Death Note: Discussion points

[Relish in Chaos]

Alright, for some reason, I've become really obsessed with Death Note lately, after having recently watched the anime, bought up to volume 7 of the manga, and thought up various theories over some events in the series. Which is why I felt the desire to bring up three questions, or discussion points.

1) What would you do if you found the Death Note?
2) What would L do if he found the Death Note?
3) In Viz's translation of the very first chapter, it calls the skulls used in a Shinigami gambling game "death's-heads". But in the English dub of the anime, it's named "sleeping skulls". Which is right, or are they both acceptable translations?

Personally, I don't know what I'd do if I found the Death Note, but I think L, despite being similar to Light in many ways, doesn't care about justice (he told the Wammy kids that himself in the one-shot special, and only takes cases that interest him). So he might test the note once or twice on some Death Note inmate(s), before burning it like Near did. Alternatively, when Ryuk or some other Shinigami came down to haunt him, he might relinquish ownership of it and/or have it be given to someone else, potentially leading him taking on the case for entertainment.

As for the differing translation on the Shinigami gambling skulls...if there's no overarching correct translation (or transliteration, whatever), then I'd probably prefer "sleeping skulls" because of the alliteration and the fact that it doesn't sound so generic.

 

[Scarim Coral]

1. While I would used it for the same reason Light did at the start (but I wouldn't write their names on a daily basis) but I would used it to my own selfish benefits aswell. In saying so I don't exactly got a long list of people I hate.

2. Don't know? Maybe he would toss it aside dismissing it's a real thing. In saying so however he would have a shinigami for company.

3. Don't know and I don't cared.

 

[krazykidd]

1. I'm going on a murdering spree . Honestly . I would get drink with power as soon as i found out it was real . I would try and get creative on ways to get people to die . I'm evil like that . I would definately use it for personal gain screw the consequences .

2. He'd burn it . No doubt . Light was killing criminals, and might have continued to do so had L not stepped in . It was the morality of the situation that got him to take the case .

3. No idea.

 

[JoJo]

If I found the Death Note I'd probably use it for targeted assassinations of dictators or taking down very dangerous criminals who are still on the run, I wouldn't waste it on criminals who have already been caught as I honestly don't give a toss about them or feel strongly a need for revenge. That said, even the odd assassination of a dictator would have to be done carefully to avoid destabilising the target country and making the situation even worse.

As for L... I doubt he would have used the note at-all if he'd found it, he probably would have kept it safely hidden somewhere or destroyed it so it couldn't fall into anyone's hands. He seems generally into following the law and enacting justice through legal channels, unlike the note.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

1) I would use it. At first it'd be the high profile people responsible for genocides, dictators, stuff like that, and I hope it'd stay that way. I like telling myself I wouldn't go full Light mode and become a death god, but who the fuck knows what happens to a person if they get that much power.

2) I don't think L would use it. Most people would probably use it a bit, but he seems like someone who wouldn't be tempted.

3) No idea.


I heard somewhere that in the manga, it said that Light's shinigami (man it's been ages, I forgot his name) was actually lying when he said someone who uses the Death Note goes to limbo for eternity. I'm basing my decisions on that. If I was actually going to some limbo state for eternity, no way I'm using it. Fixing the world for a while is not worth an eternity of anything. Nobody that's ever existed or will exists deserves that.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

I heard somewhere that in the manga, it said that Light's shinigami (man it's been ages, I forgot his name) was actually lying when he said someone who uses the Death Note goes to limbo for eternity. I'm basing my decisions on that. If I was actually going to some limbo state for eternity, no way I'm using it. Fixing the world for a while is not worth an eternity of anything. Nobody that's ever existed or will exists deserves that.

Yeah, Ryuk was bullshitting because he assumed all humans believed in Heaven and Hell (not to mention Ryuk never said a Death Note owner would go to limbo post-death; just that they wouldn't go to Heaven or Hell, and Light would "find out about that/have something to look forward to after death". Either way, the "Heaven or Hell" rule was retconned at the end of the series, when the story revealed (both through Ryuk's words when Light called him out on it, and within the Death Note rules themselves) that all humans, regardless of whether or not they used the Death Note in their lifetime, go to "Mu", or "nothingness". It literally means non-existence.

