According to KIT, it's been four months since the events of episode seven, where Light made Ray Penbar's fiancee, Misora Naomi, kill herself offscreen. She did such a good job of carrying out Light's instructions that they still haven't found her body. Light's the only one who knows she's dead.
As we watch L and the Kira Investigation Team look befuddled, they turn on Sakura TV to see a live report from... Kira? The rough equivalent of Fox News in Japan, Sakura TV is happily held hostage by "Kira," forced into airing taped messages the same wave a dominatrix forces a submissive to accept his punishment. "Kira" proves his identity by offing a couple captive criminals, then the video airs, and newscasters start dropping. Not the ones on Sakura TV, they're Kira's buddies! The ones who've denounced Kira, though, as the evil bastard that he is, they die. L decides they have to stop the broadcast. Calling doesn't help, so Ukita takes off for the station itself.
"I hate evil and love justice," says prerecorded Kira. He calls the police his allies and pleads for an end to this silly business of trying to arrest him. Let him go about the business of creating a perfect world, free of crime. Yay! Let's all bonk evil on the head and hug the god of death. The best part is when he asks dissenters to keep it to themselves, a reaction typical of a spoiled brat. If you have nothing nice to say about your murderous overlord, don't say anything at all. Speak up and die.
Ukita gets to the TV station and, naturally, the door's locked. He pounds on it and shouts to be let in, but the security guard refuses. Just as Ukita pulls out his gun to force his way in, he suffers a lethal heart attack. What? Kira can't do that! Aizawa is pissed right off and determined to rush after Ukita, but L stops him. He doesn't want Aizawa to die, too. Aww, L's cute when he cares. "Kira" delivers an ultimatum. The police have four days to announce which side they're fighting on, or he'll... show another tape! He'll do that anyways, but there's one for "yes" and one for "no." Not much of a threat, since he obviously can't schedule killings if he thinks they might say yes. Hrm.
It's time for a badass Soichiro moment. Chief Yagami's wife goes to check on him at the hospital, where he was watching the live broadcast. Where he saw Ukita struck down. He's not there. He's crashing through the doors to Sakura TV in a commandeered bus. Hell yes! Once inside, he pops out of the bus in a hoodie, looking like the "You Gonna Get Raped" guy, and unleashes his badass voice on the security guard to ply the location of the studio from him. The scheming producer tries to worm his way out of stopping the broadcast, insisting that "Kira will kill us. Wah wah wah," so Soichiro pulls a gun. Die now or die later, but stop the broadcast. Muahahaha!
Two policemen show up to help, the poor fools. L calls the Deputy Chief, asking him to take control so a bunch of well-meaning police don't wind up dead. He's a little late, as the two on the scene drop dead while they're talking. L dramatically juggles conversations with the Chief and the Deputy Chief, adding cellphones to the list of mundane objects transformed into lively props, along with potato chips and pens. The phone bit's a touch silly, but I can't get enough of Death Note's arguably contrived dramatic scenes. L instructs Soichiro to walk right out of the station, casual-like. Instead of having him sneak out the back, or maybe take the bus back, L arranges for the entire police force to show up in riot gear, surrounding the building, shielding their faces and Soichiro's so he can, indeed, walk casually out, get in a car, and drive away safely. What'shisname from earlier, the KIT member who quit to hunt Kira as part of the regular police force? He's there, and it's all touching reunion styles. They almost hug, but they are manly men, so they don't.
One newscaster comes out in support of the police, inspired by their awesome display to... Well, commit suicide, basically. I couldn't do that. Someone's killing newscasters, and all they need is your name, your face, and a spare moment to end you? That's too much. Maybe I could do the weather instead? Partly cloudy with a chance of death from above. Fortunately, the lone newscaster's courage doesn't lead to a scene where people all over the world stand up to say their names, denouncing Kira and daring him to kill them all. It might work, but god damn would it be trite. So Kira will continue to crusade for "justice," killing many more people for the sake of our entertainment.
Soichiro returns with the Kira tapes, which L has Aizawa analyze. Then he watches them, and we learn what the "yes" and "no" tapes contained. "Yes" is full of childish demands, nothing like the chess moves Light makes. The police cooperate by feeding Kira information on criminals, he may or may not deign to punish said criminals, and L and KIT show their faces on TV. Even if you agreed with Kira, you'd have to be retarded to concede to that. "No" is basically the same thing in different words, which figures. Light hates to lose, but he's only this pathetic when he's backed into a corner. Makes you wonder what his version would've been like, had he been stupid enough to pull such a stunt.
I'm not sure why it was so vital that the original broadcast be stopped. Yes, illegal hijacking of the airwaves in a way. Yes, public executions. The police showing up to stop Kira was very inspirational, and more importantly, exciting. But doing so cause more people to die than allowing the broadcast to finish would have. You'd think the idea was to shut Kira out, to send a message to him that no, this is not OK. You don't get to air your stupid tapes. But then L gives the "no" tape back to Sakura TV and lets them air it. On it is the threat to kill either the Chief of Police, Soichiro's superior, whose identity is surely public knowledge, or L. Poor Chiefy, we hardly knew ya. Should've threatened the whole police force instead, or thrown in some politicians. One for one leaves them with a decision. Start holding phonebooks hostage and you'll smoke out L right quick.
Light is oddly happy about this turn of events. It creates confusion and might lead to L's death. Plus, everyone loves to have fans. But these lowbrow tactics besmirch the name of Kira, and he can't forgive that! He decides to find out what Kira 2 is up to by helping out with the investigation. Confusion's great and all, but this second Kira's clearly not as smart as Light, and anything the police learn from him could lead to Light's capture.
Light surmises that Kira 2 bargained for the eyes of a Death God, which is why he can kill without a name. Don't have to be a genius to figure that out, given what Light already knew. It takes more doing for L to figure out that this is a new Kira, but it's fairly obvious. His deduction would look less convenient if he didn't follow it up by asking Soichiro if Light can join KIT. It's all a bit pat the way Light and L figure things out near simultaneously and do the exact things one is hoping the other will. This one's not even a "three steps ahead" predicted move. It's just Light wanting to join KIT and L wanting him to join. Supposedly, L wants to get Light's untarnished opinion on the "Kira" tapes, so they're not telling him about L's conclusions. Why that requires pulling him officially into the investigation, I don't know. He's already met L and, of course, he knows his own father, but why endanger the rest of KIT? I suppose he figures they're not at immediate risk, since Kira only wants the supercompetent L, and Light can't kill him without incriminating himself.
We finally meet Kira 2 at the end of the episode, and he turns out to be a lovely young woman named Misa, who wants very much to meet Kira. And kill him, if it comes to that. Not too bright, this one. She's stronger, she says, because she has the eyes. That's true, but she still has to write down his name and wait forty seconds. Her advantage only lasts as long as Light doesn't know her real name. She'd be well advised to hedge her bets by carrying a gun.
Showing posts with label Death Note. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death Note. Show all posts
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Death Note 10
Now, what you've all been waiting for, a friendly game of tennis! Well, not so friendly. Light is trying to figure out L's true identity while L tries to determine whether Light is Kira (spoiler: he is), and they're each using the match as cover to analyze every word and move the other makes. The match itself is dull - stiffly animated and not trying to be an accurate representation of the real thing - but during the match we get a look inside the competitors' heads as they try to anticipate the next move. They know each other well.
Light's dad, the elder Yagami, is under pressure from his boss, who's under pressure from the media. They argue about stuff, and Yagami assures his boss that L is trustworthy. After their match, L reveals to Light that he suspects him to be Kira, "but only 1%." Then they have tea, and L shows Light the messages Kira made prisoners leave in episode four. Light tells him about the hidden message, which I still think wasn't originally intended to be a plot point, and L reveals... a fourth message!?! Light is shocked, because he knows this last one is fake, but he doesn't show it, correctly guessing that L is trying to goad him into throwing a fit. It's a clever ploy, since Light's ego is his greatest weakness, but he's just a bit too smart to fall for it. Maybe if he hadn't had his guard up already. Light turns the tables on L, accusing him of being Kira, but overplays his hand by asking for proof that he's really L, something L already predicted he'd do. L continues to elevate his personal risk in an attempt to flush Kira out, and is seemingly on the verge of inviting Light to the investigation headquarters when they receive simultaneous phone calls! Light's dad just had a heart attack!
