18th Apr 2008
Death Note Take III
Got around to finishing this last night. After the semi-boring evil corporation arc, it all went by pretty fast. I don’t think it ever got back to being as good as it was in the first 17/18 episodes, but the ending was pretty satisfactory, even if I wasn’t completely happy with it.
The bads - I think they may have overdone things a teensy bit, in terms of Light’s psychopathic tendencies, L’s weirdness, and the stunning accuracy with which they (almost) always predicted the enemy’s next move. Some parts were a little bit too convenient; I gave up trying to follow the whole notebook swapping who could see what business after a while. And some things about the ending didn’t sit quite right with me, even though I think there was very little else they could have done, except maybe end the story 10 episodes early similar to what the movie did. And I haaaaaaate the 2nd OP. Gawd. I hate swearing for the sake of swearing. I hate lyrics that don’t make sense. I hate death metal. Can’t say it didn’t go with the anime in general, but urghhhh.
Now that’s out of the way, there were a lot a lot of things I liked. For one, despite the nitpicking observed above, I thought the main characters were excellently done. The interaction between them was probably my favourite part of the series. The tension created by the story telling was arguably the best I’ve seen so far. I was actually pretty nervous at some points, thanks to the way the action sequences were put together. Unlike many other shows that attempt to have complex plotlines, it managed to tie things up coherently without losing its way. It succeeded in using a supernatural concept as a platform for intense drama and psychological warfare without over-relying on it as a crutch to escape explaining the finer points of the plot.
Most importantly, I like that the story was so intelligent without being pretentious. It didn’t try to explore moral issues or inspire any philosophical debates, it didn’t try to be deeply meaningful and profound. Which is good, because most anime that try suffer most ignominious failures. While there are occasional references to the fact that Kira’s world may not be such a bad idea, it is used more as a plot device rather than belaboured as some new and interesting concept. In the end it’s not even about inherent rights and wrongs anymore, it is about winning and losing, which I far prefer to having the characters hide behind some pompous sense of justice.
I quote Wiki, re: the author and artist who created the manga - ‘The two reiterated that the “deep philosophical themes” such as debates about whether Light is good or evil, “life and death,” and the “merits of our Internet society” differed from the intention to entertain’. Ding ding ding! Finally someone gets it right. Forget the ideological discussions - all they wanted to do was tell a good story, and they did a hell of a job with that.
Now for spoilers!
Got around to finishing this last night. After the semi-boring evil corporation arc, it all went by pretty fast. I don’t think it ever got back to being as good as it was in the first 17/18 episodes, but the ending was pretty satisfactory, even if I wasn’t completely happy with it.
The bads - I think they may have overdone things a teensy bit, in terms of Light’s psychopathic tendencies, L’s weirdness, and the stunning accuracy with which they (almost) always predicted the enemy’s next move. Some parts were a little bit too convenient; I gave up trying to follow the whole notebook swapping who could see what business after a while. And some things about the ending didn’t sit quite right with me, even though I think there was very little else they could have done, except maybe end the story 10 episodes early similar to what the movie did. And I haaaaaaate the 2nd OP. Gawd. I hate swearing for the sake of swearing. I hate lyrics that don’t make sense. I hate death metal. Can’t say it didn’t go with the anime in general, but urghhhh.
Now that’s out of the way, there were a lot a lot of things I liked. For one, despite the nitpicking observed above, I thought the main characters were excellently done. The interaction between them was probably my favourite part of the series. The tension created by the story telling was arguably the best I’ve seen so far. I was actually pretty nervous at some points, thanks to the way the action sequences were put together. Unlike many other shows that attempt to have complex plotlines, it managed to tie things up coherently without losing its way. It succeeded in using a supernatural concept as a platform for intense drama and psychological warfare without over-relying on it as a crutch to escape explaining the finer points of the plot.
Most importantly, I like that the story was so intelligent without being pretentious. It didn’t try to explore moral issues or inspire any philosophical debates, it didn’t try to be deeply meaningful and profound. Which is good, because most anime that try suffer most ignominious failures. While there are occasional references to the fact that Kira’s world may not be such a bad idea, it is used more as a plot device rather than belaboured as some new and interesting concept. In the end it’s not even about inherent rights and wrongs anymore, it is about winning and losing, which I far prefer to having the characters hide behind some pompous sense of justice.
I quote Wiki, re: the author and artist who created the manga - ‘The two reiterated that the “deep philosophical themes” such as debates about whether Light is good or evil, “life and death,” and the “merits of our Internet society” differed from the intention to entertain’. Ding ding ding! Finally someone gets it right. Forget the ideological discussions - all they wanted to do was tell a good story, and they did a hell of a job with that.
Now for spoilers!
Posted in Death Note | 5 Comments »
