Anime Death Note TV

[Dagger]

[quote name='i.luv.kiba']I mean, he's killing off criminals for the good of the rest of the world.[/quote]
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/lawfulevillightta7.jpg[/IMG]

D&D, anyone?

I don't care much about Light killing criminals, actually. Wouldn't support it in real life, obviously, and I don't buy his self-serving schtick about making a new world and all that jazz, but it doesn't stick in my craw. The fact that he shows equally few qualms when killing innocent people is what turns me off.

It doesn't help that he doesn't actually give a flying **** about anyone besides his pretty-haired self.

(Disclaimer: There are villains in other stories who manage to be egotistical, arrogant, self-obsessed--and utterly charming. Light, I am afraid, does not charm me.)

~Dagger~

[i.luv.kiba]

well everyone is credited to their own opinion i suppose. i can't expect everyone to agree w/ the characters i like.

usually i don't like characters who only care about themselves and their goals. Sasuke Uchiha for example REALLY hits a nerve *twitch twitch* . hmmm.... maybe the fact that Light is actually [i]smart[/i] makes the difference

so it has been confirmed: you don't care for Light XD

[inactive]

[quote name='i.luv.kiba']Let's bring him into the real world for a minute shall we. Let's say he wrote Osama Binladen's (sp?) name into the Death Note. Would that make him evil? Because by killing off someone like him he's really saving the lives of perhaps hundreds of other innocent victims right?[/quote]
"Love thy enemy". That's all I have to say about that. Very, VERY difficult thing to do, but very admirable. So...I pretty much find it impossible to like his character. Just throwing that out there...

Anyway, the [spoiler]cat fight[/spoiler] scene definately was good. I also got a kick out of Near decorating his Christmas tree with little playmobile dudes. :D I suppose Near's [spoiler]onto Mikami now[/spoiler] too... He sure doesn't waste any time.

[Dagger]

On that topic, Near's best toys are, of course, the little dolls. Have they appeared in the anime yet? If not, they make their grand debut in episode 34. I liked the scene of Near filing down Mello's doll. He's quite the craftsman, haha. I got a set (Kira, L, Mello, Near, Misa) of finger puppets based on them with the Death Note manga box.

As for episode 34: PINCHI PINCHI! DAI PINCHI!!! <3

It looked like they stuck a little [spoiler]Hideki Ryuuga[/spoiler] in the background of [spoiler]Takada's New Year's thing.[/spoiler] Heh. I guess [spoiler][I]his[/I] career has been unaffected by Kira's meteoric rise.[/spoiler]

Oh, what a tangled web we weave. All I could think through much of this episode was that [spoiler]Near is really hard on poor Gevanni.[/spoiler] That seems like the most stressful job ever. And as if to make things even more uncomfortable for him, [spoiler]he looks a little too much like a young Raye Penber. Stay strong, Gevanni![/spoiler]

Only three left. I can't imagine that the epilogue chapter of the manga will take up much time on screen, so I hope that the climax gets most of episodes 36 and 37 to itself. Which is not to say that episode 35 won't be climactic--it had better be damn [i]epic[/i], as far as I'm concerned. Really really looking forward to it.

On a frivolous note, take a close look at the preview. Notice anything off? [spoiler]That's no cigarette--Matt is totally smoking a joint. Maybe that's why he looks so Zen.[/spoiler] :toothy:

~Dagger~

[inactive]

[quote name='Dagger]All I could think through much of this episode was that [spoiler']Near is really hard on poor Gevanni.[/spoiler][/quote]
Heh, I agree. Poor guy. That [spoiler]locker scene[/spoiler] had my heart racing. Very suspenseful.

Oh Matsuda... I used to find him funny, but now he's just a bit annoying. :animeswea

And Mikami's doll is absolutely terrifying. I think I'm going to be having nightmares about that one. :animeswea

It certainly seems as if we're working our way up to a climax right now. I can't wait to see how this story ends.

