The Disturbing Truth Behind Death Note (Complete Series Review)

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Death Note, as a complete series, has a disturbing truth behind it. One that has gone unnoticed by the vast majority of those that have decided to watch and read this incredible but not entirely flawless series over the last two decades.
Many love Light Yagami’s plotting and quick thinking, many more love the stoic and mysterious character of L, but what is it this series is actually telling us at its core and did the author and artist behind Death Note craft the best series they could? Let’s find out.
MUSIC USED:
-Beethoven's 9th
-Bones (over by Martha Kovalchuk)
-Golden Township of the Rising Sun (Cover by SeMi Piano)
-Biotope (Virtue's Last Reward)
-Clarification (Virtue's Last Reward)
-荒廃した街で (Devil Survivor)
Covers by Gabriele Motta:
-Dark Light
-L's Theme D
-Senritsu
-Near's Theme
-Mello's Theme
-Solitude (Kodoku)
-Reasoning
Video edited by Editor-san
PATREON: www.patreon.com/totallynotmark
TWITTER: totallynotmark

[@TotallyNotMark]

Go to buyraycon.com/notmark to get 15% off your Raycon purchase :)

[@TheBluePhoenix008]

So it's a show about pizza?

[@gudakoalter]

Hey @TotallyNotMark. I have a challenge for you. please review Junji Ito's Uzamaki. It's definitely an amazing horror piece, plus it could be a good Halloween episode.

[@divine1196]

Can u please do a blind review on Code Geass

[@DK65_]

Ck a Pokemon adventures manga reviews

[@spoof2062]

I speak for EVERYONE,when i say the netflix adaption is better than the manga

[@YukiKitty]

I like how Ryuk feels like a stand-in for the viewer. From the very beginning, it all just starts because he's bored. Then the whole time, he's just eating snacks, never directly rooting for or excessively helping anybody, just this near omniscient watcher hoping to see something interesting. Always laughing when there's a funny interaction. At the end, without attachment, he just ends the story and goes "Yeah, that was pretty fun. Thanks for entertaining me, Light"

[@midnight9752]

Actually tho, i cant believe i never saw it like this before O:

[@YouReadMyName]

Ryuk was more of a stand-in for Mikhail Lermontov, who wrote "A Hero of Our Time (1841)", which Death Note was based on.

[@thephoenix4093]

a few things that didn't stand true though, 1. he knew every person's name by seeing it, we don't. 2. every death note watcher at first rooted for someone simply because L and light are so different everyone rooted for someone unlike ryuk who was purely neutral.

[@DigitalXAddict]

@@YouReadMyName Step back a bit. "Death Note" being based on "A Hero of our Time"? Not only are there no official statements saying such,... there are barely any similarities between these stories. You think Light was based on Petschorin??? The only similarities these two have is the distance towards other people. But in Petschorins case it was a rather melancholic and slow decline of his own will to actually live and socialise, which lead to depression and more missteps in his life. Or do you think L was based on Petschorin? That would also not fit. Yes, L is bored when he isn't challenged, and yes he isn't social, but he doesn't lament his life. The only big similarities are, they all are highly intelligent, but neither Light nor L challenge their own worldview (ok Light, when he lost his memories kinda challenged his alter ego "Kira", but that was structured so differently to Petschorins portrayal.) I'm curious, what did I miss?

[@b0t155]

I re-watched it recently. I found it very interest how Ryuk was goofy and calm most of the time. Even going so far as to take on friendly traits with Light- yet he claims that they weren't actually friends repeatedly. Reminds me how Light pretends to be L's friend, yet he ruthlessly forced the circumstances of L's murder. Similar to how Ryuk is directly responsible for the end of Light. There's no way either of their deaths could've played out the same without a false friend scheming in the background. Every main character was also bored with their mundane lives. Light and L pushing forward out of pure intrigue and disguising it as virtue. I still think one of the reason Ryuk finds humans so interesting is because he adamantly is there because he's bored. Yet he watches these humans get a taste of power and disguise their self-interest with more appealing traits. The story of Death Note (Original) was one of the best pieces of work in the last 50years- easy. At the very least, I think it would be a great piece to observe during a Sociology class.

[@danieljudahcastillo9185]

As a wise man once said, "When L died, Light should've known that the end was Near." I'll show myself out now

[@Cipher_Paul]

I agree

[@VinceOmega]

He was too Mello(w) to consider it...heh.

[@SetoShadowVT]

That was a great pun

[@jokerjack9797]

Can you verify if your dp and name are real? For research purposes

[@arnahunas4048]

Fun Fact: When the “A” is missing in the sign for the ladies bathroom, it’s a Death Note spoilers.

[@Jonathan-gk8jq]

One of the things I really love about death note is that light is an intelligent character, and one of his fatal flaws is that deep down inside he's actually very immature. It shows what happens when you give a child too much power and the responsibility intelligent people have to be mature. I really love when L calls Kira's view of justice "childish" because that's exactly what light is, a child.

[@gamerskingdom4897]

Yes

[@neshayshockey]

very lord of the flies 😂

[@cregcune1867]

I wanted to comment this but didn't want people arguing with me.

[@smayloo]

@@cregcune1867 it needs to be spread … there are many people out there idealising his type of personality without knowing that they worship a childish character with a god complex

[@marysophy3665]

When I was watching it I thought "This is a psychopath"... And taking into account the fact that psychopaths and narcissists are pretty close to each other, and that Narcissists are considered as big children, it all made sense that he was called childish...

[@jeetgit4339]

I think the anime ending is more about the tragedy of a talented young man with a bright future destroyed by desires, showing how everyone can go down the path of evil even with good intentions. I never saw it as a way to justify Light.

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

Yeah it's more sympathetic but to me it echoes the themes of the Yotsuba arc, where we see that Light before the DN was actually a fairly nice guy. It's his slip into the dark side that ends up making him slide further and further down as he has to rationalise the increasingly horrible things he does to avoid being caught. But essentially he's the type of guy who gets corrupted by power, due to excessive idealism if anything. Had he never touched the notebook, he would have been a completely different, and likely honest, person.

[@jeetgit4339]

@@HaganeNoGijutsushi Exactly, it doesn't go against the manga and adds new interpretations.

[@sebastit7d]

But that's the thing, his intentions were never good, he never cared about the "goodness" of his actions. He was more psychopathic, he knew that criminals' actions were "evil" so to him it was more about the self-fulfilling and self-entitled sense of "I was always superior so this power was a given and something I deserve since everything is beneath me, I am the one that is the only one qualified to be the judge, jury and executioner, everyone else is just part of the world I am meant to save" Even at the beginning his "good deeds" were nothing but experiments to him. And he knew that even though he was seen as "evil", he dismissed it as "people not understanding the benevolence of him cleansing the world of all evil people"

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

@@sebastit7d I think at the very, VERY beginning he took up the Death Note thinking he had a responsibility to use it. When Ryuk shows up he asks if he's come to take his soul, and he seems to have been thinking that using the Death Note would come with a hefty price - as one would expect of such a diabolical item. The thing is, Ryuk tells him that he doesn't have to pay anything, that the notebook is his to use (this is also the conversation in which, we find out at the very end in a flashback, Light learns for sure that there are no Hell or Heaven). And THAT I think is where he truly gets drunk on his power, seeing that he can wield it without limit or price. It only gets worse from there.

[@stempest7218]

@@HaganeNoGijutsushi the author said if light never got the note book he would have been a renowned dectective that worked with l on many cases. However the author still said he had no sympathy or light. Light isn't supposed to be a tradegy. His good deeds where mostly a result of his narcissism.

[@omnianimator8468]

I haven't seen anyone say this so, the person who suffered the most by the end of the series is Light's mom. By the end of the series, her husband is dead, her son is dead(unless they tell her he was a mass murderer which would suck even more) and her daughter is a vegetable. In the span of a few months her family disappeared.

[@emileeid8929]

I heard Sayu is actually shown to be okay in the manga during the festival.

[@tinikaeli4805]

I said the same thing at the end of the anime series. The death note truly was a curse to begin with.

[@michaelterrell5061]

@@emileeid8929 That's good. And it makes sense as she does have a younger daughter and all of her husbands friends who would definitely help take care of them.

[@michaelterrell5061]

@@lordbiscuitthetossable5352 I literally could not agree more.

[@darcash1738]

I still think she shouldn’t have ruled out Matsura as a potential marriage option. 😤😤😤

[@markymark637]

One interesting thing I noted while watching, it was clear to me Light was afraid of death. He never once considered taking the Shinigami eye deal and instead manipulated others to do so. That was a hint to me he would go out begging for mercy in a sense

[@destinixshakur]

It was watching him die as he was realizing he had no control over death no matter how much he controlled others .

[@TheGreenTaco999]

it's moreso that the eye deal literally can't be worth it because no matter what, you'll live half as long, it's a net loss if you pay for it. But someone else paying for YOUR benefit makes the benefit a net gain.

[@amiyaha4793]

agreed ,

[@user-ke3wp7cn1i]

just like my teammates in ranked apex.

[@valeriomorreale6987]

It also means that if he had done the deal the whole second arc wouldn't have happened since he would have died well before, maybe defeated by L?

[@calvinnguyen1870]

I disagree with your take that the Christian imagery is misplaced/gives the wrong impression. Far from it. I think it is a perfect representation of how Light sees himself - a god. Death Note is a story about a talented, successful young man defeated by his own arrogance. He sees himself as being so far above everyone else that even human life holds no value to him. The anime portrays him as having an insane god complex, and if you go back and listen to some of his dialogue, I don’t think the anime was wrong for doing that in the slightest.

[@felix_forrester]

Yup. I was fine with all of that, because it was highlighting Light's own opinion of himself. It enhanced his villainy. That ending though... there's no excuse in the world for how they portrayed Light's death in the anime. I fucking hated it.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

I like the theory that Light never really believed in his God complex. It was just the only way he could reconcile accidentally killing two people by testing out a notebook that claimed to be able to kill people. If he could become God in the people's eyes then he would be above human laws, and thus he would be free of guilt. It shows better in the manga, where after his first two victims where he knows for a fact the notebook's power is real that he's shown hiding under a blanket and shivering like a leaf in terror of what he's just done. Since he can't undo the killing his only choices are to give into the guilt or rise above it, which quickly killed his empathy.

[@danielijust8776]

to be fair he wasnt defeated by his own arrogance. he was defeated by subordinates who didnt follow his order.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

@@danielijust8776 Which is STILL arrogance, because he never considered that they would think to disobey. This, despite Misa constantly screwing him up in part 1 by showing up at his house or at campus and putting Light in a bad spot.

[@TheSkaOreo]

I think the issue is less about how Light sees himself and more how the audience is supposed to interpret Light.

[@gloomsi]

Also disagree with the christian imagery. Light literally has a God complex. I don't think anyone who watches it is thinking 'oh, guess he must be god then' like no, its clear that's just how light sees himself. Super grandiose and it's very fitting, and I love the imagery. Anime's are supposed to build upon the source material, and I loved what it did with the imagery.

[@stef511]

This is what I was thinking as well. Not once did the art make me think "Light is rightful, a god".Instead, it just highlighted Light's arrogance and what he thought of himself more than anything

[@MrsYasha1984]

Well, there is always the apple. The whole story is full of apples. You know what the snake told Eve to make her want the apple? 'You will be like gods yourself!' There is a lot of christian imagery, but of the fall of mankind

[@-Keith-]

I don't think anybody really misunderstood the Christian imagery, considering the way that Light was portrayed all throughout the rest of the story. Any time Light is having an internal monologue, he is painted in exaggerated shades of red. Red eyes, red shadows, etc which have a connotation with blood, wickedness, and intense evil. When taken together, it seems quite obvious that the author is not trying to make Light look good.

