos has been a lot of fun, and I love that he's trying out longer videos. I've found so many anime series because of him, and I'll always be thankful for his recommendations. Arkada I hope you keep making videos for many years in the future, because I plan to continue being a fan for a long time. Thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to the medium we all love.
I think Ooba and Obata made it pretty clear in "Bakuman" that they originally intended to finish the manga with L and Light's mutual annihilation, but were forced by the Jump editors to continue the series, as it was too profitable.
@@squeedles_1943Ashirogi Muto's masterpiece, Reversi, which is clearly based on Death Note, ends with both the villain protagonist and his antagonist killing each other. IIRC, this is explicitly stated to be the best possible ending. Additionally, there are many instances of mangakas being unable to finish their own manga when and how they want to; it even becomes a plot point with Niizuma Eiji's Crow.
@@ancient_castle4227you can't just take another work out of context to explain smth just because it was death note-adjacent. that's disingenuous. death note was always going to end with the warehouse scene in mind whether you like post-L death note or not.
This was an excellent video. Your time, energy and effort did not go to waste or unnoticed and I would love to see another video like this from you. But please don’t rush yourself. Get some good rest. Come back to the project when you’re ready and just do your best like you always have.
i really fell out of the anime community these past few years, but i'm slowly falling back into it. seeing you again for the first time in several years and realizing i have the *exact* same waistcoat in my closet now was hilarious. EDIT: not only did i know there's a musical, it's my favorite version of the death note story and one of my favorite musicals in general. just a great adaptation overall.
41:50 we don’t see it a whole lot but Light is supposed to be a perfect 10 outta 10 who woman fond over. The man the myth the legend even says “Light Yagami is popular with the ladies”
I feel one discourse with the ending not many talk about is that with Teru Mikami being shown to be meticulous enough to even check handwriting under a microscope did not attempt to try and test to see if the notebook he had was real before going to the final showdown especially when it is a vey critical moment for Light.
Fantastic retrospective, thanks for making this! I haven't rewatched the show since my first viewing, which was close to when it originally aired, so it was nice getting refreshed on what happened and listening to your analysis of it. I do have fond memories of watching it.
I’ve been watching you since I was a kid (21 now) and you’ve showed me anime’s like princess tutu etc, etc. I always used you for anime recommendations so you really shaped my view of anime. And your reviews were always smth I looked forward to!
Especially when you consider said God of death was actively threatening Light at the same time, shed kill him if anything happened to Misa, so he cleared out almost all his problems in one go 😅
I remember cringing. That scene is when I lost interest. Why would two shinigami kill themselves over one human girl? I ditzy, 1 dimensional one at that
@@tarod3The existence of the series itself points to the fact that Shinigami are plagued by boredom, listlessness, and a sense of existential meaninglessness. Ryuk might have channeled that by enjoying watching a human serial killer go on a murder spree, but he's clearly a weirdo even by their standards; the rest of the Shinigami we see seem to take little joy in death, preferring to waste their time gambling over nothing, and Ryuk even mentions that the norm in the Shinigami world if you write more names than you need to sustain your lifespan is to be made fun of for "working so hard." Shinigami suffer from purposelessness, addiction, and a desire for closeness just like humans, leading to many of the same coping mechanisms. Just as there are many men who have addictions to gambling, like Ryuk's peers, and substances, like Ryuk himself (it's played for comedy, but he describes apples as having alcohol-like effects all the way to the point of debilitating withdrawal symptoms), the Shinigami who first died for Misa also had an addiction common to lonely men in Japan - obsession with an idol. She made art he liked and he thought she was pretty and whatnot, so he became a fan and then a stalker. And Rem considered him a close friend, so she took up looking after the one he'd given his life for.
@@meganbarhorst5272 if you bend over backwards and squint, it sort of makes sense. And she just so happens to be obsessed and wholly devoted to the protagonist she has never communicated with, to the point of being ready to die for his convenience. Get real. She was a sloppy plot device devoid of any character.
@@GlassReflectionit happens, don't worry about it, videos, especially long videos like this are difficult enough to make and we know you are just one man
@@GlassReflectionI’m guessing you meant to say Gundam 00 instead, where both English and Japanese VAs for Light play Setsuna F Seiei. But hey, both were mecha anime made by Sunrise so mix-ups are bound to happen😅
Yeah I can only assume that's where I messed up. There are so many VO connections and Miyano and Fukuyama both cover the same range. Like, I didn't even bother to mention how Light and Rock from Black Lagoon are the same English VO, which should have been what I did since I went out of my way to add in a Scene from BL and everything.
Everything you just said summarizes exactly what makes Death Note so good past the cat and mouse chase L & Light have! I would love to hear you talk about the musical because the whole thing is a banger!
Death Note is my go to recommendation for people who wanted to watch anime other than the big 3s, after watching it they always give very good feedback and loved it.
One thing that I absolutely loved in the anime was the sinister scenes with Ryuk- the scenes where he's shadowed except his glowing red eyes were so good. Light constantly falls into the ideas of Ryuk being on his side, and those scenes remind the viewers that Ryuk is only on his own side.
Another note about why the potato chip scene is great - Light appeared innocent but only got two minor criminals which he normally wouldn't kill. It was a way to bait L and draw him in further while appearing innocent to everyone else. Great scene.
It's been crazy going from an edgy teenager that never would have guessed Light was the antagonist of Deathnote, who agreed with his stance and was confused as to why the series felt progressively more warped and wrong.... To an adult that developed enough to recognize that Light had no redeemable traits or beliefs and that his stance was wrong for a good reason, not just social hegemony. I grew with Deathnote. I consider it an important series.
I was already in my 20s by the time I got around to Death Note, so my first impression was that the main character was an unlikable, narcissistic, infantile sociopath. So I couldn't fathom how anyone even found him likable as a villain, let alone agreed with his egomaniac philosophy. Then I decided it was kind of pointless arguing online about it because I realized "Wait... Odds are 95% of the time I'm arguing with 15-year-olds. This is stupid. Why the hell am I even doing this?"
You should Definitely do more content like this Arkada. I don’t know anyone who can keep up with all this seasonal animes but deep dives on a single series would be a great way to convince a lot of people to watch them. Just please include a spoiler free section thank you!
Yea Ohba stated in an interview that L never saw Light as a friend and actually secretly hated him. There's also a really brilliant scene in one of the Re-Light films where L is taking to the kids at the Wammy's House Orphanage and he explains that he doesn't have the capacity for friendship. It's simply not in his nature. He's asked by one of the children if there's anything he's scared of and he says monsters, then he goes on to describe the characteristics of the monsters that scare him. One of the characteristics is "They seek friendship, even though they do not know how to love." He ends the speech stating "If I were to ever encounter a monster like that, I would likely be eaten by it. Because, in truth, I am that monster."
@tivonwatts5404 The scene where he's talking to the kids? I tried to post a link to it, but my comment keeps getting deleted. Just type in "L Monster Speech" and it should be the first video.
My headcanon is that L knew light was kira early on, But he knew he needed a proof to be able to turn him in as well as when they started working together he looked at him as a friend. It's that bittersweet "If we were in enemies then we could be best friends"
I honestly really like the Japanese live actions ending. It keeps the battle between just the two. And It wraps up nicely while still being bittersweet.