[Dagger]

I had a fit during the episode 36 preview. SO. EXCITING.

How does it feel to watch this part and not have read the manga? I'm curious because episode 35 starts with a long montage that drops a lot of hints (such as [spoiler]Hal's reaction to Mello's phone call[/spoiler]) but probably makes little if any sense if you haven't read the more detailed chapters. If I imagine I don't know anything about it, I think it still holds together, but it's hard to be sure.

[spoiler]Matt's death[/spoiler] was [i]brutal[/i] animated, coming bare seconds after [spoiler]he showed us his l33t driving skills.[/spoiler] And then [spoiler]Mello and Takada, too.[/spoiler] They stuck closely to the manga in how they (very very vague spoiler/hint) [spoiler]downplayed Mello's death.[/spoiler] It's hard not to feel sorry for [spoiler]Takada.[/spoiler] I mean, there are certainly times when one wants a character to be merciless, but I just don't know [i]how[/i] someone could [spoiler]feel good about Light after what he put her through.

Actually I was surprised by how much her death hit me in the gut. I'm not a particular fan of hers. I guess it's just that she seems like a much more human character than Misa. All of the deaths in this episode had more of an impact by virtue of being in color, animated, with music, etc., which is just what I was hoping for.[/spoiler]

But anyway, all this paves the way for the absolute best scene & dialogue in the whole series, which will be coming NEXT EPISODE. *hyperventilates again* Oh damn, I need to watch that preview again. And again. Eeeeeeee!!

Just for good measure: :wigout:

Preview narration: [spoiler][i]With this it ends. No--today, Kira's perfect world begins. All those who know of the Note's existence will die.[/i][/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=tahoma]Alright, I just fininshed watching episode 29. It's really quite early in the morning over here and it's possible that i'm not thinking too clearly (I'm just too anxious about watching the last bunch of episodes though to put it off). There is something i just need a little clarification on, though I'm almost sure I understand what happened.

[spoiler]The note Light returned to Shidoh was the original notebook that Ryuk wrote the fake rules in, the one his father was going to use to kill Mello. Light relinquished ownership of it to Ryuk once again BEFORE it was exchanged to Mello's group. But having Misa's note, the one that was buried caused him not to lose his memories. It seemed very convincing that Light wanted the note back by any means however when he considered killing his sister. The plan for having his father make the deal with Ryuk was a result of the exchange with Mello and the failure of the preservation of that particular note in the first place. So his relinquishing of ownership seemed unnecessary despite turning out to be useful in the end. The assurance that he no longer had ownership allowed him to support his father making the deal with Ryuk and would use him to kill Mello while he himself would appear innocent if his father ever looked at him. So everything considered, he expected his father to die lest he would never be able to regain ownership of a note as long as his father lived with the eyes, and now there is only one shinigami Ryuk to match with one note, which is the one Misa currently owns.[/spoiler]

Is that accurate? There is a question in there somewhere in the form of a statement, my apologies for it being a bit of a mess but as I said...i'm working on morning time and i'm not a morning person :animeswea. For a few moments I was confused at the appearence of [spoiler]Shidoh[/spoiler] and claiming the note in the [spoiler]Mafia's[/spoiler] control.[/FONT]

[inactive]

Well, it sure seems that this series is going to have a very dramatic ending. I'm REALLY looking forward to the last two episodes. There's no doubt in my mind that they'll be absolutely incredible.

I really enjoyed episode 35. Poor, poor [spoiler]Takada[/spoiler]. Well, I guess that's what she got for [spoiler]supporting Light[/spoiler]. Just another example of him using somebody and casting them off. What a horrible end for her.

I really appreciated the way [spoiler]Mello's death[/spoiler] was handled. I was just kind of like "what's going on?", and then all of a sudden...[spoiler]he was dead[/spoiler]. It was very effective for me. So, [spoiler]two pretty major deaths[/spoiler] in this episode.

