Death Note (Drama)

Episode 2

At a glance, this episode of Death Note is much closer to the anime and manga versions of the story. Though it inserts some other plotlines, this episode repeats a lot of familiar story beats: Light attempting to get the police off his trail, L realizing that Kira is connected to the police because of that, and of course, all the Raye Penber stuff. Its additions are mostly events from later in the series. The broad strokes are similar, but the devil is in the details. Just like before, the real differences come from the characterization. Light is a much more sympathetically human character (even Ryuk mentions this), and that changes everything about how he interacts with other characters.

For starters, Light is interested in Misa from the get-go. In the original story, while Light was clearly flattered by a pretty girl's attention, the romantic interest was one-sided on her end. He was happy to use and manipulate her just as he did everyone else, and even cheated on her with another girl. Light didn't seem capable of love at all, reinforcing his psychopathic personality. Here, there's more room for a reciprocal relationship, and the interest starts from Light's side. He's also unnerved by Ryuk's lecherous attention toward her. (He calls her the "titty girl.") This new Light doesn't just have a conscience, he also has the capacity to care deeply for people other than himself.

He's even broken up by the possibility of Misa dying in five days, as Ryuk reveals to him while he's mooning over her. This isn't the first time that we've seen Light nearly driven to tears, but it's the first time that this level of emotion wasn't related to his killings. Light could potentially fit within his former, more selfish characterization (sort of—it's still a big stretch) if he was only bothered by abstract concepts like his own guilt. Light Yagami getting broken up about the fate of another human being, though? That's a step further. It's worth noting Misa's almost-death is also from the original story, but was only revealed after her introduction, as part of her backstory. It's left ambiguous at the credits whether it's supposed to be another shinigami that saved her this time, or if Light killed the guy in this version, but either way, the whole plot's purpose is to deepen Light's connection to her.

Interestingly, as Light gets more attached to Misa, he also gets better at destroying his targets. Other people have started to notice his strange behavior, and we see it the change in his crazy-eyed expressions while lying to his father. It really hits home in the aftermath of the bus scene. During the scuffle, Light finds a picture of Raye with his presumed girlfriend (who, for all we know, could be as fake as his IDs). Knowing that he has someone who loves him makes Light hesitate to write Raye's name down, but in the end he's still able to do it. Light isn't hesitating for as long as he did in the previous episode. It's getting easier for him. Then again, it's all for naught. As we see in the final scene, Raye is still alive because "Raye Penber" is not his real name. I thought that was really clever, considering that Raye was his name in the manga and anime, so that would be a twist even prior fans wouldn't see coming. (I figured it was obvious he wouldn't kill L, though.) It's also an important clue to Kira's identity for L, leading him closer to fingering Light and putting him in a bind. Of course, now we have two Kiras anyway.

In the anime, Misa Amane is introduced after already becoming the second Kira—and having traded her lifespan for Rem's shinigami eyes. Her identity is a source of mystery for the characters and the audience at first, and eventually a blessing and a curse for Light when she becomes a wrench in his plans. The fact that Light already knows Misa this time—and that Misa seems more savvy and less obsessive than her anime counterpart—could put a neat twist on her subplot. The show has already spent more time on her characterization, which spells out promising things. At first, I was worried by Ryuk's warning that she would die to become a motivating factor for Light's quest. Luckily, this is just the beginning of her story.

I'm still not sure what to make of L, who the show has unfortunately reduced to a mustache-twirling villain (minus the mustache). This L is quirky and smirky and not much else yet. His actor's performance is also very flat, other than the flamboyant physical acting. It's seemingly designed to recreate the animated version of the character, but it just looks strange in live-action. Even more curious is Near. Not only is Near already in communication with L as an ally, but the character is played by a girl. I don't know if that's meant to indicate that Near actually is female, or just a very young boy. Due to its theatrical influence, it's not unheard of for j-dramas to have women in "pants roles." Still, my guess is that Near actually is a girl. Given Misa's expansion, this could be an effort to create a greater female presence in the Death Note story, given j-dramas' larger female audience.

It's also far from the strangest choice made. That would be the decision to make Mello into a puppet. I'm not sure if he's meant to be a separate being or some alternate personality for Near. It'll probably be a while before we get the answer, since Mello and Near's part in the Death Note story is still far in the future. At least this compression bodes more interesting than the anime and manga's more sluggish telling of their story.

In fact, I was surprised by how much I couldn't look away from these past two episodes. The pacing is much quicker than the original series, which wasn't lacking for intrigue outside of maybe the final third. It's an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, possibly even more so if you've experienced Death Note in another version. Half the fun comes from seeing all the ways in which this version will change things versus how it stays the same. The bus scene is quite similar, other than Light's lack of a date and the original version's most memorable moment—when Light's victim sees Ryuk.

It's the little changes that really define this Death Note, and make it a worthy entry for fans so far. As it drifts further into its own story waters while also creatively interpreting existing events, I find myself more on board for what it wants to do. Sure, it's disappointing to see L simplified down to a bad guy and robbed of his charm. However, this story also sports a humanized Light and Misa as an actual character. It gives me a whole new reason to enjoy this show.

Rating: A-

Death Note (Drama) is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rose is a music Ph.D. student who loves overanalyzing anime soundtracks. Follow her on her media blog Rose's Turn.