#also i got tried of writing halfway through so i probably subconciously gave up trying to make sense

[lawtistic]

i need to talk about the death note jdrama SO BAD. and ive been reposting and replying to stuff but it isnt enough to satisfy me so here I am.

I said in a repost that i like to see the jdrama as it's own independent work of art. it works and its good. it's another death note adaptation at it's core, but i like to see it as more than that.

spoilers ahead

i'd like to get the things i dont like about it out of the way first, so i can brainrot about the rest without hesitation afterward.

i didn't like the whole mello being some haunted possessive doll that had a split personality with near. it was random, odd, and i overall didn't like it very much.

misa's annoying, but she's bearable, i guess.

now, onto the things i like.

the characters are not tied to their originals. they're their own independent characters with different dynamics and it makes the characters easier to connect with. in the original, you weren't supposed to connect with the characters, you're just meant to watch them and immerse yourself, and in the jdrama, you can do both.

light has a backstory this time, and it works. in the original, he didn't have a tragic backstory, and that worked as well, and i did like that, i still do, but i also enjoy what the jdrama did with him. light wanted to be a police officer as a kid, but when his mother was murdered and his father was too focused on catching her killer rather than being there for his kids and being present at her death, light lost all hope in that. he wanted to be better than that. because of this, he becomes emotionally distant from his father and their interactions are awkward. (this also sets up a great scene later but ill get to that in a minute shhhshhhshhh) he's a lot more empathetic and genuinely caring than he was in the original, when he only cared when it was convenient. he has friends, he has hobbies, and it still doesnt take away from him being kira, just because the jdrama sets it up differently.

L is a lot more genuinely rude and abrasive. he's a neat freak and while he doesn't keep all of his original quirks, he develops his own unique ones. he's constantly drinking some plastic pouched liquid that not even the characters know the name of (but for my sanity im assuming its those applesauce pouches) and, semi-similarly to the original, lways has to have his feet up on something. when something gets on his shirt, he has watari change it immediately, into a newly ironed duplicate of what he was just wearing, and he does this in front of people in professional situations without caring whatsoever what that could mean for him. he's less socially inept and a lot more snarky and close with the characters, even jumping in the school showers with light on campus at one point to tell him he thinks he's kira. he's also actively maintaining a close relationship with near and mello nd contacting them regularly.

the scenes still hold up, and so does the plot, and yotsuba arc is much shorter and more captivating. it brought the mystery back to it after back to back rewatches of the original, because i had zero clue who was supposed to be higuchi this time. light comes up with his own independent plans entirely different from the original and misa actually has plot relevance.

speaking of misa, she's okay. she's a lot more ditsy and annoying but her overall absence made up for it. she's a jpop idol this time in a band named ichigo berry (i think) and one of her concerts serves as the location for a major plot point and her relationships with different characters makes for some stellar comedic moments.

one of my favorite scenes is the scene between light and soichiro at the beginning of yotsuba arc. soichiro genuinely thought light was kira and he did miss the development and repercussions original soichiro had from that, but this could be excused by the distance between them. regardless, their distance pays off. light, with no memory of the notebook, begs for his life at his fathers hand (misa isnt present but shes also under surveillance, capable of killing, and aware of the situation and honestly thank god because her presence in the scene would have made it so much less impactful) when it's revealed he isn't kira, light breaks down. soichiro tells him everything, and light apologizes to him, melancholic because of the distance, and what he feels like he's put his father through. he vows to take down kira, vows to eliminate his and pay his father back from the turmoil he was surely feeling. soichiro kneels down and hugs his son, tears streaming down light's face. the music is beautiful and the credits roll, panning out to a view of them hugging on the dirty ground in the distance. it was a great impactful scene that greatly setup their relationship to come.

Now, the question everyone's been waiting for. is the jdrama just as homoerotic, despite the dynamic and character changes?

yes.

yes it is.

and here's a list of all the times that got me to say this

for some reason, light's actor could not keep his eyes on L's face and there was a constant of him just looking L up and down very slowly

when they first meet, not only does he look up and down, (something L visually notices and follows his gaze) he just stares at him. he barely utters a word to him. for a good few minutes and just spends a very long time looking at him very intensely, i could hear careless whispers playing. there is a girl standing kind of in between then and she's just looking back and forth at them and it's very funny

in the same scene L whispers something in his ear and light just slowly fixes his gaze on him yet refuses to turn around

they look at each other, just, a lot. whether they're sneaking glances at one another or full on smiling when their eyes meet, theyre just always looking

the shower scene. light also looks him up and down in this scene. that says enough in it of itself

at the concert scene L not only pulls the "you're my only friend" crap and light just looks completely in awe, but also, at the end, L gets dangerously close to his face, turns around and walks away, smirking, and light collapses to his knees. (im aware theres context but i dont care)

the tennis scene isnt special by any means but it just reeks gay energy somehow and i dont know how to explain it

light takes a bullet for L (however this happens in yotsuba arc) and helps him off the ground after its revealed that theyre both fine

the handcuff scene. i dont care if lights on the verge of tears and desperate that scene was fucking gay okay

THE BLUE SCENE. after L takes down the cameras he sits there and practically begs light to confess, and it feels all too genuine. light seems tempted to give in, to tell him everything, and he appears almost reluctant as he tells him he isn't kira, and L just stares. he tells him "...and then i met you, and for the first time, i became interested in a person." they have a conversation where L reveals how he's going to catch light and light is helpless to stop it, and then they start saying this:

L: from my perspective, you're just a hopeless, stupid murderer. light: L... L: ...and you were my only friend. i wish we could have met some other way.

L then slowly walks past him and then if youve watched the jdrama you know what happens after that

you could say L was annoyed with misa because she was annoying but i see it as jealousy he was jealous guys listen to me im telling the truth

after L's death (im aware hes acting but shhhshhh) light runs over and desperately holds his body close to him, screaming, saying it was all his fault, and holds him close enough to where... yeah

yeah.

anyway this is all i have to say, thank you for coming im sorry this was all over the place, i dont have a coherent thought process

#also i got tried of writing halfway through so i probably subconciously gave up trying to make sense #death note #light yagami #deathnote #l lawliet #fandom #lawlight #jdrama #death note jdrama #i love this jdrama way too much #i walked into it expecting to just not like it but low and behold #also i love matsuda #he doesnt change that much and thats fine hes perfect just the way he is #i love jdrama matsuda #touta matsuda #matsuda