Oh yeah, plus [spoiler]Matt died[/spoiler]... Yes, very brutal. He was an interesting guy... :p

Anyway, I'm looking forward to some pretty climactic episodes. I can't wait!

[strwpoptart]

[font=garamond][color=green]Ok. I've seen episodes 1-5 and Its a little disturbing, but also intersting and thats why I want to watch more, but I'm having trouble. Can anyone tell me where or what site I can find the early episodes in english sub on? I can't find them on Youtube, Veoh, or Dailymotion. If anyone has any other sites I would greatly appreciate it. I really want to see the episodes from the beginning. I hate watching shows from the end or middle and then working your way back. It makes things so confusing lol. I hope I can watch more Death Note. :animecry: [/color][/font]

[Dagger]

Episode 36: So epic, it left me shaking... but not nearly as epic as 37 is going to be!! Honestly, I think this episode qualifies as my cardio workout for the week. The direction and voice acting were OFF THE HOOK. Mamoru Miyano and Masaya Matsukaze [i]brought it[/i]. In particular, [spoiler]Light's struggle not to burst out laughing[/spoiler] was the best example of perfectly synched visuals & acting emotion I've seen, well, ever. This week's [spoiler]SAKUJO and "Omoi doori!"[/spoiler] will go down in history.

Also, it ends on the grandfather of all cliffhangers. And here I was scratching my head over how they'd split the climax. The downside is that the dialogue I was looking forward to won't be heard until next week. The upside is that it's coming next week!

A huge, albeit tangential spoiler: I find myself wondering if they'll flesh out [spoiler]the aftermath. For instance, the epilogue chapter of the manga didn't deal with Misa's fate, although the writer later said that she probably committed suicide. I'd like to see that in a scene or at least a still. I also hope they find some way to distinguish clearly between the anonymous girl at the end and Misa, since that was a bit of a problem in the manga.[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[Ikillion]

[COLOR=#5d0b08][SIZE=1][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Oh my god.

Its just like you said, that really was pretty damn epic. Just as soon as [spoiler]Mikami showed up at the scene.[/spoiler] it was just wow. It took me till the credits were rolling to realize that I was on the edge of my seat leaning towards the monitor. But it was so worth it.

I must have forgotten that [spoiler]Light had communicated to Mikami at some other time to kill them at the warehouse seeing as I didn't expect to see him peeping thought he door like Near had expected. Though the imagery of Mikami hunched over the notebook like a rat writing down the names really was powerful and moving.[/spoiler]

I can only guess though that[spoiler] judging by the ending credits and Light having to pull out his ripped piece of paper from his watch that Near did something to over trump even light's plan. So I guess Kira is pretty screwed next episode.[/spoiler]

PS. The heck does Near get his toys? They are awfully customized to the people / things he assigns them to.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Raiyuu]

Is this a good time to admit I'm very disappointed in the climactic plot?

I won't argue that the episode wasn't incredibly well done. (Plus I'm loving Near more with every second of screentime.) But when you strip away the layers, forget all the [spoiler]dicking around with real notebooks and fake notebooks[/spoiler], what Light's plan - [i]Light's [/i]plan, the straight-A super-genius that out-manoeuvred L - boils down to is [spoiler]getting everyone in a room and having Mikami peep at them through the door[/spoiler].

Compared to the plan that [spoiler]took out L[/spoiler], that seems awfully low-tech to me. What made the first arc ending so satisfying - [spoiler]despite the fact that I was on L's side[/spoiler] - was Light's manipulation of events and people. He successfully predicted the actions [spoiler]he himself would take if his memories of the Note were removed[/spoiler]; he made excellent use of [spoiler]Misa's advice on killing Shinigami, and of Rem's growing affection for Misa[/spoiler], to steer events such that [spoiler]L's death at Rem's hands[/spoiler] was the [i]only possible conclusion[/i].

