Wow… this episode had one of the most powerful single moments I’ve seen in anything in a long while.
There’s an episode’s worth of build-up, with Light delicately prodding Naomi (the fed's wife) to get her real name. Twenty-two odd minutes of suspenseful build-up that reaches a haunting crescendo once the snow starts falling and the slo-mo gets rolling. You’ve been on the edge of your seat, shouting at the screen, begging this girl not to slip up. Then, she finally lets her guard down, all the other sound drops and Light’s evil red self appears as he says...
“I’m Kira.”
Ryuk just cackles. Abject horror creeps onto Naomi's face. She knows, in that terrible second, that her fate is sealed. It just gives you goosebumps. The feeling's drawn out even further as Light smugly taunts her as she listlessly walks to her doom, symbolically representing by stairs to gallows.
With just one line of dialogue, the show makes your heart jump into your throat. Another show would’ve drawn this whole sub-plot out, so I was surprised to see it wrapped up so swiftly. Then again, this just continues what I've been saying about this show's verisimilitude - - but this is what realistically would’ve happened in the scenario. Light would've found a way, right there. Although, even he acknowledges that chance and coincidence help him more than a little here.
To pile another comparison along with the many I’ve put forth in this column, I’ll say that seeing Light get better at lying reminded me a bit of THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. You can just see him finding each lie getting easier to tell. I’ve actually felt those "vibes of similarity" earlier in the show, since both stories have villains as protagonists. Though, neither are cartoonish villains who’re prone to fits of maniacal laughter… oh wait… well, Light is prone to laughing fits, but his characterizations still layered enough that you can be sympathetic to him at times. There’s a real interesting dichotomy of him going back to his room and basically becoming this all-powerful god of death, while he’s still the "good son" in the real world and, in a lot of ways, powerless there.
Watch this episode, “Overcast” on Hulu, here and decide for yourself. My thoughts on the last episode are here, as well.
-- 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.
I certainly felt bad for her, although suprisingly I think I ended up rooting for Kira during Deathnote. :P
I definitely felt bad for her. I wouldn't say that i cheered for Kira but I pondered about morality and it's influence in the different characters of the series.
I think I did throughout the story. I think a lot of fans did despite how bad of a person Kira was, some sort of appeal about said character had me saying, GO GET EM KIRA!!!
Maybe it's just how Deathnote was written, I think even said creators really loved Kira.
You were rooting for some self-righteous psychopath to kill an innocent woman who was looking for justice for her murdered lover??????? You have some serious issues with women.
Not only does he want to take her love from her, take her life, but make her suffer the fear of absolutely knowing it's coming. Someone who has committed no harm. Some who has committed no crime.
Light, Kira, is a %$@#ing coward. He's no better then a simple thug or terrorist. Light said he was aiming for Justice. That he is Justice. Where the HELL was the justice for her?
I couldn't wait for Naomi to tell Light her name. At that moment even I felt victorious. The trials only get harder and better to watch later on.
I think your taking it to personally.
It has nothing to do with having issues towards women. In general i was rooting for Kira, sitting at the edge of my seat as the episode wound to a close praying he'd get that damn name. And he did, I felt a sense of relief, actual joy.. and disbelief. I didn't think he'd get it. Like, "HE GOT IT HE ACTUALLY GOT IT" i have never found myself that deep into an anime at episode 7.
Yes, morally i should feel bad for her, and I did. At least somewhat. But my ties to Light were stronger, she was a character that I didn't care about that would be knocked off.
She was a casualty.. shit happens in the name of change. Lelouch anyone?
It was this that made you realise what this charater was, and that he was taking far too much pleasure in outsmarting people.
The moment still gives me goosebumps.
@Catolf:
It's right in what everyone keeps saying. I keep seeing. You are "rooting" for Kira. When you are rooting for someone. You are supporting, condoning, and encouraging behavior. You want them to keep doing what they are doing.
People aren't saying they were stuck in the drama of the moment or the skill in the way the scene was written. You all were happy to see him torment an innocent woman and kill her. That's your trauma. Why would you want him to get her name when you know he's going to use it to KILL her?
Light was never about justice. He was Wrath. If he was about justice. He would of written down his own name the moment he killed an innocent man. He killed that FBI agent and his innocent fiance to guard his own cowardly ass.
The idea that people feel more sorrow for the killer then the victim is just upside down in my mind.
Don't compare Light to Lelouch. Lelouch didn't target innocent people and actually felt remorse. Lelouch also frequently put his life on the line. Lelouch cared about the people around him. Light used everyone.
^^Like this, its just exciting to see Light defy the logical odds, even if his method and even purpose may be evil.
Look, I get what your saying but step back a little.
As far as her being female it dosen't make it any worse or better, she is a person, she died, and she is fictional. In a real life situation this would be a different story.
Again, I will bring up Lelouch. Why?
As much as your trying to make him sound so nice and not targeting the innocent, he killed millions for his own personal gain and agenda. His enemies were Britannian's (and at one point the Chinese) but consider the soldier's here, this is they grew up this way. Even Lelouch's own friends didn't like the Japanese until Lelouch made them open up to Suzaku, and because of them caring for Lelouch they gave Suzaku a chance, and things changed. Because someone is ignorant does not make them evil, it makes them uneducated.
