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Thoughts on the ending of Death Note (Spoilers be warned)

Savage Idealist

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So I've been thinking, what have other people thought of the ending to the anime/manga death note? Which ending was better, or worse, or sucked less? What other ways could have it turned out that would have been far more interesting; like having Mello be the overall victor?
 

Edgar

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As far as I'm concerned the series ended when L died.
 

KDude

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I agree. I pointed out in one similar thread to this that I liked how the live action movies (which aren't bad) handled it.. I still llike the anime, but it'd be nice if it had some of the same storyline. Basically, it combined L with Near's Success (there was no Near though. The story just escalates with L winning).
 

Savage Idealist

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Although how do you think it would've ended if L had been the victor over Light? What alternative endings could and should have occured to end the series better?
 

Blank

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Well, part of the problem with Death Note's (anime) ending is that killing L was the bonafide climax of the story. L presented so any more problems to Light than Near or Mellow ever did, even combined. Part of the reason L worked so well is because he dichotomized Light. Light was attractive, sociable, "normal"....L wasn't. It was really played up too, with Light's color of representation being red, and L's being blue. When Light was dealing with L, there was always the chance that He Could Lose. Tension (as a plot device) was extremely high, and as soon as you get rid of L, all of that tension melts away. The fact that Near and Mello were never referenced before they showed up made it really hard to consider them to be the successors of L. Also: Mello was such a stereotype of someone with a chip on his shoulder. That's been presented in anime over and over, it was hard to even care for him. Near was a child genius...still another archetype, hard to care for him. L was an original character, and it felt like his eccentricities were molded onto Near in a way that made him seem like he was just copying off of the original without improving upon it in any significant way, and that's probably the biggest issue with Near. He's a crappy version of a boiled-down L, and it just doesn't work.

One way I think the story could have redeemed itself after killing off L, would have been to actually show Light try and create a crime-free, evil-person-free utopian society. Chances are, it probably wouldn't have worked out, and making Light realize this and/or deal with a psychological fixation on that, or his removal of L could have potentially been more satisfying than introducing Near and Mello.


EDIT: Totally confused who Near and Mello were.
 
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knight

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is there any anime out there similar like death note?
 

Fluffywolf

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As far as I'm concerned the series ended when L died.

Agreed. L was in so many ways more interesting than Near was.

Mello was also in my opinion an unnecessary addition. The whole story of Mello and Near coming from the same organization and stuff, just screwed it up. They weren't likable, interesting or unique.

The series with L and Light going at each other, that was epic.

is there any anime out there similar like death note?

As with most great anime's, they tend to be known for their creative and unique storylines. And as such, there isn't quite an anime that I consider similar to Death Note. There are anime's that I enjoyed as much as Death Note, but they were not similar.
 

Savage Idealist

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Originally posted by knight
is there any anime out there similar like death note?

The main character of Code Geass is a lot like Light in terms of personality (INTJ's, taking over the world one grand plan at a time). It's an excellent anime, I'd say check it out.
 

Curator

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Well, part of the problem with Death Note's (anime) ending is that killing L was the bonafide climax of the story. L presented so any more problems to Light than Near or Mellow ever did, even combined. Part of the reason L worked so well is because he dichotomized Light. Light was attractive, sociable, "normal"....L wasn't. It was really played up too, with Light's color of representation being red, and L's being blue. When Light was dealing with L, there was always the chance that He Could Lose. Tension (as a plot device) was extremely high, and as soon as you get rid of L, all of that tension melts away. The fact that Near and Mello were never referenced before they showed up made it really hard to consider them to be the successors of L. Also: Mello was such a stereotype of someone with a chip on his shoulder. That's been presented in anime over and over, it was hard to even care for him. Near was a child genius...still another archetype, hard to care for him. L was an original character, and it felt like his eccentricities were molded onto Near in a way that made him seem like he was just copying off of the original without improving upon it in any significant way, and that's probably the biggest issue with Near. He's a crappy version of a boiled-down L, and it just doesn't work.

One way I think the story could have redeemed itself after killing off L, would have been to actually show Light try and create a crime-free, evil-person-free utopian society. Chances are, it probably wouldn't have worked out, and making Light realize this and/or deal with a psychological fixation on that, or his removal of L could have potentially been more satisfying than introducing Near and Mello.