It's not Kira, of course, and it's not fatal. He was just stressed out from the case. While they're all together at the hospital, Yagami confirms that L is indeed L, so Light gets what he wanted... or does he? L explains why he suspects Light (the Ray Penbar disaster), and Light says he'll help with the investigation, promising his father that he'll "send Kira to his execution" himself. Heh. Light's little speech has Yagami convinced that he can't be Kira; even L thinks he's sincere. Yagami reminds us why he's the one true hero in the series, explaining to Light that while he believes Kira is evil, more than that he believes the power to kill is evil, and he pities whoever was burdened with such a power. His words cut straight to the heart of the series. Had Light not found the note, he'd have likely become a great detective. Maybe he'd even develop the capacity for love. As it is, he's doomed.
Light is torn up inside. He feels horrible that anyone could think he might be the vicious mass murderer Kira. Like, totally! He asks L if there's anything he can do to prove his innocence, going so far as offering to be locked in a cell for a month, his every move observed. L declines. Alone with Ryuk, Light shows his true self, barely able to contain maniacal laughter as he talks about how great it was to find the note and how thrilled he is by the prospect of the utopia he intends to build atop a mountain of corpses. We shift locales to a scummy news network willing to run any story - the more sensational, the better! They're out of ideas, but don't despair, here's a package from Kira himself! Cassette tapes and a letter, proof of his Kiraness and a message to the world.
Light's dad, the elder Yagami, is under pressure from his boss, who's under pressure from the media. They argue about stuff, and Yagami assures his boss that L is trustworthy. After their match, L reveals to Light that he suspects him to be Kira, "but only 1%." Then they have tea, and L shows Light the messages Kira made prisoners leave in episode four. Light tells him about the hidden message, which I still think wasn't originally intended to be a plot point, and L reveals... a fourth message!?! Light is shocked, because he knows this last one is fake, but he doesn't show it, correctly guessing that L is trying to goad him into throwing a fit. It's a clever ploy, since Light's ego is his greatest weakness, but he's just a bit too smart to fall for it. Maybe if he hadn't had his guard up already. Light turns the tables on L, accusing him of being Kira, but overplays his hand by asking for proof that he's really L, something L already predicted he'd do. L continues to elevate his personal risk in an attempt to flush Kira out, and is seemingly on the verge of inviting Light to the investigation headquarters when they receive simultaneous phone calls! Light's dad just had a heart attack!
It's not Kira, of course, and it's not fatal. He was just stressed out from the case. While they're all together at the hospital, Yagami confirms that L is indeed L, so Light gets what he wanted... or does he? L explains why he suspects Light (the Ray Penbar disaster), and Light says he'll help with the investigation, promising his father that he'll "send Kira to his execution" himself. Heh. Light's little speech has Yagami convinced that he can't be Kira; even L thinks he's sincere. Yagami reminds us why he's the one true hero in the series, explaining to Light that while he believes Kira is evil, more than that he believes the power to kill is evil, and he pities whoever was burdened with such a power. His words cut straight to the heart of the series. Had Light not found the note, he'd have likely become a great detective. Maybe he'd even develop the capacity for love. As it is, he's doomed.
Light is torn up inside. He feels horrible that anyone could think he might be the vicious mass murderer Kira. Like, totally! He asks L if there's anything he can do to prove his innocence, going so far as offering to be locked in a cell for a month, his every move observed. L declines. Alone with Ryuk, Light shows his true self, barely able to contain maniacal laughter as he talks about how great it was to find the note and how thrilled he is by the prospect of the utopia he intends to build atop a mountain of corpses. We shift locales to a scummy news network willing to run any story - the more sensational, the better! They're out of ideas, but don't despair, here's a package from Kira himself! Cassette tapes and a letter, proof of his Kiraness and a message to the world.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Death Note 9
It's odd how Light never gives anyone a wasting disease, and aside from episode 4, there's not much in the way of elaborate puppeteering. It's explained early on that he wants to send a message, that he wants people to know there's someone out there passing judgement on them, but that doesn't preclude more creative deaths. Of course, the show's not about how gruesome Light's next murder will be. The more he openly shows malice or takes delight in a victim's death, the less question there is as to whether he's evil or even sane, which would undermine what the show is about: can L catch Light, and do you want him to?
Light doesn't want to be caught, so he works to make up for last episode's impressive but ultimately ineffective death by potato chip scene. Since he killed minor criminals who he "didn't" see on the news, he'll kill minor criminals he did see right away, then criminals of various degrees of nastiness later on when he's away from his camera-filled home. If you don't see how this plan will put him beyond suspicion, you're not alone. Last episode, he tried to make it look like Kira had to be someone else, but killed such small-time crooks that it sent the message that Kira was being hampered by the surveillance and was therefore one of the handful of people L had his eye on. Now Light thinks he'll invite suspicion, at the same time putting forth the possibility that Kira has decided of his own accord to start punishing lesser offenses. The other part of his plan more or less picks up where the original, failed plan left off, with the exception that he kills the usual serious criminals and no longer pretends he hasn't heard of them. Honestly, I'm confused. I could be misinterpreting the whole thing. If not, then it's a pretty weak argument for the "Kira isn't Light" theory. Light's only killing criminals L knows he's seen. What good does killing them at random times do?
Well, it works. Sort of. L grows neither more nor less suspicious, and opts to remove the cameras since they appear not to be hindering Kira after all. Makes sense, I guess. If you know he knows you're watching him, and the odds are against you seeing anything incriminating, you might as well try a different tact. Maybe with his guard down, or less heightened, he'll be more likely to slip up. I'm not sure why he didn't notice that only criminals Light's seen have died, though... Unless Light's catching all the crime-related news reports. If he knows 100% of the criminals, then there's no way another possible Kira could know more, so said Kira could theoretically exist.
Apparently, Death Note is the #1 show among the Death God demographic. I can see why; Ryuk in apple withdrawal is comedy gold. Midway through the episode we get our first time jump - it won't be the last. Light aces his college entrance exams and we skip to the start of his stay at Touou University, where he reads some flowery prepared speech as the Freshman Class Co-Representative, and the sharp contrast between Light and L is flagged up in the most obvious way possible, by making L (under the alias Ryuga Hideki) the other representative. Light wears a suit and is impeccably groomed. L put shoes on. Didn't tie them, didn't comb his hair, and aren't those the same clothes he always wears? For extreme irony, one girl chides another for saying she likes L better. They beat you over the head with the whole complete opposites thing, but it's a nice enough scene. L speedreading the same introductory speech that Light gave is cute.
Besides, it's all setup for another of the series super cool dramatic moments, as L reveals his identity to Light. L is becoming more and more aggressive as the series goes on, though he remains cautious. His reasoning for telling what may be his mortal enemy who he is, all but painting a target on his heart? Light is the only one, outside of KIT, who knows. If L were to suddenly die, it could only be because Light killed him. It's a huge risk, but it actually forces a stalemate. No, it gives L the upper hand. He's practically invincible until Light can figure a way out of his trap. All he has to do is prove Light is Kira before then. Or, since he isn't certain Light's his man, he could be taking no risk at all.
Light gets home and freaks the hell out. He's in check, and he can't see a way out. He could clomp around the board forever without losing... or winning. Then it hits him. *cue insane laughter* It's a challenge! Yes, it's a game, and he will win. Next episode: a game, as in tennis. Literally. They play tennis.
Light doesn't want to be caught, so he works to make up for last episode's impressive but ultimately ineffective death by potato chip scene. Since he killed minor criminals who he "didn't" see on the news, he'll kill minor criminals he did see right away, then criminals of various degrees of nastiness later on when he's away from his camera-filled home. If you don't see how this plan will put him beyond suspicion, you're not alone. Last episode, he tried to make it look like Kira had to be someone else, but killed such small-time crooks that it sent the message that Kira was being hampered by the surveillance and was therefore one of the handful of people L had his eye on. Now Light thinks he'll invite suspicion, at the same time putting forth the possibility that Kira has decided of his own accord to start punishing lesser offenses. The other part of his plan more or less picks up where the original, failed plan left off, with the exception that he kills the usual serious criminals and no longer pretends he hasn't heard of them. Honestly, I'm confused. I could be misinterpreting the whole thing. If not, then it's a pretty weak argument for the "Kira isn't Light" theory. Light's only killing criminals L knows he's seen. What good does killing them at random times do?
