[Rjina]

xD hahahaha okay

[MikamiTeru]

why did we all get kisses so suddenly, may I ask?

[Rjina]

Originally Posted by Rjina

what inspires me is that people continue to put faith in their perspectives despite all that is working against them.

A kiss for humanity, because faith in itself is a miracle.

[MikamiTeru]

I'm disappointed in myself.
I mainly concentrated on the kiss part.... -_-

I should have looked at the bigger picture

[ZERO PHOENIX]

"2. Light died by the pen of Ryuk, who wrote his name down in the Death Note. In the anime, Light dies away from the watching eyes of his decieved fellow investigators. In the manga, he falls before them. The police will never truly 100% understand the presence of Ryuk. Does this take away the glory from Light's death, or does it enhance it?"

I think Light's death at the hands (or by the pen) of Ryuk enhances his death. Here we have Light Yagami, the creator of a new world, a young man who in many respects ascended passed what human beings are capable of. His vision, his goal, and his determination went well beyond that of most people, specifically L. L, for all his babble and one-sided ideas about justice was a morally poor character before Light Yagami as L had to hide in the shadows. But thats beside the point. In any case, Light's dream, his goal was beyond what is shared by most people. The World and Alumina are both perfect songs for Light as they provide a window into his dream and into himself. "I dreamed a dream that no one else could see." The fact that it took Ryuk to kill Light showed how far beyond mankind Light was. This wasn't a simple case of Light being shot, or hit by a car, or some other occurrence that might happen. A god of death HAD to kill Light because no one else could do it. While I feel that Light should have been the leader of the new world, I do feel that his sudden death by Ryuk gives him a sort of feeling of a martyr. And that may be more valuable to that which is Kira rather than having been leader of the world. I feel that because the world never found out exactly who he was and the DEATH NOTE once again changed hands to someone who shared Light's ideals, Kira will become something of a god to the people of the world.

[Rjina]

I like what you said about Light seeming like a martyr--that bit is bugging me

[MikamiTeru]

The thing I didnt like was the tarnishing of L.

L and Kira were both extremely powerful, inspirational figures, with an equal look in Justice.

They were opposite forces, yet neither good or bad.
L vs. Kira

From the start, the world chose a side. The only thing was that unless 100% of people supported Kira, L would win.
I wonder if Light knew this... In a sense he did, unless he had complete and total support he would lose. However, if L had atleast some followers, the battle would continue. Even after his death.

As for that part about Light. That does give him a divine feel. The God of the New world killed by yet another God. I do agree with you on that part.

[Rjina]

Yes, that's what I absolutely love about Death Note:

the lack of right and wrong. There's a definitely hazy border in between these things, particularly as portrayed in Death Note. It's incredible.

[Talus]

I myself actually liked L better. I do'nt know if it's because he's the classic, but I just feel strange aboutNear.

I do think that he has his times of triumph, and I give him credit for catching Raito. He's amazing...

[TrisakAminawn]

Watch me post on an ancient topic!

2. Light's death was without glory. Ryuk made it worse. He was shot, and unmasked, and would have ended up dead anyway. Ryuk killed him because, now that he'd lost the game, he wasn't fun to watch anymore. He said from the beginning that eventually he'd write Light's name down in the death note, and I don't think he ever had any intention of doing otherwise, because he never believed that Light's ambitions would come to fruition. It added to the story-power of his death, to go in the way he had killed so many other people, but it merely showed how completely he had defeated himself.

L had many faults and a wide streak of amorality, but he thought lives were precious and didn't think his own survival or even his own success was more important than doing things 'right.' This included both submitting to being killed by Misa rather than let her kill the police chiefs she had taken hostage and not moving against Light without his legitimating evidence. This doesn't mean he was 'right;' as Rjina said, the series calls into question the meaning of righteousness. But if we approach this simply, at least he was less of a selfish bastard, right?