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ローゼンメイデン 
October 10, 2006 | 
43 Comments
What a fantastic episode this one turns out to be. I know that the confrontation between Light and L will be one exciting spectacle but I never expected it to be this fun. Voice-acting wise, Yamaguchi Kappei (Inuyasha in Inuyasha) turns out to be a very good L. I think his voice is appropriately mature for the character, giving it a credibility that the character needs. Come to think of it, his face actually resembles that of Matsuyama Kenichi who plays the live-action L. At the same time, I think Miyano Mamoru starts to settle a little bit into his role. I am glad that the voice that he uses when Light loses his temper has a menacing tone to it in comparison to his usual speaking voice. Kudou Haruka (Hanamoto Hagumi in Honey and Clover) sounds a bit like Hagu but in general, her voice tone is a lot more relaxed here.
Ryuk is bored because Light spends most of his day in school. Because of this, he tries to engage the human in a conversation. However, Light claims that he can't talk with Ryuk because others may hear his voice while talking to the Shinigami. When a friend tries to invite him to an extra-curricular activity, Light declines the offer, claiming that he has other things to do. Ryuk points out that Light doesn't actually have anything else to do but Light corrects him by saying he does have an important work to do. That work turns out to be writing the names of criminals on the Death Note. Ryuk, who watches Light from the bed, is amused to see how hard working Light seems to be. Light tells him that the reason is because he has no time to waste. He can only write in the note in between returning from school and bedtime. In addition to this, he has to stay at the top of the class, can't sleep in class, and has to go to cram school.
Despite all of those, he still need to create a world without evil so he concludes that he doesn't have enough time on his hands. Light's explanation, however, is interrupted when someone tries to open the door to his room but unable to do so because it is currently locked. The person turns out to be Saya, Light's younger sister who wants her brother to help her out with homework. Light begrudgingly allows his sister into the room. However, when Saya heads towards the table, Ryuk warns Light that if someone touches the Death Note inside the drawer, he/she will be able to see Ryuk as well. Light is pissed off to hear this since Ryuk didn't tell him earlier. Meanwhile over at ICPO headquarter, representatives from various nations have gathered to discuss the sudden death of criminals all over the world. The group discussion leader points out that the number of the dead people have gone up to 52 this week and all of them have died from heart attack.
The police also notice that all of the victims were either suspects for vicious crime or already in jail for one. One of the participants suggests that the actual number is probably closer to around 100. When a participant casually marking a remark that those people deserve to die, another participant becomes angry, stating that even if those people are criminals, killing them is still a crime. Someone, however, tries to calm everyone by saying that first of all they must find out if these are murders or coincidence. The problem is, all of the deaths happened due to heart attack of unknown origin. It'd have been different if these deaths were caused by stabbings. One of the conference leaders eventually concludes that they need to ask for L's help in this matter. Everyone in the room suddenly becomes quiet and starts to whisper to each other. A young representative from Japan asks his chief who is this L that everyone is talking about.
The chief explains that L is someone whose name, whereabouts, and face are unknown. However, he's capable of solving any case and is considered as one of the world's top investigator. Meanwhile the rest of the conference members tell the leader that L will only take cases that interests him. In addition to this, they have no idea how to contact L. Much to their surprise, a mysterious man called Watari appears on the podium, telling them that L is already working on the case. The Japanese police chief explains that Watari is basically L's contact but even he doesn't know about L's identity. Watari then opens his laptop and asks everyone to listen to L's voice. A big L logo is then seen on the monitor and L's voice can be heard introducing himself to everyone at ICPO. Meanwhile, Light and Ryuk are seen in an abandoned house. When Ryuk wonders why they go all the way here, Light points out that those who touch the Death Note can see Ryuk's form.
Light believes that he's walking on a tightrope and if he's careless, he will have to kill his own family. Back inside the conference, L tells the detectives that this turns out to be his most difficult case yet. Because of this, he asks everyone in ICPO to offer him their total co-operation in solving the case. He especially wants co-operation from Japanese police since he believes that the suspect is a Japanese or hiding in Japan. He, however, refuses to disclose his reason, claiming that all will become clear in the upcoming showdown. Meanwhile, Light is back inside his room, claiming that hidden the note turns out to be rather simple. Ryuk fails to see how putting it inside a drawer with the key attached to it can be considered hiding the note. Light, however, points out that it doesn't matter whether or not the key is in there or not. Light then opens the drawer and shows Ryuk a normal diary that is placed in it.
He believes that people will be quite satisfied if they find the diary inside the drawer. However, the true key is actually a pen cartridge, which Light needs to insert into a small hole underneath the drawer. This will basically activate a secret compartment containing the note. Ryuk finally understands that the combination of the fake diary and the hidden compartment will ensure that no one can find the diary. Light, however, has also taken a preventative measure in the case that someone notices the compartment and tries to get the book. He points out to Ryuk that the plastic cartridge works as a interrupter to the circuit that he's installed around the note. When the compartment is closed, there is another device that prevents the circuit from completing itself. However, if one removes the compartment without inserting the cartridge, the circuit will be completed, igniting a spark which will ignite the gasoline he placed in it and burn the notebook.