[@treceslez]

Oh, it would surprise you.

[@NamelessNomad00]

I mean technically he was a god for a while 😅😅😅

[@deriqdgraves]

To me, the ending of the anime just highlighted how much of a coward Light truly was, not wanting to face the consequences of his actions, running like a scared dog. So yes it humanized him, but not in a heroic way, it just added to his pathetic nature. Also, the only images that flash by of his life are ones where he's alone walking. Not of his family, nor of anyone from the task force or even L. We see clearly he was alone due to his own disregard for his own and others' humanity. The light shining on him as he dies on the staircase is just highlighting how pathetic and human he actually is. He didn't even make it up the stairs, which to me represents the whole story. He tried to ascend to a higher state, but because of his own actions, he was unable to climb any higher before succumbing to the human nature he hated within and without himself.

[@KariIzumi1]

While I prefer the original manga ending, I agree with this interpretation of the anime finale. I dunno how anyone can see this as “romanticization” of what he did because of artistic license.

[@rickpgriffin]

Like... I guess the anime ending is a more quiet death than the one in the manga, but that doesn't make it... nicer? He's still dead. And Ryuk commenting commenting that it was fun while it lasted doesn't elevate it. It just brings it back to what Ryuk was telling Light all along: no matter how much he built himself up, Light fooled himself into inventing a destiny. But he only ever had one destiny, which was to die. It utterly refutes his idea of ascending to godhood.

[@OctavianAsix]

I don't think Light can be said to be pathetic Few could do what he did, as well as he did it and for as long as he did it L died a clown tho, in the end he didn't achieve anything bc of his ego The legend of Kira, Ally of JUSTICE, will live on✊🏿♥️

[@elegantzoom5486]

@@OctavianAsixI’m sorry but you’re mistaken, L won, he knew he was going to die, he although died it was a cost to catch Kira, a decision he knew he had to make, light was pathetic. He forced his view on the world and couldn’t come to terms with his own consequences, he was alone and evil and that’s why L was the true winner, light was caught and it was all because where L left off

[@elegantzoom5486]

@@OctavianAsixoh and just because few could do what he did doesn’t mean anything, a murder can kill hundreds, doesn’t make them better or less pathetic for taking another persons life

[@bf4351]

While I don't particularly like Near, I feel like his character still matters and represents an important theme; "the idea of justice outliving individuals who embody it." L is the character we all love and rooted for, but like many heroes in real life, he inevitably dies and can no longer carry out his role. But his role lives on through others. Near is not the same charismatic hero who carries out justice as L was, but he carries out this ideal nonetheless, and eventually prevails.

[@joshuaswart8211]

I quite like this idea, but I feel like it doesn’t really work with another interpretation of Death Note that I am much more fond of: While Light was obviously a bad person, L and Near didn’t really care about justice either. It was all just a game to the three of them. Perhaps I would be more fond of this interpretation if it was of a series where I actually believe that the good guy genuinely believes in some sort of justice. While L and Near are obviously better people than Light, (not hard when you’re being compared to a literal mass murderer with a god complex) I never really believed that either of them actually cared about justice. L was willing to engage in some pretty morally dubious shit, and while that is easy to overlook when he’s trying to catch a mass murderer, I think it throws a wrench into the idea that L is a true representation of justice. I would argue that L cared as little about justice as Light did. I mean, I would be hard-pressed to explain what concept of justice L even ascribes to.

[@bf4351]

@@joshuaswart8211 to clarify, I mean that these characters carry out the role or justice. They act as a literary device representing the function and execution of justice rather than acting as characters who actively pursue it out of moral motivation.

[@alexanerose4820]

If anything, I think Wataru despite me hating the little guy represents justice in it's purest form (naive, straightforward,, just wants to do the "right thing" ) which also shows how it miserably fails against "evil" (Light) unless it gets it betrays its ideals (L) If anything, Wataru shoes how a Shounen protagonist would fair against ana actually competent enemy.

[@sludgy4468]

L isn't a hero.

[@Fhd_nf]

Look l understand where you’re coming from saying Near is a valid character for the ideology of the anime but also like you; I just think he’s a dogshit L fanboy character. Very poorly done

[@freddy1264]

In the earlier episodes where Light tells Ryuk about his plans to kill all criminals, I like the part when Ryuk counters Light by saying he'd be the only criminal left, if he were to succeed.

[@chaz200711]

That’s crazy lol. Ryuk was funny lol. He was right tho

[@johnnycage1973]

I don't like how light completely blew it off

[@parkerboy795]

​@@johnnycage1973That's the point of his character. He thought how could he, being one of, if not, the best and smartest hard working students in Japan, possibly be evil? It likely feeds back to his temporary guilt after using the notebook the first 2 times. He knew it was wrong, but decided it was right because he couldn't stomach the idea of being a murderer. It had to be for some higher purpose. He had to be better than his fellow man to make himself and what he did righteous.

[@parkerboy795]

​​@@johnnycage1973That's the point of his character. He can't accept the things he does are evil because in his mind, he's the good guy. A hard working student seen as one of the best of Japan can't possibly be bad. His temporary guilt after his first two victims was quickly dismissed because he had to justify it to live with himself. He saw that he was better than his fellow man. He's justice. Or at least, he would be. He even sums up his view and arguably the story's view of justice after his father died. If Kira is caught he's evil. If he wins, he's justice. In his mind, if he's justice, everything he does is right.

[@CakesWarden]

Matsuda shooting Light in the finale is one of my favorite character moments in all of fiction. Absolutely gut wrenching.

[@alexzero3736]

he did? I dont remember it. Oh, wait, this is not actual final scene. Final scene was Light dying on the stairs.

[@kameronjones7139]

@@alexzero3736 ok he never said it was the final scene......

[@MrGeorgeFlorcus]

Light's biggest advocate, and who gave Kira the greatest benefit of the doubt from the beginning, ultimate the one to take him down. I love Matsuda.

[@austinwithdapen]

@@MrGeorgeFlorcus to add to that, Matsuda was always viewed as somewhat incompetent and wasn’t always taken seriously. For a character of that nature to be the one to inflict damage on a “god” is a bit of poetic justice

[@Al.j.Vasquez]

I would have preferred if Aizawa had stopped Light and not Matsuda, you make a good argument, but Aizawa could have been written with a personal grudge against Light for the way he caused his father's death, which Aizawa highly respected.

[@Sammysapphira]

My ex-cop 75 year old Dad found my death note manga one time and started reading it and enjoyed it. Some truly special magic surrounds death note, it appeals to so many audiences.

[@gilbertoflores7397]

Everyone seems to be fascinated with anti-heros and villains more nowadays.

[@Ghostfacedio]

@@gilbertoflores7397 that’s what happens when you realize that most ain’t heroes or villains are just like you insecure Immature people who got beat down by life. Most of us are slaves to a system that don’t care about us. Most villains are the everyday average joe who tried to be good and life kept knocking them down.

[@Amoreyna]

Sadly, my mom doesn't have any interest in it. But, at 70, I did get her to read Monster in it's entirety which she thoroughly enjoyed.

[@jasonmatt6081]

@@Amoreyna Did she read 20th century boy too?

[@muhammadeyssa23648]

@@Amoreyna Tf is that? Should’ve got hear to watch DN.

[@lukenewton3625]

I think you greatly misunderstood what the anime's version of the end meant. When the flashbacks happened here, they were of the day he walked home with the Death Note and the flashbacks ended when he ran passed a younger version of himself who walked towards the place he just got shot implying that the Death Note had ruined his life. It doesn't in any way say his actions were right but, for a second, it gave the viewer a chance to have pity for this man who could've been someone great.

[@ComparisonWorld0]

👏👏👏

[@MiloKuroshiro]

Could he thought? Light was rotten to the core. He doesn't deserve any pity.

[@Keihzaru]

@@MiloKuroshiro his brief stint as an amnesiac ally of L proves he was a petty morally upstanding man without the corrupting influence of the Death Note, he even refused to take advantage of Misa's feelings for the investigation and plainly expressed to her without leading her on that he didn't feel the same way as her. He pondered wether he would do the same Kira did if he had the powers and was kind of horrified of it.

[@Dylan-vs6sf]

I mean as shown by lost memories Light he could have been. Light without his memories of the death note refused to do quite a bit of morally dubious stuff, such as letting business people die to prove the Yotsaba group had Kira's power or using Misa as a pawn. Thats arguably a large part of the Yotsaba arc, that while Light can see himself doing the things Kira did, he still had his own morals before the death note came into his life

[@MiloKuroshiro]

@@Keihzaru Light amnesiac just proves that he was immature, that's all. He doesn't do these things because he wouldn't get anything from it.

[@lesibalto1016]

What i loved about the part that light had his memories erased is that even in that state he slowly starts thinking if kira's actions are the right actions in his pov. It shows that the death note didnt change light at all, it just showed who he really is

[@rainspectre3153]

Finally, someone else noticed that point. Light never changed one iota, Ryuk just gave him the power to do what he wanted.

[@perrytheplate]

Exactly it’s like the quote, “To judge a man’s true character, give him all the power in the world.” Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.

[@loserye8845]

Not really, light without his memory's is in a high stress situation where a detective keeps accusing him of a crime he "didn't" commit and his own father agreed to shoot him if told to by the detective, he is trying to act as virtuous and as kind as he can, but I do think he disagrees with kira and has only become him out of a need to justify his actions after murdering the first two people, I mean we see him doubt himself and have a meltdown until finally convincing himself he wasn't wrong. Yotsuba light is honestly kind of pitiful if you think about the psychological torture he's going though and how in the manga he barely smiled the entire arc compared to even a single chapter before it

[@destinixshakur]

Yea I felt the same way

[@BattleBrotherCasten]

You gonna tell me a world with less pedos,rapist and murders isnt a better world and killing them in a war of society is evil yall wrong :) Light did nothing wrong.

[@alien4292]

I do really love how Near doesn’t put Kira on a pedestal like L does, to me it feels fitting that Light / Kira was exposed by someone who never considered him an equal or worthy opponent, but someone who could see right through all of the grandiose claims and see Light as little more than a mass murderer with delusions of grandeur. As much as I enjoy L and Light’s constant cat and mouse battling as a climax I do think Near was the perfect character to strip Light down to the rather pathetic and cruel person he actually is

[@thatredhead3613]

I completely agree with you!!

[@amanSpawn00]

Well it’s a bit more than that L & Kira was like two ends of the spectrum, seeing who can out-wit the other, taking nothing away from their opponent and what they may lack So like a battle of intellects Near & Kira Was more cops & robbers vibes Near saw things like L, but through the perspective of a policeman Not being entertained or intrigued by masterminds if they aren’t on his side of the board It’s a unique twist on L’s perspective cuz he’s all about getting all the answers Near only wants the one answer, where you’re locked up

[@therealdude707]

Exactly! Light been defeated by a want to be L (from Light's perspective) is worst way he could have lost. After all we were told early on that humans that use the DN would be miserable.

[@shubhankarsharma9568]

Damn. That's pretty accurate. Couldn't have said better myself.

[@johnnymcjohnson1373]

I really loved how Near completely destroyed Light intellectually at the end

[@kradeiz]

Another problem I had with Part 2 was how complicated it was to keep track of who had which Death Note and which Death Note belonged to who.

[@henriklarsson5221]

Yeah that was a mindfocker.

[@mikek191]

This is true

[@matthewdopler8997]

I also felt that Light was being stupid by bringing more people in when it wasn’t really necessary. Early on he was reluctant because he knew the risks of having more people involved and it is a classic folly of many criminals.