Well, it works. Sort of. L grows neither more nor less suspicious, and opts to remove the cameras since they appear not to be hindering Kira after all. Makes sense, I guess. If you know he knows you're watching him, and the odds are against you seeing anything incriminating, you might as well try a different tact. Maybe with his guard down, or less heightened, he'll be more likely to slip up. I'm not sure why he didn't notice that only criminals Light's seen have died, though... Unless Light's catching all the crime-related news reports. If he knows 100% of the criminals, then there's no way another possible Kira could know more, so said Kira could theoretically exist.
Apparently, Death Note is the #1 show among the Death God demographic. I can see why; Ryuk in apple withdrawal is comedy gold. Midway through the episode we get our first time jump - it won't be the last. Light aces his college entrance exams and we skip to the start of his stay at Touou University, where he reads some flowery prepared speech as the Freshman Class Co-Representative, and the sharp contrast between Light and L is flagged up in the most obvious way possible, by making L (under the alias Ryuga Hideki) the other representative. Light wears a suit and is impeccably groomed. L put shoes on. Didn't tie them, didn't comb his hair, and aren't those the same clothes he always wears? For extreme irony, one girl chides another for saying she likes L better. They beat you over the head with the whole complete opposites thing, but it's a nice enough scene. L speedreading the same introductory speech that Light gave is cute.
Besides, it's all setup for another of the series super cool dramatic moments, as L reveals his identity to Light. L is becoming more and more aggressive as the series goes on, though he remains cautious. His reasoning for telling what may be his mortal enemy who he is, all but painting a target on his heart? Light is the only one, outside of KIT, who knows. If L were to suddenly die, it could only be because Light killed him. It's a huge risk, but it actually forces a stalemate. No, it gives L the upper hand. He's practically invincible until Light can figure a way out of his trap. All he has to do is prove Light is Kira before then. Or, since he isn't certain Light's his man, he could be taking no risk at all.
Light gets home and freaks the hell out. He's in check, and he can't see a way out. He could clomp around the board forever without losing... or winning. Then it hits him. *cue insane laughter* It's a challenge! Yes, it's a game, and he will win. Next episode: a game, as in tennis. Literally. They play tennis.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Death Note 8 - Now With Pictures!
Ice cream is a valuable crimesolving tool. Also, it's delicious. L does his "uncanny hypotheses" routine again, surmising that Kira targeted Ray Penbar specifically, and that he "may" have been on the train when Penbar died. Then, upon learning that Misora Naomi is missing, L guesses virtually everything that happened last episode and focuses the entire investigation on the people Ray Penbar was investigating. Namely the Yagami and Kitamura families. So, Light is one of maybe a dozen remaining suspects, everyone else all but exonerated. Oh, and they're bugging his house. Cameras everywhere.
Secure in the brilliance of his needless killing spree, Light works around the clock to ensure that criminals will keep dying for months to come even if something happens to him. Carpel tunnel for instance. There's a fun conversation about magic fingers and Ryuk's luck with the ladies, then it's back to KIT for the ethical, legal, and "eww, even in the toilets?" debate about sticking cameras in private residences. Chief Yagami flips out like a ninja, minus the killing, and insists they bug the hell out of his house. For justice!
Light explains to Ryuk his clever, if neurotic, intruder detection system after it does its job and reveals that someone's been snooping in his room. Showing that he can play at uncanny hypothesizing, too, he assumes bugs have been planted and avoids talking to the scary flying man that only he can see. Using scary fly- Ryuk's love of apples (turns out he's addicted), Light manipulates him into finding all the cameras and what, if any, blindspots there are. Since he can't help look, Light peruses naughty magazines that he bought for the express purpose of appearing to be someone who peruses naughty magazines, i.e. a normal teenage boy. L sees through it, but Light gets him back by figuring out that KIT has narrowed the list of suspects to, at best, the people Ray Penbar was investigating, and at worst, that he's the only suspect.
A bit of trivia. In this episode, Light's sister Sayu is seen watching actor Ryuga Hideki on TV. L later uses Ryuga Hideki as a pseudonym, presumably inspired by watching Sayu watch him. In the same scene, L finally gets around to announcing the fake mass cop invasion that was brought up two episodes ago. Light sees through it and boldly announces that "he thinks" Kira sees right through it, too. Then we're treated to one of the best moments in the entire series: Light eating potato chips. More accurately, Light hiding a tiny television set in a bag of potato chips, somehow managing to get news from it unseen by the sixty-four cameras in his room, and killing a person for each chip he eats. As with the ecchi babes, though, Light tries too hard to appear above suspicion, setting off L's "hey, wait..." sense. The episode ends with Light calmly throwing away the expensive mini-TV after one day of use. Now what does he do to appear to have no access to the news while using said access to kill people he wouldn't know about if he didn't have access, which he does, but L doesn't know that, though he does suspect, and where was I going with this?
Mmm, murdery!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Death Note 7
"Justice will prevail!" So says KIT (Kira Investigation Team). Meanwhile, Justice is off falling in love with Sidney Poitier, who she firmly believes will rescue her from a dreary life of selling handmade bead necklaces. How convenient! Now there's no one to stop Light but Light himself. And that would just be silly. L, oblivious to the Light/Penbar subplot, conducts his little test, clearing all members of KIT from suspicion of being Kira. Sorry, no "Is Afro Dude Kira?" subplot. That's one of the drawbacks of revealing things like "Light is Kira" and "this guy is L" to the audience. Even if your characters would logically jump to wrong conclusions - not that L would in this case - taking them down that path would bore anyone who knows it's a dead end. So we get no innocent suspects, and the investigation moves that much closer to Light.
Thirty Death Gods agree: watching Light try to kill someone who's given him a fake name is high-larious. Light is confused when Miss Penbar resists his Awesome Death Powahs, but quickly puts two and two together to suss out why. Problem is, how the hell does he get her to give up her real name now? As if asking for it the first time wasn't suspicious enough. If he didn't have the Death Note, he'd have no reason to suspect she hadn't been honest with him, so he has to think up a convincing cover story. At this point, if L had made public the fact that Kira needs a name and face to kill, Light would be sunk. Of course, that was indirectly covered last episode under "if news outlets stopped reporting actual names/faces of criminals, Kira would kill innocent people." Still, he might've told the FBI, saving all those agents and preventing us from ever meeting Miss Penbar, precluding our caring what happens to her. Ow, paradox.
Watari revealed! L's mysterious liason shows up unmasked (what does he wear that so shields his face? It just looks like he's in shadow all the time, but that's not it), and presents KIT with shiny new police badges. Complete with shiny new names. Somewhat belatedly, L decides his operatives need some sort of protection from a guy who can kill you, as far as they know, with a look and a name. L's chosen few are so moral that they take a moment to debate whether it's ok to use fake names. It's a short debate, but damn, these guys are by the book. "Gee, do we really have to deceive people just to avoid having our hearts asploded by Kira?" Yes! Yes, you do! Oh, they also get high-tech belt buckles. Matsuda approves!
Miss Penbar decides they'd better head back to police headquarters in case someone has shown up. So, wait, they were just going for a walk? Um... ok. Light's panicking, and when Light panics he gets really, really dumb. Mesomorph dumb. He has to think before concluding that turning his cellphone off would prevent having to let her talk to his dad should the elder Yagami suddenly decide to call. His next thought is to use physical violence to acquire his would be victim's legal name. Because that wouldn't have any consequences. With Light cycling through his options, desperately searching for one that doesn't suck, Ryuk brings up the eye swap again, apparently because it amuses him. Light isn't so desperate that he'll consider it, a point in his favor. And then the person who's about to unwittingly expose Light as Kira tells him she can make it the rest of the way on her own. D'oh! Now, not only does he need to explain how he knows her name is fake and why he needs her real one, he has to make up a reason to keep following her. After panicking a bit more, Light's confidence returns. And with it, a plan.