Ryuk tells Light that he's heard stories about people who owns the notebook and worry about where to hide it but this is the first time he's seen anyone going this far. Having said that, he thinks Light's plan is dangerous. If Light makes one mistake, he'll get burnt as well. Light thinks 'dangerous' is such a weird thing to say since he's aware how dangerous this entire deal has been right from the beginning. However, he believes that the danger is what keeps him safe. He then asks Ryuk which one he prefers: his house being burnt down or him being executed. A few days later the news of criminals being killed has spread rapidly. Someone can be heard wondering if it's the police who did it. Another person, however, thinks the police is not the one who did it but rather "Kira". At home, Light shows Ryuk a homepage which worships "The Legend of Kira the Saviour". Light believes that "Kira" is basically a reference to "Killer".
Light is not sure if he likes being referred to this way but at this point he's already known as Kira to the whole world. He points out that if one searches for "Kira" one will get many pages like this. Although the mass media still refers to the incident as strange and frequent death of criminals, he believes that people in general are aware that someone has been dishing out justice. He then tells Ryuk that there is something he must know about humans. At his school's homeroom (class), for example, no one will ever ask the question if it's okay to kill bad people. However, if such question was to be raised, then everyone will pretend to be good by saying that killing is a bad thing. He understands that this is just a mask that people put in public and their hearts truly lie in sites like these. Even though they don't say it out loud, everyone knows that the criminals have been targeted by someone and those who commit crimes will tremble in fear because of it.
Light's is satisfied about this but his happiness is interrupted when the television reports a special worldwide programming from the ICPO, the Interpol. The broadcast then begins with a young man called Lind L. Tailor introducing himself, otherwise known as L. Meanwhile at the police station in Tokyo, the police are surprised that L actually shows his face in public while he's never done it before. L then starts addressing the person who killed the criminals, accusing the person of committing an unforgivable act. He swears of capturing the person responsible for this murders, Kira, at any cost. Light smirks and tells Ryuk that there's no way they can catch him since if they don't have the Death Note. L, however, tells Kira that he knows what Kira is thinking but his action is evil. Light snaps upon hearing this, claiming that he's justice. He's the God that will save the weak and create a new perfect world and those who oppose God are the evil ones.
Light grabs a pen and proceeds to write Lind L.Tailor's name across the entire page of the Death Note. Light then counts down to zero and eventually Lindt can be seen suffering from a sudden heart attack in front of television. Light is happy to see the result, laughing like a maniac but before he can enjoy his victory, the screen is suddenly filled with a large L word. A man's voice then can be heard saying that this is unbelievable. He admitted that he did this on the chance that 'Kira' would kill him. He asks 'Kira' if he can kill people without being nearby and admits that he wouldn't have believe it if he didn't see it himself. L then reveals that the person that 'Kira' killed was actually a prisoner that was supposed to be executed at this time today, not L himself. The criminal was imprisoned without media attention so even 'Kira' didn't even know that he existed. Ryuk laughs upon hearing this telling Light that he's been had by L.
L then announces that unlike the criminal, he's the real deal. Because of this, he challenges 'Kira' to kill him. Light is pissed off to hear this challenge but he can't do anything since L doesn't show his face or his real name. The police are aghast to hear this, wondering if L has a death wish but L continues to taunt 'Kira' who doesn't react at all. Eventually L concludes that there are those that 'Kira' can't kill and thanks 'Kira' for the giving him the hint. He also reveals that although this was announced as worldwide broadcast, the truth is, it's only limited to Japan, or specifically, the Kantou region (Tokyo and its surrounding). He was planning on doing this on other regions but it is obvious now that this is unnecessary. L believes that 'Kira' is in Kantou region. Ryuk laughs and tells Light that L is not bad at all. He knew that police might have missed this but he's aware that the first murder victim was the criminal who hold children hostage in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Since only the Japanese media reported this incident, it was the only clue that L needed. L now is aware that 'Kira' is in Japan although he didn't expect his plan to go so well. He is really interested in how Kira commits the murders and promises to figure it out when he catches Kira. The police are impressed by L's deductive logic and in his ability to prove that 'Kira' exists and live in Japan. L then tells 'Kira' that this is it until they meet again. Light is disturbed after the broadcast and wonders if L think he can executed Light. After thinking about it, however, Light decides that this is going to be interesting. Ryuk agrees since both parties don't know about each other's name or face. Therefore, the first person who's exposed will die. He sounds satisfied with this scenario, claiming once again that as expected, humans are interesting. Light and L then vows to find and deal with the other because they both believe that they are 'justice'.
Impression:
I think the most chilling sensation that I had while watching this episode came from a scene where L asks the Japanese police to help him out. It's because this scene suggests that all of our daily activities are traceable up to a certain point. The scene also shows that L is a very analytical character who notices even the smallest detail such as the first heart-attack victim. The best part of his tactic, however, is when he decided to limit the broadcast of the announcement to Japan only or precisely the Kantou region. I also like the way he uses a criminal called Lind L.Tailor to bait Light to kill him. In such a short amount of time, L manages to force Light to commit his biggest mistake to date: writing Lind L.Taylor's name on the Death Note. It makes me wonder what Light must feel at that point, especially when L asks him to kill him again and Light can't do it because he doesn't know L's name or his face. That was an awesome display of deductive logic from L.