[@samueloak1600]

It was rather easy to follow, in the manga

[@callumrolston]

skill issue

[@TheLastArbiter]

I didn’t interpret the theming that way in the anime. I think the god-like imagery around Light is meant to illustrate how HE sees his actions, not how we are meant to see them. And I think the somber ending (which did include some groveling, just not directly to Ryuk) means to show how he feels as he has been left totally alone with no one even bothering to come find him. He has just enough time to reflect upon what he did with his life and if it was worth it before he dies alone on a cold staircase to no glory and no pity. Nothing.

[@MineReepers]

Preach brother!

[@pnkvemon]

Agreed, and Nicely put

[@Omphalite]

Huh. I guess that's one way to view the anime. I always thought it was just mostly framed from Light's perspective. Never did I think "Ah yeah Light is totally in the right" just because it frames him as some godly figure. I always only interpreted that as Light's own narcissistic and delusional view of himself. As for his death, as I've never read the ending of the manga I can't reasonably compare them, but I think the anime still frames it as pathetic. LIght's screaming and yelling when he's finally exposed, laughing like a deranged maniac has always caused me to almost feel sorry for how absolutely messed up in the head he is to think he's still in the right. And Ryuk's final words for him seemed to me less like a mourning for Light, and more of a final kick in the nuts for him. He even kills him prematurely because "it'd be a pain to wait for him to die" if he's put in prison. Ryuk's words sound less like a mourning for Light and more like a mourning for his own entertainment to me. Maybe I just misinterpreted the anime so hard it came back around to be correct.

[@brettrys1268]

Nah, he 100% misinterpreted the anime to favor a "lol manga better" point of view. Light was never sympathetic in the anime, especially not at the end. Ryuk was always portrayed as someone that was a thrill seeker and the fun for him was watching Light's entire chaotic story. You're correct that he was mourning his own source of entertainment. I never read the manga but came to very similar conclusions Mark did from the manga. I don't understand how you could walk away from the ending of the anime thinking it's framing Light as anything less than pathetic. I like most of Mark's videos and I even liked this one but his interpretation of the anime and especially it's ending is uhhhhhhh something?

[@kyuubinaruto17]

@@brettrys1268 It's about the WAY he died. Anime Light died with some dignity, alone. He escaped because Mikami was still on his side and committed suicide at his distress of his God being taken down. Ryuk's final words were never heard by Light. He sees himself from before his fall into evil, possibly making him feel some regret in his last minutes. Manga Light died in front of everyone. Mikami dismissed him as scum. Ryuk made out like he was going to kill Near and the others, only to coldly tell him the name he was going to write down was Light's. He spends his last 40 seconds terrified, begging for a way out and saying he didn't want to die over and over and over, all ounce of pride forgotten. He dies with eyes wide open. So, yeah, the tone of his death is completely different between the manga and anime. The manga exposes how pathetic and childish he really was. The anime goes for more of a tragic character angle.

[@Kintaku]

I definitely agree with your take. I’m not sure why he took away any positivity about Light from the ending. In the anime, Light is writhing in pain and insulting Matsuda, desperately trying to beg for help by barking orders. It’s pathetic and wipes away ANY thoughts of “maybe Light should win.” Then the Ryuk scene calls back to the beginning and shows how everything Light did was meaningless. Normally I agree with Mark’s interpretation but in this case I think he’s discrediting the anime more than he should.

[@ramonandrajo6348]

@@brettrys1268 Whatever, fanboy. XD

[@TheAlpacalypseIsUponUs]

I had a similar view.

[@Kujakuseki01]

“No. You’re just a serial killer. Nothing more.” When Near says this to Light, it’s really one of the best moments in the series. I quite enjoy the second half and would’ve liked it to sit in some of the scenes longer.

[@jacobwansleeben3364]

As cool as that line sounds in a vacuum, I personally feel like it partly goes against what the series was trying to be.

[@truedarkness4052]

@@jacobwansleeben3364 Why?

[@alexlaney1039]

Same here!

[@jacobwansleeben3364]

@@truedarkness4052 More specifically, I felt like it was just disregarding what Light as a character was supposed to be.

[@truedarkness4052]

@@jacobwansleeben3364 Light is a narcissistic maniac who only cares about enforcing his will onto everyone else. He thinks that only he can make a just and fair world.

[@AFoxInFlames]

I will say that I have never seen someone write in a notebook with so much drama. I'm a writer and I always chuckled whenever he was furiously writing and the anime dramatized it so much. Never thought writing in a notebook could look so cool. Love it.

[@runefaustblack]

I've had midterms like that.

[@Balrog-tf3bg]

Ryuk def helped

[@tristansylvester1079]

I would actually, genuinely, argue ryuk's main thematic purpose is as a stand in for the audience. Always there, egging light on, cheering for L when he pushes light, laughing the entire way like he's watching his favorite drama. Because that's exactly what he's doing, and that's exactly what the Audience are doing. The face he makes during the famous chip scene while watching light murder dozens, while dramatically hiding it (that's a fun oxymoron) is exactly how everyone reacts to that scene. It's a funny scene, why wouldn't we react that way?

[@alexzero3736]

If you was laughing that just means that you fall out of anime atmosphere, it was not meant to be funny.

[@tristansylvester1079]

@@alexzero3736 i would disagree immensely. I think first and foremost death note is a drama, and dramas are well known to infect humor through over exaggeration

[@boianko]

@@alexzero3736 Hard disagree. Someone dramatically waving a potato chip around while he writes in a notebook is such a mundane and kind of goofy thing, that when juxtaposed with the deaths of hundreds of people, it becomes comical. It's absurdist humor.

[@TheGreenTaco999]

@@tristansylvester1079 "Plus, with human drama it's easy to get philosophical and preachy. If you go too far with that the story is no longer interesting. That's why I think it was a really good idea that I avoided all the drama." -Writer of death note death note is not a drama

[@tristansylvester1079]

@TheGreenTaco999 i haven't read the manga, but if the animes intention was to NOT be a drama i think it failed pretty badly at that. The plot reads nearly like an old greek tragedy

[@LightningMcWade]

So it’s a show about potato chips? 🧐🥔

[@azizouamane1996]

The most intense chips ever 😂😂😂

[@Aflay1]

It's about pizza 🍕🤤

[@bearerofbadnews1375]

“I’ll take that potato chip… and eat it!” (Light Yagami).

[@Lunatic89097]

And eating them.

[@koinzellascheriit4282]

More about Apples I would say

[@XavionofThera]

The anime ending hardly did away with Light looking "pathetic" at the end. He still degenerated into delusion, sobbing in a dirty puddle. As for him "getting away", they were distracted by the torrent of blood coming out of Mikami - and he could have gotten lucky and had the bullets hit in places that didn't immobilize him.

[@yaad2545]

I loved the anime ending. Light running with the sad music and then laying lifeless on the staircase didn’t make me want to mourn. Rather it got me to think him and his ideologies. And you remember it’s just a kid who had a childish perception of right and wrong

[@mainogabi1996]

Its easier to just label him as childish than to understand him because it provides you comfort rather than to have your core beliefs challenged. You labelled him childish so you wouldn't feel sympathy. It easier to think you know yourself and others when you label.

[@ThrallFrostwolf7]

How are his beliefs childish? Just because L said so? and projecting your own insecurities to make yourself feel better

[@asmab3456]

i felt more disappointed then sympathy because the way he used his talent for doing bad instead of good was pitiful, Alas he dig deep into it and become arrogant each tym but i bet he regretted it in the end and wished he could have turned time back and stop where he started but it was too late oh well Greed and Arrogance sure r bad for health

[@boianko]

@@mainogabi1996 His methods were extremely childish though. Killing incarcerated criminals does nothing but feed his god complex and perpetuate a culture of fear that will die with him. He made no tangible improvement to the world, he didn't really even attempt it. Everything was in service of his ego, with a thin veneer of "justice" plastered over it.

[@lweaver2988]

@@boianko incarcerating criminals does nothing to help either. Prison hardens them, doesn't rehabilitate. And we're shown that the culture of fear did help more than the supposedly mature system already in place.

[@stefcannon2580]

Death Note is one of the only shows which totally hooked me from the first episode. I loved the cat and mouse tactics between Light and L!

[@Mantosasto]

Reminded me of Columbo :D

[@linusandersson7072]

In light of Light’s immaturity, it’s amusing that he gets taken down by a literal kid. Though Near might no be as compelling as L, I’ll always have a soft spot for him, just because of how clearly he’s able to see through Light, and cut through all of his delusions.

[@jakobos93]

One thing that is crucial about Light’s “morality” is that people take him at face value. They think “actually yes, criminals should be executed on mass and live in fear” and support Light on principle. But there is a huge issue with Light: he doesn’t actually care. Because when people next to him were visibly being harmed or taken advantage of, before he acquired the Death Note, he wasn’t interested in helping. The guy in his class gets his money stolen and he just pretentiously laments about how rotten the world is, but doing nothing to actually change that or even feel sympathy for the victim. Or the girl that got almost raped which he “saved” by killing the first guy with the truck, he didn’t care about her wellbeing. He used her predicament as an experiment. And if it hadn’t worked he would have just walked away. If a person like Light’s dad would have taken hold of the Death Note, someone that actually gets their hands dirty and actively tries to do the right thing and help people, it would have been a far more conflicted story should he tackle with a mass murdering weapon that could potentially help mankind. Also: thank you for pointing out the stupid anime end. I got really pissed back when first watching/reading Death Note, how they turned Light into a tragic martyr-like figure instead of presenting him like the snivelling worm he really was. That was the point, to show that people reveal who they truly are when death comes for them.

[@stanfordlewinson7304]

the bigger thing too he killed a lot of people who were falsely accused

[@damn5274]

Light does care otherwise his crusade for justice wouldn't exist. He's trying to do the right things despite the consequences and he only kills criminals or people interfering with him (who are preventing justice). The crime rate went down after Kira was active so his heroism is present. I really don't understand how people can disagree with Light

[@Aaronrules380]

@@damn5274 Light's a narcissist with a god complex. Killing criminals is just a thinly veiled excuse to create a scenario that can feed his god complex. It was never about justice, it was always about his own ego

[@laurocoman]

He killed Ray Penber, but not before playing with him and tricking him into killing another bunch of officers. He also seemed quite pleased with killing his wife and just HAD to catch L while he was dying just to rub in his face that he had won. Light was always a costume away from being the Joker.

[@damn5274]

@@Aaronrules380 His intention may be to fuel his god complex but that doesn't make what he does bad. People do charity work to make them feel like "good people" but that doesn't discount the charity they did

[@RM-uy3ec]

I think it’s far fetched to say light shouldn’t be a figure to be mourned. During the arc when he temporarily gave up the death note and lost his memories, he showed to be a kind and genuine part of the task force, falling back into corruption once he reclaims them death note. I think it’s absolutely a tragedy of how even the best and brightest can be corrupted by ultimate power, and that in the end was the entertainment in humaninty Ryuk found so interesting

[@幸宏-m7h]

Was he corrupted by power though? I think he's always been like that in the beginning. The Death Note only gave him the means to enact his ideals, perverted as they are.

[@utsuroo]

@@幸宏-m7h nah he was entirely different when he lost his memories. he even questioned himself of what he would do if he had the power to kill

[@cultureandhistorynerd6739]

@@幸宏-m7h There is a chance that that side of Light was there, just buried very deeply within and needed the right trigger to unlock it: in this case, that being the Death Note. However, as was shown in the "amnesia arc", Light was far more moral and empathetic than L (though admittedly Ohba did admit that L was kind of tiny bit bad).