Knowing that he can't allow her to reach headquarters, he endeavors to change her mind about going, using lies that are closer to the truth than he knows. He tells her KIT's membership is secret, that they can't be found at HQ, and that he knows because... dun dun dun! He's part of the team. She seems to buy it, but continues on to HQ nonetheless. As if psychic, L chooses now to suggest that someone from KIT be present at HQ at all times. Then we cut back to Miss Penbar, who reveals she worked with (and is a huge fan of) L before. Light flatters her, invites her to join KIT, flatters her some more, and through a surprisingly simple ruse, gets her real name, Misora Naomi. It's disappointing that he panicked so much when the solution was 90% smooth talk, but the ending makes up for it. Right up there with the Ray Penbar scene. In seven episodes, Light has cemented himself as a legendary villain. And there's plenty more to come. Next episode: Voyeurism and the potato chip as an accessory to murder.
Thirty Death Gods agree: watching Light try to kill someone who's given him a fake name is high-larious. Light is confused when Miss Penbar resists his Awesome Death Powahs, but quickly puts two and two together to suss out why. Problem is, how the hell does he get her to give up her real name now? As if asking for it the first time wasn't suspicious enough. If he didn't have the Death Note, he'd have no reason to suspect she hadn't been honest with him, so he has to think up a convincing cover story. At this point, if L had made public the fact that Kira needs a name and face to kill, Light would be sunk. Of course, that was indirectly covered last episode under "if news outlets stopped reporting actual names/faces of criminals, Kira would kill innocent people." Still, he might've told the FBI, saving all those agents and preventing us from ever meeting Miss Penbar, precluding our caring what happens to her. Ow, paradox.
Watari revealed! L's mysterious liason shows up unmasked (what does he wear that so shields his face? It just looks like he's in shadow all the time, but that's not it), and presents KIT with shiny new police badges. Complete with shiny new names. Somewhat belatedly, L decides his operatives need some sort of protection from a guy who can kill you, as far as they know, with a look and a name. L's chosen few are so moral that they take a moment to debate whether it's ok to use fake names. It's a short debate, but damn, these guys are by the book. "Gee, do we really have to deceive people just to avoid having our hearts asploded by Kira?" Yes! Yes, you do! Oh, they also get high-tech belt buckles. Matsuda approves!
Miss Penbar decides they'd better head back to police headquarters in case someone has shown up. So, wait, they were just going for a walk? Um... ok. Light's panicking, and when Light panics he gets really, really dumb. Mesomorph dumb. He has to think before concluding that turning his cellphone off would prevent having to let her talk to his dad should the elder Yagami suddenly decide to call. His next thought is to use physical violence to acquire his would be victim's legal name. Because that wouldn't have any consequences. With Light cycling through his options, desperately searching for one that doesn't suck, Ryuk brings up the eye swap again, apparently because it amuses him. Light isn't so desperate that he'll consider it, a point in his favor. And then the person who's about to unwittingly expose Light as Kira tells him she can make it the rest of the way on her own. D'oh! Now, not only does he need to explain how he knows her name is fake and why he needs her real one, he has to make up a reason to keep following her. After panicking a bit more, Light's confidence returns. And with it, a plan.
Knowing that he can't allow her to reach headquarters, he endeavors to change her mind about going, using lies that are closer to the truth than he knows. He tells her KIT's membership is secret, that they can't be found at HQ, and that he knows because... dun dun dun! He's part of the team. She seems to buy it, but continues on to HQ nonetheless. As if psychic, L chooses now to suggest that someone from KIT be present at HQ at all times. Then we cut back to Miss Penbar, who reveals she worked with (and is a huge fan of) L before. Light flatters her, invites her to join KIT, flatters her some more, and through a surprisingly simple ruse, gets her real name, Misora Naomi. It's disappointing that he panicked so much when the solution was 90% smooth talk, but the ending makes up for it. Right up there with the Ray Penbar scene. In seven episodes, Light has cemented himself as a legendary villain. And there's plenty more to come. Next episode: Voyeurism and the potato chip as an accessory to murder.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Death Note 6
Have I mentioned that L is one of my all-time favorite anime characters? All barefoot and google-eyed, all sitting legs-up on his chair constantly eating sweets. He's quirktastic! The Kira Investigation Team meets him this episode, and they're duly impressed. Well, more weirded out than impressed, but give it time, they'll come around. L gives KIT a fake name, Ryuzaki, and starts in with the psychoanalyzing. "Kira is childish and hates to lose," he says. "I'm childish and hate to lose, too. That's how I know." More deducing follows, then a plan. They'll fool Kira into thinking his murder of FBI agents prompted a massive intelligence invasion. Fifteen hundred officers enter Japan to track down Kira! Holy claustrophobia, Batman!
But first, L carefully exposits Kira's side of the past few episodes for the benefit of KIT and new viewers. It's like a recap without the recycled animation. And not entirely superfluous for regular viewers. L's breakdown invigorates the team and gains him the respect he'd more commanded than earned in anonymous voice mode. Dramatic reveal! What? Where? Ahh! Just as L and Light are thinking that one more clue would catch Kira, we jump to this episode's special guest star, Ray Penbar's fiancee. She knows a se-cret. And she's gonna tell! Or is she? Light offers to take his dad a change of clothes, claiming to have no ulterior motive. Uh huh, riiight. And conveniently retcons in the fact that he's started carrying around a page of the Death Note when he goes out, "just in case." It's all a bit pat, if not entirely unbelievable.
Light and Almost-Mrs. Penbar arrive at the police station around the same time, naturally, and we learn Light's something of an amateur detective, or was before he fell into mass murder and megalomania, one of your more demanding career paths. He plays it up in front of the quasi-widow, bragging that he's helping track Kira, too, and L better watch out or Light'll nab him first! Wouldn't that be something? Light gets so frustrated that he decides the only way to beat L is to catch himself first, so he does. Handcuffs himself, throws himself roughly into the back of a police car ("Watch your head! Hahaha!"), and beats a confession out of himself. Then at the trial... Er, right. Anyways, whatshername is so impressed by Light's braggadocio and really creepy (from the viewer's pov) cheerful act that she... gives him a fake name. Woot! Arguably the best female character in a series that's severely lacking in that area. Light leads her on, and she reveals what she plans to tell KIT. Busjacking: huge mistake. Light is... somehow... stunned that his brilliant plan to violently kill someone in front of the FBI agent who was tailing him has come back to bite him in the ass. He should've killed everyone on the bus, and everyone they know. That would've covered it up but good! Light doesn't agree, but figures one more death can't hurt, so it's time for the unformed Penbar family to be reunited. Maybe they can get married in Heaven. By a real Elvis, not one of those fakes.
Fittingly, Light plays devil's advocate, casting doubt on Miss Penbar's all-too-correct theories. Once he's smashed them, he builds them back up, all but claims them as his own, and gives widdle Miss Penbar a figurative pat on the head for making such an important contribution to the Kira case. Next episode: Light gives Miss Penbar a treat! Or kills her. One of those.
But first, L carefully exposits Kira's side of the past few episodes for the benefit of KIT and new viewers. It's like a recap without the recycled animation. And not entirely superfluous for regular viewers. L's breakdown invigorates the team and gains him the respect he'd more commanded than earned in anonymous voice mode. Dramatic reveal! What? Where? Ahh! Just as L and Light are thinking that one more clue would catch Kira, we jump to this episode's special guest star, Ray Penbar's fiancee. She knows a se-cret. And she's gonna tell! Or is she? Light offers to take his dad a change of clothes, claiming to have no ulterior motive. Uh huh, riiight. And conveniently retcons in the fact that he's started carrying around a page of the Death Note when he goes out, "just in case." It's all a bit pat, if not entirely unbelievable.
Light and Almost-Mrs. Penbar arrive at the police station around the same time, naturally, and we learn Light's something of an amateur detective, or was before he fell into mass murder and megalomania, one of your more demanding career paths. He plays it up in front of the quasi-widow, bragging that he's helping track Kira, too, and L better watch out or Light'll nab him first! Wouldn't that be something? Light gets so frustrated that he decides the only way to beat L is to catch himself first, so he does. Handcuffs himself, throws himself roughly into the back of a police car ("Watch your head! Hahaha!"), and beats a confession out of himself. Then at the trial... Er, right. Anyways, whatshername is so impressed by Light's braggadocio and really creepy (from the viewer's pov) cheerful act that she... gives him a fake name. Woot! Arguably the best female character in a series that's severely lacking in that area. Light leads her on, and she reveals what she plans to tell KIT. Busjacking: huge mistake. Light is... somehow... stunned that his brilliant plan to violently kill someone in front of the FBI agent who was tailing him has come back to bite him in the ass. He should've killed everyone on the bus, and everyone they know. That would've covered it up but good! Light doesn't agree, but figures one more death can't hurt, so it's time for the unformed Penbar family to be reunited. Maybe they can get married in Heaven. By a real Elvis, not one of those fakes.