The biggest question that this episode present is the difference between sending criminals to a death row and using the Death Note to kill them. How is one any different from the other? The police seems to think that there is a big difference but in the end, they still decide to eliminate a person's life using nothing but their own judgement. The difference is that the first choice is filtered through constitution and law and therefore make it seem better while the other is left at the hand of a seemingly unstable high school boy. Having said that, I think there is one good reason as to why they could not allow 'Kira' to continue his reign of terror and that is because other people will then assume that they can do the same thing and get away with it. On the other hand, it can be said that Light's action reflects the feel of helplessness that public has when it comes to criminals. No one wants to become a victim of crime but most of us have little power to prevent this.
Therefore, when Light obtains a Death Note, he suddenly feels as if he has the tools to eliminate these criminals. The problem simply came when he developed 'God' complex after getting a taste of murder. His thought pattern also ends up being complex, probably in an attempt to ensure that the police can't trace him. I am not too sure if his attempt in hiding the note inside the trap-protected drawer is that effective. Having said that, the scene shows that Light has indeed gone off to the deep end. Surely he realised that there is a likelihood that the fire will spread over to other area in his room and burnt down his family's house. Having said that, I have no idea how else he can hide the note effectively. If anyone can come up with one, I'd like to read it. I also want to know if there is a way for Light to have avoided that trap that L devised. I supposed one way to go about it is not too rush into killing the man on the screen. However, it seems Light is quite easy to bait.
Preview
On next week's episode: Will L reveals his identity to the police?
sooo cool!!!!!!!
Oooh, can't wait until the sub.
>>>On the other hand, it can be said that Light's action reflects the feel of helplessness that public has when it comes to criminals. No one wants to become a victim of crime but most of us have little power to prevent this.
And that's exactly one of the reasons about what Light is doing makes him a criminal. How can people feel about the fact that their life depend, not in a system that they believe is right, but in the judgement of a self-concerned, immature boy and self proclaimed god? You can never be sure your actions are right, because you're acting upon someone else reason, and worse of it, where's redemption in Light's world?
*spoilers*
But anyway, the manga never really focused in this kind of questions as much as it could have. Death Note is, after all, a great thriller. However, in my opinion, it doesn't approaches them as deeply as things like Monster. In this aspect, Death Note is a big faliure. It ceirtanly rises good questions, but doesn't dare to give some answers.
The animation is so amazing. :3
Thank you very much for the great screencaps and summary. I am most grateful.
ooh i'm so happy, this must be the best shonen jump manga ever(sorry bleach fans, and btw i'm a naruto fan, but i like death note more), and one of the best adaptations indeed :) , honestly, i never liked inuyasha, but i think yamaguchi's voice would sound very well as L(i love L!!)
After the crime, burn away the evidence.
Another way to hide the deathnote is to tear away the cover and the rules. Replace it with a normal looking cover of a note book.
After all the names have been written and the person is dead, tear those pages away and burn it.
Death note will become a normal looking notebook.
Anything that is normal can blend into aany bookshelf. But...still, Light have to ensure no one touches it.
As for L actions against Light,
From the way L use Lind. L Tailor to appeared on the TV screen, L aready have some clues that Light could be killing people only using their names.
Of all crimminals that he killed, they are either being known to the public by Tv or maybe radio. So, some common point for all of them is that their names have been given out, faces given and all have commited a crime. The only difference between TV and Radio is faces. But news always report on TV and Radio.
If you have noticed, there is a name tab on the table of Lind L. Tailor. Normally, names of person are only added in on the screen by computer.
This action is actually telling us that L aready know one of light's killing requirement and his means of getting the information, which is from the TV. Therefore, to get to Light, L will have to use boardcast to TV.
So, when L appeared on the TV screen, His name is only a letter L and his face is nothing but L.
And L got hold of a very important pieces of information. Light cannot kill without proper names and faces.
If this information is known to the media and the goverment is enforcing the censorship of the faces of the crimminals, Light will have more problems in killing the crimminals.
"At the same time, I think Minoru Mamoru starts to settle a little bit into his role."
Uh, it's MIYANO Mamoru. =)
I thought the first episode was fantastic, but this episode heightens my anticipation even more!
*gasp* whoots~! death note ep 2 is out! cant wait!! xDDD
"It's because this scene suggests that all of our daily activities are traceable up to a certain point."
I dunno about suggestions, but those living in US know it for a fact, they are living in a police state, after all. EVERYTHING about your life can be traced and recorded.
I had to laugh when I saw Light mixing chemicals. That made him look like one of those science geeks gone mad.
If Light was in middle of another cram school session or simply didn't turn on the TV, then he probably wouldn't have killed Lind and there'd be an awkward period of Lind sitting in the hot seat on TV. I would've liked to have seen that... Just plain silence and the Interpol going, "What the heck is L pulling?! We're paying major bucks to have this run live and nothing's happening!"
Completely unrelated:
I've wondering about this for a while: Garten, are you a guy or girl? ^^;;; **random random**
Episode 2 is so great! L's debut appearance really impresses me, besides the characters in the show. L may be tremendously clever, but he was real lucky to trace 'Kira' to the Kantou region for his first of a series of broadcasts all over Japan to track him down.
I also agree that Light has a 'God' complex in his personality. I believe his behaviour is brought out by the appearance of Death Note and what it can do. I couldn't believe it when he decided that he may kill off his family just so as to hide any traces of the Death Note from them. That proves his family is no longer as important as the Death Note now. It's just like what a ruthless murderer will do: kill off any witnesses or anyone aware of his crime, including his loved ones if possible.
Atashi, I'm definitely a guy....the last time I check. ;D Is it my screen name? Maybe it's about time I change it into something more macho.....XD
And I agree with you and Weils. L was kind of lucky. If Light was out shopping or sleeping soundly, that would have been a hoot to see.
L: "Kira, you're an evil person"
Light: "zzz....ZZzzz...
L: "......."
L: "Come on, kill me! My name is ......."
Light: "zzZZZz......zzzzZZ....mmm...no....Ryuk, you can't have any more apple......"
and so on....
>>How can people feel about the fact that their life depend, not in a system that they believe is right, but in the judgement of a self-concerned, immature boy and self proclaimed god?
Since those convicted or 'suspected' of highly vicious crimes are all dying, of course the criminals will be afraid. This is the whole point, because the deterrence factor is highly increased. I'm sure the non-criminal populace wouldn't worry that much at all. It's not as if Yagami is deciding who is criminal, he's just upping the punishment.
It's also strange to call Yagami 'self-concerned,' considering his primary goal is to reduce crime and promote happiness in the populace.
Holy crap... Usopp is L?!
O_o
Lol, it would have been fun to see if kira is really sleeping when the broadcast is on.
But even if Light is sleeping, people reaction to such big event happening is to call those who are unaware of it. Which in this case is his family.
In fact, we can even expect many phone calls and messages being sent at that period of time.
So, the timing of the boardcast is also another crucial factor which I believe L had aready taken consideration into.
The sheer number of deaths by heart attack and the timing of their death make the murderer looks busy with little time for rest.
By following this pattern, L might have choosen a timing where most of the crimminals are dead at a period of time.
And that period of time which L might have concluced is where kira activities is high.
Thus, there would have been a 70% chance of getting kira's attention. As for the rest, is really luck. Because kira might be at a place like what Atashi and weils said, which is where no media or communication can reach him at that moment.
Kudou Haruka rocks.
Of course Yagami is self-concerned GDP...his primary goal is to promote HIS vision of Utopia onto society...to extend HIS concept of good and evil to the populace...to pass HIS judgment on who is deserving to the uninitiated...and to set HIMSELF up as God...if that's not being a self serving bastard I don't know what is.
i think i more easily understand the anime than manga
phuew too bad this time they didn't show us L face completely
and i'm so impatient to see L and light tactics which of them will be the winner???
actually i already read the manga but i feel I want to see it in anime
I think that once Ratio's character develops more into the one he eventually becomes in the end it will be interesting to see if the Anime stay's true to the Manga’s plot.
Unfortunately they've already decided to cut out information that helps to interpret Ryuzaki's logic and tactics in this situation.
It may be too soon to make this assumption however it appears that the Anime has taken a less complicated approach to this story. And I'm wondering if it will alter the story line later on. (Hopefully not.)
Other then little minute details that always seem to be left out in adaptations, it seems to be progressing at a good steady pace, that should keep the series from going ‘Dragon Ball Z Style’ and being dragged out.
To know more about the kira, L backed up by the police used Lind L.Tailor as a bait. They knew Lind L.Tailor might be killed in the process. Or they may have expected him to be killed and that they would get more information about kira by his death. L and the police say that it is wrong to kill people even if they are criminals. But they treated Lind L.Tailor as if he were a piece of pawn. They may have treated him like this because he is a criminal. I don't see a big difference between Light and L with the police. They both have a strong ego and must think one is smarter than the other. But I like Light better than the other. Light seems to me in the first episode to know what he is doing isn't right and he is at least not as hypocritical as the other is.
If Light is able to take control successfully, all the governments and law enforcement agencies would fall. What society was would be gone in an instant. There would be no order left since it is destroyed, since the law belongs to Light now.
The public may think what Light is doing is right (and he is right in his thoughts of cleansing) but whatever happens next after all evil people are gone are not considered by them. They do not understand the complexities that every government faces when dealing with Light.
Unfortunately, Light is rather twisted in his view of things and plan to become a god in this world, dealing out death to anyone he deems evil or opposing his methods. In the end, he is more of an anarchist. He would kill off his family if they opposed him too, as shown in this episode what Light thinks if his sister or other family members discovers the Death Note or know that he's Kira.
I know that this isn't appropriate for so serious of an anime, but I can't help but giggle whenever I hear Ryuuku talk. I've been that way since I saw him form his instant apple addiction and it's only gotten worse once I saw him following Light around. If Ryuuku is that bored at school, what the heck does he do when Light goes to sleep?
What first gave me chills was how easily Light talked about killing his family. He didn't even hesitate! "Oh, if they find it I'll have to kill them." >_>
What an INCREDIBLE episode. So dialogue focused with little "action", but so well crafted that it's gripping. I wasn't bored for even a second.
Zzz: Yagami can call himself 'god of the new world' because he is the one shaping and guiding the world's development. That doesn't mean he's killing people to set himself up as some god-king: he clearly held contempt for petty people who would use the Death Note for their own benefit (I'm drawing off the manga here).
He's killing criminals, so he's not imposing some alien idea of good and bad on society. Similarly, his concept of a utopia as crime-free is not an alien imposition.
Doing what you think helps people does not make you a self-serving bastard. It might make you a screw-up if you're not helping anyone at all, but Yagami clearly aids the populace by reducing crime.
It is true that L is using Lind L. Tailor to lure Kira out. L needed someone to lure kira. But who will do it? What if that person volunteered himself despite knowing the danger? He could have do it in exchange for something else. Money? Freedom? Or a new life at some other country.
Between using a person as a bait despite knowing that he may be killed in the process and waiting and thinking of other method which in the process, hundreds more criminals would be dead by now.....
What would you choose?
What would be the correct choice at this situation?
GDP,
I agreed with Zzz that Kira is self-concerned.
There are a lot of ways and method that people can use to archive the uptopia that kira envisoned.
But Kira method is only one of it.
Just because he so happened to have power over death and he act according to his plan does not mean that he is right or correct in his action.
Standing on different angle, you will see things differently. It just so happened that his view of exterminating the evil so that only those "that he consideedr" is good will all that is left, is in the same angle as most of us will view it at.
Which means that most people will agreed on his thinking just as you would as well because you are standing at the same angle as he is.
The reason why he is so self-concernced and self-centered is mainly because there are many other viewpoints in this world as well. No one is entirely correct and neither are they wrong either.
By forcing other people to accept your viewpoint like what kira is doing with his deathnote, he is forcing people to accept that he is righteous and his perception of his utopia is the only correct one.
But, no one is correct and no one is wrong.
Standing on the Earth as we are now, who can claim that he is standing right at the center of the globe?
No one.
Because the place that everyone is standing is at the center of the globe.
I like Light Yagami's character, and I'd have to say that I sympathize with his cause. If I had a Death Note, I'd probably do the same thing.
However, I'd use it a little bit smarter than Light does.
Despite being pratically the smartest kid in the world for his age, Light makes a series of blunders that ends up causing a lot of trouble for him.
I don't think he fully realizes the consequences of his actions. Killing people with the Death Note won't erase crime and evil from the world, but will just force evil people underground, since Light needs to know both their name and face to kill.
Another blunder Light makes stems from the fact that he is too caught up in his perceived (this qualifier is important) omnipotence, and ends up overusing the Death Note. Think about it. If criminals start dying left and right, other criminals will know that there's something foul afoot, and will act with greater caution. However, if Light were to use his Death Note to a more limited extent, no one would think twice. If Light killed, say, one extremely bad criminal (a terrorist leader, or such) once a year, he would remain anonymous, even to someone like L.
Finally, Light is too hasty to pass judgment. Some of the people he killed must have been innocent. If even disciplined law enforcement authorities make mistakes once in a while, how many mistakes will an arrogant teenager acting alone make? Again, targeting only the worst criminals would fix this.
To be concise, Death Note would be a valuable tool if used correctly.
I welcome any comments. Thanks, Garten, for maintaining a great site.
Garten,
I have been thinking about why Light took the bait so easily and I think one of the main reason is his ego and the person that he kill.
If deathnote would to be picked up by some people who is only interested in profits and loss. The person that he would kill would not have been those people who have commited crimes.
This owner of deathnote would considered every action that he took to be either profitable or not.
But this also means that L will not be using this method to catch hold of the owner. Because the owner will just sit back and watch the show since killing Lind L. Tailor will result in no profit in whatsoever.
But Light is different.
From the victims that kira choose. It is obvious that kira think himself as righteous because all his victims are those who commited grave crimes or those who escaped the laws of justice.
He is the saviour who help the helpless against the sinners.
In the boardcast, Lind L. Tailor say one very important word. "Kira".
Kira is only known at the web at that time.
Newspaper and elsewhere only conclude those victims dies a mysterious death and nothing is mentioned about kira.
So, L actually did his homework and have been searching around the net too for all kind of information. I can even safely bet that L join in the conversation at some kira supporter board to gather more information about him to the extent of.....
1. Posting names without pictures
2. Posting pictures without names
3. Posting both names and pictures
This is to give free information to kira that they have commited a crimes but their names and picture are highly classified.
Prehaps only briefly mentioned in the news only and faces censored.
In a way, testing out kira killing ability. Before using the final method of boardcasting on the TV screen.
Kira will take the bait due to the following reason.
1. Kira is self-centered. When someone out there claim that what he is doing is wrong and evil, Kira will kill him off in anger. The trick here is not to let kira have any moment to cool down and think.