[@hoennfanboy]

Well said

[@Amoreyna]

While Light was capable of empathy during the Yotsuba arc, he was still very self-serving. One of the biggest things we see with him is his complete inability to think that he could possibility be Kira. When he loses his memories in confinement he immediately believes he is being set up. Later, handcuffed to L, he muses over events that only he is aware of (the bus, Misora, etc.) but chooses not to share critical information because it would "complicate" things with L, i.e. incrinimate him. Misa' behavior is disturbing really, he knows they have evidence against her, and he knows he cannot explain her at all in his life, but we never see him ask for help. People like to point out to how he won't use her for the investigation as some part of his moral code when in reality, he was in front of his father and had no feelings towards her while wanting to look good. Light had serious issues before ever picking up the Death Note. He had a superiority complex, may have suffered from depression, saw the world as bad and had no close relationships. We don't get to see this Light fully in the Yotsuba arc, but there are a lot of hints towards it and that his motivations are not about catching Kira but clearing himself because he could not be that. The tragedy of this arc is that he wanted and tried to push L to clear him, to at least say as he is now he isn't a killer but L won't (we even find out later his own father had continual misgivings). This is the only time we see him physically lashing out in anger and it's always directed at L and always over his status as Kira. We fail to see Light be able to make peace with his own involvement so he shuffles the blame off on L. Light is still posturing, he still has a mask, and still, even chained to L and under constant pressure, tries to be the perfect young man. And what's super depressing is that his Kira self knew this, knew that he would never go to L or his father and share what he knew, ask for help, and therefore be in a position to regain the Death Note without an issue.

[@alxalley]

i really like the fact Light was begging for help from Misa and Takada, after all he did was manipulate them for his own gains. +he literally killed takada himself

[@theroyalwraith]

As someone who’s admittedly only seen the anime dub, and never read the manga, I was never under the impression that Light truly believed in what he proclaimed as justice. He says to Ryuk in the first episode that he seeks to change the world because he is bored. He and L are quiet similar in that regard. They don’t care about justice whatsoever. Their worldviews merely set which side of the game they are playing. The difference is that L was perhaps a bit more genuine and honest about it. Although he had some concern for human life, it was secondary to his goal of solving the case. At least L had some fondness for Watari, Near, and Mello, whereas Light was truly evil, and was willing to kill even his own family for his own ends. Light is a liar to his very core, and was even able to trick himself into believing that what he did was righteous. I don’t think it’s fair to say that justice doesn’t exist in Death Note when people like L and Mr.Yagami laid down their lives to catch Kira. Rather, justice is something found within oneself. That is why Light could never be justice; because he as a person is empty. He, as well as many of his supporters, don’t have anything that they value, so they use concepts like justice to their own ends. This is pointed out by Near when the Kira supporters assault the SPK Headquarters. It’s all entertainment for them. While Lights ideology was flawed, and that certainly didn’t help him in the end, he never believed the ideology he espoused anyways. It was his god complex, and his belief that he was above the values of others that brought him down. Had he truly cared for those who supported him, and had he felt anything toward the people who he called friends and family, maybe someone would have been willing to save his life in that warehouse. But how can you expect others to find value in you when you see no value in them? That’s why I think the anime’s ending works well, as Light is forced to confront the fact that he threw away what could have been a great life. He had a family who loved him, and a promising career as a detective ahead of him. He could have followed in his fathers footsteps, and could have truly become a symbol of justice. Instead, he chose to devalue those things in exchange for false ideals and meaningless power.

[@imtoxiq_]

Well like u said u never read the manga and also quite clearly didn’t pay much attention so why even hitch a opinion light clearly wants to uphold justice

[@theroyalwraith]

@@imtoxiq_ Considering that the anime decided to change parts, including such a crucial change as the ending, you could argue that Light’s character is effectively separate from his manga counterpart. But even so, you’re effectively taking Lights words at face value, which seems kinda foolish considering he is a flagrant liar throughout the entire anime. If you want to make the argument that Light is genuine in his beliefs that’s fine, but I think it’s undeniable that he, like L, was motivated by selfishness to some extent.

[@gamerskingdom4897]

I think that light actually undergoes a negative character arc starting careing about justice but becomes an egomaniacal serial killer by the end i think that was the entire point of the yorsaba portion ware he looses his memory and then trys to catch himself

[@bhavya5692]

Also this ending for light juxtaposes that people grow ungrateful for what they have and don't appreciate it , always wanting something more, followed by loosing everything in their pursuit of that greed for more.

[@huntz0r]

Excellent take. I have also only seen the anime, and Mark’s description of the manga ending and part 2 overall leads me to think the anime was an improvement. For the ultimate takeaway of the story to be such a nihilist idea as “there’s no such thing as justice” seems self-defeating. If there’s no such thing as justice then why does it even matter if Light gets defeated? Maybe it would be a practical lesson not to repeat his mistakes, but that doesn’t go far enough to drive home the lesson that *no* *one* should ever presume to mold the world by force into their own vision of what is good. It would maybe just suggest that you need a Really Good Person to use the Note, and then the outcome could be positive (that’s what every true believer in communism thinks, anyway - if you just let them try one more time, they could make it work). I think in this way Death Note can be understood as a Christian story, whether or not it’s intended to be. The Note functions exactly like Sauron’s Ring, it is the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. There is no correct way to use Sauron’s Ring or the Death Note, and only pride would make you believe you can take hold of it and use it to make the world a better place. We should also understand that Light is neither a basically good person who was corrupted due to pure bad luck of finding the Note, *or* a basically bad person even before the Note who was then able to grow into his fullness as a bad person. Rather, we need to understand that *we* are *all* Light, and are totally capable of becoming that kind of monster if we simply follow our own pride. After all, hating a person and actually murdering them are the same sin, the only difference is scale. You murder that person in your heart because that’s where you can get away with it. If you knew you could get away with it in reality, it would only be a small step further to do it there.

[@DishyLemon]

At this point there's been probably a hundred video essays on this series, but I've never seen this angle. Identifying how the culture and history of Japan contributed to the series was a big eye opener, and really set this apart from the others. Thanks Mark.

[@johnnymcjohnson1373]

I only watched the anime and personally actually saw Light’s death as super pathetic, him trying to run even though there he’s already as good as dead and was very satisfied with his defeat

[@oralyon]

I kind of interpreted Light running past himself at the end of the anime as the anime highlighting the fact that Light never cared about anyone but himself. In that scen, his past self is shown walking reading a book, not paying attention to anything or anyone around him.

[@EmpyreanFalling]

Ooh yeah like that Light never had the foresight to see who he was becoming.

[@French.Toast.5]

This was such a genuine and critical take on the series with nuances to your review Mark that have not yet been seen on this platform even 16 years after the series’ debut. Great video man keep it up! Good job to your editor as well!

[@TairiqueTuray]

Bro… Totally Not Mark’s BEEEEN doing this 🔥 this must be your first video 🤧

[@thatjacoblaye]

@@TairiqueTuray I think he was talking about Death Note the series and not Mark. I don't believe Mark's been on KZbin for 16 years

[@slevinchannel7589]

@@thatjacoblaye Hope everyone has seen HxH too? Not just Death Note?

[@French.Toast.5]

@@TairiqueTuray yeah I was talking about Death Note, been a fan of his for a few years now haha

[@TairiqueTuray]

@@thatjacoblaye I know what he meant g. I meant that Mark had been making reviews this great for a long time.

[@lessthanthreemetal]

Light is just a kid with a magnifying glass on an anthill that eventually gets blinded.

[@BritBox777]

I like this video, but I feel Mark got a weird impression of the anime most people don't have. It never frames Light as justified or good. In fact, the added 'escape' in the finale hammers in even more of Light's decline as a broken youth than the manga does. Also, even back in 2007 reading the manga, the epilogue felt pointless. While closure for the cops is nice it tried to frame Near as a dangerous character to have the Death Note, but never went anywhere. Even the spinoff chapters drop this idea completely. The anime closing shot was much stronger. I mentioned this is another post but, if you want to see the creators raging against Shounen Jump for messing with their intended ending (which they later used in the movies) watch Bakuman. It's a self insert story about a manga creating duo, and the finale is a metaphor for how they fought with SJ over Death Note.

[@0irukalive1]

I don’t know about the “most people don’t have” side. Light Yagami is still very much liked by both character charisma and his ideas the way they were presented in the anime. My 19 year old daughter loves Light and has a lot love for his character on the anime and never felt like rooting for L, she read the manga many years after watching the anime and has said many times over she loved his portrayal on the anime the most.

[@gilbertoflores7397]

I think this might be a response to people somehow blaming anime as some Edgelord fodder, and how some people might interpret it as, "Light did nothing wrong".

[@The_Lemon_27]

I thought the same. Mark might be projecting his distaste for the mass misinterpretation of Light’s immorality on the anime because that’s the version that people got confused on.

[@wanded]

the issue here is nuance, the anime didn't portray light as justified or good but it did portray him as more attractive (not saying "better" on purpose), the real question is whether that change made the show better or worse, the answer to that is a matter of taste, unless we go by peoples overall ranking, to which we need to compare with an alternate universe that adapted the manga 1to1. light is a charismatic "bad boy" bishonen which is easy bait for girls to love, his ideology and conduct is easy bait for edgelord boys to love, without an alternate universe we can't really see if the change in light had any real effect on the amount of love he got, i don't think 1 scene of him squirming is really enough for most light lovers to convert. also there is conflation of thinking lights overall ideology is correct with liking light, there are people who think his opinion was correct while hating light himself.

[@BritBox777]

@@wanded I can agree to this. The nuance of his death is changed moreso than any actual facts or plot significance of it, and I personally feel the symbolism of his death in the anime is superior to his gross demise in the manga, though I appreciate the meaning behind both. I think you're right that peoples opinions on Light's ideology will change their feelings, but it didn't for me. In fact I recently turned around on my opinion of Kira's importance in the world when I watched the Film Theory "how many did kira kill?" video. In both cases I still like the anime ending more as a pure matter of taste.

[@Ra3_ar1adnE]

Since Netflix is making another live action death note...again. I'd like them to actually create a new set of compelling characters that got their hands on the book with new shinigamis in a better written narrative. Cause the whole Light vs L and Near thing has been done to death in all sorts of media. If they're gonna do that story again then I might as well read the manga and watch the anime instead since those are far more superior. Just bring something new to the lore.

[@Comicbroe405]

Agreed! There's actually potential to expand this world in creative ways. I have some hope cuz the creatives behind the new show look good but then there's also Netflix...

[@justsomeguywhocommentsonev4741]

Maybe there's some hope since it's the Duffer Brothers that are doing it... but it could still easily suck.

[@Madara8989]

> Cause the whole Light vs L and Near thing has been done to death in all sorts of media. Maybe, but as with all adaptations, until it's done 1:1 that doesn't deviate from the original creator's vision even the slightest, then there will always be demand to revisit and retell the same story. Half the problems these adaptations face are a direct result of the screenwriter, producer, and/or director deciding to take creative liberties with the original work, often completely missing the underlying point the author was trying to get across and bastardizing the story and characters as a result. One can argue that it's impossible to cram a full 25-50 episode show into a single 90min movie, and that's absolutely true, which should lead to the logical conclusion that you shouldn't even try. If you're trying to adapt a full season of a show into a movie, you have to cut that narrative into 2-3 movies to cover it all without running the risk of removing all of the "Chekhov's Guns" (background details that intentionally seem inconsequential at first only to be revealed to hold some level of importance long after the reader/viewer forgot about it) that the author was seeding into the story over the years.

[@Omphalite]

I don't care if it's new Shinigami or not. It could still be Ryuk for all I care. Ryuk is just an idea after all. He's almost like a stand-in for the audience to an extent in the way that the entire plot happens only for his own entertainment. But I do think new characters is a great idea. In the same way the pilot used a cast of characters completely unrelated in both motive and theme to the main series, I think the Death Note is just an amazingly good device for character explorations on its own. Just asking what a character would do if they had the notebook is a good enough question to build a show around.