Fittingly, Light plays devil's advocate, casting doubt on Miss Penbar's all-too-correct theories. Once he's smashed them, he builds them back up, all but claims them as his own, and gives widdle Miss Penbar a figurative pat on the head for making such an important contribution to the Kira case. Next episode: Light gives Miss Penbar a treat! Or kills her. One of those.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Death Note 5
No snippets from last episode, as we dive right into the action in episode five. Or rather, the aftermath of the action. Ray Penbar conveniently asks Light not to tell anyone that a super secret FBI agent was present during the bus hijacking. Light's beard, who was also privy to this info, is conveniently forgotten, or perhaps dealt with offscreen. Penbar goes home to his wife, who raises questions about his presence coinciding with what I'm fairly sure is a rare crime (who robs a bus?). Turns out she's ex-FBI herself, and the bureau got the short end of the Penbar exchange. In an astounding display of chauvinism, Ray puts her in her place, assuring her that he's the supercool FBI agent in this family, that he would know if he'd just shared a bus with Kira, and all but tells her "soon you'll be so busy making babies and sammiches, you'll forget you'd ever done anything else." I have now forgotten why I felt any sympathy for this guy before. I want to shower him with hatorade™.
And now, dramatic reveal! Light, cleverly disguised as "Light in a hoodie," ambushes Penbar and makes the dangerous gamble of revealing that he is Kira. It works, and believably so. If you were in this anime, and someone came up behind you claiming that they were Kira and would kill you if you turned around, would you? Hell no. At this point in the anime, no one knows how Light kills. He could have a death gaze, or think you dead, or telekinetically crush your heart. Even if you apprehended him, how could you be sure to prevent him from killing you? The only defense is to keep your face and/or name secret, and Penbar was hardly walking around with a mask on. Heh, the best part of this scene is that it all happens in a public train station. Light talks out loud to Ryuk about his experiments in murder, then accosts and threatens Penbar. And, of course, he has to prove his power, so he kills someone on the platform. Light kinda sucks at bluffing, really, but then how good do you have to be when you're holding a royal flush? We're seeing a pattern, though. Light easily becomes complacent, thinking power is all he needs, and doesn't utilize his intellect to its full potential.
So, what happens to Penbar? He dies, of course. It was him or Light, and it's pretty rare that the main character dies at all, let alone this early. I'd spill the details, but it's such an amazing scene that you really have to see it for yourself. It's worth buying the DVD, whenever that comes out, for this scene alone. I mean, assuming you pay less than $20 for it. No anime is worth $30 for 3-4 episodes. Feh. Anyways, I'll probably mention it again in a future review, as the specifics of his death tie into a couple running themes. So if you're deadset on "watching" this series solely in recaps, you won't miss too much.
The L/Police conflict comes to a head after the director of the FBI rats out L for investigating his so-called allies. This revelation doesn't appear to be delivered with malicious intent, but you have to wonder why he does it. Professional courtesy? I suppose they would've found out eventually, what with all the snappily-dressed bodies lying around. L's being thwarted at every turn, and Light's hardly trying. The FBI investigation is over, the cops are pissed at L and quitting in droves to avoid death by Kira, everything's going swimmingly. Light's dad makes like a paladin, vowing to hunt down and punish naughty ol' Kira regardless of the very real threat to his own life. Light echoes Dad's sentiments, though they don't sound as impressive on the rebound. "If anything happens to you, I'll catch me and send me to my execution personally!" Uh huh, sure. Sir Yagami challenges the rest of the police to stand up to Kira in classic paladin style. The penalty for backing down? Nothing. The reward for continuing to pursue Kira and probably dying as a result? Um, honor! Yeah, for honor. Do the right thing. Throw a trash can through a window. Huzzah! The Yagami Challenge, which at some point was probably a Japanese gameshow involving octopi and genital shocks, reduces the Kira Investigation Team (Go, KIT!) to six, just enough for a Baldur's Gate party. Aw, yeah! Light: Lawful Evil, likes to solo. L: Chaotic Good, hates godmoders.
Penbar's widow gets her investigate on, figuring out in, like, two seconds that Kira was on that bus and has to be along the bus route somewhere. More from her next episode. Another cop quits, and L meets with the diminished KIT, revealing his identity in a gentler and arguably less risky way. Now is time for pseudo-psychological profiling! L is predisposed toward pleasure without shame, a subservient personality who pushes people away with blunt honesty lest they get too close. He'd be an awesome friend (or more, if he's your type), but it's an uphill battle getting past his defenses. Light is a control freak, corruptible in the extreme. Give him power and he goes mad. He's all about pain and dominating, and isn't interested in a relationship that doesn't involve the other person serving him. It's possible he's asexual, believing himself above such concerns. If anything's scarier than a guy who can kill you with a notebook, it's a guy who isn't interested in sex. Talk about twisted. Next episode: ZOMG, it's L!
And now, dramatic reveal! Light, cleverly disguised as "Light in a hoodie," ambushes Penbar and makes the dangerous gamble of revealing that he is Kira. It works, and believably so. If you were in this anime, and someone came up behind you claiming that they were Kira and would kill you if you turned around, would you? Hell no. At this point in the anime, no one knows how Light kills. He could have a death gaze, or think you dead, or telekinetically crush your heart. Even if you apprehended him, how could you be sure to prevent him from killing you? The only defense is to keep your face and/or name secret, and Penbar was hardly walking around with a mask on. Heh, the best part of this scene is that it all happens in a public train station. Light talks out loud to Ryuk about his experiments in murder, then accosts and threatens Penbar. And, of course, he has to prove his power, so he kills someone on the platform. Light kinda sucks at bluffing, really, but then how good do you have to be when you're holding a royal flush? We're seeing a pattern, though. Light easily becomes complacent, thinking power is all he needs, and doesn't utilize his intellect to its full potential.
So, what happens to Penbar? He dies, of course. It was him or Light, and it's pretty rare that the main character dies at all, let alone this early. I'd spill the details, but it's such an amazing scene that you really have to see it for yourself. It's worth buying the DVD, whenever that comes out, for this scene alone. I mean, assuming you pay less than $20 for it. No anime is worth $30 for 3-4 episodes. Feh. Anyways, I'll probably mention it again in a future review, as the specifics of his death tie into a couple running themes. So if you're deadset on "watching" this series solely in recaps, you won't miss too much.
The L/Police conflict comes to a head after the director of the FBI rats out L for investigating his so-called allies. This revelation doesn't appear to be delivered with malicious intent, but you have to wonder why he does it. Professional courtesy? I suppose they would've found out eventually, what with all the snappily-dressed bodies lying around. L's being thwarted at every turn, and Light's hardly trying. The FBI investigation is over, the cops are pissed at L and quitting in droves to avoid death by Kira, everything's going swimmingly. Light's dad makes like a paladin, vowing to hunt down and punish naughty ol' Kira regardless of the very real threat to his own life. Light echoes Dad's sentiments, though they don't sound as impressive on the rebound. "If anything happens to you, I'll catch me and send me to my execution personally!" Uh huh, sure. Sir Yagami challenges the rest of the police to stand up to Kira in classic paladin style. The penalty for backing down? Nothing. The reward for continuing to pursue Kira and probably dying as a result? Um, honor! Yeah, for honor. Do the right thing. Throw a trash can through a window. Huzzah! The Yagami Challenge, which at some point was probably a Japanese gameshow involving octopi and genital shocks, reduces the Kira Investigation Team (Go, KIT!) to six, just enough for a Baldur's Gate party. Aw, yeah! Light: Lawful Evil, likes to solo. L: Chaotic Good, hates godmoders.