EDIT: Totally confused who Near and Mello were.

well sheesh, you did all the work for me, thats basically what I was gonna say... but you already said it all for me... thanks:) lol
 

Lien

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misa didn't even change one bit after killing so many people.

i was disappointed.

to the end, light never showed any emotion. misa stayed unchanged. they were not human, they were tv tropes. and i didn't expect light's career to be cut short that quickly. i thought the show would go more seasons. i expected more from light.

when L died, i cried. i didn't want to believe it and trusted he would come back. but he never did. i expected more from L, and from death note.

i think the reason why the show to a majority lost flavor after L's death is because L was the only original character in the show. and they just murdered him. why? sometimes i think mangaka are the most psychopathic people. just because they are not real characters doesn't mean it's OK to do things you would get jailed for.

after finishing death note i became very sad and stopped watching anime for a long time.
i thought light could even ascend into the realm of the shinigami and nearly take over the realm, before he was defeated (by L).
 

Savage Idealist

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Originally posted by Lien
to the end, light never showed any emotion.

Ummm yes he did, his whole purpose was emotionally driven and at his final defeat he turned into a raving emotional loony ball.

and i didn't expect light's career to be cut short that quickly. i thought the show would go more seasons. i expected more from light.

:yes: I agree, Light went from being a super intelligent mastermind to falling for one the most obvious tricks ever. Or maybe Near wrote the names of Light and Mikami in the death note, thus controlling their actions and preventing them from double checking to see if their death note was real . . . :thinking:

when L died, i cried. i didn't want to believe it and trusted he would come back. but he never did. i expected more from L, and from death note.

Awwww :hug: I know how you feel, when anime characters that you love die, it hurts on the inside :(

i think the reason why the show to a majority lost flavor after L's death is because L was the only original character in the show. and they just murdered him. why? sometimes i think mangaka are the most psychopathic people. just because they are not real characters doesn't mean it's OK to do things you would get jailed for.

L was definitely somewhat original, but what about Mello? I've noticed others don't seem to give Mello as much as respect as he should deserve, but I thought his character was rather interesting (he is an ENFP ;))

after finishing death note i became very sad and stopped watching anime for a long time.

Wha? :huh: You shouldn't stop watching anime becuase of that, anime can bring happiness! :biggrin:

they were not human, they were tv tropes.

Transending humanity and becoming tv tropes, oh that would be a dream come true for me :wubbie:
 

Lien

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i believe the death note was an illusion. are you lonely and righteous?

Ummm yes he did, his whole purpose was emotionally driven and at his final defeat he turned into a raving emotional loony ball.

i think once he wrote the first name in the death note, that was the end of light. he had made a deal with the devil. there is a rule i live by: when the technique becomes greater than the heart, the artist is not much of an artist anymore. i feel this is what happened to light. he ceased being human once he thought he could make people happy with a cheap trick: the death note.

even if it was originally for the greater good, the light in the beginning of the series is simply not the same light at the end. it was even said he may have been working together with L in investigations, if he were not Kira.

i felt he died a miserable death. sometimes i wonder if, right before he died, he learned he was wrong.

i saw it as light as eating the forbidden apple. in the theme songs i think there is always an apple, and even of him biting the apple.

i think people who take a bite of this apple become unhappy and lonely. but because they are under an illusion, they think they are right. hubris, the fatal flaw.

i think of Voldemort, or better, Hamlet. i felt they did it because they thought they were right. they were like children with toys, even if they were overwhelmingly intelligent. and misa as poor Ophelia.

the thing i thought was worst about death note, was light never seemed to have a very emotional reason for doing it, other than being bored. i don't think it's this simple. i felt something in his past must have been not ideal for him to do it, and i would have wanted to see that. most of all, i was hoping he could redeem himself in the end.

i'm sorry, i don't remember mello too well. but i didn't not like him.

Transending humanity and becoming tv tropes, oh that would be a dream come true for me :wubbie:

have you watched puella magi madoka magica? be careful for what you wish for.... :)
 

Oaky

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The ending of death note was interesting as it left us to wonder one of two possible ways it could have ended. It could be that everything had went well for Light until that small glitch in his system Near used to corner him into the spot. However, it was far too perfect it must leave us wondering whether or not Near had used the death note he received himself to carry out the story of Light's given death. Strengthening the thought was a very subtle implication used in the manga for the possibility.
 
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