2. As told by Light himself, people will pretend to be good when they are out there in society. But when it come to annoymous and the internet, people start to show who they support. Why? Because no one will know who these people are and they will be more brave and start to do things which they will not do in society. They can do it and no one will know.
Kira, who obviously belong to the same group of people will kill Lind L. Tailor immediatly because first, he cannot stand the humilation that his grand magnificent plan and thinking is called evil and second he is someone annoymous. Lind L. Tailor is dead but who kill him?
Thus, this is where L succeded in his plan.
A checkmate on kira while Light is still somewhere in Japan
Paratha.
I agreed that Light makes a lot of plunder while in the process of using the deathnote.
Light was correct when he said that he should avoid killing anyone that is near him.
But he failed to see it in a bigger picture that is killing someone on the same country as he lived in.
That is his first and the biggest mistake that he have commited.
Paratha,
you say that you will be using it a bit smarter than kira. You also mentioned that you will kill off major criminals once in a while, for example, terriost leader. I assumed that what you are hoping to achive is the same as kira, a utopia without any evil.
But what I can tell you is that kira utopia will only last as long as he live. When people start to live in his system. The lambs will continue to do their own business while the wolf will get more underground as what you had mentioned.
What will happened if this scenerio would to take place is that Light will find a suitable succesor if light is getting old or is dying soon and deathnote will be the power that will pass down generation to generation.
There, the system of autocracy start to come back again. The ancient rule of king or queen....and the history of the first emperor of china will repeat again.
That is, until people start to test the system like the case of hackers/ crackers and the computer security system.
You built a door, I built a Ram.
You built a lock, I do lockpick.
Criminals go underground and people test system. When God's power start to be known to the world as only a notebook.
War will be broke out to seize the book when the current ruler of the book is not up to what the peopel expected.
Thus, the history of the warring states will repeat again.
Paratha.
Killing terriost leader or leaders of organized crime society does not help in anyway whatsoever.
The actual power does not lies in their hand and beside, if a captain of a pirate ship is dead, the ship can still continue their business as usual, they just need to elect a new leader. But if the crew are all dead like what kira is doing, the captain cannot move the ship and he himself cannot do much either.
What you are doing is killing the leader but make no effect whatsoever while what kira is doing is more effective but only make them go more underground. Prehaps a pirate ship becoming a pirate submarines.
Hi, Gprei.
Regarding what you typed above,
"Killing terriost leader or leaders of organized crime society does not help in anyway whatsoever."
Hardly. If this were the case, then why does the American government want Osama bin Laden dead?
Sure, killing him won't stop terrorism, but it helps. Powerful leaders instill a certain dynamism that make things run smoothly. Going along with your pirate ship analogy, if the pirate captain is killed, the pirate crew goes into a (temporary, perhaps) state of anarchy. Organizations are weak in times of anarchy.
If a government or business leader suddenly dies, the government or business is vulnerable, however slightly. Organizations inherently more unstable, such as terrorist outfits, feel the effects of temporary anarchy even more harshly.
The problem with Light's method is that it breeds your "pirate submarines." A pirate submarine is far more deadly than a pirate ship. This is what guerilla warfare is all about.
And regarding
"I assumed that what you are hoping to achive is the same as kira, a utopia without any evil...utopia will only last as long as he live."
1. Killing off terrorist leaders doesn't even come close to creating a utopia. People will still get mugged, raped, abused, etc by the way I described using the Death Note.
2. Even if I were trying to create a utopia, which I'm not, it's better to create a utopia for a small amount of time, then to not create one at all.
Thanks for the comments. Death Note sure raises a lot of interesting issues, which is why I like it so much.
L's pretty damn brilliant, so I don't think he'd just broadcast the Lind L. Tailor thing simply hoping that Kira was watching at that precise moment. I think it was stated in the manga that beforehand, L did his detective thing and found out that all of the people who died of heart attacks died within a certain time frame (from when Light gets home, to when he goes to sleep); also, L found out that all of the criminals whacked off had been reported on the T.V. news or the internet shortly before their deaths. So his Lind L. Tailor experiment wasn't a longshot in the dark . . . there was a pretty good chance that Kira would be watching. . . .
As for Light, I think what he's doing is wrong, and no, Light . . . I really mean that. XD Without regard to other peoples' wills, freedoms, morals, and their own thoughts on justice, etc., he arrogantly decides to act as god for all of humanity, imposing HIS version of good and bad on everyone.
And yes, L can be pretty hypocritical re: the whole Lind L. Tailor thing. (There IS a difference between a government enforcing the death penalty and a god-complex-ridden teenager dealing out judgement --- but still. Using a criminal as bate for a killer raises some moral/ethical questions. . . . ) The creator of DEATH NOTE even said that Light is evil, and L is partially evil, too, because he often will regard other things higher/more important than human life. . . .
Also, Paratha mentioned in the comments that he/she would have been smarter than Light, and instead would have just killed someone maybe once a year, so he/she wouldn't be found out. That's a good idea . . . if you don't want to get noticed. In episode 1, Light clearly states to Ryuk that he's killing tons of people via heart attacks (instead of specifying the death) so as to get the world's attention; he wants them to know that he is "god" and that he is passing judgement on all of humanity.