Penbar's widow gets her investigate on, figuring out in, like, two seconds that Kira was on that bus and has to be along the bus route somewhere. More from her next episode. Another cop quits, and L meets with the diminished KIT, revealing his identity in a gentler and arguably less risky way. Now is time for pseudo-psychological profiling! L is predisposed toward pleasure without shame, a subservient personality who pushes people away with blunt honesty lest they get too close. He'd be an awesome friend (or more, if he's your type), but it's an uphill battle getting past his defenses. Light is a control freak, corruptible in the extreme. Give him power and he goes mad. He's all about pain and dominating, and isn't interested in a relationship that doesn't involve the other person serving him. It's possible he's asexual, believing himself above such concerns. If anything's scarier than a guy who can kill you with a notebook, it's a guy who isn't interested in sex. Talk about twisted. Next episode: ZOMG, it's L!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Death Note 4
Blah blah blah. "Last time on Death Note" runs longer than before. We get sizeable chunks of conversation this time. Then it's off to the Death God realm for... nothing of import, really. Not a complete waste of time, but all in all a slow start to the episode. But we ended on a cliffhanger last time, so let's see how that turns out... Light summarily declines. No Death God eyes, on account of he wants to live a good, long time. Okie doke. Things only start to get interesting when Light lectures Ryuk on the promptness with which he provides information, which further flags up the fact that Ryuk may have ulterior motives. That or his cluelessness isn't an act.
Light's still claiming to have humanity's best interests in mind, and encourages Ryuk to better his own world as Light is doing with Earth. I'm sure Light remembers that Death Gods can't kill each other using their Notes, so apparently he believes that what he's doing is akin to non-violent change. He's like Gandhi, only with killing instead of fasting. Same difference. After pontificating, Light goes back to his familiar, calculatingly evil ways. A test of his powers, and then, a trap. L sees what he's planning, generally, and moves to block him, but his suspicion of the police has not led him to take any measures to prevent an information leak, so Light's test succeeds and his trap, unforseen, proceeds as planned.
A curious thing happens this episode, and although there are followups in future episodes it is never definitively explained. Light makes one of his victims leave a note before he dies. Light claims the note is meaningless, yet it contains a secret message, which L finds. It begins "L, do you know," and in later episodes we get "Death Gods only eat apples." Not important information, or true (Death Gods eat more than just apples), but not exactly meaningless. So, is it, as Light claims, only there to mislead L? All signs point to yes, except... why reveal the existence of Death Gods at all? The notes themselves already mislead without the added message, and he could have chosen any number of less incriminating ways to lead him further astray. Of course, L takes much greater risks himself. I suppose Light considers this the sacrificing of a pawn to move closer to checkmate.
Light the ladies' man makes his first appearance, waking girls at the crack of dawn for a booty- er, innocuous date. Seriously, Light has no sex drive. He can get dates with ease, and if he couldn't, he could use the Note to manipulate women into liking him, loving him, or simply performing sexual favors for him. He wouldn't even have to kill them shortly after. There's no rule saying he can't write the time of death as "forty years from now" or further. In fact, I'm not sure he can't extend lifespans beyond their predestined endpoint. Smart as he is, he isn't very creative. His is a mathematical mind, as we see on Light's "date."
Special Agent Ray Penbar notes that Light isn't the least bit suspicious, thinks to himself "this'll be the last day I tail him," and then boards the same bus as Light, stepping into what is now a needless trap. Oops. I guess we shouldn't schedule Light vs. Deep Blue just yet. For a scant few seconds, I wish I were watching a romance show instead of this. In the former, the bus would actually make it to its destination, an amusement park called Spaceland, Light would actually want to be there, and there'd be lots of happy fun frolicking and cheery music. Instead we have a hijacking, a dangerous maniac, and lots of fear and cringing. Light's still happy to be there, but in a sick, twisted way.
I'm a little disappointed in how Light manipulates the hijacker to his death. He pushes the nutjob a little, but only so far as he has to in order for his directions to be fulfilled. The Death Note does all the work. Sure, it's perfectly believable this way, and safer for all but the hijacker, but it would've been nice to see Light win out using only his wits, rather than relying on godly power. Now Light has his shadow's name, but for the first time his shadow suspects something. One wonders how differently the series would've gone had Light not outguessed his opponent. Maybe the investigation would be resumed, since all other suspects would inevitably be cleared. But then couldn't Light act as unsuspicious as he usually does? And what if L went down a different avenue, finding this one bare, and the relief in pressure allowed Light to discover his opponent's name and face? Ah well, that's what you get with actions: consequences.
Light's still claiming to have humanity's best interests in mind, and encourages Ryuk to better his own world as Light is doing with Earth. I'm sure Light remembers that Death Gods can't kill each other using their Notes, so apparently he believes that what he's doing is akin to non-violent change. He's like Gandhi, only with killing instead of fasting. Same difference. After pontificating, Light goes back to his familiar, calculatingly evil ways. A test of his powers, and then, a trap. L sees what he's planning, generally, and moves to block him, but his suspicion of the police has not led him to take any measures to prevent an information leak, so Light's test succeeds and his trap, unforseen, proceeds as planned.
A curious thing happens this episode, and although there are followups in future episodes it is never definitively explained. Light makes one of his victims leave a note before he dies. Light claims the note is meaningless, yet it contains a secret message, which L finds. It begins "L, do you know," and in later episodes we get "Death Gods only eat apples." Not important information, or true (Death Gods eat more than just apples), but not exactly meaningless. So, is it, as Light claims, only there to mislead L? All signs point to yes, except... why reveal the existence of Death Gods at all? The notes themselves already mislead without the added message, and he could have chosen any number of less incriminating ways to lead him further astray. Of course, L takes much greater risks himself. I suppose Light considers this the sacrificing of a pawn to move closer to checkmate.
Light the ladies' man makes his first appearance, waking girls at the crack of dawn for a booty- er, innocuous date. Seriously, Light has no sex drive. He can get dates with ease, and if he couldn't, he could use the Note to manipulate women into liking him, loving him, or simply performing sexual favors for him. He wouldn't even have to kill them shortly after. There's no rule saying he can't write the time of death as "forty years from now" or further. In fact, I'm not sure he can't extend lifespans beyond their predestined endpoint. Smart as he is, he isn't very creative. His is a mathematical mind, as we see on Light's "date."
Special Agent Ray Penbar notes that Light isn't the least bit suspicious, thinks to himself "this'll be the last day I tail him," and then boards the same bus as Light, stepping into what is now a needless trap. Oops. I guess we shouldn't schedule Light vs. Deep Blue just yet. For a scant few seconds, I wish I were watching a romance show instead of this. In the former, the bus would actually make it to its destination, an amusement park called Spaceland, Light would actually want to be there, and there'd be lots of happy fun frolicking and cheery music. Instead we have a hijacking, a dangerous maniac, and lots of fear and cringing. Light's still happy to be there, but in a sick, twisted way.
I'm a little disappointed in how Light manipulates the hijacker to his death. He pushes the nutjob a little, but only so far as he has to in order for his directions to be fulfilled. The Death Note does all the work. Sure, it's perfectly believable this way, and safer for all but the hijacker, but it would've been nice to see Light win out using only his wits, rather than relying on godly power. Now Light has his shadow's name, but for the first time his shadow suspects something. One wonders how differently the series would've gone had Light not outguessed his opponent. Maybe the investigation would be resumed, since all other suspects would inevitably be cleared. But then couldn't Light act as unsuspicious as he usually does? And what if L went down a different avenue, finding this one bare, and the relief in pressure allowed Light to discover his opponent's name and face? Ah well, that's what you get with actions: consequences.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Death Note 3
Again with the recap, and this time it's counterproductive in a way. If this is your first time watching Death Note, or you missed the second episode for any reason, you would be led to an erroneous conclusion. Namely, that fake L is the real L. But that's what you get with quick recaps. Besides, it's one more reason to go watch those first two eps, as if you needed it.
Some recurring themes first rear their head this episode. L begins jumping to borderline psychic conclusions about Kira's identity and motivations, straining believability somewhat. Precocious young police officer Matsuda Tota's good intentions lead to embarrassing himself; he grows into one of the series better characters, but this is the most minor of his missteps. We also see the groundwork for L and the Japanese police butting heads. Yes, there was some of that last episode, but in general from the whole world's police. Here we have L giving cops busy work and a distrustful glare or two directed at the laptop monitor that represents their so-called equal partner, the great L who can't be bothered showing up in person. L seems to have done all the research he asks the cops to do in advance, and merely has them duplicate it so they'll be more easily convinced of his conclusions. It's a clearly delineated teacher-student role, with L testing his students as a means of teaching them what he already knows. That's all well and good, except they aren't students and are reluctant to see an outsider as their superior. Which is perfectly reasonable since they have a well-respected superior already, their chief of police. L comes in, treats them like kids, and assumes they'll respect him above all others.
