Are clip shows a standard for maxi-series like this? I remember the one in EVA being pretty infamous - - a lot of you were actually warning me about it ahead of time. I thought that ended up being a clever approach to what obviously started as a time-saver' making the clips seems like slides from a Seele panel review and all. Similarly, this felt like a video obituary for L.
I’m still holding out hoping that L isn’t really dead, but three years is too long of a time to be laying low. If he’s gone for sure, I’m still waiting for there to be at least more to the circumstances surrounding his death. What was he coming in to talk to Watari about? Why was it necessary to destroy all the evidence in the event of his death? Wouldn’t he want the investigation to continue? Was he just trying to protect his identity? And just what was up with those bells?
Getting back to the three year gap - - that was a pretty startling jump, wasn’t it? Light offs L’s criminal allies, then the Yotsuba board, people start worshiping Kira and then he’s already graduated and working in the police force. Actually, it really isn't that startling given how this show’s approached pacing this whole time. DEATH NOTE’s never played it safe - - its taking this premise as far as it can go.
Although, you’d think this task force would’ve lost their minds after three years of fruitless investigation.
Irony of ironies, Kira becomes the new L. Well, they’ve certainly kept harping on their similarities enough times up until this point. The real irony is that the amnesiac Light was probably pretty close to L, anyway. And wait - - Light becomes Kira, but now we’ve got... clones of L too? We’ve seen these kids before… who could they be? Is that orphanage a training ground for master detectives and L’s just a mantle its graduates assume?
Oh man, so many questions and it’s all so frustrating. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so frustrated by show… and I think that’s actually a good thing!
You can watch this episode, “Renewal,” for yourself on Hulu here, and read my comments about the previous episode here.
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Studios and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. HYBRID BASTARDS! is available here and UNIMAGINABLE is available here for pre-order on Amazon.com.
