Death Note
I crossed over the line that separates Friday and Saturday to finish Death Note, an anime that I’92ve been unable to just shut off my cartoon-esque psyche. However much I prefer to dismiss things that have been spoken highly of by other folks (talk about being recalcitrant) I have bought the DVD just in case, you know, I totally miss out on something good. So in between my rather long period solely allocated to my current obsession, Boston Legal, I fed the anime to my computer.
Two things immediately stood out’97genius and high school. I am fascinated by high school. I don’92t know why, maybe because I have unresolved issues during that phase of my life, and it has greatly contributed to my emotional retardation; something that I’92m totally grateful for. And genius, well, what can I say? It’92s something that I wish I was. But enough about me.
Light Yagami, who evolved into the Internet-named Kira plays the heroic villain. He’92s a twisted genius who has a fatal sense of justice. Criminals do not deserve to live. End of story. He also has delusions of grandeur. He wants to be the god of the new world. Creepy guy. He came into possession of a notebook that was dropped into the world by a Shinigami or a Death God. The notebook is called’97tan ta da da dan’97a Death Note! Imagine that.
The Death Note allows the holder to write the name of those who he wants to kill. He can also specify the date and the manner in which the person will die. But these conditions still have to abide by the natural law, e.g. you can’92t ask a person to jump off the Eiffel Tower when he’92s a basurero in Payatas. That’92s not possible. The holder also cannot just write any name. It has to be the real name of the person, and that person’92s face should be in his mind when he writes the name, otherwise it will not work. So if the holder does not know the real name of a person, he can’92t get his kicks. But there’92s a workaround (I love this anime), he can make a deal with a Shinigami and get his ’93eyes’94; by eyes it means that he can see people the way a Death God sees them, with their real names and life spans floating above their head. Which means that even if he doesn’t know the person or even if TV withheld’s the person’s name, as long as he can see his face, he can kill him. Hahaha, it’92s like an anime within an anime. But, again, there’92s a catch. To strike this deal, the holder will be giving up half of his remaining lifespan. Aiyoo!! Gods do strike a hard bargain even in the anime world. In the human (Christian) world, you only enter the kingdom of heaven if you follow the 10 Commandments. Oh well.
Enter L, another boy genius who happened to befriend Yagami Light. He’92s also an apelike stand-in of Robert Smith (The Cure’92s Front Man). And would you believe it, they both play wicked tennis! What are the odds of that? To cut the long story short, Yagami Light, by his twisted and brilliant maneuverings kicked L’92s butt permanently. He had another Shinigami to do the dirty deed for him.
I think the creator of the anime doesn’92t like Yagami Light very much. Either that or he’92s another of those pathetic romanticists who fervently believe that in the end good will always triumph over evil. After a couple of years, suddenly two new identities were introduced. Two kids from an orphanage that’92s really a place where gifted children are kept. Smells totally like the X-Men’92s school for the gifted, but what the hell, in this congested world influences abound.
These two kids eventually became the downfall of Yagami with some rather far-fetched situations that somehow stretched the viewer’92s suspension of disbelief.
The ending really ticked me off. Am I supposed to believe that after years of keeping it together, the ever cool, ever calculating Yagami would fall apart at the seams? One could argue that he was a timebomb waiting to explode. But all throughout the series he was put into situations where he was supposed to explode. Perhaps it’92s time for him to really unravel. It’92s the creator’92s discretion. However, I find that his self-destruction took a few out-of-bound leaps. Where was Misa (his slave/girlfriend) in all this? What, he only had one back-up plan, the hateful Takami? He’92s supposed to be a genius for fuck’92s sake! He should have at least a Plan B.
After building up Kira as a boy-wonder-cum-evil-doer, the anime ended with Yagami Light getting a beating as if he was an ordinary person, outwitted by his new opponents. Perhaps the creator ultimately wished that in the end, you know, we still retain our sense of righteousness, so we can all sigh in relief assured in the fact that the good will always prevail.
Maybe I’92m just revealing my dark side here, but I’92ve just about had enough of these happy endings. Maybe this is why at one point in my life I was drawn towards the tragic Koreanobelas. At least there, creators have the guts to go against the grain, against the fairy tale endings, against make believe. Somehow happy endings always elicit the question, what happens next? Unlike those shows that end in tragedy.
Tragedy has that ring of finality to it; a ring that dismisses all further questions– and explorations.
