Description

James tells Steven all about the Netflix Death Note movie whilst sharing opinions on volume 9 of the manga. And some talk around the effects of the Death Note and the how it functions as a magical almost Lovecraftian object of cosmic or psychological horror. Skip synopsis @ 4:25

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096: Death Note vol. 9 ⁓ Contact

Chapters 71 and 79 'Contact' and 'Lies'

Story by Tsugumi Ohba

Artwork by Takeshi Obata

Translation by Alexis Kirsch

Lettering by Gia Cam Luc

Light repeats his tactic of controlling one of Mello's gangs in order to gain information on Mello's hideout.  This time, he sends Ryuk with a spare Death Note and tells him to work with the Japanese task force in order to help them find and kill Mello as well as return Mello's Death Note to Sidoh, the original owner and death god.

During this point onward Light decides to hide Misa's Death Note on his person and banks on Matsuda making the Shinigami eye deal, instead Soichiro makes the deal, with Light himself prepared to kill Soichiro so to support the belief in the fake 13-day rule that he fabricated so to maintain his innocence.

After a conflict with Mello and his men, Soichiro learns of Melo's real name and recovers a Death Note but soon dies of his injuries. Light returns the Death Note to Sidoh and sends him away. Soon the U.S. Government pardons Kira and officially disbands Near's team, the SPK.  Mello, having survived the conflict with Soichiro, holds SPK agent Hal as a hostage and intrudes on Near's Headquarters. Near gives Mello his photo and in return Mello gives Near clues by telling him of the existence of Shinigami and saying that there is a fake Death Note rule.

Near works with Light (who he knows as the new L) over Kira- and Mello-related matters while suspecting Light is Kira. Near determines the 13-day rule written in the Death Note is fake and suspects Kira is the new L. Then Mello contacts the Japanese task force agent Mogi, managing to get Mogi under Near's interrogation but also leaking Near's headquarters to Light. Afterwards, Light spreads the information to Kira worshippers so to orchestrate an attack on Near.

Topics:

• Because of how Syndar was manipulated by Light in the previous volume we are seeing Light use the same tactic again. Clearly the Death Note has the power to change fate but it seems like it can also inflict insanity on the target, as we have seen with Kal Snydar and Naomi. The powers of the Death Note along with the Shinigami are Lovecraftian in nature. Meaning Ohba leaves it to our imagination where ever we want to rationalise their actions or take the Death Note on face value. Also, if you are to go by James' analysis that the mind itself is a box not unlike that of the Schrodinger's Cat experiment then the Death Note has the power to either change minds or be a catalyst for a pre-destined fate. In strange ways memories can often rewrite reality and as of the year 2022 CE we cannot prove what goes on inside someone's head metaphysically, and we cannot prove, certainly not to the layman, if you can hold multiple thoughts at one time. It is important to note that James only states theories as to what Naomi and Syndar was thinking whilst under the Death Note's influence.
• Mello has been vocal on how stupid he thinks the Japanese police are and as of volume 9 Near suspects that Kira is working under the Japanese police as L. The events after Death Note arguably take a turn for the implausible since Light suspiciously leads the Kira case as a part of the NPA, even after being suspected of being Kira. Ergo he should remain a suspect in terms of real-world logic. Additionally, Soichiro Yagami and Light lose the Death Note to Mello in order to protect Sayu Yagami. A demonstration of their biases due to having a personal involvement in the Kira case. It is most certainly a bad idea to have Light on the Death Note case, however for reasons that are actually known in the manga Light becomes the new L despite these fallacies.
• Major differences between the manga and the Netflix live action movie.
• Light Yagami is named Light Turner, an interesting translation since it keeps to a pun, in the manga Light spells his English sounding name "Raito" with the Kanji for Moon, this creates a dual meaning of his name being "Moonlight" but Moon can be read as "Tsuki". With his surname being Yagami and when you spell out the individual Kanji it sounds very much like Yorukami Tsuki, or "Loving Night God" or "Loving Dark God" But the implication is that Light's name refers to moonlight or night.
• The Kira killings are outlandish and gory spectacles disguised as accidents, a la 2000's Final Destination. How anyone deduces that Kira is a person from this is not explained, where as the manga clearly outlines the Kira Modus Operandi as a heart attack, meaning Kira wants to be recognised for his killings and is successful in doing so.
• Misa Amane, is named Mia and is played by Margaret Qualley. Mia is a cheerleader who attends the same school as Light and has a love for horror movies. Both Mia and Light establish their relationship after Light gets the Death Note but before news of Kira becomes viral. Meaning both Mia and Light are culpable in the creation of Kira. Where as the manga clearly had a one-sided relationship where Light was the more manipulative one out of the two, and was a lot more secretive of the Death Note in the manga.
• Ryuk says how his name is pronounced, it is not "Raiuk" or "Rook" he is the only Shinigami who makes an appearance and there is no Rem.
• The Shinigami eyes are mentioned but no such deal is made throughout the movie.
• Light himself creates the term Kira and spreads that name using the internet and such forums (obviously this makes him suspicious but that matter is not addressed by L).
• L discovers Light as a suspect by deliberately leaking information of criminals. (This is flawed logically because if L is responsible for the leaks he cannot stop the proliferation of such information, meaning any supporter of Kira or amateur sleuth would be a suspect by this logic)

• In the movie there is no Lind L. Tailor, which is a notable plot point in the manga because L needs to determine if Kira wants him dead before he can deduce wherever or not Kira can kill him. However, L does address Kira through a live broadcast and public press event. Unlike the manga he makes his statement L is in public wearing a mask, and does not hide behind a monitor. But like the manga L uses this event to determine that Kira can not kill without knowing the targets name and face. But again, L's logic in the movie is flawed. Although it is a correct hypothesis that Kira does indeed need a name and face to kill, L, has not determined a motive or a reason for Kira to choose him as a target. L is flawed because he does not factor in wherever Kira wants him dead or not, this is because Kira has not killed law enforcement at this point. L is merely guessing that Kira wants him dead because he antagonised Kira and lived. Whereas the manga has Lind L. Tailor antagonising Kira, as L, only to die in doing so. This is how L proves that Kira is not only willing to kill law enforcement but would kill L if he could do so.
• L does not show his reasoning on how he is able to deduce that Light is Kira, we are never privy to L's thought process as an audience. And there is no voice over.

• Light threatens Ryuk with the Death Note. And Ryuk entertains the thought. Saying "there are four letters in my name, most anyone ever gotten were two" this is not possible to do in the manga. It is also unusual because a message in Light's Death Note clearly reads "Don't trust Ryuk". Perhaps it was a misspelling? Or maybe Ryuk is bluffing?
• Light writes Watari's name in the Death Note, manipulating him to acquire L's real. This means that Watari is the real name of L's representative, instead of it being Quillish Wammy like the manga.
• A new rule exclusive to the Netflix movie is that you can burn a page of the Death Note effectively making any name written down in the destroyed page null and void to the effects of the Death Note.
• Another Netflix movie only rule is you can write someone's name in the Death Note and only have them die once the target's actions meet a set of pre-conceived requirements. E.g. "Mia dies upon touching the Death Note". This obviously disregards the first rule "whoever's name is written in this note shall die" because so long as you do not meet the requirements, you can still live a long life without any passive effect of the Death Note.

• By breaking and entering L finds a Death Note, or at least usable scraps of it. The implication is that L has evidence on Light, although how L can deduct that the note is the murder weapon is never explored.

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