With the final plot ... okay, he predicted that Near would try and [spoiler]mess with Mikami's notebook[/spoiler], and he made absolutely sure he was right by observing whether Near [spoiler]changed the date of the meeting[/spoiler]. But when the meeting was declared as a closed-room affair - one way in, one way out - I expected something brilliant and Machiavellian to obtain Near's name. I didn't expect "[spoiler]I'll get my pet Kira-Gollum to open the door a bit and look at them[/spoiler]". There are just so many things that could go wrong with that approach.

Light deserves anything Near pulls on him next episode. He just wasn't [i]trying [/i]with that plan.

[Dagger]

Oooh, I want to respond without giving anything away... I don't think I am, but I'll use spoiler tags in case I end up using wording that's too suggestive.

Light's biggest weaknesses: [spoiler]Hubris (duh), but I think that his use of other people also qualifies. Objectively it was stupid of him to keep employing Misa over and over, and it was incredibly stupid to send a Death Note to Mikami, a total stranger. While I'm great at suspending my disbelief for this story--if I do say so myself, haha--the way things turned out in regards to Mikami's character is just a bit much for me.

Anyway, though, Light's pride keeps him from recognizing that people aren't passive tools; you can't use them over and over as if you're driving in nails with a hammer. Sooner or later even the most predictable person will crack under pressure, and he or she might not even realize it. Light has an extraordinary amount of self-control; it's just that this control doesn't extend to others as much as he seems to believe. Worse, he's gotten so lucky--especially with Misa--that it'd be hard to fault him for forming that impression.[/spoiler]

I'd say you're onto something interesting with respect to [spoiler]the relative plainness of Light's plan to wipe the slate of Near and everyone else. He lost a lot more than he realized when L died. He went up against L when the world was first learning of Kira, when in many ways he was the underdog. L is the only person he's ever thought of as a rival, and he thoroughly defeated him. Near & Mello challenged Light when he was already more or less on top of the world. This time they were the ones coming from below--little more than pests and nuisances to him.

L kept him on his toes; L made him take precisely calculated gambles and constantly sense the danger of being caught. Then he spent four years or so in a position of insular security, leading the investigators on a wild goose chase. There was no way Near and Mello, by the time they caught up, could make him even remember what it had once been like to be really threatened.[/spoiler]

I'll cut myself off early so I'm not tempted to spill more.

~Dagger~

[The Unholy Newt]

Ooh, I'm really eager to talk about this one, but I'll wait till you all have seen the ending, it's to hard to discuss having read the manga and knowing how it ends.

This is my favourite manga of all all time, only watched the first 20 or so eps of the anime so far, but damn they did good at sticking true from what I've seen.

[inactive]

Oh, WOW. Episode 36 [I]was[/I] pretty freaking epic. What a heart-pounding episode.

The little details of the episode...the stopping and starting of that fan, the rain on the day of the [spoiler]meeting[/spoiler], Light's dramatic ascent from the car and the group's slow-motion walk through the warehouse...all so effective. They all added to the Net-Amazingness of this episode. :animeswea

Mikami was positively [I]demented[/I] with his [spoiler]paroxysmic name-writing[/spoiler]. :animeswea "[I]Sakujo, sakujo, SAKUJO![/I]" Ha ha, I loved his expression as he looked at his watch.

And Near's [spoiler]L mask[/spoiler]. Bet you anything they start selling those. :animeswea So creepy...

The end of that episode just left my heart beating and my lungs breathless.

It's unfortunate that I feel COMPLETELY out of the loop here, since I'm one of those rare people who hasn't read the manga and doesn't know the ending. :animeangr But on the bright side, I'm going to be able to see this completely [I]staggering[/I] finish for the first time in full colour, with dramatic music and amazingly good voice acting. Gah! This cliffhanger is going to drive me as crazy as Mikami!