This episode's big reveal, which I kind of gave away last review, is that the chief of police is Light's father, Yagami Soichiro. Through his father, who as good a cop as he is doesn't suspect his son in the least, Light has access to all the files on the Kira investigation, or anyways all the ones L has deigned to share with the police. With L having twigged to the fact that Kira could be a student - the latter being too busy to kill people during school hours or sleepytime - Light decides to lead him in another direction by playing with times of death, among other things. It's simple, really. Like a ventriloquist drinking water, Light uses preconceptions to lead his audience toward a conclusion they want to make, but that logic would otherwise preclude. L immediately sees through it, and Light naturally claims it was all part of his plan. He wants L to learn of his police connection, which he does, in order that he might cross the line from murderous vigilante to plain old killer... by offing L. Light grows eviler all the time.
Now instead of cops vs. killer we have L vs. Kira and the police vs. L. Oh, and the police vs. getting killed. Some cops are quitting because, "boo hoo! Kira can kill me from a distance with only my name and face! I'm ascared!" Pfft. Meanwhile, L goes in a slightly different direction than Light wanted. He's not just investigating the police, he's investigating anyone close to the police, and is certain one of them is Kira. So Light goes from being one of thousands, maybe millions in his region, and perhaps a student, to one of hundreds and definitely someone with a police connection. It's amazing that he isn't caught within six episodes, and it's only through an interesting, if convoluted, series of twists and turns that this series has any chance of holding up over 37 episodes.
"Extra life?!" Ah, the endless Japanese obsession with videogames. In this case, though, it's not an extra life, it's an extended lifespan. And, as Ryuk helpfully points out, it's what Death Gods, and only Death Gods, get for writing names in a Note. Humans get squat. Why is Ryuk being helpful? According to him, it's only because of the next thing he points out, that Death Gods don't need news reports to see someone's name, and that the eyes of a Death God can be yours for the low, low price of... half your remaining lifespan. That Ryuk makes this proposition brings up several questions. How long does Light have? Ryuk knows, and could be making the deal to get a big chunk of life added onto his. But he could just kill Light whenever, or kill other humans, using his spare Death Note (remember he had two before dropping Light's). So is he trying to help Light in a roundabout way, get Light's permission before screwing him, or simply see how Light reacts? The last would gel with his stated motivation for dropping the Note in the first place - for fun - but I still suspect he's more on Light's side than he lets on.
Some recurring themes first rear their head this episode. L begins jumping to borderline psychic conclusions about Kira's identity and motivations, straining believability somewhat. Precocious young police officer Matsuda Tota's good intentions lead to embarrassing himself; he grows into one of the series better characters, but this is the most minor of his missteps. We also see the groundwork for L and the Japanese police butting heads. Yes, there was some of that last episode, but in general from the whole world's police. Here we have L giving cops busy work and a distrustful glare or two directed at the laptop monitor that represents their so-called equal partner, the great L who can't be bothered showing up in person. L seems to have done all the research he asks the cops to do in advance, and merely has them duplicate it so they'll be more easily convinced of his conclusions. It's a clearly delineated teacher-student role, with L testing his students as a means of teaching them what he already knows. That's all well and good, except they aren't students and are reluctant to see an outsider as their superior. Which is perfectly reasonable since they have a well-respected superior already, their chief of police. L comes in, treats them like kids, and assumes they'll respect him above all others.
This episode's big reveal, which I kind of gave away last review, is that the chief of police is Light's father, Yagami Soichiro. Through his father, who as good a cop as he is doesn't suspect his son in the least, Light has access to all the files on the Kira investigation, or anyways all the ones L has deigned to share with the police. With L having twigged to the fact that Kira could be a student - the latter being too busy to kill people during school hours or sleepytime - Light decides to lead him in another direction by playing with times of death, among other things. It's simple, really. Like a ventriloquist drinking water, Light uses preconceptions to lead his audience toward a conclusion they want to make, but that logic would otherwise preclude. L immediately sees through it, and Light naturally claims it was all part of his plan. He wants L to learn of his police connection, which he does, in order that he might cross the line from murderous vigilante to plain old killer... by offing L. Light grows eviler all the time.
Now instead of cops vs. killer we have L vs. Kira and the police vs. L. Oh, and the police vs. getting killed. Some cops are quitting because, "boo hoo! Kira can kill me from a distance with only my name and face! I'm ascared!" Pfft. Meanwhile, L goes in a slightly different direction than Light wanted. He's not just investigating the police, he's investigating anyone close to the police, and is certain one of them is Kira. So Light goes from being one of thousands, maybe millions in his region, and perhaps a student, to one of hundreds and definitely someone with a police connection. It's amazing that he isn't caught within six episodes, and it's only through an interesting, if convoluted, series of twists and turns that this series has any chance of holding up over 37 episodes.
"Extra life?!" Ah, the endless Japanese obsession with videogames. In this case, though, it's not an extra life, it's an extended lifespan. And, as Ryuk helpfully points out, it's what Death Gods, and only Death Gods, get for writing names in a Note. Humans get squat. Why is Ryuk being helpful? According to him, it's only because of the next thing he points out, that Death Gods don't need news reports to see someone's name, and that the eyes of a Death God can be yours for the low, low price of... half your remaining lifespan. That Ryuk makes this proposition brings up several questions. How long does Light have? Ryuk knows, and could be making the deal to get a big chunk of life added onto his. But he could just kill Light whenever, or kill other humans, using his spare Death Note (remember he had two before dropping Light's). So is he trying to help Light in a roundabout way, get Light's permission before screwing him, or simply see how Light reacts? The last would gel with his stated motivation for dropping the Note in the first place - for fun - but I still suspect he's more on Light's side than he lets on.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Death Note 2 or Kira: Big on the Internet
Did I say episode one gave us the series' premise? Well, that was only half true. Light wanted attention, and he got it, but not just from criminals. Police all over the world have taken notice, as well as one special person, the famed detective known only as L, who will act as Light's foil throughout the series. Or I should say, Kira's foil, as that's what they're calling him now. Yes, you guessed it, Kira is the cuter, Japanese way of saying "Killer." I swear, it never gets old.
This episode starts with a quick recap of the previous ep's events. It's only useful if you suffer from short term memory loss or watch way too many anime to keep them all straight, but it's formatted like a highlight reel and therefore isn't bothersome. At any rate, it's over before you can be bothered getting upset.
Light's obsession deepens and his plans grow more complex. Though I doubt other people ever concerned him overmuch, he's now making a point to avoid all social interaction to concentrate on his studies, sleep, and of course, killing. He interacts with other people as much as is necessary to keep up appearances and no more, which works against him a bit since people generally prefer it if you go out of your way to interact with them. When you don't, their first impulse is to suspect there's something wrong with you. After all, if nothing is, then there might be something wrong with them, or you might have something more important to do than spend time with them. Heaven forbid!
When the police decide to take action, they call a meeting attended by representatives from numerous countries... all of whom speak fluent Japanese. It's the Eastern equivalent of English-speaking aliens. Sure, Americans speaking English, Germans German, and so on would be more accurate, but then you'd need subtitles for any significant demographic. Not to mention the increased difficulty, and likely cost, of hiring voice actors from overseas. It's only logical to have everyone speak the same language, that being the language your target audience is most likely to know. The drawback is, everyone kind of blends together, and it's hard to tell when someone isn't Japanese. The character designs don't help here, but then they'd have to be nigh photo-realistic or comically exaggerated, neither of which are warranted for such a quibble.
