***Warning! This blog will contain some spoilers!***
Below are the rules set out by the Death Note:
I first came across the anime series in 2013 and since then have re-watched it at least three times over. The question to be asked then is, what about the Death Note is so engaging for its audience?
Firstly, let us begin with a brief introduction of the Death Note itself:
In an alternate plane of existence, Shinigamis (otherwise known as Death Gods) slouch in boredom with nothing more than endless sand and Death Notes to surround them. One Shinigami however, breaks away from this course and accidently drops a Death Note into the human world. College student, Light Yagami finds it and in doing so comes into possession of this Death Note.
He reads the RULES. He writes a NAME. He sentences a man to his DEATH.
It is not long before this law abiding young man revises his sense of justice into a radical discourse of righteousness – calling himself God of the New World. Keeping his identity hidden, he becomes ‘Kira’ (Killer) to the public who themselves reflect opposing views towards his existence and purpose. In further discussion of his character, fans in support of Light’s position have claimed that: “His intentions are noble, so he’s really more of an antihero,” “He sacrifices his soul to the Death Note and goes crazy to lower crime rates across the world,” “He’s smarter and more capable than everyone else, so he clearly knows what’s best and deserves to win against the police, who can’t even do their job right!”
Ultimately ‘Kira’ does not show any mercy. If you commit a violent crime – you are immediately executed. And because of this people are disciplined through the fear of Kira; even global crime rates reduce by over 70%. Of course, the irony is ever present – “Errm, isn’t Light like a mass murderer, isn’t he also committing violent crimes?”
Yes.
That being said, although I believe that Light’s reasons cannot be justified and he himself has become what he deems to be evil, his position as Kira is separate from society’s concept of violence and murder. I believe that Kira is not bound to the repercussions of mere human existence, much rather Kira transcends the boundaries set by the legal justice system; Kira literally overrides them…Kira is the new law and order.
I take caution here not to humanise Kira through terms of gender such as he or his, because Light is human, whereas Kira is a powerful existence that in itself is not inherently good or evil.
I believe this to be represented in the violence, or more precisely the lack of violence in the deaths set out by the Death Note. And it is this that I find to be the most disturbing, yet interesting aspect of the anime. The process in which Light practices his authority over the Death Note is in fact physically and mentally violent. His arm sets in an aggressive motion as he launches it back and forth, creating a romanticized yet forceful collision between his pen and the Death Note. In this moment of truth, his poker face distorts itself into one that can only be described as sickeningly orgasmic. His violence and violence in itself is human.
In contrast, Kira’s act of death is quick and dispassionate. The majority of those executed are given no more than a few seconds of screen time.
The Death Note was never meant for a human, that being said one does wonder what they would do if they came into possession of it.
ONE OF US 