[TheResplendent]

[FONT=Tahoma]I have not read the manga at all, hence the contents of my posts, lol. I pray intently that the ending to the anime is not dissapointing, but in the case that it is OR if it has not encased everything in the manga, I will begin to read it. I'd really very much rather this series be perfect from beggining to end though.

That being said, that [spoiler]L mask[/spoiler] was certainly creepy, lol.

I had absolutely no concept of time when I watched episode 36, when it stopped and said to be continued, I virtually screamed at my monitor. I cannot wait for the last episode. The cats pretty much out of the bag now, [spoiler]whether Light's plan worked or whether Near's plan worked[/spoiler] means everything to Light's success and no matter what, there's going to be no turning back. The suspense is beautiful ;p.

As much as I admire's Light's intellect, forsight, and resoucefulness...I do think it's a mistake to underestimate Near simply because he's comparing his methods to L's. [spoiler]Certainly Near is no L, but his methods are simply different, rather then inferior. Light might not be taking that into consideration, so if the final eposide does yield a failure for Light's ambition, that would be the reason. Judging someone's plan relative to another is the same was judging someone's worth relative to another, it won't speak accurately of their true potential. It's a matter of that, versus whether or not Near is truly too inept to contest Light. I do not think Near has what it takes, but it's coming down to the wire now. One mistaken move up until the current point will make all the difference in the world.[/spoiler] Can't wait to see how things finally unfold.

Though it does seem that [spoiler]Misa[/spoiler] is pretty much in the clear, so yay for that. :) [/FONT]

[Raiyuu]

@Dagger: I actually hadn't considered it as evidence of Light slipping - I'd been looking from the writer's point of view and thinking "this is a bit like Ocean's 12/13 - it just couldn't match up to the sheer brilliance of the original".

Looking at it from within the Death Note world, it makes more sense to think "this is Light's hubris catching up to him - [i]he [/i]just couldn't match the brilliance of his earlier plot thanks to an extended period without competition".

@BK: Spot on. Even after four or five years, Light still has L on the brain. He can't see Near as anything other than a substandard L copy, which is why he's constantly underestimating the crazy kid. I can't help thinking that the [spoiler]L mask[/spoiler] was a deliberate move by Near to reinforce this impression, goading Light into complacency. And he really [i]is [/i]complacent - the Light of the first arc would [i]never [/i]have [spoiler]announced his victory even a second before the fact. Whatever happens after the cliffhanger - and I know, obviously - that announcement was final proof that Light isn't the genius he once was. He's just desperate for another moment of recognition like he had with L at the last second, but he's taken far too big a risk to attain it[/spoiler].

[The Unholy Newt]

That's a beef I have with Light's character towards the end of Death Note: [spoiler]Light doesn't act at all in the way that Light should. He is greatly out of character, he wouldn't reveal himself at such a crucial time. He only let L know that is was him when he was dying from his heart attack.[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

I don't think it's out of character--more like a natural progression, if even that. Haven't watched it for myself yet, but I believe the second live action movie actually [spoiler]applies a what-if scenario to the ending of the first arc. Light still reveals himself to L in the same way as in the manga & anime... but L doesn't actually die at that point (due to a couple of plot twists).[/spoiler]

[spoiler]The point is, there's [i]no way[/i] to be sure of the outcome until your target no longer has a pulse. Yet Light is always sure. He reveals himself to Raye, to L, to Near--in each case a split second before the end, and in each case with the same confidence.[/spoiler]

Episode 37 airs today~~~

~Dagger~

[xmystic_silverx]

[quote name='The Unholy Newt]That's a beef I have with Light's character towards the end of Death Note: [spoiler']Light doesn't act at all in the way that Light should. He is greatly out of character, he wouldn't reveal himself at such a crucial time. He only let L know that is was him when he was dying from his heart attack.[/spoiler][/quote]

Of course he would. He's Light! [spoiler]Revealing yourself at the crucial point makes more of an impact doesn't it? And he likes making that impact.

