Deathnote Rant(because it sucked).

[linkvegeta]

I completely agree with this rant. it should have ended with L's death or lights death.

 

[Kapol]

I read the manga up to about the end of the first major 'arch,' so I don't know if things run too much differently. But I will say that I did stop reading when...

Spoiler

L died. He was really the only character I liked at all. Light was an ass, the girl was an idiot, and the death spirits didn't have much personality at all. L, and the entire team that looked for Light, were the only reasons I enjoyed the series. So when L died and the group split, I just stopped reading. It wasn't worth spending more on the series. The new characters seemed stupid, and I could tell that the series would lose my interest quickly enough where buying the next volume wasn't worth it.

So, basically, I agree with you, but I just stopped reading after that one particular event.

 

[WorldCritic]

I have to admit, during the first 25 (or so) episodes I wasn't rooting for Light or L but simply enjoying the two of them outsmart each other, but then when Near and Mello showed up I started rooting for Light, and then he dies and Near wins. I have to admit that the ending was pretty bad, it kind of felt like everything that happened in the show was suddenly set back to zero.

 

[Accountfailed]

Spoiler

Light does not die from a gunshot. You should probably re-watch the last episode.The Shinigami whose name escapes me right now says and I quote: "I told you that if you got caught I would be the one to kill you." Then proceeds to write Lights name in his book and after teh time elapses Light has a heart attack.

Spoiler

The Shinigami's name is Ryuk. And he does not tell Light that he would kill him if Light was captured. He says, "when we first met, I told you that I'd be the one writing your name in my notebook". He doesn't say anything about Light being caught.

Spoiler: Back to the OP...

while I agree the ending was certainly out of character for Light, it was easy to see that Light was going to fuck up somehow because that's ALWAYS how these types of animes go.

In the end, all I really wanted was for Light to have taken out extra insurance against Nier in the form of writing in the death note that an entire squad of commandos would just happen to show up at that abandoned warehouse and kill everybody except Light and then commit suicide. That would have certainly made up for the shallow ending.

You're right, There was a two week gap between this review and the final episode, so some minor details were a bit blurry, however, I would like to point out that maybe you're splitting hairs, it is logical to believe that Light would of died by gunshot, and Ryuk would have still written in his Death Note, I know that's not the case, but he probably would of died by the gunshot wound anyway, so to me it's death by gunshot.

I feel like you missed a sizable part of the point. The ending isn't about "crime doesn't pay" (okay, it is by default, but it's bigger than that). At its core Death Note is a debate between the two largest debating schools in moral philosophy today. Light represents the utilitarian philosophy, a school whose core principal is that the moral choice is the one that does the most good or the least evil. Juxtaposed is L, who represents the deontological school of moral philosophy. Deontologists say that there is an absolute good and an absolute evil. The ending isn't about "crime not paying," it's a statement that there is an absolute good and an absolute evil, and clearly the writers believed that in a conflict absolute good would win.

Light's slow descent into power fueled madness is clearly a critique of utilitarianism, meant to point out that when you allow that sort of thinking it becomes all too easy for people to twist their ideas of what is for the best to fit with what they want for themselves. Inversely, L, who represents the deontological side, can not compromise, and has to make the ultimate sacrifice. In the context of the show, what that means is that he knows that ultimate good comes before his own desires (I.E. to live).

Now, I will admit that I have never been sure why it was Neir and Mellow who took over. Perhaps they were just the best way that the writers could think of to wrap it up, and demonstrate the affects of L's sacrifice, I really don't know. Still, I think maybe you owe the show a little more consideration before you write it off because of the ending. There's a lot of depth to it, and I don't think that the writers made their decisions carelessly.

That may very well be true, and makes sense, but what kind of story teller let's his message get in the way the story; consider The Path, that artsy indie remake of red riding hood, the devs were so caught up in displaying bleak messages commenting on life and society that they figuratively sucked the life out of the game, the sense of exploration and wonder was ruined by the blatant points they were trying to make in the process. similarly, Death note's ending had to defy the established personalities in order to make it's point, essentially saying "fuck the world we've built, we're making a point here!", I would have been more accepting of the ending had Light displayed some signs of madness or panic before, but he didn't. It was like Hannibal Lector going on a murderous rampage through the city streets, It's not like him, it's not how he does things and it was the reason Light got so far in the bloody first place.

I appreciate your opinion, but I must say that I believe it was the writers the lack of care taken in contrast to the first half that made the ending bad.

I disliked the second season at first, but thats a little harsh.

who's rocking so many transsexual vibes he might as well be voice acted by Lady Gaga.

Whats wrong with that!? Though Mello is a little girly...but he's sooooooo hawt! =D He's part of why I gave Season Two a chance.

Spoiler

And then they killed HIM off!