Great video! I think that what is interesting at the end of the manga is that Light expected Ryuk to sacrifice himself to Kira’s cause. Using the book to kill others a would have led to Ryuk turning to dust just like REM and the Mesa’s first death god. It’s wild that despite how little he thought of her, Mesa was able to have two death gods love her enough to be worth dying for. It really highlights the power differentials between love and servitude. Her capacity to love was her strength and his inability to do the same was his weaknesses.
One small point; it seems like most of the community is in agreement that L never really saw Light as a friend but told him that he saw him that way as a way to trap him or provoke him if he was Kira.
When i got into death note around 2011, I was obsessed with those Live actions Japanese movies. All 3. They hold such a strong nastolgia memory in my heart. This video makes me want to rewatch the movies and the anime again. Great work !
"I view the end of their chess game not as 'checkmate in Kira's favor,' but as 'check' in L's favor. L could just never anticipate that Kira would blackmail an audience member into killing his opponent for him." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I never really thought about it like that, but it's so true lol
this is the ultimate Death Note retrospective I needed in my life as it was a series I was (and still am) pretty interestd in. I'm surprised you covered almost everything including L changes the World, a fantastic movie. all the time you spend working on it was completely worth it! i can garantee it
Good sir, I started watching your vids back in 2015 and generally watched you for almost every recommendation I watched and I haven't watched a vid from you in years, probably at least 4-5 years now and it's great to see you still grinding it out on a topic you seem extremely passionate about. I don't watch a ton of anime anymore. Working 60+ hours a week leaves me with a very small amount of free time and my passion has always been gaming rather than anime but they still go hand in hand usually. Persona 5 is an all time favorite of mine. It's just cool tho, this well of nostalgia you give me. Reminds me of my highschool years or at least the better parts of those years as few as there were but vids like yours were the better parts of those years. Thank you.
Describing Near and Mello as a “detective hydra” is so smart…like-Death Note vocabulary I desperately needed but never thought of myself. Such a cool video 💗
Great work! The announcement of the recent Death Note game made me want to revisit some memories of the series, and you did not disappoint. This was, I think, the first anime I ever watched as a young lad. Thanks so much!
Damn, this was an incredible and thorough watch! I really want to rewatch the show at some point, so this was a nice retrospective. Also, as someone who is a HUGE fan of the musical (even watching the English language premier run in London), I appreciate the nod, even if it was a brief one.
1:17:21 I completely agree. I've always wondered why I thought it felt flat and it's because of exactly what you said, "we know what's going to happen, we're just waiting to find out how"
Hey, just wanted to say as a long time fan I'm really happy with this return to long form review content, and would love to see more of it in the future
This was such an awesome retrospective. Can't remember the last time I got sucked into a long video like this and it captured my attention completely the whole way through. Excellent work, Tristan!
I wish you'd gone into the musical more in your other adaptations section cuz I really like how it condenses the story into 2 ¾ hours and how it decides to end things.
cool video! love it or hate it, there's no denying the impact Death Note has had, so it deserves the retrospective. calling it a "howcatchem" made me laugh
The running gag with translating plan literally had me giggling every single time I caught it, there’s so much care and love put into this video and it shows through the little things like that.
I really enjoyed this video! I wish it was more than just 80% retelling the plot beat for beat, and explored more of the huge impact it had on the world
Fantastic review, this was really fun to watch Something I always thought was really interesting when I reread the first volume, is that Light becoming Kira was sort of a Double-Down justification of his own morality. He's 17 years old, too smart for his own good, and bored, and he finds a gag journal on the ground that can supposedly kill people. He thinks "well this is dumb and obviously fake' and then writes a name. And it works. He panics and thinks 'it's a fluke, coincidence is not causation' and does it again, and again it works. We cut to a week later when Ryuk shows up and Light has written dozens of names and explains his goal to be a God of Justice. Except in his explanation there's a whole sequence where it looks like Light has a guilt ridden panic attack over having killed 2 people. His whole speech to Ryuk, if you look at it like that, sounds more like someone desperately trying to justify what they've done. He's not a murderer, he's trying to create a new world. He's not a bad person, he's a crusader against evil. Light doubles, triples, and quadruples-down and eventually gets lost in his own Kool-Aid.
Only 5 minutes in and already agreeing with so much. I also never understood why people claimed Light actually was in the right. I think a lot of fans could not look past his looks and were as charmed as Misa was ^^. And as someone who was a teenager when first seeing Death Note, I can say that it was the first thing that made me think about what I consider just and good in the world. Thankfully I was a huge L fan and not a fan of Light but he also does some stuff thats barely justifiable if at all. Still I am very glad that there was a story that made a relatively young person even think about those concepts. And I will always love Death Note for that. Looking forward to the rest of the video :)
This was so amazing, fantastic job! I don't know if this would make for an interesting video or not, but I always thought the parallels of Death Note and the later work of Platinum End were always interesting. Like a ying and yang of sorts. It'd be neat to see something about that as well because both actually sucked me. Either or, loved this video so much! Can't wait to see another retrospective!
Reading Bakuman after reading Deathnote makes it so much more impressive (if that was even possible.) The concept is literally lightning in a bottle and the plot constantly tops itself through the first half.
@@BlazingAuras it’s exceptionally good. One of my favourite mangas. If you’re in anyway interested in making manga or the manga industry, it’s right up your alley. If not, it’s still a great read and it’s got some great realistic down to earth slice of life elements to get drawn into.
22:44 Lights problem was his ego if he had gone on unphased and not bought into Ls trap and just carried on killing every bad person he encountered there would be like a zero percent chance of him getting caught but the fact that he felt the need to go after anyone who was suspicious of him is where he messed up. There’s actually a part where he chooses to make L suspicious of anyone with connections to the police because he wanted to get close to L
1:34:10 Light doesn't even consider that maybe despite being charged multiple times, that guy wasn't convicted because he was innocent of the accusations. In Light/ Kira's world an accusation is a death is a sentence without proof, the accusation itself will stand as the proof.
Death note lore and content? You just earned yourself a new subscriber. Death note remains one of my favorite anime, not just because of the themes, story telling, characters etc It was the first anime I watched that was different from the standard battle shounen I'd grown accustomed to like DBZ, Naruto, Bleach etc So it was pretty interesting to come across a story of this nature.
The frustrating thing about L's death was L wouldn't have known that Rem was secretly in love with Misa to the point that it would sacrifice itself for her. I guess it was L's mistake that it was revealed to the task force that he had clearance to test the notebook and the rules in it. If the task force didn't know, Kira wouldn't know too and Rem wouldn't have killed L.
Commenter: Oh hey, did you know you spelled "Keikaku wrong?" You did that like four times. Do you even bother to spell check your own titles or what?
Me (A Mastermind): THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK. OH HO! I of course did not spell it wrong by accident! It was all a ploy to see who both bothered to pay attention, and who also will check comments for this exact post! ALL ACCORDING TO KEIKAKU!
Commenter: You really don't believe people are gonna buy that right? You have a history of misspellings. Just because you made a comment doesn't change the fact....
Me (Not desperate at all): ALL ACCORDING TO KEKAKU!
Kekaku means...
Oh dammit!
Near is Lawful Evil - Wants to use the DN to end his govt's enemies.
Light is Neutral Evil - Wants to use the DN to end criminals and protect himself.
Mello is Chaotic Evil - Wants to use the DN to end anyone and everyone he feels like, he doesn't care who he hurts in the process.
The way I saw the last half was: Misa was supposed to become the next death god, unless by another DN her life was going to be near endless after inheriting the lifespan of two death gods. Light engages with Near & Mello while trying to get Misa out of Ryuk's game alive.