He also revealed himself to Raye's fiance and only because he knew he was going to kill her anyway. I'm thinking he wanted to give her the feeling of impending doom.[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

Full disclosure: I'm just posting to kill time. It's still going to be another hour or so before I can go home and watch the ending. Apparently there are some differences (I'm getting the impression that they're more subtle than major) between the anime & manga endings, which makes me even more eager & curious to see 37 for myself. *bangs head on keyboard*

~Dagger~

[TheResplendent]

[QUOTE=Dagger]Full disclosure: I'm just posting to kill time. It's still going to be another hour or so before I can go home and watch the ending. Apparently there are some differences (I'm getting the impression that they're more subtle than major) between the anime & manga endings, which makes me even more eager & curious to see 37 for myself. *bangs head on keyboard*

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

[font=tahoma]Ugggh, don't tell me thaaaat. I mean how drastically can they really change it anyway, I suppose whatever the case may be I could always read the end of the manga after watching the final episode. It just better not be dissapointing overall. I don't see how a series like this can be ruined by a sub-par ending.

[QUOTE=xmystic_silverx]Of course he would. He's Light! [spoiler]Revealing yourself at the crucial point makes more of an impact doesn't it? And he likes making that impact.

He also revealed himself to Raye's fiance and only because he knew he was going to kill her anyway. I'm thinking he wanted to give her the feeling of impending doom.[/spoiler][/QUOTE]

In every other case he revealed himself, the death of each member was in his own hands. He knew for certain that it would be the last thing they would ever hear. The situation with Near is a little more careless of him because despite [spoiler]giving out instructions for his lap dog to create a false book, he has no way of being certain what has happened between that time, and current time.[/spoiler] The means of death are not in his hand, but on an extension of his will, as certain as he may feel it is...the sensation of it all is blinding him to the possible fallacies of his intended plan.

Of course, this'll all be sorted out in a matter of hours...but if Light is not victorious like I said in my last post, this will be the reason why.[/font]

[Andy]

[QUOTE=Dagger]I find myself wondering if they'll flesh out [spoiler]the aftermath. For instance, the epilogue chapter of the manga didn't deal with Misa's fate, although the writer later said that she probably committed suicide. I'd like to see that in a scene or at least a still. I also hope they find some way to distinguish clearly between the anonymous girl at the end and Misa, since that was a bit of a problem in the manga.[/spoiler]
[/QUOTE]
[SIZE=1]
[COLOR=DarkRed]Yeah, the manga's ending really left me confused. So yeah, that'll be interesting to see that whole Misa scene animated and stuff.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Dagger]

[SIZE=1]Just to confirm--it does change some details from the manga ending, but it works extremely well in the anime. Again, arguably nothing major--it's like seeing the same play with different blocking.

BKstyles, I wouldn't worry about the manga; they already cut out a lot from previous parts of the second arc, and compared to that, this is more like elaboration than a deviation. Unless you really really care about the manga epilogue.[/SIZE]

Episode 37 almost made me cry.

That's the absolute highest praise I can give this show. It did what the manga never could: [spoiler]made me feel for Light at the end, made me sense on an emotional rather than logical level the sheer farcical [i]waste[/i] of it all.[/spoiler] My own reaction startled me more than I would've been if they'd pulled out a totally different ending.

There were some interesting directorial choices made here. As a whole the episode has very little background music; the dramatic scenes are carried 100% by voice acting. Mamoru Miyano must've been wiped out after the last recording session.

Don't forget to read the eyecatches this time! They're important.