Nothing at all, I did think he was transsexual in the show though, IMO xD

 

[tjdwo09]

You shouldn't have expeted too much from an anime.

In retrospect, the intellectual warfare between L and Kira was kind of far-fetched. More far-fetched were the characters, L and Light were made so girls can fantasize about them, Misa was made so guys could fantasize about her.

There was no real substance, we just liked to pretend there was.

 

[Accountfailed]

I guess this deserves a spoiler

Spoiler

You're mad at them for killing off a likable character like L then? Well what if they killed off some random character nobody liked? Would you have actually cared at all? Didn't think so.

Also you spelled Near wrong, and I know you're arguing against them but those are probably the worst pictures of them you could find. Even I hate Near with that face.

To balance things, you're getting at me for my choice of what picture of Nier(umad?) I used, what if I gave Light a bad picture? Would you care then? I think not.

Of course I wouldn't care, but that's not relevant, killing off L halfway through Death Note was like killing off the Joker halfway through The Dark Night, like L or not he was one of the best elements in the series (because he was so likable and interesting) and removing him made the series less interesting and less likable respectively. If you need another example try to imagine Black Swan being any good without Mila Kunis as Lily, If she wasn't there to drive the main character the film would have been dull and pointless.

 

[Accountfailed]

You shouldn't have expeted too much from an anime.

In retrospect, the intellectual warfare between L and Kira was kind of far-fetched. More far-fetched were the characters, L and Light were made so girls can fantasize about them, Misa was made so guys could fantasize about her.

There was no real substance, we just liked to pretend there was.

I completely disagree sir, I don't go into any show with high expectations other than what's been shown to me, Death note built up those expectations in the first season.

And then you go on to say that two of the characters are kinda far fetched. you're obviously aware that this is an anime, which aren't exactly famous for their subtlety so why would you even comment on the far-fetchedness of it, good sir if you think a show about a God of Death handing a nerd a magic killing book is far-fetched then may I direct you to ANY CARTOON THAT HAS EVER COME OUT OF JAPAN, EVER.

I've no comment other than "read over this post in full because you're just plain wrong" regarding the substance, I've been discussing substance with other forumgoers for about half an hour now.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

I feel like you missed a sizable part of the point. The ending isn't about "crime doesn't pay" (okay, it is by default, but it's bigger than that). At its core Death Note is a debate between the two largest debating schools in moral philosophy today. Light represents the utilitarian philosophy, a school whose core principal is that the moral choice is the one that does the most good or the least evil. Juxtaposed is L, who represents the deontological school of moral philosophy. Deontologists say that there is an absolute good and an absolute evil. The ending isn't about "crime not paying," it's a statement that there is an absolute good and an absolute evil, and clearly the writers believed that in a conflict absolute good would win.

Light's slow descent into power fueled madness is clearly a critique of utilitarianism, meant to point out that when you allow that sort of thinking it becomes all too easy for people to twist their ideas of what is for the best to fit with what they want for themselves. Inversely, L, who represents the deontological side, can not compromise, and has to make the ultimate sacrifice. In the context of the show, what that means is that he knows that ultimate good comes before his own desires (I.E. to live).

Now, I will admit that I have never been sure why it was Neir and Mellow who took over. Perhaps they were just the best way that the writers could think of to wrap it up, and demonstrate the affects of L's sacrifice, I really don't know. Still, I think maybe you owe the show a little more consideration before you write it off because of the ending. There's a lot of depth to it, and I don't think that the writers made their decisions carelessly.

I think you've possibly missed the point of the anime somewhat. I almost missed it too until I read a synopsis of the plot.

Spoiler

Light is a bad person. Light was the villain of the piece, albeit a villain who's shoulder you peer over. like all great villains he's not a madman or a cut-out monster; his methodology and viewpoint seem reasonable if you view it through his personal lens. He is a villain because he does bad things to other people, he is not a villain because he IS a monster.

however, Light was a narrow-viewed idealist who started to decompensate, his story mirrors that of real world serial killers in that what he views as an epic battle of wits ends up in him being taken down by someone who's existence he barely even registered. His quest to rid the world of rapists and murderers devolves into a quest in which he kills any and all criminals, then anyone who he is asked to for any reason.

What Light was doing was NOT reasonable, it only looks reasonable because he explains it to you very slowly and calmly. Light is a deeply flawed and self destructive individual, he was doomed to fail from the start. He is in no sense of the word 'admirable'.

Bravo bravo. You peoples could not say it any better. Both of you remind us that the series is actually a lot more subtle ad thematic than the OP takes it to be. I am not the worlds greatest deathnote fan but I at least attempt to understand the backdrop to it.

 

[Legion IV]

Normally i'd say somthing like. I think the Magna ended perfectly and the series is great its my favorite and near and mello were cool but were all entitled to our opinion and i'd maybe try convince you but.