[@TyD3e]

Bruh the first live action was awful yes but to say that the manga and anime are far superior to an unreleased series is the most closed mined simpleton take you can make congrats 👏

[@lvl99weavile23]

I’ve been on an obsessive deathnote binge over the last couple of months and I’ve seen many videos summarizing, diving deep dissecting the work. I expected this to be on par with all of that but it was a completely different view that I wasn’t expecting at all. Thank you for the video, very well made!

[@dragoon1090]

So I have a funny story about death note. Back when the manga was first coming out I was an edgy teenager. I had brought the manga to school and had it on my desk. The teacher was walking around being nosy and started looking at it. She saw the instructions page and I was sent to the principal's office. I was then suspended for 2 weeks because "they couldn't take any chances" whatever that means and my parents damn near died laughing. I will forever associate death Note with those stupid stupid people.

[@Python-xs2iv]

Dude get bullied Your school: We sleep You read a bit of manga Your school: REAL SHIT

[@jerrywheyland7324]

A two week suspension would certainly have erased your murderous aspirations if they had been real xD

[@Python-xs2iv]

@@jerrywheyland7324 That's a good point lol

[@zonefreakman]

That's one of the funniest stories I've heard in awhile. Did they have no brains to look up the manga and see that it's simply a comic that's sold all over the world for everyone to read?

[@noahdoney]

I think the anime's ending scene isn't meant to be interpreted as "Kira is dying and deserves to be mourned", it's "Light Yagami is dying, and should be mourned." Kira was a murderous psychopath with barely any redeeming qualities, but as we saw when the memories of Kira were lost, Light (though still a bit of an ass) was a good person whose skills and demeanor could have brought a lot of good to the world and the people around him. And this is something I think that, in the ending of the anime, Light himself probably realized. During the ending scene as Light is running towards the factory, it's a bit hard to hear under his general exhaustion, but he's sobbing on the verge of tears as he passes by visions of who he was before he found the death note. His life is flashing before his eyes in a way, but I think it's more accurate to say that, after his life and beliefs are shattered, he's imagining what his life could have been if he had never found the death note, and dies full of grief and regret.

[@stef511]

Seeing Light regret his past decisions, wondering what his life would have been like had he not found the death note, his life flashing before his eyes, is, in my opinion, another indication of how childish and self absorbed he truly was. Not once did he regret his actions or feel any remorse, until he finally lost. He thought of himself as a god, but when he was faced with defeat, all that went away. In contrast to Mark's point in the video, I believe that the finale conveys Light as pathetic perfectly

[@iAmCalypso33]

@@stef511 Often people don't realize the magnitude of their mistakes until they're forced to. Light made bad decisions as we all do. He became a monster as we're all capable of. He realized his mistakes when it was too late to fix and atone. Light's just a misguided human.

[@nivnavion]

I wholeheartedly disagree but of course it is an opinion that is respectable, as Abraham Lincoln once said: ​ “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power,” Light wasn’t Kira, Kira was L, but locked deep inside due to the fortifications of societal expectations. The death note simply allowed him to do what he wanted, a catalyst if you will.

[@ketsunoAna123]

no,light was never a good person,in fact the most ironic thing is the "good person" u are looking for is none other than his father,who is COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE OF HIM,how? well simple. -light going "I AM GOD,I AM THE CHOOSEN ONE,I AM THE ONE WHO WILL CORRECT THE WORLD,KILL WHO ARE NOT WORTHY AND LEAD IT AS A GOD" yeah this is not a good person -meanwhile his father,kira is evil,murder is bad whether its criminal or not,because u can't just judge them blindly,u cant judge ppl evil instantly and he also sacrifice his own life for the greater good,refuse to commit murder if its not right,now this is what a good person is.

[@JoannaFalkowska]

Regret? His only regret was that he didn't get away with it. He never once thought about all the people he killed as *people*, and regret hurting them. He only ever feels pity for himself and noone else.

[@yourcollegedebt8384]

Honestly, I like the fact that there's two different endings between anime and manga. It allows the audience to decide whichever one they like more. There's the tragic end of a self-entitled "hero" that could have done so much good but fell down a dark path, as seen in the anime. And there's the pathetic end of a loud child who claimed to be a god and was struck down by his own hubris, shown in the manga. So which would I rather pick, the tragic end of a youth with potential, or the pathetic end of a sniveling child? I'd say the former.

[@Takeshi_Fujiwara]

I remember hearing while I was in high school about schools banning the manga because it "promoted bullying and harassment" while kids were getting suspended for writing "Death Note" on their notebooks.

[@slevinchannel7589]

Hope everyone has seen HxH too? Not just Death Note?

[@GideonMadu]

I found the real-life historical context (Japan's recession of the '90s, The Lost Generation and the cult) to be more intriguing than the other parts of the video, mainly due to the parallels those two seem to share, and how influential it ended up being for Death Note.

[@fuzzipink]

What I can’t get over is… Misa gave up half of her life span twice, then Rem sacrificed herself which in turns, lengthened her life span, only for Misa to die in her early 20’s… I thought Gelus and Rem would have been able to provide her more years of life to be able to cushion the blow from her giving up her life spans twice. It just made me think how old these shimigamis were to begin with. (Sorry for bad English)

[@Dhips.]

It's implied Misa took her own life, and I assumed it was not long after the end of the last episode. It stands to reason suicide is accounted for the same way murder is for a humans time, but we're never made privy to how long a person has. The times we see with the eyes are not in in earths time format.

[@samueloak1600]

Misa didn't die

[@valenstein3425]

Misa didn’t die in the manga

[@Champsr0ck2247]

@@Dhips. Misa committing suicide would imply that her time ran out anyway, they never stated how someone using the Shinigami Eyes would die, just that it shortens their lifespan.

[@baggyjeans127]

@@valenstein3425thats in the manga, the anime is clearly different

[@jacksongraham2212]

Honestly glad that pointed out how clearly the manga calls out Light’s evil. It never really made any sense to me as to why we should root for him; as by all accounts he’s a mass murder who’s solution for the world is absolutely wrong and incapable of working effectively both in the short time and especially the long term. As well as the very existence of the Police task force, which contains some of the most morally good characters in the series. It really does feel that the cat-and-mouse game between L and Kira is what’s important to the story and not a moral issue; which honestly better for the story as a whole. Thank you for putting your feelings on the story out there; this is probably the best critical analyze of Death Note that out there and I’m all for it.

[@tyrantravealpha]

I can understand your point and I do agree. But for the sake of discussion as well, is that not the point of fiction? We're given a fiction that is rooted enough in reality that it is almost immediately believable. The fantasy of course comes from the shinigami and the titular Death Note. Now obviously we would never route for a mass murderer. But given that we are given this cat and mouse game, we are given the initial perspective from the villain's from the get go. Light is interesting (IMHO) because he is an ordinary (albeit exceptional by society standards) discovering something supernatural and falling victim to his own curiosity. But because he becomes such a schemer, to see him fall into his own hype and madness makes him fun to follow and to an extent, to root for because you want to see how far he'll go. What gimmicks and tactics will he use to escape? What will happen to him if he gets caught? Can he escape from those who are constantly on his heels? That's what makes him fun to root for. Light's self righteousness and wit are what make us like him as a villain.

[@N.N01]

It's fiction. You root for who's the most interesting, not who aligns with your worldview. The moral argument is rarely brought up in the anime, and it's almost always clear Light is in the wrong.

[@tyrantravealpha]

@@makingadjustments Quick point I wish to make (not to defend myself, because you are absolutely right) I made this comment before finishing the video. Light is kind of like what the director of Joker stated the mission of his movie was: "He is to be understood, but not romanticized". Part of what spawns how you follow Light so easily is because of how well done the manga/anime is done. I experienced the first three episodes of the anime first and I was HOOKED. That kind of fervor and need for entertainment really fueled my following of Light for the show. But ultimately, Light is a murderer, and as such he is to be condemned. Thanks for a civil conversation.

[@georgec9384]

@@N.N01 it’s clear they’re all fucked up. Near makes the other fake copy cat commit suicide when he calls em that. A pathetic copy cat that he couldn’t care less about. He’s fine letting killers roam if it doesn’t interest him personally. Same with L who broke several human rights laws.

[@minespatch]

I rooted for Ryuk. :P

[@tsg_frank]

The whole sequence connecting the background of Japan's Lost Generation and the Terrorist Cult of that time with the ideals of Light and other characters in the manga, was really great, it does put into perspective a lot of the Manga's themes. I think that the Anime, although downplaying certain aspects of Light's villainous nature, doesn't completely undermine what the Manga was saying about Light, the Anime still shows all the faults and nefarious deeds he commits, i mean you're not gonna feel much sympathy after he makes the widow of the man he killed commit suicide while taunting her, but what the ending in the anime shows is the fact that Light's action ruined his life, he was young and had a lot of potential, he could have done actual good for society buy chose to give it all up, while he's fleeing in futility showing that fear for his own demise, ending up dying in the middle of a staircase while seeing a vision of L, showing how he despite everything, he lost and L, through the actions of Near and Mellow has prevailed. More than any justification or sympathy, it makes you feel pity and shows just how delusional Light was for thinking he was above everything and everyone as he was defeated and died by the same power he used to judge others. Of course the Manga has no pity, and makes a bigger point in showing how pathetic Light really was as a person, but the Anime doesn't remove that really, and it's use of Judeo-Christian aesthetics is mostly there to prop up Light's own God Complex (and let's be honest is hugely responsible for the Anime's enjoyability, the soundtrack is stellar.)

[@MohammedAl-Fuqaha]

Thank you so much for posting this comment, this is exactly what I was looking for!

[@kenm.a.d.7196]

I think that’s a major misunderstanding of the anime ending. Like, really big. The endings seems to be reinforcing Light’s pathetic mess of an ending in a more visually satisfying way. He’s forced to run away and look back on the life he screwed up due to his own ego. He was never supposed to win or be right, he was a fool who gave into his desires and had to slowly reflect on how he lost everything because of it

[@DrTimes99]

I only watched the anime and never read the manga. I never felt like Light was being portrayed as a good guy or even sympathetic. The religious imaginary is used to reflect how Light wants the world to see him, as a god. His in story actions create a cult of "believers" dedicated to him, highlighted by Misa. That's why the shot of him floating with the angel behind him is shown after he reaches his hand out to Misa in the rain. It is how she sees him. Furthermore, the representation of Light and Ryuk in Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" makes absolute sense. In the original, God is a perfect being, bestowing life unto his creation made in his image. An image that we know will fall short of the divine it is derived from, aspiring to be more than what he was created to be. Ryuk is an entity of death, not evil, just death. He bestows upon Light the Note, in a sense creating a "being in his own image", a being with the ability to cause death indiscriminately. Ultimately Light falls short of idealized entity of death. He instead attempts to use his ability to shape the world to his own design and achieve more than a man is, godhood.

[@DaGoof120]

Wow. Years ago, when I first watched this show, I cried at Light’s death. For a while, too. Now thanks to this video I understand exactly why I felt that way back then. Like you said, due to how the anime portrayed him. I think I’ll read the manga soon for the first time, it’ll be very interesting to do so now that I know about the major differences between it and the anime.

[@bigbuddhamech]

Wonderful essay. I think the anime did try to lessen the Mangas portrayal for the ending but didn't realize how different they were. Also, when you explained that every retelling of the series has made light more and more to be some kind of hero thanks to a key misunderstanding of hus character instead of the psychopath we're on a ride along with is so spot on. Love these types of videos, keep at it!

[@Okkotsu86275]

L still stands has one of the most intriguing and interesting I've seen in any series. A true charismatic enigma.