After watching Death Note, I'm somehow very impressed with the quality but I can't help imagining that it was "Tamaki's" who's laughing evilly. I even laughed all the way when he was being unreasonably evil. :D
Oh well, I probably get use to it soon.
Anyway, Moi is right. They actually missed out some important details. It left hanging like a plot hole. It's been awhile since I read the manga so my memory is not that fresh anymore. One of them would be the most obvious question, "How the hell did L know Light get his information through the media?" But assuming that L was considered a new face and trying to make a good impression on new viewers, his brilliance is uncomparable since he planned all of this silently without explaining. :)
But damn I "Tamaki" always come into mind when he laughs evilly >
I was laughing at the end too. I was expecting a 'muwahahah' and thunder and lightning by that time.
By the way, I don't remember that in the manga the transition from JusticeLight to GodLight was this fast. I think it was more subtle and showed how power can corrupt even a person with the right ideals. I'm not too sure though, since I read it maybe a couple of years ago.
His major mistake was of course reacting to Lind L. Tailor. He's too arrogant at this point, basically acting like the high school kid that he is. But then he couldn't hav known of L. Even Matsuda didn't. If he'd gotten the notebook a little later, when he was more mature, hmm...
All humans are a mix of good and evil, and Ryuuku was right when he pointed out that Light will be the only one left if he keeps this up and it appeared to me that Light agreed. But if he's going to be god over an empty world, what's the point? Even if he did keep a girl alive and attempts to repopulate the planet, he'll be right back where he started. Criminals were all innocent people once. Something set them off and caused them to change. I don't care what anyone says. He's stuck with two bad choices: go around in a pointless cycle, or kill off everyone and end humanity.
Yeah, you're right, Android 21 3:7. It's impossible to create that perfect, crime-free utopia Light's all on about simply because human beings are complex individuals, not to be boxed into two catagories (good and evil); everyone "sins" and so a perfect world can never exist.
But I think what Ryuk said was that if Light planned to kill all of the "bad guys," that soon, Light would be the only "bad guy" left, ironically enough. Light replied that most people consider him the ideal Good Teenager, though. . . .
Oh, and I can't stop hearing Tamaki come out of Raito's mouth. XD Especially when he laughs. Hehe. Actually . . . Raito's laugh kind of reminds me of Renge from Ouran. XD Anyway, I love Raito's V.A. (and L's, for that matter!), but I think it's simply the fact that I know it's the same voice actor that did Tamaki that's distracting me. I wonder if I'd pick up on it as much if didn't know that before hand. . . .
Yeah, I know what you mean. The first time I watched it, I forgot that Light's VA was Tamaki's and so I thought nothing of it. I never read the manga, so I had no predetermined voice in mind and it seemed fine to me. When I read through the blogs, remembered, and watched again, it didn't seem normal anymore. His voice is quite distinctive. I wonder why I didn't catch it. When I saw the first episode of Busou Renkin, I kept thinking "Watanuki, what are you doing in Kazuki's body?", and their VA's voice isn't that distinctive, is it?
Paratha,
You mentioned that killing terriost leader will help in whatsoever reasons that you give.
You give an example of a terriost leader which is Osama bin laden.
First. Are you really sure that he is the terriost leader? He is all the decision maker and that by eliminating him, the terriost group will come to a state of anarchy?
Before I continued, let me quote something of what L had said which led to more clues and possibility.
When in the ICPO meeting, L said,
"Whether the culprit is a group of people or only one, the likelihood that he is japanese is extremely high."
This quote is taken from Live-evil.org sub of Deathnote.
The keyword is "group of people".
Within the thinking pattern of L, there lies a possibility that kira could be a group of people operating for a common goal.
If you think this in an opposite way,
L itself could also be a group of people and the person who is talking is only a representative. I remembered that I told garten before about this and also some other puzzling questions.
Now, Paratha.
Put this thinking pattern onto the terriost "group"
They are a group of people working for a common goal. Then the media start to show the leader of the group is Osama bin Laden.
Now, on what basics?
If you see the possibility that L is a group and the person who is talking is only a representative, then the same can be applied to Al-Quada as well.
Don't you think so?
If we cannot even know who the actual decision maker or the main pillar of their organization, how are you going to make the group collaspe into anarchy?
What you are doing as I had mentioned is killing off what SEEM to be the leader.
If that leader is dead, just elect a new one.
If these type of leader are disposable of, then they truly does not hold any real power.
It's important to keep in mind that power exists in two basic formats. One, hard power: your ability to influence the policies of your organization by your position in that organization and by your ability to to "call the shots." Two, soft power, your influence on others arising from your ideals and appeal.
Regardless of whether bin Laden is the "decision maker" or not, whether he as any "hard power" or not (al Qaeda has been decentralized post-9/11, so this probably isn't the case), bin Laden remains an important figurehead, a crucial holder of terrorist "soft power."
I probably should have mentioned this earlier when I specifically mentioned bin Laden. If you look at the discourse within America regarding bin Laden, it becomes clear that his soft power is the key reason why the government wants him dead.