IT seems like you didnt buy it, you just watched for free, stole it, maybe pirated it watchred it online for free? all bad things that if you were a gamer people would hate you for. maybe if you stayed up with the series and bought all Magna like i did or maybe buy the DVDs i'd try to talk to you, but why should i care what a theif has to say about a series i love.

 

[4RM3D]

DN season 1 is awesome, DN season 2 kinda sucks. I just pretend season 2 never happened.

Also, you should watch Code Geass. It reminds me of DN. I think you will appreciate Code Geass, probably even more than DN.

 

[Palademon]

Note: if you're reading this thread and trying to avoid spoilers, then don't read this.

I liked the ending. It meant that no matter what party you were rooting for you couldn't just say "HA! Told you he'd win, 'cause he's awesome." This gets rid of fangirl rioting, because neither of the main people essentially win.
EDIT: A better way of saying this would be you can't latch on to one character's victory, and just say that the creator was making it out for this character to be the right one, and the hero, because there is no right or wrong, only different viewpoints. Like even though I could say Light is the villain for killing people, I can take a viewpoint in saying what he's doing is right. This ending only further helps this point.

I was rooting for Light the entire time, and I appreciate L as a character too, but most people seemed to pick L's side and after episode 25 just act like idiots saying "L should've won, he's hotter. Light is just a meanie who cheated". Yeah, cheat, by acting the same he had the entire series. I didn't hear complaints of cheating before.

Think about L's deuctions for a second. Criminals all around the world are dying from heart attacks, so clearly it's one single guy, and after my stand in dying on TV I can safely say he has magic powers to kill with a name and face. This is conformed by people who weren't reporting in Japan not dying. However correct this deduction is, it's sitll prety stupid by everyday standards. My first idea would be some disease circulating criminals through gangs and prisons, but when my stand in dies I'd say he was previously poisoned, or since he came from a prison himself, could've been infected. But, of course if that was the truth everyone would look like an idiot for guessing murder.

I understand your hatred with the ending, but even though Near was a boring copy of L, Mello certainly changed things a bit, and they had a believable relationship. I found the last episode believable because by that point Light wouldn've gone power mad enough to be proud of himself and slip up. But yes, 90% of fans complain about this ending. In the live aciton movies, L wins, but it's so annoyingly fangirlish that I couldn't appreciate it in the movie, aswell as the movies being annoyingly inaccurate making L's deductions completely out of place. The only people who I hear from enjoying the movie seem to enjoy it purely because L wins.

I can't avoid being petty with this, but when L dies, L fangirls go nuts. When Light dies, Light fans fine with it, and it ends up a slightly less "I win because I'm awesome"-way that the fangirls would've taken it, since it was done by L's succesors rather than himself.

 

[Palademon]

Also, you should watch Code Geass. It reminds me of DN. I think you will appreciate Code Geass, probably even more than DN.

I dislike Code Geass' ending more than Death Note. The ending itself and the message was good, but the build up to it in those last episodes was really weird.

 

[4RM3D]

Also, you should watch Code Geass. It reminds me of DN. I think you will appreciate Code Geass, probably even more than DN.

I dislike Code Geass' ending more than Death Note. The ending itself and the message was good, but the build up to it in those last episodes was really weird.

The whole 2nd season was a huge WTF. A plot turn every episode. I really could not tell was what gonna happen next. It was actually pretty awesome.

Spoiler: Code Geass ending

As for the Code Geass ending... I've heard that some people had problems with it. But I kinda liked it. Sure, near the end was another plot twist, but it kinda suited the way Lelouch was thinking. Also, I know Lelouch ain't dead. I believe he is riding the wagon with CC.

Regardless, I can still understand why people have problems with the ending of Code Geass. But I still find it better than the (rushed) ending of Death Note.

EDIT:

Note: if you're reading this thread and trying to avoid spoilers, then don't read this.

try [ spoiler=warning text ] content [ /spoiler ]

 

[Willsor]

I agree. When L dies, it might as well be the end. The second series with those two kids (honestly, between the time reading the rant and typing this I have forgotten their names) is a load of shit.

 

[BrailleOperatic]

Light wasn't shot....

Ryuk wrote Light's name in the Death Note.

[/unhelpful twobits]

 

[TheIronRuler]

It went downhill after L died.
I struggled to continue watching this till the end. Damn disappointment.
Light went batshit insane, he had a god complex so great that rivaled god itself if he did exist. Because of that you are asked what is better - the 'law' or a vigilante.
The same like 'The Watchmen', but with less comic references.

 

[Atheist.]

I recently watched the entire DeathNote series and I really have to say, of all the anime's I've watched over the years, DN was potentially the best, and absolutely the most disappointing of them all.

