DEATH NOTE (ANIME VOLUME 9)
August 2nd 2009 22:47
Category: Videos
Based on the Death Note manga by: Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
Director: Tetsuro Araki
Screenplay by: Toshiki Inoue
Starring: Brain Swaile (Light), Shannon Chan-Kent (Misa Amane), Vincent Tong (Matsuda), Trevor Devall (Aizawa), John Murphy (Mogi), Brian Dobson (Ide), Cathy Weseluck (Near), David Hurwitz (Mello), Drew Nelson (Matt), Lisa Ann Beley (Hal Lidner), Michael Adamthwaite (Rester), Sam Vincent (Gevanni), Heather Doerksen (Kiyomi Takada), Kirby Morrow (Teru Mikami) and Brian Drummond (Ryuk)
Produced by: Madhouse/NTV
Released by: Madman Entertainment
Running Time: 125 minutes Rating: M
One could almost say that it was the will of the force that saw this particular concluding volume of the Death Note anime series fall into my hands. Certainly there was a sense of synchronicity in being in a major chain store that sells DVDs just one sunny day with cash in my hands and then to find this sitting there on the shelves waiting to be bought by a discerning individual such as myself. Fate, the ebb and flow of the cosmic energies or just pure blind chance we will never know – but what we will know is the Green Lantern’s prognosis on this the finale of the entire Death Note anime saga.
It could be said that the makers of this series have literally pulled out all stops for this the conclusion of their tale of betrayal, corruption, murder and morality. In reality the production has been extremely slick throughout the entire series what we get in this concluding chapter is a ramping up of already fantastic production values as the confrontation between the would be god Kira and the heirs of master mind detective L draws to its close. At the end of the day, to borrow that quote from Highlander, there can be only one; one victor who will at last bring about what they believe is justice.
Interestingly the makers have managed to fit the events of the remaining two manga volumes into five episodes although unlike the manga there is no epilogue where we get a glimpse of the world sans Kira. For some reason that particular imagery has been cut and instead we get an unusual shot of a girl, possibly Misa Amane, dressed in a maid costume travelling on the train to an unspecified locale and then standing atop a tall building. This imagery and its significance were admittedly lost on me, perhaps it has something to do with hope and loss, who knows. It is also interesting to consider the other facets of lighting and colour that are applied within certain sequences throughout the series not only this particular volume. Whenever we see Light pondering his thoughts and strategies he becomes enmeshed in a reddish, almost infernal glow whilst when we see L or Near there is a bluish glow, an almost halo like effect that casts an atmosphere of righteousness on these characters. And let’s not forget the music, the various orchestral pieces along with what sounded like Gregorian chanting coupled with the harsh strains of heavy metal rock at both the opening and close created a rather unique vibe.
Strangely though if anything this entire volume goes to demonstrate that as Burns would say “all good plans of mice and men gang aft agley” and it is mind abundantly clear. For some time Kira has battled his opponents whilst at the same time attempting to rid the world of ‘evil’ only to have his well thought out and intricate plans shattered by the actions of another, actions that he did not any stage take into account. Genius can be a boon to anyone but sometimes one can be blinded by one’s own abilities and not be able to truly perceive the entire picture. This is effectively what happens to Kira, his machinations are undone by Mello, one of the heir’s of the former L who he effectively dismissed as being inconsequential. If you’re attempting to be the god of the new world then underestimating your foes is potentially fatal, if not downright stupid.
In this concluding volume we see the characters of Kiyomi Takada and Teru Mikami take a central place within the unfolding drama. Both of them are adherents of Kira and have clearly defined senses of what they believe are justice and righteousness; of course their particular notions of these two key aspects are frankly downright bent. Let’s face it the old maxim is two wrongs do not make a right, so how can the death of others be either just or righteous, such excuses as they were evil or rotten have been used to justify all manner of atrocities down through the ages and this is in effect no different. Mikami and Takada are blinded by a vision, by a simplistic ideology and are thus easily manipulated by their ‘god’ into following a course that will literally end in tears. You’d think that two very smart individuals would be a bit more discerning, but then again this just goes to show that even the best and brightest in society can be lead astray via a simplistic message, a yearning for a better world.