[@nelisezpasce]

what did he mean by this

[@BritBox777]

About why part 2 happened; The creators also made Bakuman, a series about manga artists, and their finale involved a popular manga about Death Gods being artificially prolonged by Shounen Jump (who are called out by name in the show) trying to force a second arch on it. Bakuman concludes with the authors refusing and finishing the story at the climax of the light and dark character's final battle, just as they intended. This was their very meta protest to what SJ pushed on them for Death Note.

[@user-ef8bf5xk9b]

So I'm not the only one who thought this... - If it's true, it kinda makes me feel a little bit less bitter about the fkup part 2 was...

[@The_Lemon_27]

Really? Huh. Before watching this video, I thought it was too hammer in the point that you shouldn’t sympathize with Light. Otherwise why force an ending where Light is defeated, when his ideology is obviously wrong from the start? Then this video makes it seem like the manga was always intended to have this second half, but I’m totally baffled as to how Mark reached that conclusion. The fact that the actual reason for lengthening the series is just because Jump wanted them to print more volumes is so… ordinary, compared to the theories out there.

[@tsg_frank]

@@The_Lemon_27 I mean, it's more likely that Jump did force them to lengthen it and then they had to make work with everything else, but the ending climax was probably still what they wanted to finish with.

[@wanded]

@@The_Lemon_27 content creators have to make stuff up for new videos, otherwise they are no longer content creators, always have that in mind when watching them

[@KB-fk3jj]

I remember reading Bakuman, had no idea it was from the same writers

[@Jam-og1km]

I always knew part 2 was less beloved than part 1, but I didn't realise people hated it so much. I've just finished reading through it and I REALLY enjoyed it.

[@emptyptr9401]

My initial thoughts: I think Death Note really is a show about two egos who hide their thirst to proof themselves as better (Or just generally the best) behind the pretext of their respective justice systems. The show sells itself as one about justice because the two main characters sell themselves as being about justice, when i reality, justice doesn't really matter for either of them.

[@copium-compound22]

Thats exactly whats it about the manga goes deeper in this. But even lights speech to the task force about how it doesn't matter who is evil or not proves this.

[@ketsunoAna123]

nah there is a clear difference,the similar thing about L and light is clear,they are genius,childish,hate lose,but L is actually a detective who care about justice,even justice itself is not really the thing but L is aware of things,have EMPATHY,while Light lack all of it.

[@emptyptr9401]

@@ketsunoAna123 Yes but that doesn't contradict my take/interpretation... Firstly, L also istn't an apostle and has done his fair share of questionable things, with whether they are justifiable being a different question of course. But even if he has more of a moral code than Light, that doesn't mean that at the end of the day, both for L and for Light, its about proving themselves...

[@EngineScypex]

@@ketsunoAna123 L cares about justice? Sorry, couldn't see any of that among all the crimes he did commit / ordered to commit. When did he had empathy with Misa, he did order to kidnap and tortured over a course of 2 month? Yes, she was in fact Kira II, but he never had any hard evidence for it. Or her previous manager he ordered to frame?

[@Ash_Wen-li]

Seeing this really makes me want to see Mark cover Monster

[@SamTheGumMan117]

Plz that'd be a godsend review

[@asilva4956]

I don't think the anime makes Light any sympathetic. If anything, it reinforces the fact that Light sees himself as a god.

[@cww2490]

Murders in tribute of death note? Never knew. And the creators next work Bakunan there was a mini plot where a criminal used the idea of the protagonist manga to rob a bank, and this caused them to question their work and dealt mental damage to them. Was that a response to real crimes attributing Death Note.

[@RedFrog_]

100%. The crimes in Bakuman are meant to be about several copycat crimes committed by people who watched/read Death Note.

[@AD-zp4pd]

I do definitely think light is portrayed as a villain in the manga, even more so than the anime, however I do still think both versions do a great job at showcases the themes of morality being subjective without a true right or wrong. like how at first the show says that light can neither go to heaven or hell, only at the end to reveal that all humans actually go the same place when they die, there is no heaven or hell. And I love Near's quote in the manga "Nobody can tell what is right and what is wrong; what is righteous and what is evil. Even if there is a god and I had his teachings right before me, I would think it through and decide if that was right or wrong myself" I don't hate that light is made more sympathetic in the anime, even though I wanted him to lose soooooo bad, we followed light's story for almost 40 episodes. He was a villain I loved to hate, and even if part 2 was not as good, ryuk is right. It was a LOT of fun! light slowly bleeding out as he watches his life flash before his eyes, its dramatic and a total deviation, but It makes me sad, I don't forgive light, but I think its an emotional sequence that still portrays the tragedy and pathetic nature we sometimes face at deaths door

[@zanowin]

11:34 real question. After the task force touched the Death Note, and could see Ryuk. Could they watch the servaience video and see Ryuk looking for the cameras?

[@ANunes06]

It would have been *bad* but the natural ending of this story is Light saying "Go ahead and try. Put me on trial. Do you really think the LAW still matters? Let's find out what the world thinks of what I've been doing. Together." And then having a huge procedural trial arc where they not only try to prove that he was killing people with a notebook, but also that he should be punished for it. In theory, he's been at it long enough that the majority of the remaining people would actually appreciate what Light/Kira was doing. Roll them bones.

[@alexzero3736]

It wont work. Official judge cant claim that you are killed people with Notebook, it is just NOTEBOOK. All deaths timing and other evidence L got is circumstantial and could be thrown away like it just a coincidence. Only L himself could do that as part of group with exclusive rights like FBI or InterPole. Actually the best chance to catch Kira with correct evidence was Misora Naomi arc.

[@iamthewizardwhoknocks2845]

👍

[@noirekuroraigami2270]

@@iamthewizardwhoknocks2845 he admitted to it at the end, confessing to police is a confession none the less, also Japanese law isn't like US Law. If you get caught, you are going to jail

[@joltx9909]

I personally liked part 2 of the series. I think its captivating how both near or mello arent equal to L, but together - with each of them using different methods - create an even greater whole. and the fact that L's dreams and ambitions were carried out by people who were inspired by him really speaks to me. truly underrated in my eyes

[@JustN1Shott]

Nah

[@kasslounds]

I like it too everyone has their own opinion

[@ThugOG30VIPs3rd-T]

Honestly preeeach

[@Machiavelli2pc]

@@JustN1Shott yah

[@jessetheanimenerd3304]

@@JustN1Shott Got any valid points to make besides nah?

[@Nickfdz95]

Amazing video, the fact that you even explained the lost generation of Japan is outstanding. Bravo my friend.

[@Aflay1]

I like to think of Death Note as the spiritual successor to Batman, and a sheer twist of it. It's still the Batman vs Joker dynamic, but with bizarre characteristics switched around. Joker is the detective. Batman is a serial murderer. The hero is the villain, the antagonist is the good guy. It's the same or similar dynamic and tension as Batman and Joker, yet completely original.

[@someromaboo]

I find this analysis of Death Note very interesting even if I do disagree with some of its points and to me it comes down to how it hinges on the idea that the Death Note manga, as it is, is solely the vision of the Ooba and Obata duo. That is simply not the case, it is notorious that they intended for the series to end with the death of L, even making a reference to it in their next series Bakuman. And for a reason, it fits its identity as a counter culture, Sherlock dies Moriarty wins end credits. But the wild popularity of the manga and the ending made it so that they were pressured to continue. Even better as a critique of Japanese society since the ideal product of it, Light, is a megalomaniacal serial murderer with a God complex on its way to up-end the world order. I kinda wants to think that the framing of Light as dark messiah in the anime is meant to be ironic, could be false, in fact it definitely becomes false as the anime goes on, but at least in the beginning with how they insist on his insanity I like to think it true. Especially since the Judeo-Christian framing exist only when Light is alone, it clearly represents how Light sees himself and would be consistent with the overall exaggerated tone of the anime. I have to however admit that it definitely muddled the original message of the manga. But hey I watched the anime first and I still from the very beginning saw Light's quest for what it was, bullshit, a vain attempt to enforce his will upon the world regardless of what everyone else' thoughts were, fueled by vanity. In the same way that L tries to stop Kira not out of a desire for justice but because he is an interesting challenge and it's his job. I do agree that Death Note isn't about justice, it's a deadly game of Cat and mouse between two selfish individuals willing to sacrifice anything to win. To me both Light and L are terrible people but only one of them is "lucky" enough to be able to work within the framing of society, and loosely at best. The whole thing rendering justice and society at large a meaningless joke. Which is probably why I never really enjoyed or lauded Death Note as much as everybody else. Nihilism for the sake of it never really appealed to me, I find it childish especially when its final message is either some depressive rant about the meaninglessness of everything or a wishy washy "life goes on so be happy". The latter being a message that fundamentally doesn't even need nihilism to function.

[@sheldonfredericks8034]

Agree 💯

[@BadAssMacmillan]

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. It's the best example of a "bingeable show". 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.

[@Nikko231]

Same

[@TuPham-fq6ix]

"While it's not perfect, i can't really imagine a better way for Death Note to end". This was exactly how i felt after L's dead till the end of the story. Light's ideology can not win, but there is no one better to stop it than L. I literally can not imagine an ending that would satisfied me, but I think it was meant to be like that, because absolute justice doesn't exist.

[@gilbertoflores7397]

It was told in the beginning that Ryuk was going to kill Light, so L was never going to win in the end. Light was going to lose to ryuk the entire time.

[@RetepAdam]

They took an L when they took L.

[@00Clank]

I love Brad Swaile’s performance as Light, wish the show hadn’t trimmed the 2nd half, altered the ending and cut the epilogue. I have not read the manga and didn’t know there were that many differences.

[@SWProductions100]

For me, a huge shoutout goes to Cathy Weseluck as Near.

[@vampnico]

I always thought that Light's name was a biblical reference as well. Lucifer means "light-bearer" or "the bringer of light"

[@madeby.zackkattack]

Very interesting take, particularly with the real life context of Japanese society that you mentioned. I never considered that. Also, I never read the manga so I never knew how the ending was delivered in comparison to the anime.

[@BritBox777]

Marks' take is a bit weird. The death of Light is pretty much identical (despite what this video says he DOES become desperate and call for everyone else to die but him) and they added L to the scene. The epilogue in the manga is rather pointless and gets retconned in the spin off chapters later. They frame that maybe Near is using the Death Note to kill people and win, but it never goes anywhere. So the anime dropped it.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

@@BritBox777 How is it almost identical? It frames completely differently. They let anime Light die with dignity. Mikami still supports him, sacrificing himself because of the trauma of his God being taken down. He dies "peacefully" alone with a vision of L, escaping one last time and being portrayed as a fallen hero with how it shows him seeing a vision of himself from before getting the Death Note. Manga Light dies with absolutely no dignity, spending his last 40 seconds just begging not to die and looking absolutely pathetic. Even Mikami turns on him and dismisses him as just scum. The epilogue was mainly meant to show that despite Kira being evil some people did benefit off of his killing spree. Matsuda postulates that Near used the Death Note to kill Mikami. While even the author says to make your own conclusion he also said that he dislikes Near because he "cheats." I found it suspicious how Mikami literally does nothing after getting caught. He spends all that time in the gym working out, and just sits there quietly like a good boy rather than making a scene to create an opening for Light to act.

[@SunderlandAlexis]

@@BritBox777 No they're not identical? The chain of events may be similar but the tone is far different and that alone makes a big difference. In the anime, Ryuk is watching from afar fondly reminiscing about his time with Light before writing his name. In the Manga though, Ryuk is right there in the warehouse telling Light to his face that he's gonna kill him because he lost, all the while Light is just begging and yelling that he doesn't want to die. And then there's Mikami, who fucking kills himself in the anime so Light can escape and have those anime-only scenes, instead of rejecting Light like Mark pointed out.

[@LamarlovesJesus]

Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again put your faith in Christ …

[@DarkAtamis]

I just have one question after watching this that is still unanswered. If the point is justice isn't real and only this life matters why stop Light? Why kill him, if in deed justice is not real then him killing people shouldn't matter. To me the whole ending seems to smack of hypocrisy. As in killing killers is bad, except when we do it.

[@wanded]

they didn't want to kill him they wanted to arrest him, they ended up killing him in self defense because pulled a piece of the death note. but the same point you make can be said about arresting him, there is indeed hypocrisy there. without god, morality is subjective.

[@buntado6]

@@wanded Because the dead can't come back to life, it's the only sentence that can't be reversed or compensated in case of being wrongfully framed by something you didn't do. It's an absolute form of justice, but since justice can't objectively be right, a sentence should never be that definitive. Besides, a world that inherits Kira's way is essentially what current dictatorships do, to kill any problematic citizen for the sake of the "common state of wellbeing". No evil person in the world actually yells "muahaha bow before me peasants" in television, they only say what Kira says.

[@wanded]

@@buntado6 that all has nothing to do with what Near said, you're making a case against the death penalty in general not kira, Near said kira is wrong because he is subjective, but everyone is subjective so that can't really be an argument or is there a continuation in which Near takes down the government for having the death penalty? that's the only way Near can be consistent. he works with the fbi who kills criminals, are they "just murderers" too?

[@jignaio5762]

I can't help but agree with you. If there is no objective justice or moral duties, why should Kira be stopped at all? In fact, there are no objective should's or ought's in this scenario, and all you're left with to put yourself in motion and justify the pursuit for Kira is that you just want to. But then again, not wanting to pursue him is just as legitimate; it makes no moral difference what option you pick, objectively speaking. It sounds like a poor attempt to give some meaning to life choices that are objectively meaningless.

[@yurishaa.9337]

This needs to be pinned and I will post about the objectives in my opinion in the main reply if any of you want to look for the full version. Just search my name in this page/go to the sort button for the newest comments. In short, the objective 38:22 is to eradicate the criminals 37:50 who didn't negate the following logic: One has no rights to harm whoever who don't cause/keep whatever harmful/disadvantageous for no responsible reason in any way

[@Vaksharules1999]

The ending didn't leave me with a feeling of "Light should be mourned," but more that, in spite of all his beliefs in his own grandeur, he was just another human being. He dies alone, desperately running away like a wounded animal with no plan or destination, until he collapses and then dies of a heart attack. Ultimately the manga's ending is, in my opinion, a more satisfying end. Light begging for his life is the catharsis the whole manga has been building towards, but I have to say I don't agree that the anime ending says Light should be mourned. It's a shame that a person with all the promise and opportunities in the world turned out the way he did, but Light made his decisions and followed the path he chose to walk. For that, he dies an undignified, unceremonious, and lonesome death, the death he earned.

[@belleville1805]

Let's face that Light was never about killing "bad people" but beeing reconized as a God. He use this to excuse himeelf and manipulate his fans.

[@DM-Oz]

I would take a step furthdr and saying that is about s youngmen not knowing how to cope with having killed people, so he had to twist it in a way that he was in the right

[@Icemanz666]

I think the anime ending does justice to the theme of the manga ending.. seeing Light so helpless, miserable on the floor and desperate asking for someone to save him conveys the same kind of a gut punch.

[@smartfellai5t]

13:10 the notebook kills after 40 seconds with a heart attack because the death is not specified, the user has 6 minutes and 40 seconds to write the cause of death if they wish

[@JemtheRockJohnson]

I've always thought that one way they could have killed L but still had their back and forth dynamic is to have Light start imagining he was there in moments. Lemme explain: There's a scene that was cut out of later versions of the anime where everyone attends L's funeral, and after the others leave, Light starts rubbing in his victory by quite literally dancing on his grave. He has this sudden shift in demeanor once he finishes though and starts looking around, as if he expected L to jump from out of a bush and say "Gotcha!" It could signify Light's paranoia after having to deal with L for so long. During the timeskip it could be made that Light has been slightly on edge for a while despite everything going his way, that he almost expects L to appear again and when Near shows up this gets ramped up. What I'm thinking is like how Ryuk kinda acts as this spectator watching the show, Light could be imagining an L that knows he's Kira and is like bantering with him in key moments. Obviously it wouldn't be L actually but Light's interpretation of him, but nonetheless could act kinda like an L forced into the role of a spectator giving his own thoughts and feedback (AKA what Light would imagine L to say in those moments). That way you still have L there in a sense bantering with Light but not actually able to do anything

[@rannynihilius8481]

That is actually maybe the greatest possible story add-on from a fan i've ever heard of in my opinion. Even tho i like Part 2 quiet a lot i think most of the scenes at Light's place or the taskforce headquarters have a pretty boring undertone and having L as a "ghost from the past" show up would wildly enhance the scenes but leave the writer to juggle with an even more loaded narrative at times leaving me to think that this relationship should have really forced the author to expand the running time of certain scenes or adding some. Ideas like Light's date with Takada having a horrifying twist when L crawls out of a closet after Light revealed himself to her come to mind. This Joker-Batman Arkahm Knight like relationship would really fit in the second part with Light's slow decent into psychological instabillity making him easier to lash out at others. The only problem that i would see is the narrative benefit for the story Ohba wanted to tell as Near's logical deconstruction of Light's god narrative wouldn't be the shocking realitycheck for the Kira sympathysing audience members but maybe having L take slight jabs at Light would actually benefit the story?

[@Sant323]

I like this idea, like what they did with the Batman Arkham games where Joker died but now is in Batman Psyche constantly playing devil's advocate and commenting on Batman and his actions even though he already died. How Batman would assume Joker would behave because of how long they've been at it with each other.

[@heyitsmax_]

Once again floored by the quality of your work. From script, to delivery, to editing, to ideas, everything is at such a high level. Ridiculously impressive, keep up the great work :)

[@Nixhil7]

I really like your take on this. I do think though that its more complex than just one thing. Light’s journey is simultaneously a disenchantment with the state of his world+his desire to fix it; the corruption that power gives; his own hubris and god complex. Up to the end he never got the shinigami eyes because he thought himself better than everyone else, manipulating others and essentially showing off how he was ‘smarter’ than everyone else. My main problem with part two of the anime is that part one details their plans and actions before they take place and we see them play out, whereas in part 2 we don’t get the scenes of what light and Mikami or near and the task force are planning, just the result and then we get the “catch up” on why it played out that way. I think that’s mostly why part 2 seems to drag. We aren’t seeing the steps they’re taking until they’ve reached the end.

[@TwentyPercentDash]

27:29 The Christian imagery is because Light thinks of himself as a god. This is something you affirm at 37:20 when you say Light thinks of himself this way. So the Christian symbolism in the anime makes a lot of sense.

[@oDTRAINo]

Both of the endings are great but i prefer anime ending. I like that the realization of no longer having allies and his futile attempt to escape forces him to recognize what he gave up for this outcome to happen. A soft redemption arch vs the gradual decay of the character in the manga version. Not so much redemption like he becomes a good guy in the end or anything but just that he recognizes the costs of his crusade. To me this is just more impactful

[@TotalTech2.]

The entire series in a nutshell: L: its Light Everyone else: no L: its Light Everyone else: no L: its Light Everyone else: no L: its Light Everyone else: no L: If I die Light is Kira L: (dies) Everyone: It's not Light Near: its Light Everyone: ok

[@klpzxy]

lmao exactly

[@louwashe]

I think Mark was a little overbearing on the criticism Part 2 gets. The MANGA discussion is fairly favourable as far as I've seen. Mello and Near are far more developed here and have a lot of unique traits that shift the story into a different conflict. I think adaptations usually cut it out because the latter half of the story is a lot more complex, metaphorical and harder to digest in a condensed form.

[@rannynihilius8481]

Yeah for example the Mello problem of not having him on page before his last effort of kidnapping Takada is not as bad as Mark made it out to be in my opinion as Mello is shown at Lidner's place with a possible romantic touch in their relationship and him constantly lurking somewhere with Matt before his final move gave the situation a big unpredictabillity when Mello would finally strike.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

@@rannynihilius8481 The problem is that Mello's character completely changed to make room for Near. Mello was always very active and impulsive. He kidnapped people to get the Death Note, then killed all witnesses that might link back to him. He put the Death Note on an untraceable rocket. He had the building he was situated in set up with explosives in case anyone got in. He got in good with the mob and manipulated a shinigami for his benefit. Then after the task force took the Death Note back he just dropped out of the story for anything significant until his death scene. Now he's fine sitting there listening to hidden recording devices in Misa's house. He knows where the task force is located, but decides not to go for the notebook again. So he went from super action oriented and a hothead to nice and quiet, just so that Light and Near could continue the head games Light and L had.

[@imtoxiq_]

Naw man part two just sucks mark was wrong about this whole video but he was right abt shitting on part 2 it’s just bad

[@nolanmiller1981]

Reading thru these comments and having extremely recently finished, I agree with so many. The end of the anime almost made me sad; seeing such a bright and young Light (literally) and who he became. He had the entire world in front of him, and yet he threw it away signifying the death note ruined his life. I didn’t see it as a martyr or a heroic move, rather a boy who had it all and lost everything

[@crustydabbs]

I just listened to your colossal video and now… I’m here. I guess I’m obsessed with your voice.😊

[@kingjunior525]

Can't say enough about the soundtrack, every single track is amazing. I don't think there's a better post rock ost in all of the medium.

[@TheSydneyLad]

Not that I've had anything against other people's view points towards Death Note (if viewing the story as a criticism on morality makes it better for you, go ahead), but I purely love the show for it's psychological mind games. I loved how each obstacle was ingeniously crafted, and how each obstacle guided the story. It had been so, so many years where I sat down to watch a story, and having no idea if the good side was going to win. I only wanted Light to win because I wanted to see what his new world was going to be. Ryuk's final words of, "You were never a god, Light." really hit home when I viewed it from Ryuk's perspective. Now, while I was watching it, and I was completely amazed that I'd actually found the greatest crafted story I would ever find (a long-term goal for me), I couldn't help but make little jokes towards what I was watching. Like, I kept thinking, "Yeah, alright. L might be the smartest character ever, but with the way he walks, a chiropractor could outsmart him."

[@editorgt8623]

I find if funny how this video opens with lecturing everyone about not understanding imagery and framing, in regards to how the series shows killing. Then goes on to completely fumble and not understand imagery and framing when talking about the divine symbolism when it comes to presenting lights god complex. Thinking it was somehow trying to paint light as a hero. Completely ignoring everything like light making absolutely twisted insane faces, painting him with red and dark colors. How the voice direction has lights actor going completely insane and manic. But nope, each individual part lives in a vacuum and couldn't ever be associated with one another and play off of eachother. The video really bends a single peice of info to fit a message. and ignores things like the authors other works where they heavily imply the series was supposed to end at Ls death.

[@toddstone230]

I always saw the anime ending as a way of saying: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power” I personally don't think the anime was intentionally trying to paint Light as a sympathetic character but highlight the tragedy of this whole ordeal. We saw it when he lost his memories that he would've turned out to be a good guy with good morals but was corrupted by the temptations the Death Note offered. Now I'm not saying what anything Light did was good or that he didnt deserve to be caught in the end, but moreso that his story could've happened to anyone. The anime did show him writhing in agony after being shot and everyone saw how pathetic this little kid trying to play Judge Jury and Executioner really was. Light was given the opportunity to play "god" and that just drew out a darkness in him that was already present, but I believe the anime just wanted to show what could've been if the Death Note never entered his life.

[@joaquinmuniz3055]

👏👏

[@bongwaterbojack]

Yeah, I get that he might not've explicitly said as many things in the end as he did in the manga, but the scene succeeded in painting him as pathetic. I would almost describe it as feeling cringeworthy to watch (in a good way). And so long as the scene conveys the same meaning, I don't see the point of getting hung up on a few lines of dialogue.