Why? Here's why.
THIS IS THE PART WHERE YOU STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT BECAUSE THERE ARE (many)SPOILERS.
snip
/rant.

EDIT: Do let me know of any grammatical/punctuation errors you find, it's late and google chrome's spellcheck is a bit bananas.

I completely agree with one exception. Doesn't

Spoiler

Mikami kill himself with a wound to the throat in order to spray blood everywhere for Light's escape?

Light wasn't shot....

Ryuk wrote Light's name in the Death Note.

[/unhelpful twobits]

Actually he was shot. Multiple times. Ryuuk just finished him off by writing down his name. At least in the anime, not sure about the Manga.

 

[Detective Prince]

I liked the ending of Death Note. I think that, in order for the plot to continue, L had to die. We had to be shown how far Light was willing to push in order to realise his goal that's why we had to see the best character so far die.

Near is cool. He's probably my favourite character. I think that if they'd brought in ANOTHER L we'd have been pissed off even more. Instead we're given an 'incomplete' L. He has the potential but he needs to learn boundaries as part of his immaturity and callous nature.

Mello is equally cool. He's the other side of L that Near needs. He is the decisive one, the emotional one. Both need each other.

Light is insane. There was no way Light was going to be able to get away with anything because by this point he was beyond corrupt. It would have made the ending terrible if Light had won.

 

[Accountfailed]

I recently watched the entire DeathNote series and I really have to say, of all the anime's I've watched over the years, DN was potentially the best, and absolutely the most disappointing of them all.

Why? Here's why.
THIS IS THE PART WHERE YOU STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT BECAUSE THERE ARE (many)SPOILERS.
snip
/rant.

EDIT: Do let me know of any grammatical/punctuation errors you find, it's late and google chrome's spellcheck is a bit bananas.

I completely agree with one exception. Doesn't

Spoiler

Mikami kill himself with a wound to the throat in order to spray blood everywhere for Light's escape?

Light wasn't shot....

Ryuk wrote Light's name in the Death Note.

[/unhelpful twobits]

Actually he was shot. Multiple times. Ryuuk just finished him off by writing down his name. At least in the anime, not sure about the Manga.

He did stab himself, I didn't think it was the throat though, Can anyone (who doesn't mind rewatching the sucky ending) confirm this?

 

[Fwee]

One of the main themes in Deathnote is Justice, and the story that plays out to show how people's situations in life often leads to directly conflicting views on what justice actually is.

Spoiler: Characters and Justice

Keep in mind that Light started killing people out of curiosity. Doesn't seem too heroic.
He decides to use his new-found power to shape the world to his vision. Basically he's become Lulsec but uses heart-attacks on criminals (and anyone trying to stop him) instead of hacking Sony for the thirtieth time.
He wants L dead because Light wants to win. L uses that tactic to try to catch him. L had basically caught Light at episode 2, and even had him under "arrest" towards episode 11? Something like that. But since he had no real way to catch Light in the act with solid proof, he was killed. The way I see it he had already won, so there was nothing more that he could bring to the story.
Mello was unlikeable for a reason: He's supposed to be different from L and Near, but have the same goals and use much different (read: more brutal) tactics.
Near only continues what L has started, but with an almost L-worship complex and adapting some of Light's personal affectations. Kind of like the saying, "Become a monster to kill a monster."

I also thought that Schizophrenia was another theme to the show.

Spoiler: Schizophrenia

Light is acting like he's just a model student who would love nothing more than to help his father bring in the criminal "Kira", when he actually IS Kira and merely trying to help his own goals. He's acting to the point of believing 99% in his "good" persona when he has to.
He's constantly talking to an entity that only he can see, becoming best friends with someone he's trying to kill, winds up heading the secret operation with the task of catching himself, while co-operating with a rival group that knows what he's up to.
Finally on Schizophrenia: my own personal reaction to the show. I went through the show constantly shifting between cheering for Light and enjoying how he's squeak through traps right when I though he was finally caught, and hating his smug face and eagerly anticipating his downfall.

There are some plot holes, to be sure. But when are there not plot holes in any story, if you get down to a certain level of detail?
Personally I saw Deathnote as almost a new Shakespearean character study. The audience is basically given the perspective of the Shinigami, who can travel through the human world unnoticed. We watch as one person is given unmatched power and their use of it, the aftermath of his decisions, his rise to power, and his eventual collapse.
I went into the last episode with so much anticipation I could hardly sleep. I didn't know who I wanted to win, but with the way the previous episode ended I had a slight inclination about how everything was going to turn out.
I can see how some people would be upset about the way the story ended, but in a way it's fitting. Consider all the characters that are alive at the end: How are their lives affected by everything that's happened? Criminals were caught, justice was served, and no one's happy about it.
I love Deathnote.