Ryuk's warning came true, as the story progressed the DN changed Light, he became the thing he hated and spent more and more time trying to hide the DN and his connection to it. At the very beginning Ryuk warned light of this and like you said the warning is absolute power corrupts.
I always thought it'd have been an interesting ending if Kira/Light died, but my Mikami and Mikami took himself and everyone at the task force out. Thus cementing Kira as a God in the mindset of society forever, but Light being gone as well as everyone else that knew the truth. That would have been interesting.
All according to kekaku! praise our svout kekaku! :P
A crossover of ryuk and shiki could be interesting. Wih all the media, that could be fun.
You also spelled reveal as "revel" at 10:27
Light is far from a bullied kid. He's about as privileged as a japanese high schooler can be. And that's part of his appeal.
Yes light was popular and Will liked
@@Canev821 will did like Light
@@CodeeXDhe did indeed
Light is the perfect estudent man 😂
Bro, I’m rewatching it and forgot how messed up parts are. Light condemning his father from heaven nor hell for eternity is just wild. Pushed him to use the note before his death.. 🤯😅
The way light is painted in this video was not what I remember, he was not a guy who was ostracized in school. People loved light and he was popular with the ladies. He had after school activities and was really good in sports from what I remember. People wanted to be friends with him but he viewed them as idiots tbh. That’s what I remembered watching in the show. That was his act he was charming and seemed to be top of his class so no one would expect the almost seemingly perfect person to harbor so much hatred. Unless I’m remembering incorrectly
Exactly. Everything about engaging with people is a chore for him...a scene if nothing else.
Most of that is true, except I don't think he really did many after school activities. But yeah generally he was popular, smart and on the road to success. But his ego, and cynicism lead him down a path of ruin. This guy doesn't seem to get that
Light was the perfect student
No you're absolutely correct. I don't think Light was ever bullied, made fun of or demeaned in the entire anime.
Personally I don't think the video is wrong, Light is portrayed as very successful and popular. But he has the mentality of a bullied unpopular kid, in spite of his popularity.
To be fair to Naomi she didn't give Light her name right away like GR made it sound, Naomi gave him a fake name which Light IMMEDIATELY used to try and kill her but failed which lead to him working REALLY hard to try and convince her that he was trustworthy. At first Naomi wasn't buying it and was being incredibly careful while trying to sound polite as she was rejecting his attempts to get her to trust him.
I think it speaks volumes of her competence and her abilities as a detective that the author themselves had to get rid of her because she was TOO good and could have more then likely helped L catch Light that much more quickly and Light's dad would have had less room defend his son.
if it wasnt for Riyuk laughing his head off whenever Naomi gave her name, or mentioned it, or Light checking his watch, Light wouldnt of known. It was only after the third time, Light asks himself "whats going on, and why is Riyuk laughing? Damn Shimigami...an alias!"
Misora Naomi
@@AzguardMike Light is smart enough to figure out that it was alias without Ryuk laughing.
@@rbxq "he's laughed like that every time her name has come up" he didn't know until he wrote it down, and Ryuk laughing was the clue. he didn't figure it out lol
@@rbxq "he's laughed like that every time her name has come up" he didn't know until he wrote it down, and Ryuk laughing was the clue. he didn't figure it out lol
Totally agree about the intellect part at 22:30. Light and L basically play a game of chess where only Light knows all the rules and still L manages to hold his ground.
Cope
its literally the dungeon dice monsters episode of yugioh, where yugi is introduced to a brand new game and in only a few turns becomes so good at it that he can beat the creator
If you take into account L's resources like money and the power to command the police around the world and the agencies like the FBI he is by far in the advantage.
@@ira233 I disagree. Police, money and power are all in the rational realm of the believable. They are part of the rules of the world. Taking supernatural forces into account you have no idea could exist and have no idea how they work, is so far outside the box that its a miracle the law enforcement even got this far. Light can think about and take into account the work of the police, FBI etc. because they are clear wordly forces with material rules even if he has to come to terms with how much power L possesses in that field. But thinking about an invisible Shinigami who can spy out cameras in a room or a book that kills by writing in it? That's something you do not think of in a rational normal world. So I think it takes more skill to figure out a whole new wordly ruleset that challenges the way we perceive our world just to catch a killer.
@@ira233Against untraceable weapon that could kill pretty much anyone which could be used all around the world which meant that it could be anyone from 7-8 billion people? Especially considering that government backing really mattered only at the TV bait with criminal as bait after which Light just killed most people from overseas that supported him and turned away most of police of Japan?
Like, quite literally, Death note destroyed most of the advantage L had...
1:34:00 I think you’re overlooking the biggest criticism of Kira’s philosophy; *if the system is so broken that you need to change it, how can you trust it to tell you who is really guilty?* kira throughout the series assumes all parties found legally guilty are in fact actually guilty
Just rewatched it recently, and something interesting that Light says is that he would actually spare criminals who he deemed as not reprehensible. He would take into account edge cases and other things so even if the law got it wrong, Light was the one actually judging them. This is how he distinguished himself from someone like Misa just killing people on the news.
Light in his own delusions of grandeur was acting as the judge jury and executioner for these cases, which is why it was so obvious when someone else had the death note.
Now how this changed toward the near/mellow arc when he found people who were more aligned with his ideals to do his killing for him, I'm not sure, since he would be killing more lesser criminals during that time, but one thing that's for certain is that he was judging them based on his own sense of justice and not just going along with the system of punishment that was in place, so i don't think the series assumes all parties found legally guilty are in fact actually guilty. The only people who are guilty in Kira's eyes are the people he personally deems guilty.
"what if like, capital punishment was the punishment for _every_ crime?"
@@ShmichaelTI think that's more due to the context of ths Japanese prosecution rate being absurdly high. Something like 90%+ conviction rate or similar. So there are bound to be instances where something doesn't quite add up and it's more due to the prosecution bias.
Of course, that is still flawed as appeals processes can take a long time and new evidence can emerge YEARS after a conviction. Also not accounting for the differences in laws between nations like drug smugglers being setenced to death in some countries or people being locked up for a seemingly small offence like weed possession. We never really went into detail about how Light felt about cases that varied from nation to nation. Self defence has different criteria in different countries. "Stand your ground" laws exist for cases like a home invasion where the invader is perhaps killed when the owner is defending themselves. In some countried this is pure self-defence regardless of other context but in others like the UK and Canada there is a "duty to retreat" on the part of the person claiming self-defence. Basically, if they kill someone when there was an option to flee the home they can actually be charged with a crime because their decision to kill the invader was excessive. If no option to retreat is available then it's considered self defence.
Would Light deem these people murderers using violence when it could be avoided? Or would he see it as self-defence?
No that isn't actually the case he himself judges them to be guilty he doesn't solely believe in the system to do it which is why he sometimes kills suspects.
@@caldw615 I thought it was the other way around? That the reason why japanese prosecution rate *was* so high is because they require so much evidence to convict someone that most crimes don't make it to trial?
You've called Light socially inept, while he is everything but! He is an A student, handsome, can get a girl whenever he feels like it, his mom and sister adore him, he's respected by his father... He is antisocial at heart (because he doesn't care for people) but not socially inept. He understands what he can do to strive in society and does that when it benefits him.
Light is such an over performer in anything but empathy. If he had that notion he’d be about as much a lame character as he’s a brilliant one. It’s the lack of empathy and his over the top self justice that makes his flaw, and it’s great!