[@wanded]

yeah him running at the end bleeding was pretty pathetic

[@whitedragoness23]

I read some where the mangaka had said Light would of been a great guy working along side L and would of never had become Kira if he had never gotten the death note. I think the light always had this dark side of him. The death note just brought it out of him.

[@Koroto]

Well this is a pleasent surprise. I'm always down for more Death Note bants 🙌

[@jamesclapham9776]

Light was a great character, and the series was extremely fun to dig into. Still a big fan after all these years. I can honestly say that I wanted Light to make the world a better place, but I could never get behind what he was doing. I enjoyed the very start of the series and where he lost his memories the most, of any of the other parts. Just because that's where I saw his potential, and it pained me to see him fall yet again. Part of me always tries to see the good in people; I am glad that Kira lost.

[@Superhero18]

Okay, no. I have several scathing, but constructive criticisms. I think the first and the biggest that I absolutely have to tackle is the comparison of Light Yagami, to this serial killer leader of a cult. If I take it at its symbolism, while utterly destroying 90% of Light's character(even as Kira) then I could very loosely see the idea or even the criticism(though I believe the cult has been caught as well as the mastermind, as you yourself stated.) But like I said, very loosely. So let's tackle the cult aspect as it's the lowest hanging fruit, but also the biggest in separating these two characters. Light Yagami, as you noted: Does not Care. Period. Let's take Misa Amane's character at the start. You neglect to point out that it was Light's first intention to actually kill and dispose of Misa, and the only reason he doesn't ever do this is the threat that Rem poses to him. Once Rem is gone, Light both out of necessity but also of interest has Misa discard the notebook. He could've maybe thought of a way to keep the notebook in Misa's possession but he chose the alternative route instead. That's how little he valued Misa as an accomplice to his crimes. Similarly, his 'relationship' with Takada was also to use her as a means to an end, with her connection to the various news organizations and media outlets and she could be a messenger to Mikami. Then, as you point out about Matsuda, he's a green horn police officer who thinks more about the morality of the Kira situation and loosely sympathizing with it, but do you see Matsuda becoming a criminal? Or even better yet, in expressing interest in joining the 'Kira cult'? No, he doesn't. His monologue exists for the counter narrative argument, which you claim was created out of wash cloth by the West. But in actuality, what was created out of wash cloth is this comparison you've made to this cult leader who convinced scores of people to commit evil atrocities. And the exclaimation point to drive all of this home, is the 'cult' itself. it's not created by Light or by Ryuk. Light intended for this to be a one-man show from the very start. No, who created this cult was an obscure newscaster who was only interested in ratings. This same newscaster is the one responsible for airing Misa's tapes(to be slightly fair to him, Misa who owns the Shinigami eyes, threatens to kill the newscaster.). Light, tolerates its existence(tolerate isn't the same thing as approval or even desire) but up until the point where the newscaster was using it to make money(as you rightly cite the manga material on how Light despises that behavior.). Then he has Mikami kill off the ENTIRE cult leadership. So the 'messiah' of this cult, ended it by his own hand. This point is so stressed in that final moments of both the anime and the manga, as Light reaches out for those who once, yes wanted to help him but he distanced himself from them at every opportunity. Not even Mikami was that close, despite the perfect Kira ideal the whole point was that he could act since Light couldn't move freely. And you show them rejecting each other in the manga. My point is, as a commentary on the 1995 crimes it would totally fall on its face. As a direct comparison, it's even more offensive and yes even more offensive then any of Western bastardization.. Such a comparison only exists, by tearing down the entirety of Light's character as both Light and Kira. The apathetic narcissistic and emotionally devoid Light Yagami as a cult leader is something utterly not bore in the canon material.

[@rainspectre3153]

You appear to have entirely misunderstood the point of the Aum Shinrikyo comparison. Aum's crimes were horrifying in part because they were committed by young people disillusioned by society, many of whom believed they were doing the right thing. Light is a reflection of that exact mindset.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

"Then he has Mikami kill off the ENTIRE cult leadership. So the 'messiah' of this cult, ended it by his own hand." Small correction. Light doesn't have Mikami do this, because he's being watched too closely to send a message to Mikami. Mikami did it on his own, even though it IS what Light wanted.

[@Superhero18]

@@kyuubinaruto17 Yeah, that was one of the main reasons Light chose Mikami because in Light's view, Mikami's was the closest to his and was thus in a way a 'successor' should anything happen to Light(to be clear though, Light never used those terms, lest it give some small credence to a 'cult'). In Episode 5 I believe, Light reaffirms to Ryuk that the reason he's positive is because of his attempts to make a new world and live a long life doing it. I should have worded it slightly better, but the point I tried to make is that Light is the furthest thing from cultish. in fact, in his manga monologue he even further rejects the idea of any sort of personal profit which a cult would obviously allow him to attain.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

@@Superhero18 I assume you're referring money when you talk about profit, because Light certainly (tried to) profit off of his cult following by having them storm Nears building. Too bad they were more interested in money than their God.

[@Superhero18]

@@rainspectre3153 So if Light is to be Aum's follower then who's Aum? Ryuk? This would be another bastardization of the canon material as Ryuk repeatedly sometimes ad nauseum to the reader's prospective state that he's not interested in the affairs of the human world. "I just happened to drop the notebook somewhere, and you just happened to pick it up that's all"-Ryuk episode 2. The only time that Ryuk 'helps' Light is if it's mutually beneficial, when Ryuk looks for the cameras, Light bribes him with and eventually gives him apples. This comparison doesn't exist in the canon universe of Death Note. Not metaphorically or in-universe. TNM is the one who brought up this 'comparison' and he did it solely to attempt to destroy the counter narrative inherent within the story, in a false belief that it was solely created by the West(all the meanwhile actually creating a false narrative of his own) If the counter narrative wasn't inherent within the story and wasn't therefore canon we wouldn't see any references to the counter narrative. Except: The entire story is based on the counter narrative. From light's frame of mind in actions, to his statements during episode 2 about how people would cheer for 'Kira' deep down in their hearts while criminals flee. (Of note, Light hated the 'kira' monkier but because it took a life of its own and because he's not cultish, he didn't take any steps to actually change this societal narrative of 'kira') The counter narrative is even addressed from the side of the good guys: And no, we're not just talking about Matsuda. When Sochiro had his heart attack, he commented that he thought the power to kill people was a misfortune and L agreed, this is the first time they directly comment on the counter narrative. Remember that scene where Near uses L's inheritance? Near goes out of his way to make a distinction between those who genuinely believe that Kira is right for the world and those in it for their own special greedy purposes. Why would the author tie this in, if the counter narrative doesn't exist? The author very much made the counter narrative central to the theme of his story and as an author has the right to do, he concluded with the rejection of the counter narrative. What TNM has done is to claim that the rejection of the counter narrative, means that the counter narrative didn't exist within the story. And that's just so wrong on so many levels. If the counter narrative does not exist on even a thematic level then what we're left with is a very boring murder mystery. At that, a murder mystery that we know the answer to on episode 1 and Death Note was both written and in animated in such a structure that it wasn't conductive to a mystery story. Detective Conan, this is not and it never tries to be.

[@zygfrydvolt1281]

I always felt like the point of the story was that neither of the main players were correct. All of them searched for their own justice. None of them followed the right path to obtain that justice. Justice is supposed to serve all of the people in a society and yet all arbiters of justice in the show behave as if it is a game in which they personally win or lose. They use people as pawns to prove they are correct in their pursuit. True justice is not defined by any individual, no single person can state what justice is without taking into consideration the will of the society.

[@slevinchannel7589]

Hope everyone has seen HxH too? Not just Death Note?

[@rainspectre3153]

I mean, that is exactly what Near states in the climax. He personally rejects Light on the fact that he sees murder as wrong, but his objection is that Light is delusional enough to think his crimes are justified.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

@@rainspectre3153 Yeah, Near doesn't claim to be in the right either. Something like, "I'm no different than you. I believe in what I think is right and call that justice." Justice is usually decided either by what the majority says is right, social laws, or by official sources in actual laws.

[@MackenziiRivers]

L never did it for justice, he just did it because he likes puzzles and hard to solve cases are just a puzzle to him.

[@joshualee987]

Hey man. Really love the way you do reviews - analyzing the execution with considerations to the author/directors intention rather than judging it with personal preference. Keep up the great work! You’ve won yourself a fan.

[@markwalker3510]

as someone who has seen the show 5 times over the last few years, i have never been more excited for one of your videos

[@markwalker3510]

ok so, do i need to read the manga? bc ive seen the show so many times but now i feel the need to read the manga

[@taytheray2025]

To think this started out as a Dragon Ball Channel...! I love seeing the variety!

[@lucidia333]

Instead of watching a ton of essays about Death Note, i could just also watch it for the 100th time

[@vampirekingdarkness9076]

Personally when seeing (and actually noticing) the imagery used in the anime it always gave a narcissistic side in my eyes, if you look at the openings through light’s eyes you can watch with the point of view of light it shows him being a benevolent god, but looking objectively he’s wrong to put himself in those positions, he’s just arrogant

[@thepokekid01]

I don't know... I think a lot of people miss the core points and themes on the series because they either watch the movies or the TV show or read some article about it and then watch the tv show. I feel like all those mediums have attempted to remove the politics out of it to keep the "cool" idea of being able to kill someone with a notebook and having a grim reaper interact with you as a devil on your shoulder. I feel like death note has 2 core messages in it, one is a strong anti-capital punishment and anti-vigilantism message, the other is a nihilistic interpretation of religion that is suppose to teach you to judge yourself before you judge others. I think at first glance, Death Note's world is just Japanese Atheism, Agnosticism. Gods go on and do their own business, humans do their own business. But it's not that, it's a nihilistic interpretation: The gods exists, and humanity exists solely as part of a cosmic food chain for another creature the gods made, shinigami. Humanity doesn't have a purpose other than their death. This is what changed light from being ambitious protagonist with an intention to do good, be a great citizen, into a person who took this as fact, as an opportunity to be king and "help" humanity to function justly with this new information about the universe. Light is not supposed to really be "The bad guy" like so many people seem to interpret now, he is supposed to be the Reader with all the best intentions. I think if it's not clear by now with all the extra side stories, there IS no good way to use the Death Note. That is the message. Light understands the universe Ryuk told him, in that a world where you could have a mass murderer go and shoot up a school killing a bunch of children, when that mass murderer dies, they go to the same purgatory as the kids. There is no punishment waiting for them in the afterlife, and they get to go on living while the children do not. You can wallow on that as a christian interpretation that could be mind boggling, but the greater message is that the laws of man are kind of pointless and possibly only self-serving to the powerful. At the end of the Manga, Near tries to argue that it is democracy that makes these big decisions moral, but Near doesn't know the truth of the world in that Humanity doesn't actually matter. It very much reads like if the species were to go extinct, god would just make something else for the Shinigami to eat. Light is kind of the chaos born from really understanding that and being given the power to change it at the same time. Light is supposed to be any one of us, as a warning to all of us, as we try to judge someone's morality... but if there is a villian anywhere in the series it is Ryuk who manipulated this whole situation for amusement. (Other unsaid part is that cleverly most of the series is putting out situations and events to make you judge the morality of the characters, so the series forces you to take moral stances on characters and events only to by the end try to push you against Light only to show you the problems with the whole idea of this in the first place. It's amusingly manipulative)

[@benabaxter]

Wow, the manga is real gross. Thanks for the warning.

[@ItsSupercat94]

@@benabaxter ?

[@essenby123]

I feel like the anime injecting the holy imagery was meant to show his self-delusion and his belief that he was a god among men, not that the anime was trying to make him look like an actual savior or something.