In addition to L, who, as the second male lead, completes the main cast, we find our supporting cast bolstered with additions of varying significance. Last episode we met Light's mother, whose role begins and ends with the words "Light's mother." Now we meet his sister, who is more interesting but no more important to the story. We also meet Light's father, Yagami Soichiro, who we'll be seeing much more of. Naturally, Light is in Japan, and L is smart enough to have figured that much out already. One clever and just barely believable ruse later, L has narrowed down Kira's location to the Kantou region and we get our first glimpses of the Japanese police force, who will be aiding L in the hunt. We also find that Kira has a growing fandom, and you know what that means. Kira shrines, Kira fanmail, Kira fan fiction with self-insert love interests... doubtless there's even Kira fanon, where Kira has been retroactively turned into a daring crusader for justice, a righter of wrongs, an avenger for modern times. Anything but a bored teenager with absolutely corrupt power.
Whether you like the series or not, this episode is worth watching to see Light's plan for keeping the Death Note from prying eyes. It's a real treat. Along those lines, if after two episodes you still aren't hooked, it's probably safe to say this series isn't for you. Some shows start more poorly than they end up, while others take their time putting pieces in place before getting underway with the story proper. Death Note holds plenty back for later, but at this point you know what you're in for. Except you don't. You know what the feel of the show is going to be, but there are many twists and turns to come. It's an animated chess game, and if you're a chess fan you know how exciting it is to see two great minds meet on the proverbial battlefield. If you aren't, it's like two martial arts masters, only they fight with their minds instead of their bodies.
This episode starts with a quick recap of the previous ep's events. It's only useful if you suffer from short term memory loss or watch way too many anime to keep them all straight, but it's formatted like a highlight reel and therefore isn't bothersome. At any rate, it's over before you can be bothered getting upset.
Light's obsession deepens and his plans grow more complex. Though I doubt other people ever concerned him overmuch, he's now making a point to avoid all social interaction to concentrate on his studies, sleep, and of course, killing. He interacts with other people as much as is necessary to keep up appearances and no more, which works against him a bit since people generally prefer it if you go out of your way to interact with them. When you don't, their first impulse is to suspect there's something wrong with you. After all, if nothing is, then there might be something wrong with them, or you might have something more important to do than spend time with them. Heaven forbid!
When the police decide to take action, they call a meeting attended by representatives from numerous countries... all of whom speak fluent Japanese. It's the Eastern equivalent of English-speaking aliens. Sure, Americans speaking English, Germans German, and so on would be more accurate, but then you'd need subtitles for any significant demographic. Not to mention the increased difficulty, and likely cost, of hiring voice actors from overseas. It's only logical to have everyone speak the same language, that being the language your target audience is most likely to know. The drawback is, everyone kind of blends together, and it's hard to tell when someone isn't Japanese. The character designs don't help here, but then they'd have to be nigh photo-realistic or comically exaggerated, neither of which are warranted for such a quibble.
In addition to L, who, as the second male lead, completes the main cast, we find our supporting cast bolstered with additions of varying significance. Last episode we met Light's mother, whose role begins and ends with the words "Light's mother." Now we meet his sister, who is more interesting but no more important to the story. We also meet Light's father, Yagami Soichiro, who we'll be seeing much more of. Naturally, Light is in Japan, and L is smart enough to have figured that much out already. One clever and just barely believable ruse later, L has narrowed down Kira's location to the Kantou region and we get our first glimpses of the Japanese police force, who will be aiding L in the hunt. We also find that Kira has a growing fandom, and you know what that means. Kira shrines, Kira fanmail, Kira fan fiction with self-insert love interests... doubtless there's even Kira fanon, where Kira has been retroactively turned into a daring crusader for justice, a righter of wrongs, an avenger for modern times. Anything but a bored teenager with absolutely corrupt power.
Whether you like the series or not, this episode is worth watching to see Light's plan for keeping the Death Note from prying eyes. It's a real treat. Along those lines, if after two episodes you still aren't hooked, it's probably safe to say this series isn't for you. Some shows start more poorly than they end up, while others take their time putting pieces in place before getting underway with the story proper. Death Note holds plenty back for later, but at this point you know what you're in for. Except you don't. You know what the feel of the show is going to be, but there are many twists and turns to come. It's an animated chess game, and if you're a chess fan you know how exciting it is to see two great minds meet on the proverbial battlefield. If you aren't, it's like two martial arts masters, only they fight with their minds instead of their bodies.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Death Note 1
Death Note - Desu Noto in Japan - is, like many anime, adapted from the manga of the same name. It's a cute name. "Desu Noto." Pronounced like death, but with a soft s in place of the t, and a cooing u at the end. There's a parody on YouTube called Debu Note, a pun on the untranslated title; debu means fat or fat person in Japanese. Good times.
In the first episode of the less-cute-than-it-sounds Desu Noto, we find our premise and our protagonist. High school student Yagami Light is the protagonist, or more accurately the point of view character. We see things as he does more often than not, but it's hard to root for him given the premise. In merely five days, Light goes from straight-A model student to straight-A model student and mass murderer. See, Light accidentally on purpose happens across a "Death Note," the notebook a Death God uses to kill humans, and quickly decides it's his duty to use this book of death to improve the world by wiping out the criminal element. He'll kill them all, he decides, or enough so the rest are too afraid to commit crimes. And while he's at it, he'll install himself as supreme ruler of the world. A logical train of thought if ever I saw one.
Light at first believes the Note to be a prank, likely perpetrated by some other student with a sick sense of humor. He's not far wrong. After verifying that the book does what it claims to - there are detailed instructions inside - Light is confronted by its owner, one Ryuk, a bored Death God with a weakness for apples. Ryuk and Light trade rationalizations, apparently trying to see who can come off as creepier, and Ryuk drops a hint about Light's final fate, the first of many times Ryuk will happily obfuscate the truth. Ryuk is the show's wild card, potentially far more manipulative than he lets on. He repeatedly claims to be little more than an observer, yet he interferes when the mood strikes him, and there are numerous hints that supposed coincidences are anything but. Or it could be sloppy writing. I prefer to assume the former until proven otherwise.
The anime differs from the manga in a few ways, some minor, some significant. Light's journey from skeptical to fearful to embracing his power doesn't take long however you show it, but we get more of it in linear fashion in the anime, whereas the manga tells the bulk of the first chapter in flashback. The other notable difference is the dramatization of mundane events, such as opening a drawer or biting into a potato chip. Quick cuts and well-placed effects turn a chore into an action sequence. When Light writes someone's name in the Note, condemning them to death, we often see his pen flash as it leaves the paper. It adds a sort of macabre humor to the show and gives the impression the writer doesn't take himself too seriously, which is always good.
In the first episode of the less-cute-than-it-sounds Desu Noto, we find our premise and our protagonist. High school student Yagami Light is the protagonist, or more accurately the point of view character. We see things as he does more often than not, but it's hard to root for him given the premise. In merely five days, Light goes from straight-A model student to straight-A model student and mass murderer. See, Light accidentally on purpose happens across a "Death Note," the notebook a Death God uses to kill humans, and quickly decides it's his duty to use this book of death to improve the world by wiping out the criminal element. He'll kill them all, he decides, or enough so the rest are too afraid to commit crimes. And while he's at it, he'll install himself as supreme ruler of the world. A logical train of thought if ever I saw one.
Light at first believes the Note to be a prank, likely perpetrated by some other student with a sick sense of humor. He's not far wrong. After verifying that the book does what it claims to - there are detailed instructions inside - Light is confronted by its owner, one Ryuk, a bored Death God with a weakness for apples. Ryuk and Light trade rationalizations, apparently trying to see who can come off as creepier, and Ryuk drops a hint about Light's final fate, the first of many times Ryuk will happily obfuscate the truth. Ryuk is the show's wild card, potentially far more manipulative than he lets on. He repeatedly claims to be little more than an observer, yet he interferes when the mood strikes him, and there are numerous hints that supposed coincidences are anything but. Or it could be sloppy writing. I prefer to assume the former until proven otherwise.
The anime differs from the manga in a few ways, some minor, some significant. Light's journey from skeptical to fearful to embracing his power doesn't take long however you show it, but we get more of it in linear fashion in the anime, whereas the manga tells the bulk of the first chapter in flashback. The other notable difference is the dramatization of mundane events, such as opening a drawer or biting into a potato chip. Quick cuts and well-placed effects turn a chore into an action sequence. When Light writes someone's name in the Note, condemning them to death, we often see his pen flash as it leaves the paper. It adds a sort of macabre humor to the show and gives the impression the writer doesn't take himself too seriously, which is always good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