Yeah, in the very first episode you see two girls start giggling when they see him
Many people didn't notice that Death Note is also an allegory/critic on the Japanese Justice System where it has an almost 100% conviction rate where an actual innocent people were convicted, jailed and even executed.
If only it were like that in the USA
@@1marcelfilmsreal 'we have created the Torment Nexus' moment
How could it be an allegory/critique of the Japanese justice system's near 100% conviction rate when most of Light's problem with the justice system in the first place is that it doesn't mete out enough convictions and punishments? And don't say that Light is supposed to be the symbolic representation of the Japanese justice system, that would be ridiculous, there's no point in the story at which Light is shown to have killed someone that didn't either commit a crime or wasn't trying to catch him.
I hate the inescapable and omnipresent braindead leftist analyses of fiction as being about the same like 4 systemic critiques over and over again instead of people recognizing that stories can be about more fundamental and basic aspects of the human experience and not muh ebul capitalism or muh justice system or muh toxic masculinity every single time. People are absolutely insufferable, I wish I didn't have to live on this planet with you profoundly annoying people.
@@lostzephyr2191 Idk why you went on a spiel about leftism when this person was mentioning the Japanese justice system, you sound like you just wanted to bitch about leftists to the first person who pissed you off lmao. People's lack of reading comprehension or media literacy has nothing to do with their political leanings because I can absolutely count on my hands the amount of Republicans who watched the Barbie movie and went absolutely feral with the most brain dead takes from the most basic themes the plot practically hand fed to the audience. Anyway, Death Note IS a commentary about what justice is but does not have a single conclusion though. Light's version of justice is incredibly flawed which becomes more apparent over time, he's a teenager, albeit an intelligent one, with very rigid views due to his upbringing as his father is a cop. His father follows the law, the law is flawed. The system IS flawed. Just as Light is flawed. He fails to see the real issues in the structure of the his society that creates crime in the first place and takes it upon himself to be judge, jury, and executioner instead with that rigid black and white view. L's personal brand of justice is self-serving more than it is actually helpful for the sake of being helpful, it's pretty much a game to him and he's willing to do unsavory things to be right, to win. He works just within the bounds of the law and is willing to bend them to some degree to get results. That's the point. Like most people who do analysis on Death Note know this. Your little rant is just sad. You're so mad that you didn't even make a proper point, it's all over the place.
They're 2 flavors.of bad no need to pick one as better than the other
Misa is the most OP human in the verse. Not only does she have a death not, and the eyes of a shinigami, Her charisma stat is so high that 2 death gods died for her. Don't sleep on her.
She killed herself
@@iiAyJayohe who holds the gun can only be gunned down by the holder of the gun
You have to sleep on her because she wasted. She’s just there as plot device to help Light. Barely her own character.
I know I was rooting for her the whole time.
@@iiAyJayoa lot of people who are currently dead were op af in life. You can be op and still die, homie.
Just one really famous example is Darth Vader.
The Soundtrack of this anime is phenomenal. Cobtrasting these nearly biblical sounds wuth those edgy guitar riffs, was simply brilliant. Really great work
Hirano is goated probably best anime composer of all time. Also did HxH 2011 soundtrack.
real asf
My only gripe was that the songs were continuously used over and over again which got semi-annoying, but I understand it was probably a budget thing
when L died I honestly stopped watching because it felt like the story ended from there. But when I finished the whole anime, I thought it made perfect sense that N was the one that caught Light. throughout L and Light's battle, I always got the sense that the two are trying to win out of ego and need for superiority. The sense that I got from the both of them was "I know this guy is as smart as me, I need to beat him so I can shove it to the other's face that i'm smarter". With N, I didn't get that feeling when he was looking for Kira. He just wanted to do his job, and he did. I honestly think L and Light's egos played a big part on their downfall
Agreed, L and Light seemed to be playing for the thrill of cat-and-mouse, not the result only and were highly dismissive of other players, enemy or even their own team, seeing everyone else as beneath them and insignificant, sometimes even a hassle and liability, only being laser-focused on each other. While Near looked deep into Kira supporter profiles and habits, trusted competence of his team plus Mello and sowed doubts in Light's camp. It wasn't some ego thing to take him ALL BY HIMSELF like L would've, other players were crucial in cornering Light completely. When people say how much they hate Near and he isn't L, I think ironically he would agree as he only seems to accept successor title as something that "has to be done" and a hassle, not some passion project for the fun of it. And in his victory speech gives credit to others (Mello and Gevanni), embodying "ape together strong" message that allowed him to topple individual overpowered players like Light and L.
To be fair, Misa’s intelligence mostly exists in a non fixed state just like Schrödinger’s cat. She is both incredibly intelligent (see her exposing higuchi in the yotsuba arc) and incredibly dumb (see the majority of the series), until plot happens and she must become one of the two according to what the writers need
To be fair, I've known people like Misa. In most situations they don't give as much thought as needed (if any at all) but if focused, or cornered, can knuckle down and make connections very quickly.
Hell, I'm pretty airheaded a lot of the time myself lol. I just don't really think all that much when I don't have to burn the brain calories. But when applying myself ot puzzles or in a crisis, I almost become a different person and zip from A to B to C to D, skip to G, check F, assume E as given, then move to L- etc.
So when judging if someone like Misa is being moved around like a plot tool, it's important to note *when* she's being intelligent and what scenarios prompt it. IF those are consistent, then it's less that she's being flipped, and more that she processes those situations differently. For example, someone can be extremely intelligent, great at math, but terrible at budgeting, making seemingly dumbass financial choices.
@@Luinta Yeah but with Death Note's history with women, it's pretty sure to say that that wasn't really their intention.
Misa to me was actually VERY interesting; she seems more intelligent than us (like the audience) because of her manipulation and success of using the death notes only disability to find Light. But then she’d slip into this “stupid” persona, like she’d have a moment of genuine genius like Light or L and then she’d slip back into being a ditz when Light reappeared
The best way to describe it is that when it comes to the mental mind games of the series, Light and L are marathon runners and Misa is a sprinter. She can come up with great plans , but is unable to keep up with the long term battles between our main two leads
I read Miss as Smart Playing Dumb/Aloof, many people Circumvent Life By Beating Their Mark With Idiocy.
Death Note has the best pacing I have seen in any show across any genre. I usually take my time with TV shows even short ones, but I finished Death Note in like 2 sittings. Light is honestly one of the most memorable protagonists ever. Incredible anime and will always be my top 10. It was also the gateway for MANY people into anime.
Light is a terrible person but I wouldn't disagree that he was a very entertaining character to watch. Nobody other than Light comes to my mind when thinking about a pure evil anime MC.
@@woofer3284 "Pure evil" Is kind of exaggerating it, sure he did alot of bad things and is not a good person but his goal in the end was not pure evil.
@@skittleboi1193I would argue by the end of the series Light was pure evil.
@@yeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_ya5786 In the end he was the one who brought down global crime rates exponentially
@@skittleboi1193He absolutely became the Devil by the end of the show. Even the Shinigamis were afraid of him
A 97 minute Glass Reflection video on the manga/anime that made me the lover of both mediums I am today? Hell yes. Seriously a formative series for me in high school; where I went from a kid who just watched Pokemon and the like, to greatly expanding my horizons.