Unfortunately the Death Note is not the kind of tool to use to create a better world, it kills, and that’s its sole purpose it does not create, heal or do anything positive. All that it really brings is sorrow and misfortune to the one who attempts to use it, something that Ryuk warned Light about in the initial phases of this drama. Of course Light being the individual that he is fails to note this particular point, which is interesting considering that he was very particular about not trading for the Shinigami eyes, glowing red eyes that would allow him to see the real name and life expectancy of those looked at. Trading for those would mean losing half his lifespan, he wanted to be a living god, yet he missed that point of doom and gloom befalling those who possessed the notebook. Frankly I would have thought that would be point one to ask about before you even start writing in anything or even reading the thing. The devil they say is in the details and its seems that this was one little detail Light missed.
When the credits did finally roll on this drama I found myself thinking that this entire series was very much akin to the drama of Doctor Faustus written by both Goethe and Christopher Marlowe, both of whom wrote their own particular versions of this tale at different points in history. Of course rather than Light having to give up his soul in return for the power of the Death Note, he instead surrenders his life, for the Shinigami who drops the note gains the lifespan of the human who takes possession when he finally writes that person’s name in his notebook. Of course along with the pact between a man and a supernatural entity the other major similarity is the fact that Light becomes effectively corrupted by the power he has now had handed to him by this rather peculiar Shinigami. His vision of a better world, a utopia where crime and evil have been eliminated instead ends up becoming a dystopian purge of those who seek to stop him from creating this visionary paradise. Improving things turn into seeking power and achieving godhood, it’s all rather sad really.
I have said this before when reviewing previous volumes in this series that I find it hard to empathise with Light; he is a character that to my way of thinking does not have much in the way to redeem him. Still that being said he is a very well thought out character, a tragic figure whose fall from Grace is what one could call Miltonian in its scope and denouement. Without Light there is no Death Note, he is the pivotal character who gives the moral aspects of the tale its punch as well as serving as the mechanism by which the drama can get ramped up that extra notch with each succeeding episode. But despite this I can’t find it in me to like him, which in my opinion is a flaw to this anime series. You should be able to relate to the protagonist, not detest him as a stuck up pretentious git with a serious case of megalomania. Still it has to be said that this volume gets five out five grinning skulls and scythes in the Shinigami realm, it is a well crafted piece of anime that deserves its accolades.
Director: Tetsuro Araki
Screenplay by: Toshiki Inoue
Starring: Brain Swaile (Light), Shannon Chan-Kent (Misa Amane), Vincent Tong (Matsuda), Trevor Devall (Aizawa), John Murphy (Mogi), Brian Dobson (Ide), Cathy Weseluck (Near), David Hurwitz (Mello), Drew Nelson (Matt), Lisa Ann Beley (Hal Lidner), Michael Adamthwaite (Rester), Sam Vincent (Gevanni), Heather Doerksen (Kiyomi Takada), Kirby Morrow (Teru Mikami) and Brian Drummond (Ryuk)
Produced by: Madhouse/NTV
Released by: Madman Entertainment
Running Time: 125 minutes Rating: M
One could almost say that it was the will of the force that saw this particular concluding volume of the Death Note anime series fall into my hands. Certainly there was a sense of synchronicity in being in a major chain store that sells DVDs just one sunny day with cash in my hands and then to find this sitting there on the shelves waiting to be bought by a discerning individual such as myself. Fate, the ebb and flow of the cosmic energies or just pure blind chance we will never know – but what we will know is the Green Lantern’s prognosis on this the finale of the entire Death Note anime saga.
It could be said that the makers of this series have literally pulled out all stops for this the conclusion of their tale of betrayal, corruption, murder and morality. In reality the production has been extremely slick throughout the entire series what we get in this concluding chapter is a ramping up of already fantastic production values as the confrontation between the would be god Kira and the heirs of master mind detective L draws to its close. At the end of the day, to borrow that quote from Highlander, there can be only one; one victor who will at last bring about what they believe is justice.