Figureheads serve the important role in communicating an organization's cause to the populace to evoke sympathy for the organization. They are the figures that the public comes to idolize. For this reason, one of public relations and ongoing recruitment, figureheads are possibly even more dangerous than the people who call the shots. Terrorist groups ultimately survive because they have public support, both explicit and implicit.
So by assassinating the figurehead, the organization must look to a new representative of the organization to the people. This is often a difficult task. Not all people who can "call the shots" can communicate to the people. If I were Kira, and if I killed bin Laden, terrorist sympathizers would lose their celebrity, and would have to look for a new one. Anti-terrorist agencies could possibly capitalize on this vulnerability, lauching both hard power and soft power campaigns, to achieve their own ends.
The useful thing about the Death Note is that I could kill bin Laden without making him as much of a martyr as if he was killed in a military operation. It is known that he suffers from prostate cancer. I could easily write down "complications from prostate cancer" as his cause of death.
Anyway, returning to Death Note: a flaw in Light's use of the Death Note relates to this discussion. He naively focuses on the hard power which the Death Note bestows upon him. Unfortunately for Light, mere force cannot achieve his (however altruistic) ends. Ideas and appeal, soft power, essentially, are also required in creating a better world. Light offers none of this.
He underestimates a person's capacity for inflicting evil while being afflicted by evil.
Hi, Gprei and Paratha..
I like your discussion a lot!
Light is the real evil person in this series! He goes the easiest way. Using the Death Note without thinking about the causes of evil deeds. He is just reacting to the results... he kills randomly, even people, who are not convicted yet. Is this justice?
Look at the example of terrorism, that you used.. you can not fight it with weapons.. Gprei is right!
Terrorism is a result of poverty, low education and hate towards other people.. America should work on creating real equality of opportunity. As long as this not exits, there will always be someone to take the lead and attack other countries.
Paratha said, that Light`s goal can not be achived with force, but I think this goes for every kind of political and social ideals. Especially for terrorism.
Furthermore I think no one should have any kind of power alone... power is like a drug, it makes you drunk and aggressive as soon as someone wants to take it away from you. Light has already lost his mind. And my first impression of L wasn`t that good, either. He is calling himself justice too, but killing Taylor to find Light...
Their actions portrait high intelligence, but they both aren`t taking the responsibility for their actions and reflect on them morally. I think L would act just like Light, when he had the Death Note..
I hope my point of view is understandable (English is not my native language ^^)
Hmm, I have a question.. is there death penality in Japan? Or should Taylor be executed in another country?
Ivy2005, thanks for your compliment.
Paratha,
Standing on the viewpoint of the terriost, I can relate to what you had said.
What you were talking about is more on the side of mangement.
As mentioned above, Osama could have been a soft power instead of a hard power.
The terriost group needed him because they need him, example as an idol for the member to follow.
But, there is one thing you need to be clear of.
Take for example, your religious belief.
If you are a free thinker and wanted to to be a christian. Do you join in because of the pope? Or do you join in because of the ideas and what they believe?
Do you join in because of the Pope or because of Jesus?
If you can get this fact right, you will see that terriost group are make up of people with ideas and they are working for a common goal.
Their members did not join up because of their idol but because of how they interpret......which in our point of view misinterpret the Holy Quran.
There is a lack of communication with them. When their voices are not heard, those that are powerless to do anything will start to make themself heard by voicing out more loudly. And that is explosion.
As what Ivy2005 said,
There will always be someone taking the lead and attacking other country.
If Osama is dead, there is still a possibility that the terriost group may come down to anarchy for a while. Their group may even break up. And the main cause of this is not cause by the death of Osama but by different ideas and belief.
What is the difference between Catholic and Christian?
What is the difference between Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada buddhism?
Lastly....
Why did Osama lead Al-Quada in a terriost attack in the first place?
It's all about ideas and beliefs and working towards a common goal.
HA! This is one of the reasons I love DeathNote, the debates and discussions set off are wonderful. Is it alright to kill criminals? Given the power to kill, what would you do? Are the law enforcement really for justice if they use criminal means as well? My friend and I set off these debates in my last English tutor class when we got overboard with discussing DeathNote, somehow it got into a class debate ^^ That was awesome.
Reading through some of the reviews, I'm still amazed at what people will say when they discuss the ideals DeathNote brings up.
DeathNote is my favourite manga, lets see if the anime keeps the image up! I was rather disappointed at the lack of energy in L's voice though, when he was telling Kira to kill him. I'm aware the machine could have ruined it, but it still semmed so flat to me. Otherwise, great episode!
o m g
i was just so happy to see this episode...I was afraid to be disapointed by the anime but all is so great here;the end is awesome;and raito voice is ... Oo'
Gprei...
"If this information is known to the media and the goverment is enforcing the censorship of the faces of the crimminals, Light will have more problems in killing the crimminals."
This is addressed in the manga.
In Volume 2 L states that Kira would kill other people if the information for criminals was censored. L reasons that Kira hates to lose, and that if Kira is challenged, Kira will simply issue a challenge of his own instead of admitting defeat.
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