Somebody made a 10 hour retrospective on death note. It’s amazing
137 minutes and 96 got to love empty numbers
137 minutes and 96 got to love empty numbers
Kids are stupid, all of them. And it has always been like this. In 20 years you are going to look back at this moment and think to yourself "Wow, he was totally right, I was very stupid." I can guarantee that.
Mammals are born into this world knowing NOTHING, they are completely helpless. They can't even feed themselves. Without their mothers or some other caretaker that can meet their needs, they would instantly die upon birth. And in the case of humans, it takes at least 18 years before they are actually capable of doing for themselves. And don't even fully mature until they are in their 20's.
And just a reminder, that goes for ALL humans, you, me, everyone. There are no exceptions.
I‘m not mad about Mikami‘s mistake of double checking his notebook. It was out of his routine, but it was a human thing to do. A stark contrast to his and Light‘s mastermind complex. They thought they were gods - or doing God’s work - yet what brought Kira‘s demise was so mundane. I also prefer the manga‘s ending. Light‘s finaly meltdown animated was of course entertaining, but it was PAINFUL to read in the manga. Him begging, on his knees, for Ryuk‘s mercy, making him anything but a cool headed, masterminded God, made the reader pity how pathetic he is. Then again, I liked the way we got to see Light run away, and cross paths with his innocent highschool student version. A glimpse of what could have been if the notebook and the power had not corrupted him. All in all an absolute masterpiece. I would sell half of my life span to watch and read Death Note for the first time again.
Light’s death in the manga is a perfect, I like it WAY more than the anime’s more sympathetic version
Agreed, the manga ending felt a lot more fitting to me. Light resorting to begging Ryuk when he knew from early on that’s not how it works. That really showed how low he’s fallen and was out of options for victory.
And that he still was and always was a human and not a god like ryuk is
I didn't like the Manga ending. It was so random and out of character. The whole story, he was pretty cool, calm, and collected. Then, randomly becomes a hysterical crybaby begging Ryuk for his life.... Nah. The Anime did it way better in my opinion.
i didnt really find the anime's ending to be sympathetic imo
@@bobbykite8705 might’ve seemed random but it was very in-character. Light was exposed to all who’ve been investigating Kira to be the exact kind of childish killer with a god complex that L and Near theorized. To the very end, that righteous facade he spent so many years building up came crashing down. But different strokes for different folks I guess.
I always figured the last part of Death Note was depressing on purpose to make a statement about how justice sometimes gives little closure or satisfaction when weighed against everything lost in the process.
Finally an actual detailed retrospective on what makes this series so unique and great and keeps me coming back to it, not just surface level analysis of the light/L dynamic.
If you want another detailed retrospective, somebody made a 10 hour video called "A World Without Light | Death Note Completed"
expergamez
@@GamerDude-yl1dx
There's like an 10 hour one that is actually a lot better by ExperGamez, I was actually sorta disappointed with how this one turned out
The ending was perfect. It needed to be stated because I didn't understand for a while why people saw Light as justice.
Because a lot of people don’t understand it’s okay to like a character, but still understand that they aren’t the hero
Because the majority of who Light killed were scumbags, Rapists, attempted rapists, thieves, corporate greed people, etc. So that is something a lot of people want to see. Scum of the world cowering in fear at their death to an otherworldly power they know they can't escape.
Because they too have a childish view of what's "justice"
Yep I’m only 40 minutes in so not sure if it’ll be mention but death note is 107 chapters to reflect on Buddhism’s 107 sins of mankind the author said he agreed his with Near that “justice” is subjective light using the death note (really not much different from any other weapon) to enforce his will into the world is just as legitimate as L’s justice and L’s justice as legit as Misa’s justice.
I hated the ending, not because of what happens but how it happened. Light became an idiot basically outing himself in such an uncharacteristic way.
I could not care less for L’s sidekicks that had no way to live up to him, if the series had ended at the first season, L dying and Light been found out thanks to L’s foresight that would have been perfect IMO.
But I am glad many people loved season two and the ending we got, the anime had a chance to give a different take but it is what it is.
That moment when he takes the notebook in the helicopter is what I consider the true death of Light Yagami.
Yagami = I am gay
@@manekedark I ma gay
@@omnipotentfaces1514 Yagami is the John Smith in Japan. In Digimon, you had Tai Yagami and Kari Yagami.
@@AzguardMikewhatever, let them make the same juvenile "haha gay" joke for over a decade without understanding that shite is written differently from the Latin alphabet.
@@2006HondaCivicDi ma gay
I remember during the Mellow and Near arc, Light tries manipulating another women for some reason. I don't remember how much she actually helps Light, but I do remember one scene where she's passive aggressively fights Misa Misa over who's Light's best girl. Then, she's kidnapped by Mellow and Light orders her to set herself on fire to kill Mellow which she somehow does... off panel. In fact Misa Misa isn't even mentioned in the manga's final chapter as if the creators forgot about her. Women are treated really weird in Ohba's stories, and it gets weirder if you read Platinum End and Bakuman.
Preach, I always felt slightly uncomfortable or alienated about it but couldn’t put it into words. I think a lot of the women are essentially props or devices for the male characters, even misa and her treatment by the others as a tool or butt of the joke. None of them really felt like real fleshed out people, very shallow somehow
@@omnipotentfaces1514I think if Obha wanted, he wouldn't include such characters, but does so to meet Jumps' standards. At the same time, he makes them do as little as possible, but it gets progressively awkward the more he's expected to give them bigger roles.
@@omnipotentfaces1514 What's worse is Misa was ultimately put there because Ohba realized there were too many male characters. She's pretty much eye candy and then her final act was offing herself off screen. Depressing shit.
Women are not but plot devices for males in this show.
That's the thing that makes me uncomfortable when I say DN is still my favorite anime/manga. Like the lack of well written female characters doesn't make the story garbage, but it is sad when you take into consideration how his other works do the same thing. Separating the creator is hard sometimes. I really liked Naomi, and it's tragic she left so early.
This was a fantastic review of Columbo, great job! Love that subtle Death Note mention in there, almost didn't catch it!
agreed XD
The musical is amazing and such a great adaptation I'm kinda sad it didn't get covered here but great video overall 🙏
They just did a panel for it at NY Comic con with some tentative American cast so 🤞🤞 it may be coming
Now that I've watched the video: Amazing. Peak discussion and analysis. I have enjoyed revisiting Death Note over the years to see how my views on it change as I age because as you said it continues to be relevant. I used to be a full Kira supporter as an edgy teen and younger adult. Now in my late 20s I take bigger issue with his killing of innocent people and realize the nuance that the word "criminal" isn't so black and white. But something that no discussion of Death Note ever brings up is that after Light's death (I forget if this is in the manga or anime or both) Matsuda makes a point that while crime has dropped 80% and wars had ceased, they started back up again soon after the end of Kira. And I think that small bit provides a very interesting wrench in the question of whether or not Kira is ultimately good by asking if the ends justify the means.
Well, we will never know just how long things would've lasted that way. However, I love the discussion you are trying to start about that age old question, and like you, never wanted Light to die and dreaded finishing the show after realizing he was done for even with L gone. After revisiting the series, I of course have grown up and changed my stance, and actually quite like the ending, but a small piece of me clings on to that naive idealism; That Light sought a better place and that just maybe the ends really do justify his less than ideal means.
It's an age old question for a reason. Beyond the heavy religious symbolism in this series (the apple, life and death, light dying in the middle of a staircase symbolising he's reaching neither heaven nor hell...etc.) The series shedding light on the matter without giving a proper answer is the best it could do.