And contrary to what some people think in regards to the non-manga-canon anime ending and/or Rewrite special (that the Shinigami who asks Ryuk about the human world is Light reincarnated), Mu is neither Purgatory nor the Shinigami realm. Nothingness is nothingness, and IIRC, Ohba made it quite clear that he didn't like stories where they cheaply brought the characters back to life.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Ah dammit. I went through a really massive Death Note phase too. Almost as bad as my Code Geass spree was... I would probably just do a few shady things for maximum personal gain then leave it alone if I got a Death Note. Cuz i'm a selfish bastard. :3

I'm still firmly in the L side of the camp. I could point out exactly when Light starts to go deeper and deeper off the rails. For example, Ray Penber that FBI guy investigating him found literally no evidence on him and was actually satisfied that Light wasn't Kira. Then even though Light suspects this he comes to the immediate conclusion that he MUST kill his guy.

He literally could have waited and done nothing and L would have run out of suspects and be left with no other leads. NOPE! GET THAT MURDER BOOK OUT! TIME TO LEAVE SOME EVIDENCE!

Of course this is assuming that Light wasn't being ruled by his pride, which he was. He must have known at least subconsciously that if he just kept his head down and did nothing suspicious L would never find him BUT in turn, he would never find L. He wasn't interested in just being Kira, he was interested in removing all opposition and fulfiling his egotistical ambitions of beating the one guy who was his only solid enemy as Kira.

Yeah i'm going to watch Death Note again. In full English dub because Brad Swaile is awesome.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

1) I'm not sure, really. I don't think I have what it takes to take a life. However, I always wanted to see someone get creative with the Death Note. what we mostly get in the show is heart attacks. I think you can come up with some grisly deaths with that thing, especially if it comes into the hands of a crazed, sadistic psychopath.

2) I'd think he'd be more curious about it. He'd wanna learn more about it before deciding what to do with it, by which he'd come to a conclusion that it's far to powerful for a human to carry, and either burn it or simply return it to the shinigami. On the bright side, he'd be better prepared for if someone else grabs a hold of one and goes on a killing spree.

3) I think they're both acceptable translations. I personally thing "Sleeping Skulls" sounds cooler. It always bother me when people get stingy when it comes to translations. I think if they both give off about the same meaning or message, then it's fine. If you still get what's going on, who the character's personalities is, etc. then I don't see the big problem. I mean, clunky dialogue can effect your viewing experience, but I'm talking about the smallest details that some fans go apeshit over.

 

[Gatx]

I guess I'd test it to see if it was real, and then be wracked with endless guilt until I either destroy or go all in with the vigilante thing, but most likely destroy it.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

1. I'd probably just keep it a secret and never use it unless there was someone I really wanted dead. If I did ever use it I would make the deaths a lot more creative than a mere heart attack.

2. Not sure, he'd probably be a lot more restrained with it than Light though.

3. Well Japanese often doesn't translate directly to English so I assume that both are viable translations. If you want an example of this, have a look at http://translationparty.com/ which takes an English phrase and converts it to Japanese, back to English and repeats this process a few times, you can see even simple English phrases mutating into something very different from the translations.

 

[Brotha Desmond]

1. I would keep it safe and never use it, not even to test it.
2. L would probably be interested to test it, but he would probably hide it or burn it.
3. I'm sure both are fine. I can't say for sure unless I see the japanese word.

 

[babinro]

Realistically I'd never use it. I don't believe in violence.

That said a part of me would love to use it as a social experiment.
Killing off criminals like Light did is a great start. I'd get the shimigami-eyes for sure.
It would also be tempting to kill off all known-corrupt government officials.

I'd have a lot of fun playing around with controlling people's actions prior to death. Many victims would either donate their life savings to charities or simply give away their belongings prior to their death. Some of the freebies would go to me so I could retire.

The temptation to control people's actions prior to death would probably lead to some very wrong things though...