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Death Note: Way beyond good (spoilers!!)


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coolerimmortal



Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 522
PostPosted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:08 pm Reply with quote
fighterholic wrote:
coolerimmortal wrote:
Let's not forget the spoiler["There is no afterlife" thing that Ryuk said...which was a pretty stupid move on behalf of the mangaka, considering it had been foreshadowed since chapter 1 that Light would end up a shinigami.]

spoiler[Ryuk told Light that he would be the one to kill him when he would die. ]That was clearly stated in the Death Note as well.
Quote:
All told, Death Note's ending was an insult. Stop reading after volume 7, if possible.

Hmm, sounds like the plot to the second part of the movie?


spoiler[Yes, we all knew Ryuk would kill him.]

Second part of the movie?

To those of you reading volume 7: The true "turn" hasn't happened yet...The second arc has begun, but the quality drop hasn't really started. I just tell people to stop reading after volume 7 because the second act deteriorates quickly.
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Raven Shinobi





PostPosted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 1:32 am Reply with quote
I'm currently immensely enjoying DN, I reached vol. 7 and I was quite upset with spoiler[L's death since he was my fovorite character], but I didn't mind the twist, since it began to get a bit repetitive with the ongoing cat and mouse game between the two. I've been hearing mixed opinion how things will go down hill after that twist, but I guess I'll keep reading despite of that to judge for myself.

I was curious how the volumes of the second half were received in Japan and checked the JP amazon and I found that vol. 8 rceived the lowest rating so far (3.5/5) while the others scored 4/5. I was quite surprised that vol. 10 scored the highest (5/5) among the other volumes, wonder what will happen in it.
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Webki



Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 299
Location: Albany, NY
PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:32 pm Reply with quote
*WARNING* The spoiler tag you see below this is the ONLY spoiler tag I will use, purely as a warning. The rest of this post will NOT contain spoiler tags... so, read on at your own peril if you haven't finished the series.

I guess I was the only one who liked the second arc, I guess? spoiler[I think the second arc refers to after L dies?]. I'm not sure, but either way, the whole thing was good, and I'll explain why I think so.

I don't think anyone can argue the beginning was bad. Light is an incredibly intriguing character, and the cat and mouse game he and L play is simply fantastic.

However, I saw a few people claiming that they didn't like it when Light lost his memory and started chasing Higuchi. This, to me, was an incredible part of the manga, especially after you get to the part where it his plan is revealed, and we know that he set the whole thing up so that he could lose, and then regain, his memory. Genius! Exactly what would be expected from Light. And who didn't cheer when he gave L that smile as he died. Simply awesome.

Now, as for after L dies. Near and Mello are odd characters at first. Sure, you can see how Near is very close to (near, heh) L personality wise, but there are definite differences that kept me entertained with the character. First of all, I liked how he played out things with his dolls, and was constantly playing with other toys. It gave him this child-like appearance and innocence, which is why I believe he needed Mello at the end. He couldn't possibly test that notebook because he is too innocent. However, Mello was far from it; together, they indeed surpassed L. So, in essence, the two were like L's personality split into two. Interesting, to say the least.

Now we move on to Light and his manipulation of the other characters. He was always good at this, so why would it suprise anyone that he can easily fool the cops he worked with? As he said, his only obstacle is L, and then after L, it was Near.

Matsuda was an idiot, no one would expect anything from him really. However, the others, even Ide, was pretty good at suspecting Light and trying to frame him. But once again, Light was too good.

Now we move on to the final point: the ending. How can someone (I forgot who it was) claim that the Light was easily fooled? He wasn't fooled at all. In fact, he played it perfectly and without error. It was purely Mikami's fault. He took out the notebook before he was instructed to by Light, thus creating an opening Light couldn't have imagined, as he had clearly instructed him not to act without his word. If Mikami had not screwed up his part, Light would have won, as he cleverly read Near's plan and had a perfect counter planned.

Once again, the only fault was with Mikami.

As for my opinion on Ryuuk killing Light... very good ending. I new it was going to happen, as soon as Ryuuk whipped out his notebook, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the scene (and yes, I was rooting for Light).

All in all, I can't really find that much to fault Death Note with, aside from a few technicalities that in no way ruin the overall effect. It is an absolutely superb manga; it is definitely worth a read by anyone looking for a good story, compelling characters, and an entertaining time. I just blew through the entire series in two days, and I damn happy I did. I was entralled the entire way through, and I can honestly say I was never bored with any part of the plot or the characters. During the two days, when I was forced to be away from my reading, I was contemplating it fully, barely paying attention to anything else.

Anything that can do that to me, I truly love. I can honestly say that I am not much of a manga reader, only reading a few series that entertain me, but in regards to all kind of media, I rate Death Note very highly; a definite masterpiece. If the anime strictly adheres to the manga and the story, and they leave out only minute, unnecessary things (there are very few), then it will definitely become my number one anime, just as it is my number one manga at the moment.