However regardless of how obvious that point is I'm glad for its inclusion since it sheds a light on human behaviour. People tend to not care about their actions until the consequences are real and tangible. While karma, good and evil, heaven and hell are hypotheticals to many, they're distant. Bring a real consequense such as a hypothetical entity that kills you if youre a bad person and suddenly "commiting sin" is not as easy, not necessarily out of conviction or beleif but rather out of fear.
It's a dark and harsh truth but a very real one.
I believed Light was justice back then and I still believe it now.
@@dragonwarriorz1light was never “justice” dont forget he killed ANYONE who crossed him which included innocent ppl, light was just childish and immature and that reflected his views on the world, and the main reason why crime dropped was bcs ppl were just scared of kira and his power, the world didnt get “better” everyone was just scared, like how abusive narcissistic parents hit and yell at their kids to make them scared and have power over them
I was THIS close to bemoaning how you failed to mention the amazing Death Note musical, when you slipped it in at the very last second, lol. Seriously, even if anyone here doesn’t want to sit through the entire stage production, PLEASE at the very least give the demo album a listen. It is PHENOMENAL and far better than it has any right being.
I wish more use was made of cause of death. imagine "Raye Penber died of infection from a paper cut he got from the envelope holding the letter he sent clearing Light Yagami of being Kira"
With how much Light planned ahead before his incarceration, Im surprised he didn’t instruct Mikami to test the notebook before arriving to ensure it wasn’t swapped out prior. Just got too sure of himself post his victory against L. Great video man!
in his monologue Light said that Mikami "confirmed it" was the real notebook, and Light had no other way to contact for the final days before the warehouse
You wouldn't need to go far. All Light had to do was to instruct Mikami to keep some pages of hidden as an emergency when he first gave it to him. Light was using the watch trick since the start of the story, it's unthinkable the he wouldn't tell Mikami to do the same. Let's say "Use those only when it's absolutely necessary, and don't have the acess to the whole notebook Hell Mikami was giving Takada spare pages while he pretended to do the kills, so that concept it's nothing new.. And that wouldn't even hinge on his predicition whole near's plan thing. Near, the spk and Mello would have no why to prepare for this, or even predict that would happen. It would've been the easiest win of all time, and it would be so simple.
"Mikami, buy a watch with a fast retracting underside (like the one Light wears all the time) and keep a piece of the notebook inside. Always wear your watch and keep a needle or pen on hand. On the day our enemies gather, kill them all with that page. Do this, and you shall meet your GOD of this new world!"
@@AzguardMike How big watch should he buy then lmao? Or how many? 3 or 4 for each hand?
the musical is actually fire and has amazing music! would love to see your take on it
I liked the ending of the live action movies because it feels like even though he still dies, L won. He was there to see Light defeated and prove he was Kira. I wish they would make a prequel with Near and Mello though, especially Mello and Matt's character's who were different and interesting and had very little screen/page time.🧡
Matt, we barely knew thee 😢
The most hateful thing about Kira is that he doesnt see any structural reasons for people to act their way and just strengthens structures that lead to violence by reinforcing his ideas this way. No one is really helped
The thing that's really good about Death Note is that light doesn't immediately believe in the power of the notebook nor does he confidently bend the rules to his whim. He questions the book and calls it stupid at first and he even has to practice what he can do with the note before setting more grand plans into action. We get to see the character learn and we learn along with them
It is so cool to see you do long form reviews of completed anime again. This is the content I have always enjoyed the most from you. I hope you have other retrospectives in the pipeline.
Got an anime in mind you'd like to see? Do you want 20ish year old classics or something more recent?
@@shadowreaver752 The stuff I grew up with is cool and all but it would be nice to see him give something modern a similar treatment. Modern anime seems so disposable. It would be nice to see some shows get a light put on it 2-5 years after they came out.
I remember a theory from years ago, this might be me misremembering a bit I admit, but I remember this idea that Light ended up becoming a Shinigami himself. The curse of using the death note was that the user doesn't get the same gift of death as everyone else but instead is cursed to the near eternal boredom of being one of the gods of death, with no memory of their previous life. Forced to watch and not directly interfere with life at all. A fitting punishment for the man who tried to manipulate everything for his own selfish views of morality.
I think I remember an epilogue chapter where Light has to relive all the deaths he gave to others in the Shinigami realm? And he wrote so many names in the Death Note, he was going to use that time to search for the God of the Shinigami's and try to become one himself.
Sorry just not right, all death is equal from the manga, everyone gets sent to nothingness or “mu”
fake@@hakura1a2b
The Shinigami in the aviators cap at the beginning of the ReLight is speculated to be Light, as well
yes! i remember this theory. it's supported by one of the anime adjacent movies, with Ryuk recounting the story to an unknown death god (implied to be Light reincarnated.)
Really excited to watch a Death Note retrospective. It's legacy has been cemented as one of the anime greats & classics and it very much deserves a deep dive.
As other commenters have mentioned, I do really hope you look into the death note musical. It is a really beautiful adaptation and musical, I particularly like how it changes for the time frame and adapts Misa and Rems relationship. A definite must watch
1:08:00
Headcanon: The death eraser is canon; Rem just didn't know as it's obscure (why would death gods use it as it would remove the life they stole and could trigger the law that kills them) and Ryuk is such a troll that he decided not to tell Light XD
Off topic. It's been about 9 years since I've watched one of your videos. Your anime reviews got me into so many anime that I never would've watched otherwise, so I'm happy to see you still making content!
The first Death Note review was one of the videos that made me a fan of glass reflection. I wasn't a fan from the very beginning or anything, but I hopped on the train pretty early. Watching Arkada change and try new things in his videos has been a lot of fun, and I love that he's trying out longer videos. I've found so many anime series because of him, and I'll always be thankful for his recommendations. Arkada I hope you keep making videos for many years in the future, because I plan to continue being a fan for a long time. Thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to the medium we all love.
I think Ooba and Obata made it pretty clear in "Bakuman" that they originally intended to finish the manga with L and Light's mutual annihilation, but were forced by the Jump editors to continue the series, as it was too profitable.
I think Ryuk deserve his own manga.
Good, I liked the second half a lot.
Where does it say that in bakumon
@@squeedles_1943Ashirogi Muto's masterpiece, Reversi, which is clearly based on Death Note, ends with both the villain protagonist and his antagonist killing each other. IIRC, this is explicitly stated to be the best possible ending. Additionally, there are many instances of mangakas being unable to finish their own manga when and how they want to; it even becomes a plot point with Niizuma Eiji's Crow.
@@ancient_castle4227you can't just take another work out of context to explain smth just because it was death note-adjacent. that's disingenuous. death note was always going to end with the warehouse scene in mind whether you like post-L death note or not.
Audibly went "Yay!" at the line "I'm going to talk about Columbo." So at least you've got one of us excited here.
columbo hive 🙌🏼
This was an excellent video. Your time, energy and effort did not go to waste or unnoticed and I would love to see another video like this from you. But please don’t rush yourself. Get some good rest. Come back to the project when you’re ready and just do your best like you always have.
This was a great deep dive, I definitely wouldn't be opposed to seeing more like this!
i really fell out of the anime community these past few years, but i'm slowly falling back into it. seeing you again for the first time in several years and realizing i have the *exact* same waistcoat in my closet now was hilarious.
EDIT: not only did i know there's a musical, it's my favorite version of the death note story and one of my favorite musicals in general. just a great adaptation overall.