Strangely though if anything this entire volume goes to demonstrate that as Burns would say “all good plans of mice and men gang aft agley” and it is mind abundantly clear. For some time Kira has battled his opponents whilst at the same time attempting to rid the world of ‘evil’ only to have his well thought out and intricate plans shattered by the actions of another, actions that he did not any stage take into account. Genius can be a boon to anyone but sometimes one can be blinded by one’s own abilities and not be able to truly perceive the entire picture. This is effectively what happens to Kira, his machinations are undone by Mello, one of the heir’s of the former L who he effectively dismissed as being inconsequential. If you’re attempting to be the god of the new world then underestimating your foes is potentially fatal, if not downright stupid.
In this concluding volume we see the characters of Kiyomi Takada and Teru Mikami take a central place within the unfolding drama. Both of them are adherents of Kira and have clearly defined senses of what they believe are justice and righteousness; of course their particular notions of these two key aspects are frankly downright bent. Let’s face it the old maxim is two wrongs do not make a right, so how can the death of others be either just or righteous, such excuses as they were evil or rotten have been used to justify all manner of atrocities down through the ages and this is in effect no different. Mikami and Takada are blinded by a vision, by a simplistic ideology and are thus easily manipulated by their ‘god’ into following a course that will literally end in tears. You’d think that two very smart individuals would be a bit more discerning, but then again this just goes to show that even the best and brightest in society can be lead astray via a simplistic message, a yearning for a better world.
Unfortunately the Death Note is not the kind of tool to use to create a better world, it kills, and that’s its sole purpose it does not create, heal or do anything positive. All that it really brings is sorrow and misfortune to the one who attempts to use it, something that Ryuk warned Light about in the initial phases of this drama. Of course Light being the individual that he is fails to note this particular point, which is interesting considering that he was very particular about not trading for the Shinigami eyes, glowing red eyes that would allow him to see the real name and life expectancy of those looked at. Trading for those would mean losing half his lifespan, he wanted to be a living god, yet he missed that point of doom and gloom befalling those who possessed the notebook. Frankly I would have thought that would be point one to ask about before you even start writing in anything or even reading the thing. The devil they say is in the details and its seems that this was one little detail Light missed.
When the credits did finally roll on this drama I found myself thinking that this entire series was very much akin to the drama of Doctor Faustus written by both Goethe and Christopher Marlowe, both of whom wrote their own particular versions of this tale at different points in history. Of course rather than Light having to give up his soul in return for the power of the Death Note, he instead surrenders his life, for the Shinigami who drops the note gains the lifespan of the human who takes possession when he finally writes that person’s name in his notebook. Of course along with the pact between a man and a supernatural entity the other major similarity is the fact that Light becomes effectively corrupted by the power he has now had handed to him by this rather peculiar Shinigami. His vision of a better world, a utopia where crime and evil have been eliminated instead ends up becoming a dystopian purge of those who seek to stop him from creating this visionary paradise. Improving things turn into seeking power and achieving godhood, it’s all rather sad really.
I have said this before when reviewing previous volumes in this series that I find it hard to empathise with Light; he is a character that to my way of thinking does not have much in the way to redeem him. Still that being said he is a very well thought out character, a tragic figure whose fall from Grace is what one could call Miltonian in its scope and denouement. Without Light there is no Death Note, he is the pivotal character who gives the moral aspects of the tale its punch as well as serving as the mechanism by which the drama can get ramped up that extra notch with each succeeding episode. But despite this I can’t find it in me to like him, which in my opinion is a flaw to this anime series. You should be able to relate to the protagonist, not detest him as a stuck up pretentious git with a serious case of megalomania. Still it has to be said that this volume gets five out five grinning skulls and scythes in the Shinigami realm, it is a well crafted piece of anime that deserves its accolades.
| 53 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
