Death Note (Drama)

Episode 9

Every time Death Note takes a swerve away from the source material in one episode, it goes right back to it in the next week. Last time, I talked about how Death Note had set up a curious new version of the story, where L survived into Mikami's arc and Near's introduction. We could see Near working with L and the relationship between the two. Mikami was forced to be smarter, working for Light more directly and with more adversaries. Then this week, L died—thanks to Mikami's intervention, not Rem's—and we're back to where the anime story status quo. Or are we?

The different set-up has already changed things dramatically. Near and Mikami are not the same characters they were in the original material. Mikami's older, and also somewhat more clever—thinking to take actions without Light's command that actually help him, rather than hurt him. (At least, Light appeared to be confused by L's death, even if he later deduced it was Mikami.) Still, he's every bit as worshipful of Light as in the original, making him an even wilder card if he's this willing to act on his own. Heck, he joined the cause out of his own volition, and Light had to seek him out rather than the other way around. Near also has more experience now, which makes Light's underestimation of him even starker than in the original. This is notably contrasted by the rest of the team's surprise when he traces the new Kira to the prosecutor's office, even if his logic is much clearer and easier to follow than many of L's predictions.

It's also striking how fast Light's general cult of followers is growing. In the anime and manga, this took place over several years, during the time skip between L's death and the introduction of Mello and Near. In this version, it's immediate. Granted, it's harder to convey something like the rapid passing of time in a week-by-week live-action series than it is with animation. Still, it does throw a wrench into things by showing how Light's control over his cronies is slipping even as he becomes more cocky.

Plus, there's another variable in Near and Mello being alternate personalities in one body. Even Watari called them by separate names when each took over Near's body. Mello's a lot more malignant and focused than he was in the original, where he was more of a wannabe gangster dude following his own whims and gaining his own sort of glory. Sure, he wanted to catch Kira, but he mostly wanted to upstage Near. Mello was a clear side-antagonist from early on, not the main threat. Here, Mello is a more integral part of things and a much more threatening presence.

The show keeps throwing curveballs even when it's setting up plot points that happened in the original. At this point in the story, Light was actively sidelining Misa, but now he gets her back into the game—giving her the notebook so she regains her memories. Both she and Mikami are working together as his lieutenants, suggesting that Misa might take the place of Kiyomi Takada. This is a good move for many reasons. For one thing, her presence was mostly a link between Light and Mikami, which isn't necessary in this version. I also didn't like the occasional catfights between her and Misa. Weirdly, this Death Note feels better to its female characters by omitting one (so far).

That makes me a little nervous about the decision to make Shoko Himura the one who kidnaps Sayu—a role taken from Mello. It seems too easy for her to slide into Takada's place, with Light somehow convincing her to join his cause. However, it seems more likely that she'll pick up Mello's old role, with a rowdy gang behind her doing her bidding. That adds a new twist to this story: making Near's rival someone he doesn't understand and can't predict like he could his old friend gone wrong. She seems like an extremely clever woman, since she figured out the connection between Kira and the killings early on (in place of the short-lived Naomi Misora) and sought to join the investigation team on her own.

This version of Death Note is playing the same plot beats as the Mello/Near arc from the original, but changing up just enough within the cast that it's essentially a new story. Even if it's hewing closer to home than I thought it could based on last week's events, I'm still not sure what to expect. It's well into the story's final act, but it still feels fresh.

Adaptations live and die on what new things they can bring to the table. That's especially true for a story as frequently adapted as Death Note. This version continues to strike just the right balance between familiarity and originality.

Rating: A-

Death Note (Drama) is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rose is a music Ph.D. student who loves overanalyzing anime soundtracks. Follow her on her media blog Rose's Turn.