41:50 we don’t see it a whole lot but Light is supposed to be a perfect 10 outta 10 who woman fond over. The man the myth the legend even says “Light Yagami is popular with the ladies”
I’ve never click on a video so fast
Same!
Clicked
SAMEEE
i can agree 100%
Watching Light and L play tennis reminds me of Prince of Tennis which just got a new season last year. It’s amazing.
This is such a refreshing comment to read
I feel one discourse with the ending not many talk about is that with Teru Mikami being shown to be meticulous enough to even check handwriting under a microscope did not attempt to try and test to see if the notebook he had was real before going to the final showdown especially when it is a vey critical moment for Light.
Fantastic retrospective, thanks for making this! I haven't rewatched the show since my first viewing, which was close to when it originally aired, so it was nice getting refreshed on what happened and listening to your analysis of it. I do have fond memories of watching it.
I’ve been watching you since I was a kid (21 now) and you’ve showed me anime’s like princess tutu etc, etc. I always used you for anime recommendations so you really shaped my view of anime. And your reviews were always smth I looked forward to!
59:25 You got to admit that light being able to kill a god of death and accomplish his goals in one swoop was amazing
Especially when you consider said God of death was actively threatening Light at the same time, shed kill him if anything happened to Misa, so he cleared out almost all his problems in one go 😅
I remember cringing. That scene is when I lost interest.
Why would two shinigami kill themselves over one human girl? I ditzy, 1 dimensional one at that
@@tarod3The existence of the series itself points to the fact that Shinigami are plagued by boredom, listlessness, and a sense of existential meaninglessness. Ryuk might have channeled that by enjoying watching a human serial killer go on a murder spree, but he's clearly a weirdo even by their standards; the rest of the Shinigami we see seem to take little joy in death, preferring to waste their time gambling over nothing, and Ryuk even mentions that the norm in the Shinigami world if you write more names than you need to sustain your lifespan is to be made fun of for "working so hard." Shinigami suffer from purposelessness, addiction, and a desire for closeness just like humans, leading to many of the same coping mechanisms. Just as there are many men who have addictions to gambling, like Ryuk's peers, and substances, like Ryuk himself (it's played for comedy, but he describes apples as having alcohol-like effects all the way to the point of debilitating withdrawal symptoms), the Shinigami who first died for Misa also had an addiction common to lonely men in Japan - obsession with an idol. She made art he liked and he thought she was pretty and whatnot, so he became a fan and then a stalker. And Rem considered him a close friend, so she took up looking after the one he'd given his life for.
@@meganbarhorst5272 if you bend over backwards and squint, it sort of makes sense.
And she just so happens to be obsessed and wholly devoted to the protagonist she has never communicated with, to the point of being ready to die for his convenience.
Get real. She was a sloppy plot device devoid of any character.
0:50 Lelouch wasn't voiced by Miyano. He was voiced by Jun Fukuyama
Welp. I'm just gonna go and crawl into a hole now.
@@GlassReflectionit happens, don't worry about it, videos, especially long videos like this are difficult enough to make and we know you are just one man
@@GlassReflectionI’m guessing you meant to say Gundam 00 instead, where both English and Japanese VAs for Light play Setsuna F Seiei. But hey, both were mecha anime made by Sunrise so mix-ups are bound to happen😅
Yeah I can only assume that's where I messed up. There are so many VO connections and Miyano and Fukuyama both cover the same range. Like, I didn't even bother to mention how Light and Rock from Black Lagoon are the same English VO, which should have been what I did since I went out of my way to add in a Scene from BL and everything.
@@GlassReflectiondont worry its a small mistake
even I thought some time ago that they both share the same VA😄
Everything you just said summarizes exactly what makes Death Note so good past the cat and mouse chase L & Light have! I would love to hear you talk about the musical because the whole thing is a banger!
Death Note is my go to recommendation for people who wanted to watch anime other than the big 3s, after watching it they always give very good feedback and loved it.
One thing that I absolutely loved in the anime was the sinister scenes with Ryuk- the scenes where he's shadowed except his glowing red eyes were so good. Light constantly falls into the ideas of Ryuk being on his side, and those scenes remind the viewers that Ryuk is only on his own side.
Another note about why the potato chip scene is great - Light appeared innocent but only got two minor criminals which he normally wouldn't kill.
It was a way to bait L and draw him in further while appearing innocent to everyone else. Great scene.
It's been crazy going from an edgy teenager that never would have guessed Light was the antagonist of Deathnote, who agreed with his stance and was confused as to why the series felt progressively more warped and wrong.... To an adult that developed enough to recognize that Light had no redeemable traits or beliefs and that his stance was wrong for a good reason, not just social hegemony. I grew with Deathnote. I consider it an important series.
I was already in my 20s by the time I got around to Death Note, so my first impression was that the main character was an unlikable, narcissistic, infantile sociopath. So I couldn't fathom how anyone even found him likable as a villain, let alone agreed with his egomaniac philosophy. Then I decided it was kind of pointless arguing online about it because I realized "Wait... Odds are 95% of the time I'm arguing with 15-year-olds. This is stupid. Why the hell am I even doing this?"
@@kathhqq7
Exactly, L, Near, and Mello are the antagonists. Light is the protagonist.
Wrong light is based XD
@@TheBBCSlurpee And, how old are you?
@@heinrichagrippa5681 38
You should Definitely do more content like this Arkada. I don’t know anyone who can keep up with all this seasonal animes but deep dives on a single series would be a great way to convince a lot of people to watch them.
Just please include a spoiler free section thank you!
I wish that the mistake that ended Kira was one he made himself
I would disagree with the part about L thinking of Light as a friend, I think his final moments makes this pretty clear
Yea Ohba stated in an interview that L never saw Light as a friend and actually secretly hated him. There's also a really brilliant scene in one of the Re-Light films where L is taking to the kids at the Wammy's House Orphanage and he explains that he doesn't have the capacity for friendship. It's simply not in his nature. He's asked by one of the children if there's anything he's scared of and he says monsters, then he goes on to describe the characteristics of the monsters that scare him. One of the characteristics is "They seek friendship, even though they do not know how to love." He ends the speech stating "If I were to ever encounter a monster like that, I would likely be eaten by it. Because, in truth, I am that monster."
@@slimbrady6691where can I find this??
@tivonwatts5404 The scene where he's talking to the kids? I tried to post a link to it, but my comment keeps getting deleted. Just type in "L Monster Speech" and it should be the first video.
@@slimbrady6691 thank you
@@tivonwatts5404 👌
My headcanon is that L knew light was kira early on, But he knew he needed a proof to be able to turn him in as well as when they started working together he looked at him as a friend. It's that bittersweet "If we were in enemies then we could be best friends"
he did know, just needed to prove it. L is a liar and he lied about being friends with Light
I honestly really like the Japanese live actions ending. It keeps the battle between just the two. And It wraps up nicely while still being bittersweet.
Death Note is so special man. I've gotten my friends who don't like or haven't watched any anime, to binge Death Note. That was this year alone.
Great video! I think that what is interesting at the end of the manga is that Light expected Ryuk to sacrifice himself to Kira’s cause. Using the book to kill others a would have led to Ryuk turning to dust just like REM and the Mesa’s first death god. It’s wild that despite how little he thought of her, Mesa was able to have two death gods love her enough to be worth dying for. It really highlights the power differentials between love and servitude. Her capacity to love was her strength and his inability to do the same was his weaknesses.