So let me end my too-long post with a "Thank you, Death Note. Both for the entertaining time and the awesome experience. I hope I can revisit you sometime down the line and get nearly as much joy the second time as I did the first."
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fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:39 pm Reply with quote
Webki wrote:
However, I saw a few people claiming that they didn't like it when Light lost his memory and started chasing Higuchi. This, to me, was an incredible part of the manga, especially after you get to the part where it his plan is revealed, and we know that he set the whole thing up so that he could lose, and then regain, his memory. Genius! Exactly what would be expected from Light. And who didn't cheer when he gave L that smile as he died. Simply awesome.

I did Very Happy
spoiler[It all looked good and planned well on account of Light, but Near caught onto even the smallest mistake, which made for the fall of Light. The thing is, they had no way to prove that Light was Kira unless they had cold hard evidence. Although I think there was a mistake on Light's part, he shouldn't have said, "I've won!" ]That just totally gave it away, I felt.
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Webki



Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 299
Location: Albany, NY
PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 11:25 pm Reply with quote
Hmm, you're right, fighterholic. However, I think if I were Light, at that point I probably would have said the same thing. When he gave the explanation, spoiler[I really thought he had won].
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fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 11:32 pm Reply with quote
Webki wrote:
Hmm, you're right, fighterholic. However, I think if I were Light, at that point I probably would have said the same thing. When he gave the explanation, spoiler[I really thought he had won].

I thought the same thing. You can probably imagine how my heart was just racing trying to see spoiler[what would happen to everybody and then he says it, and then when you turn the page, and it turns out to be a different result. I was hoping that Light would win, actually.]
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Webki



Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 299
Location: Albany, NY
PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 11:49 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, spoiler[while Light was explaning it in his inner-monologue-super-cool-confident-style, I thought I was going to die of a heart attack because my heart was pounding. Wouldn't that have been ironic?]
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fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 12:17 am Reply with quote
Webki wrote:
Yeah, spoiler[while Light was explaning it in his inner-monologue-super-cool-confident-style, I thought I was going to die of a heart attack because my heart was pounding. Wouldn't that have been ironic?]

Hahahahahahahaha Laughing
*Ugh* *Ohh* Shocked
*Grasps chest in pain, falls to floor, doesn't get up*
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Webki



Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 299
Location: Albany, NY
PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 12:18 pm Reply with quote
fighterholic wrote:

Hahahahahahahaha Laughing
*Ugh* *Ohh* Shocked
*Grasps chest in pain, falls to floor, doesn't get up*


Yeah, it's something like that Laughing
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aya_honda



Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 920
Location: Around here
PostPosted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:21 pm Reply with quote
Ok, so I finally finished this manga... I wanted to end reading it before post any comment on this thread. Practically it didn't took me too long before ending it and from the begining I should say that it is one of the best mangas I have read. It was written really smart and the characters were really amazing.
The idea from which it starts is not original in its essence. However to talk about the right to kill and who has that right would take too long and would bring to many controversies. However when I started to read it I confess it reminded me of something. Now after I finished it, I know what it reminded me of. It reminded me of "Crime and Punishment". Raskolnikov, the main character of this novel, had the same idea as Light. What if some people would be able to kill other people who are a "waste" for the human society? And so he kills this old lady and her sister. But unlike Light, Raskolnikov ends up by having remorces and conscience troubles.
This is not what happens to Light. After he kills for the first time he wonders why he cannot feel anything but then he moves on and the focus is on the game between him and L. I am one of the people who actually cheered for L. I didn't like Light from the beginning till the end. Embarassed I have nothing against the volumes when Light spoiler[ lost his memories and had to play that game of going after Kira.] When it turned out to be a masterplan of his I was actually very pleasant surprised and I enjoyed that part very much.
But after spoiler[L's death]I felt that something was missing in the story. I don't know what. But I confess that for me volumes 8-10 were the hardest to read. It became at some point irritating to see that practically the game between L and Light is retaken from the beginning but this time with Near and Mello playing the part of L. I didn't care much about the strategies of power that were used by the characters. I just wanted to have the same thrill as in the beginning, which became a reality with the 11th volume.
The ending was somehow expected. It was impossible to let Light be Kira for ever and ever. His "dream world" would forever be nothing but a dream world. Nobody could have stopped the crimes for good even if they had the notebook. Anyways, the ending was flawless. I think that actually it was not a stupid move from Light. I would have to agree with Webki: Light played the game perfectly but he relied too much on Mikami's submissiveness and that's why he lost. But on the other hand, didn't you see spoiler[his death] as being a little pathetic? I mean, this guy killed in cold blood so many people... this is the guy who instead of mourning his father's death, he was yelling at him not to die (calling him a "fool")... was now spoiler[crying and saying that he doesn't want to die.] For me this was the perfect revenge. The guy who had been the hunter for so long was now the hunted one. Great reversal of roles! That megalomaniac (let's not forget he was considering himself a god!) got what everyone would have expected!
Now, my only true complain about this manga are the feminine characters. I mean, did they really had to be so stupid? I will start with Misa Amane who at some point really pissed me off. She was just plain stupid, the perfect tool of Kira's and unable to see for herself that this guy was really using her. Light treats her so poorly and she is still unable to see that she is used. Even Ryuku says at some point something like "This is the face of a man who says I love you?". Arghh.. And there's the other one.. Takada. Another one used by Light and she didn't even noticed. They were like some puppets in his hands. Not an intellligent thought from them. All they could think of was Kira and Light, Light and Kira. And that scene when spoiler[they fought for him] I was like "Pleasseeeee!"....

