“Do you know Gods of Death love apples?”
It turns out, we also crave apples. Just as Adam and Eve had, humankind is tempted with the knowledge and power that is beyond this world. “Death Note” (the anime) explores the psychological impact the power of a God would have on man.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of the show, a supernatural book known as the Death Note grants its user the ability to kill anyone, given that they know their name and face. The book is equipped with a “user’s guide” and a set of rules. The user can even make a deal with the Shinigami (God of Death) that it belongs to.
When we watch the news, or view social media, we’re plagued with crimes and heinous evils the world contains. While the corrupt news is curated, and the media does not have the same focus on the positivity in the world, it’s easy to feel ill when getting informed with all that is happening.
Think of presidents, politicians, producers and even actors; anyone who has acquired their viewers’ attention and passion with their infamy. Surely the prospect of assassination had crossed the minds of many. The world would be different place without them. It is a thought, but of course the moral dilemma does not initially arise because majority do not have the desire, or even ability, to conduct the action. It falls back into the fantasy or a distant wish.
The protagonist of “Death Note", Light Yagami, was a teenager too smart for his own good, who described himself as being bored with the mundane. When watching the news, he believed the world would be better without criminals and that became his goal when he was graced with the Death Note, by chance. What is so interesting is that it really could have been anyone to obtain this power and surely we would all have different reactions.
Skeptical of the notebook’s authenticity, Light filled pages with names before meeting Ryuk, the Shinigami it belonged to. He progressed to make the world a “better” place and through his actions, crime rates worldwide dropped by 70%. Fittingly enough, he became known as Kira, derived from the word, “killer,” running the world in his own dystopian way.
When he obtained the book, it became apparent that he would have a sworn enemy who we all know as “L,” whose real name is never revealed, even in the face of his death. Often times, these two were presented in blue (L) and red (Light) hues to represent the good versus evil battle occuring. L was the very best at solving crimes and catching “the bad guys." He viewed Kira as a childish villain who didn’t know what the word “justice” meant.
Light killed criminals and civilians alike to work toward his goal, viewing them all as pawns. He didn’t seems to have any sense of value in regards to their lives as he would often use the term, “eliminate,” as though it was all his game; his world. He didn’t care to know the motivation of the criminals whose names he wrote. “Eliminating” them served his purpose, so he created distance from himself and what makes us human.
As the Kira investigation gained momentum, soon his family became involved. This was to be expected given the nature of the anime. On his father’s death bed, Light sought to use him as part of his plot. There was much anticipation leading to his death, although the Light from episode one is certainly not the same person he becomes as he had grown into the corruption.
Light was not the only one to use the notebook in the series. Misa’s role in the show is certainly worth shining a light on. Also known as the second Kira, she didn’t seem to have awareness of human mortality. Death was not something she was unfamiliar with; her parents had been murdered. She did not blink an eye to write names in her book throughout the series all for Light’s purposes. Her love for him seemed to blind all of the crimes she had been committing.
Unlike Light, she had no true motivation for her actions. Her character is a conflicting one because you almost feel sympathy when you see her manipulated by Light, despite all that she’d done.
Despite how ruthless and wicked Light is, as a viewer you may find yourself rooting for him. It may just be natural curiosity to see how far he could get or it may be a fantasy to live in a world absent of what he defines as evil. Either way, the show certainly drags you down a moral road and makes you question what justice looks like and if it’s even something we, as humans, can even decipher.
In the end, as Ryuk viewed it all from afar, he reflected on how interesting humans are and how his boredom was temporarily relieved. Well, humans are indeed interesting. Depending on our upbringing, geographic location, and economic situation among other factors, our values differ just as our ideas of right and wrong do. Similar to Light, we all view ourselves as the hero and rarely as the villain.
How do you define justice?