One small point; it seems like most of the community is in agreement that L never really saw Light as a friend but told him that he saw him that way as a way to trap him or provoke him if he was Kira.
I loved this show and love your synopsis and analysis! Thanks for working on this, this is amazing!
Finally, someone acknowledges the Musical :D
It's by far the best adaption :)
When i got into death note around 2011, I was obsessed with those Live actions Japanese movies. All 3. They hold such a strong nastolgia memory in my heart. This video makes me want to rewatch the movies and the anime again. Great work !
"I view the end of their chess game not as 'checkmate in Kira's favor,' but as 'check' in L's favor. L could just never anticipate that Kira would blackmail an audience member into killing his opponent for him."
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I never really thought about it like that, but it's so true lol
Oh my God I love this kind of cotent from you!!!! I didn't expect this to be a GR video until I heard your voice.
You have nooooo idea how ready I am to watch this whole video. Death Note was my first ever animanga and I don't think I'll ever be able to escape it.
this is the ultimate Death Note retrospective I needed in my life as it was a series I was (and still am) pretty interestd in. I'm surprised you covered almost everything including L changes the World, a fantastic movie. all the time you spend working on it was completely worth it! i can garantee it
I definitely shouldn't have watched this video without experiencing Death Note in any way but wow was it still good. Always love GR's longer videos :)
Good sir, I started watching your vids back in 2015 and generally watched you for almost every recommendation I watched and I haven't watched a vid from you in years, probably at least 4-5 years now and it's great to see you still grinding it out on a topic you seem extremely passionate about. I don't watch a ton of anime anymore. Working 60+ hours a week leaves me with a very small amount of free time and my passion has always been gaming rather than anime but they still go hand in hand usually. Persona 5 is an all time favorite of mine. It's just cool tho, this well of nostalgia you give me. Reminds me of my highschool years or at least the better parts of those years as few as there were but vids like yours were the better parts of those years. Thank you.
Describing Near and Mello as a “detective hydra” is so smart…like-Death Note vocabulary I desperately needed but never thought of myself. Such a cool video 💗
Great work! The announcement of the recent Death Note game made me want to revisit some memories of the series, and you did not disappoint. This was, I think, the first anime I ever watched as a young lad. Thanks so much!
Damn, this was an incredible and thorough watch! I really want to rewatch the show at some point, so this was a nice retrospective.
Also, as someone who is a HUGE fan of the musical (even watching the English language premier run in London), I appreciate the nod, even if it was a brief one.
1:17:21 I completely agree. I've always wondered why I thought it felt flat and it's because of exactly what you said, "we know what's going to happen, we're just waiting to find out how"
This was amazing. Thank you so much.
I felt so seen at the “pretend it doesn’t exist” comment re the last arc. 😂😂 Guilty. 💁🏻♀️✨
Hey, just wanted to say as a long time fan I'm really happy with this return to long form review content, and would love to see more of it in the future
I'm definitely a member of the 'the series ends with L's death' camp.
You have no idea how much I missed you anime reviews. Your channel introduced me to so many animes like 'Haibane Renmei'.
This was such an awesome retrospective. Can't remember the last time I got sucked into a long video like this and it captured my attention completely the whole way through. Excellent work, Tristan!
Watching death note the first time was amazing and man have i delved deep into anime since as well as my interest in manga as well
I wish you'd gone into the musical more in your other adaptations section cuz I really like how it condenses the story into 2 ¾ hours and how it decides to end things.
cool video! love it or hate it, there's no denying the impact Death Note has had, so it deserves the retrospective. calling it a "howcatchem" made me laugh
The running gag with translating plan literally had me giggling every single time I caught it, there’s so much care and love put into this video and it shows through the little things like that.
Dude, Colombo is OP. He's right up there with Hercules Poirot
I really enjoyed this video! I wish it was more than just 80% retelling the plot beat for beat, and explored more of the huge impact it had on the world
Fantastic review, this was really fun to watch
Something I always thought was really interesting when I reread the first volume, is that Light becoming Kira was sort of a Double-Down justification of his own morality. He's 17 years old, too smart for his own good, and bored, and he finds a gag journal on the ground that can supposedly kill people. He thinks "well this is dumb and obviously fake' and then writes a name. And it works. He panics and thinks 'it's a fluke, coincidence is not causation' and does it again, and again it works. We cut to a week later when Ryuk shows up and Light has written dozens of names and explains his goal to be a God of Justice. Except in his explanation there's a whole sequence where it looks like Light has a guilt ridden panic attack over having killed 2 people. His whole speech to Ryuk, if you look at it like that, sounds more like someone desperately trying to justify what they've done. He's not a murderer, he's trying to create a new world. He's not a bad person, he's a crusader against evil. Light doubles, triples, and quadruples-down and eventually gets lost in his own Kool-Aid.
Amazing break down thanks a bunch! Great work!
Only 5 minutes in and already agreeing with so much. I also never understood why people claimed Light actually was in the right. I think a lot of fans could not look past his looks and were as charmed as Misa was ^^. And as someone who was a teenager when first seeing Death Note, I can say that it was the first thing that made me think about what I consider just and good in the world. Thankfully I was a huge L fan and not a fan of Light but he also does some stuff thats barely justifiable if at all. Still I am very glad that there was a story that made a relatively young person even think about those concepts. And I will always love Death Note for that. Looking forward to the rest of the video :)
This was so amazing, fantastic job! I don't know if this would make for an interesting video or not, but I always thought the parallels of Death Note and the later work of Platinum End were always interesting. Like a ying and yang of sorts. It'd be neat to see something about that as well because both actually sucked me. Either or, loved this video so much! Can't wait to see another retrospective!
I was waiting for u to mention the musical the whole time. I saw it in the lyrics theatre, it was insane
Love video essays from you! I love and appreciate how you really put it in the context of the time and mediums
Reading Bakuman after reading Deathnote makes it so much more impressive (if that was even possible.) The concept is literally lightning in a bottle and the plot constantly tops itself through the first half.
is bakuman good
@@BlazingAuras it’s exceptionally good. One of my favourite mangas. If you’re in anyway interested in making manga or the manga industry, it’s right up your alley. If not, it’s still a great read and it’s got some great realistic down to earth slice of life elements to get drawn into.
22:44 Lights problem was his ego if he had gone on unphased and not bought into Ls trap and just carried on killing every bad person he encountered there would be like a zero percent chance of him getting caught but the fact that he felt the need to go after anyone who was suspicious of him is where he messed up. There’s actually a part where he chooses to make L suspicious of anyone with connections to the police because he wanted to get close to L
1:34:10 Light doesn't even consider that maybe despite being charged multiple times, that guy wasn't convicted because he was innocent of the accusations. In Light/ Kira's world an accusation is a death is a sentence without proof, the accusation itself will stand as the proof.
Death note lore and content? You just earned yourself a new subscriber. Death note remains one of my favorite anime, not just because of the themes, story telling, characters etc It was the first anime I watched that was different from the standard battle shounen I'd grown accustomed to like DBZ, Naruto, Bleach etc So it was pretty interesting to come across a story of this nature.
The frustrating thing about L's death was L wouldn't have known that Rem was secretly in love with Misa to the point that it would sacrifice itself for her. I guess it was L's mistake that it was revealed to the task force that he had clearance to test the notebook and the rules in it. If the task force didn't know, Kira wouldn't know too and Rem wouldn't have killed L.
Makes me happy you’re still around, was watching you way early on