Had someone took the time and helped them branch out, to have a friend that was an 'eleven' things would change.
Think about it.
Gino who was against Eleven's forms a bond with Kallen, an eleven. He was a solider, but he had a good heart, he wasn't evil, yet if Lelouch had the chance he would have killed him (and tried several times through Kallen to do so.)
The remorse Lelouch felt was for his friends.
If you argue "Why would he do this if it wasn't for the eleven's then!"
It was for Nunnally, for HER to have a peaceful world. Everyone else was pawns in his giant world of chess.
So yes, I will compare the two, because in the end they were cold hearted and calculating and doing things to advance their agenda. Yes Light killed innocents, he was misguided and got swept up in his own hungry need for power and thought he was doing it for a better world. I won't bring up the other people he kills cause that would be a spoiler so we'll keep this to episode 7.
In the end I love me an anti hero. Death Note was awesome as was Code Geass. Rooting for the 'bad' guy dosen't make you deranged or have issues, they are fictional, no one get's hurt, and we should all just have fun watching.
You can not compare battles in a war to Light's cold blooded murder of innocent people. Light knew he was killing people who could cause him no harm.
The Britannian Army targeted civilians. It was Suzaku that killed millions while fighting for Britannia. Lelouch got involved in battles. Light stayed safely away from fighting and wrote names on paper.
Lelouch loved his sister and his friends. The death of Shirley devastated him. He pushed Kallen away to keep her from dying with him.
Light, nearly murdered his sister to protect himself. He used his father to create an alibi for himself.
Lelouch was a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for others. He stood to gain nothing from that. Light was a pathetic murder who didn't just knowingly kill innocent people. he took pleasure in tormenting them before he took their lives from them. Light wanted to be a god.
Light called himself a god. Lelouch called himself a demon.
Light did want he felt he had to do to survive, to be a 'god' and govern his 'people' yes he is cowardly but Lelouch in his own essence was too. Lelouch stood by the sidelines most times, if he did get involved he had a shield or a -people- shield to keep him safe. Neither are fighters, you can't put one above the other in that since.
Nor can you place the blame on Suzaku, he was doing what he thought was right, you can't just pick and choose who you want to be the 'bad' person here to say Suzaku and single him out for killing millions, again, turn your finger toward Lelouch. How many basicly gave themselves during a suicide mission for his plan to go right during the last few episodes? They were geassed, had no choice but to do Lelouch' bidding..
Lelouch isn't a pile of daisies, i get what your trying to say but we have to stick with the facts here. BOTH Lelouch and Light were misgided in their approaches. they BOTH killed people, or had a hand in an innocent being killed. Both were willing to do ANYTHING to get their agenda accomplished no matter the cost.
Just because one turns out to care just that little bit more dosen't justify their actions.
Light was murdering innocent people so he could murder more and make himself a god. It's like comparing a soldier on a battlefield to a thug on the street who kills a man for his $10 in the wallet. One is fighting for a cause. The other is killing for himself.
Of coarse Lelouch would be sidelined most of the time. He was the commander. Who the hell plays chess and puts their King out first.
You are comparing war with a psychopath who cared nothing for the people he killed, guilty or innocent.
Lelouch stood there and let a sword be shoved in his gut. Is that the act of a coward?
Light wanted his justice. His way. He was never investigating these crimes he was killing people for. He was never checking the evidence or interviewing suspects. He could of been killing someone who was falsely accused. In the world Light wanted. He would kill you even if you were suspected of wrong doing.
Coward Meter:
Lelouch: 3
Light: 300
Caring about the fates of others is what separates humans from sociopaths.
Lots and lots of people.
Both thinking they are doing a greater good. Murder is murder no matter how you sugar coat the outside. Neither are innocent. Again. I get what your trying to argue here but in the end they both killed people for their own reasons. Be it good or bad, people died.
I doubt either of us are going to give up on our side. So let's leave it as this:
Both killed for their reasons, rooting for the 'bad' guy dosen't make you deranged or have something against women as you put before. It's an anime, nothing real, no one is harmed, it's all a good time that we all enjoy in our own way ^^
How many innocent people did Lelouch 'target'?
Lelouch was fighting against a corrupt dictatorship that was slaughtering Japanese by the thousands.
How many innocent people did Light target?
Light was murdering innocents, law enforcement, and many others for his own ideals to make himself a god.
Clovis ordered the wholesale slaughter of thousands of Japanese just for being Japanese. As if they were vermin. Light never even tried to avoid killing innocents and law enforcement. Someone who would murder an FBI or police for his own godhood is lower then scum to me. Yet this is the person people are "rooting" for.
I didn't like Light in episode 1. Watching him kill a FBI agent then tormenting and murdering his innocent fiancee made me utterly hate.
Lelouch also went into battle alone with a broken, outdated KMF in the R2 season to rescue the Black Knights being held hostage by Guilford. If Light would of been in that situation. He would of just let them be executed.
Now, enough said.
I still stand by my argument. But I'd rather this die. I accepted the fact that neither of us were going to back down. So I'll quote myself:
@Catolf said: