I really felt it undermined the whole point of Death Note that Light went from 'oh god this book really does kill people what have I done' to 'I WILL BECOME THE GOD OF THE NEW WORLD IT'S KILLING TIME' in a matter of like three pages. It's hard to take any moral ambiguity seriously when one part is clearly a fucking lunatic.

>>43882
The only moral ambiguity I've ever seen in Death Note has been in that the good guys, i.e. L, his protégés, and the task force--are not saints either. Except in comparison to Light and the other Kiras.

>>43882
I'm pretty sure that's not the "whole point of Death Note" and the author even stated he didn't care want to make some deep character-based drama, but a (ridiculously complex) mystery/thriller.

Basically, there was no "point" to be made, he just wanted to tell a damn story.

I just realized that I don't care about Death Note at all. There are no positive or negative feelings, just... apathy, and for no particular reason. I think I used to care, at least a little, but now there's nothing.

I just wanted to share that little revelation.

>>43887
>>43889

So you know, all those Kira fansites and people celebrating the killing of criminals and Light gloating about how he was making a better world and Matsuda wondering if they should really be stopping Kira and etc etc etc never fucking happened?

There's moral ambiguity inherent to any story about the serial murder of criminals, especially when it's told from the perspective of the killer. Death Note tried to play this up on several occasions. It didn't really work, because it was plain right from the start that Light was a raving lunatic.

>>43905
I thought the Kira worship was just a reflection of how people would react to the actions of an apparently godlike being.

>>43905
They happened. People also write love letters to people on death row. The fact that people are stupid and willing to throw their lots in with villains doesn't surprise me or make the villain any more ambiguous in my mind.

Light was an egomaniacal serial killer justifying his god complex by claiming justice was involved, but willingly killing even innocent people whose only crimes were getting in his way. That's not even a little bit ambiguous.

Killing killers doesn't make a story morally ambiguous. It can make a villain sympathetic, but it can't make them virtuous.

>>43917
For all Near sucks, he did sum up Light pretty perfectly in the finale.

To me, the story really started to fall apart when Light stared to massacre decent people who were just doing their jobs out of both paranoia (the early FBI/INTERPOL killings) or a further extent of his god complex (the wholesale slaughter of the special task force after he killed the 3rd kira and the rest of the board.)

Then again the latter was after L died so the series had jumped the shark anyway.

>>43917

I'm not saying that he actually WAS morally ambiguous. Like I said, the author shot himself in the foot on that from the very first chapter. I'm saying that there was an attempt on the part of the author to generate moral ambiguity.

>>43940
>jumped the shark when L died
:\ yeah... yeah... just wasn't as good since

Light, L, Near, and Mello were the worst characters in the manga, Matsuda, Aizawa, Light's dad, and the other cops were much more interesting and I felt more for them than any of the SUPER DEEP Mary Sue crew of "geniuses"

>>43960
Near and Mello were so unnecessary it hurt. L just had too many quirks to be taken seriously. Light was okay, but I wish they'd made him either more or less crazy instead of this in-between borderline sadism and sudden OOC bursts of maniacal laughter.

Honestly the series could have ended with L's death and it wouldn't make me no never mind.

Ryuk was the best character.

>>43978
This are truth.

I've never agreed with Light or understood all the people that are like 'Wow, I wish I had a death note!'
But what I especially don't understand is L's popularity. Most people hate people like him in real life, but he's one of the most popular characters ever, mainly because of fangirls.

I don't think Death Note was a horrible series, I just think it's seriously overrated. Also, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think Matsuda was awesome.

>>43985
Hells yes. The only reason I kept watching after L's death is because I was convinced Matsuda was going to do something fuckawesome. AND I WAS RIGHT.

>>43985
Things can be entertaining in characters on television that are not endearing in real life. Would you really want to be friends with a guy like Bugs Bunny?

>>43987
EASILY the best part of the series.

>>43970
It was supposed to end in L's death. That's how it was from the start. But the fans and the higher-ups wouldn't let the series end, so more characters were tacked on, and the pain train chugged ever-onward.

>>44003
Actually, the writer wanted 108 chapters, so he stretched it out.

>>43999
>Would you really want to be friends with a guy like Bugs Bunny?
Fucking yes.

>>44010
He'd definitely be a better friend than Daffy Duck, that's for sure.

Fuck you, Bloo. You started out so cool, what happened.

>>44008
>108 chapters

I see what he did there.

>>44015
I have to wonder if they dragged it out just to accomplish this. And also to make more money, obviously

>>44030
This is exactly the case. He stated specifically that he stretched it just so he could have his 108 chapters. WHO CARES ABOUT PACING IF YOU HAVE A NUMEROLOGY REFERENCE?

>>44032
What's the significance of 108?

...feel like I'm going to feel stupid when it's pointed out to me. :\

>>44174
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OneHundredAndEight

when in doubt, tv tropes.