A quick rundown of changes from the manga:

[spoiler]
- Light calls out to Mikami, Misa and Takada but not Ryuk. Ryuk's final lines are turned into a soliloquy delivered as he writes Light's last name from afar (although he is present in the warehouse to introduce himself to Near earlier).
- They took out Mikami's last lines expressing his disillusionment, although the emotion was still blatant enough on his face.
- Also, Mikami explodes. XD
- Light manages to struggle to his feet after his swimming lessons and leaves the warehouse in a scene that reflects Mikami's entrance. Near has obtained the piece of the Death Note from his watch and tells Light's crew that there's no need to follow them. Aizawa insists on it, but they don't make it to Light in time.
- At the end, Light wanders inside another warehouse and dies on the sunlit stairs in a scene that is obviously meant to evoke the footwashing scene with L. Instead of Ryuk being the last thing he sees before he dies, he has a hallucination of L standing some distance from him, his face hidden.
- His eyes close just like L's in episode 25.
- The montage that occurs as Light wanders between the warehouses also includes Misa riding on an empty train and standing at the very edge of a building's roof. At the end all you see is her closing her eyes, and they left it up for interpretation, but I think it's a pretty strong hint that she jumps.
- The last shot is Ryuk's back as he sits atop a tower and gazes out over the darkening city.[/spoiler]

In summary, they expanded chapter 107 greatly and cut out chapter 108.

ETA: Apparently Hirano Aya announced (during that post-show bit she always does) that there's going to be a DN special sometime this summer. Not sure what the content could be, though.

~Dagger~

[Shinmaru]

I couldn't wait until translations came out, so I just watched the raw right now since I have at least a decent idea of what everyone is talking about due to having read the manga. Now to discuss!

[quote name='Dagger]It did what the manga never could: [spoiler]made me feel for Light at the end, made me sense on an emotional rather than logical level the sheer farcical [i]waste[/i'] of it all.[/spoiler][/quote]

I agree. The biggest emotional punch for me is [spoiler]Light's face when he dies. In the manga, his expression strikes me as one of total fear/desperation, as in, "Oh ****, I'm actually going to [i]die[/i]," whereas in the anime Light has an utterly sad look upon his face. It's as though he's realizing what you wrote about at the beginning of your post - that everything he did was a mind-boggling waste. He killed or helped kill an astonishing amount of criminals and innocents, and the only thing those deaths led to is Light dying quietly in a real dump of warehouse, broken and alone, everything he'd worked for ripped away from him by the inevitably awful end that comes to all human Death Note users.

Amazingly enough, I actually felt sort of [i]sorry[/i] for the little bastard; I still think he more than deserved everything he got in the end, but it's really sad when you think about what Light could have been. The quick flashbacks to the beginning of the series work well to show Light as he was before the Death Note secured its cold grip on him - he was a normal high school kid like any other, and he could've gone on to have a pretty fantastic career with the Japanese police alongside his father. It's a shame, but Light chose to use the Death Note as an instrument of death (no matter how "good" his intentions), so he alone had to deal with the despair that would be wrought upon him because of his abuses.[/spoiler]

The whole deal with [spoiler]Mikami worked better in the anime, too, I think. I always thought the throwaway mention of Mikami dying in prison (by Near's pen if Matsuda's theory is to be believed) was a bit anti-climactic for him; the pained look on Mikami's face and his subsequent suicide (try saying that five times quickly) in the anime make for a more fitting end for him and really help drive home the futility of what Light was doing.

To Mikami, that whole deal in the warehouse is like the most humiliating slap in the face he could've received - it's his first time seeing Light in person, his god and divine justice, and he's owned completely and thoroughly by a little white-haired kid who plays with finger puppets. I think Mikami felt completely betrayed by the vision of Light he'd formed in his mind, and before he killed himself, Mikami realized the justice he'd been striving for his entire life and that he thought he'd found in Light was an absolute ruse. Mikami kind of got what he deserved, too, though, the nut.

His suicide was shockingly violent, however, haha. Unless I'm forgetting something, that's pretty much the most violent scene in the entire anime, correct? That's the argument for using brutal violence as sparingly as possible - when it is used, then a violent scene will hit as hard as it actually [i]should[/i].[/spoiler]

That's enough for now. I'll probably come back in here after I can actually understand what everyone is saying. :p