But a good manga, nonetheless. Ok, I'll stop here for now. This has become a really long post. Embarassed
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fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:26 pm Reply with quote
Misa spoiler[could not and refused to see reality, that Light was just using her. For the longest time that worked to Light's advantage, not only was he not having to do the dirty work, but he also had Misa who possessed the Reaper Eyes. Then Near came into the picture, and Light knew he had to cut Misa from the Death Note. ]On another note, Takada spoiler[was used in a way, what told me she was just an instrument was when Light killed her. That told me he was willing to get rid of anybody, even those closest to him, to get what he wanted.]
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Webki



Joined: 20 Jul 2006
Posts: 299
Location: Albany, NY
PostPosted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:47 pm Reply with quote
aya_honda wrote:

But on the other hand, didn't you see spoiler[his death] as being a little pathetic? I mean, this guy killed in cold blood so many people... this is the guy who instead of mourning his father's death, he was yelling at him not to die (calling him a "fool")... was now spoiler[crying and saying that he doesn't want to die.] For me this was the perfect revenge. The guy who had been the hunter for so long was now the hunted one. Great reversal of roles! That megalomaniac (let's not forget he was considering himself a god!) got what everyone would have expected!


I, personally, loved how Light acted at the end. spoiler[He was so pathetic as he begged for his life and for Ryuuk to help him. At first, it is completely shocking to see him act this way. Aside from the occasionally surprise at a change of plans which he immediately rebounds from, Light never acts anything less than the genius killer. However, to see him like this is an absolutely grand way to end an awesome manga.]
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aya_honda



Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 920
Location: Around here
PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:19 am Reply with quote
Something tells me that this may turn into a long post too so I'm sorry but sometimes I just can't help myself. Embarassed

Webki worte:
Quote:
Matsuda was an idiot, no one would expect anything from him really. However, the others, even Ide, was pretty good at suspecting Light and trying to frame him. But once again, Light was too good.

Yes, I agree. Actually there were very few true counterparts for Light and one of them was L. I admired how Light succeeded in making their suspicions going off, especially after his father's death. However don't you find a little bit ironic that the one who has been used for so long Matsuda is actually the one that spoiler[shoots Light]? I mean Matsuda had in the manga few initiatives of his own. In the Yotsuba affair he went there for the first time without the knowledge of the others. But apart from that he is the only one who lacked initiative. I mean, at least the other ones act on their own at some point and have their suspicions concerning Light being Kira. But he doesn't have these suspicions. And yet he is the one that ends up by spoiler[shooting Light when finding out that actually Kira is Light. And then he has remorces....]Interesting fact.
As for the ending...I liked it too. Well, for me it was really interesting that contradiction between spoiler[the Light that confesses that he is Kira with such an enjoyment on his face, with such great confidence in his powers and with a strong belief that he is a god and the Lightwho acts like a normal human being, afraid of death, ready to be pathetic if that means to survive just another day.]Plain great...

fighterholic, ok, these women were blinded by their love for Light but sometimes they just got really annoying. Misa
spoiler[is unable to see how Light's using her and she even shortens her life by making the eye's deal with the reapers. But there are so many moments in which Light was plain mean to her and she still doesn't question anything. I mean, she doesn't ever put questions, she just does what she is told and this made me angry. ] By the way, it was her spoiler[in the ending, no? when she is holding that candle...]
As for Takada, well, I was not too much surprised by her ending... spoiler[She has also been used along the manga (also in the beginning when Light dates her because he has no other choice and to make L thinking that he's on the wrong track there). And the fact that he writes her name after she called him made me realize just how cruel he has turned to be. ]
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fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:09 pm Reply with quote
aya_honda wrote:
By the way, it was her spoiler[in the ending, no? when she is holding that candle...]

Yes, that was her. spoiler[Another thing I did notice though it didn't last long was this competition between Takada and Misa for Light. ] It was good to see a catfight in there when the manga was starting to get on the boring side.

I'm now a Top Ten Poster!
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aya_honda



Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 920
Location: Around here
PostPosted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:32 pm Reply with quote
I wasn't... glad to see some catfight. They were too weak for me and I was completely desatisfied with how they were evolving. Confused I wanted more from them... I mean the other characters seem to be so well developed and we have these women unable to see that a man is completly and utterly using them.Arghh... It made me mad.
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