rionaleonhart: death note: light contemplates picking up this mysterious notebook. i'm sure it'll be fine. (here at the crossroads)
Riona ([personal profile] rionaleonhart) wrote2024-01-28 02:54 pm

The Way It Ends.

Tem and I finished our rewatch of Death Note last night! We thundered through the first two thirds of the series in a week and then took four months to get through the final third, which probably won't surprise anyone who's familiar with Death Note.

The events of the final episode actually take place on 28 January, so I find myself posting this entry with strangely apt timing.



As Tem commented, it never really feels like Light is at risk after L dies. L is so perpetually there, a constant danger; Light always has to watch his own words and actions so closely. Near is too distant a threat; there's no tension there. Not only does the audience not feel that Light is being challenged, but Light himself doesn't feel that he's being challenged, and Light as a character is much more fun when he feels threatened and needs to think on his feet.

Light's dynamic with Near is also less fun than his dynamic with L because Light and Near don't respect each other, whereas there was a mutual respect between Light and L. Light views Near as deeply inferior to L, and Near views Kira as a worthless murderer. 'And they're both right,' Tem commented, 'but I don't feel like these two are going to fuck at all.'

Even if the last third of Death Note is weaker than the start, though, I think the ending is strong enough to make the overall experience feel reasonably satisfying.

I didn't remember that, after being shot, Light calls out in his mind for Misa and Takada! He's always been so solitary, but, in that moment, he just wants someone on his side. It's unexpectedly heartbreaking. Maybe you'd have allies with you if you didn't keep MURDERING EVERYONE.

Also a striking moment: Light running past his younger self. I remembered this, but I thought it was just a visual detail for the audience; I hadn't remembered that the present Light actually seems to see himself as well. He's always fought so hard not to allow himself to feel any remorse, but at the end perhaps something breaks through.

I've mentioned before that I often dislike endings that kill the protagonist; it can feel like the writer just doesn't know how else to end a story. But there are some 'death of the protagonist' endings that work for me, and Death Note is one of them. Light is a tragedy. If he hadn't found the Death Note, he could have lived a very different life, but he was doomed by his own character traits the moment he picked up that notebook. The story was always going to end this way.



One of the funniest recurring genres of post on the Death Note subreddit is 'hey, you guys, I think Light's actions might be... bad? When I really think about it, I'm not sure this guy is a hero of justice at all. Has anyone else noticed this?'

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