Death Note Analysis - Tumblr Posts

My baby boy was so screwed over by the anime adaptation. But this rant analysis was ON POINT. In particular, Near's emotional sensitivity is just completely omitted, his consideration of other SPK members GONE.

During the process to narrow down and identify X-Kira, Near ordered every single episode of The Kira Show (i can't remember the actual name) to be copied into CDs so he and other SPK members can watch frame by frame to pick out any suspicious character. He then checks in on Commander Lester and Gevanni on their progress who said they have no clue who it could be and don't want to make assumptions. So Near tells them: "That's alright, your ideas will be taken as suggestions so don't stress too much about it."

I find that very fascinating because it uncovers a layer of Near's relationship with his agents. He will take on all the responsibilities while consulting others' opinions. With him, they can freely share their thoughts and conjectures, if he agrees then they'll follow through, if he disagrees then it's just another suggestion. No harm no foul.

And this is particularly different from L because frankly L doesn't really go out of his way to consult the Task Force members' opinions. The only one whose opinions he really listens to is Light, partly because he thinks Light is Kira, partly because he sees Light as "on his level," therefore deserving of respect.

While Near retains the final say, he also acknowledges and trusts his agents' respective strengths and abilities. They are allowed to demonstrate what they can do for him. And he's grateful for that.

When Commander Lester remarks that Halle Lidner is in danger, anime Near simply says that she knew the risk coming in, but in the manga he says something like: "Yes, I am very thankful for her willingness to go through this despite knowing the risks."

[Death Note] Near: Anime vs. Manga Potrayals

I love Death Note. But, I have to admit that when it comes to the anime and the manga, the latter has my preference. This is for several reasons, primarily that it adds more detail, but another crucial point in which I favor the manga over the anime is Near’s portrayal. I didn’t think much of it at first, but when I read the manga, I couldn’t help noticing just how different of an impression that Near made on me, as opposed to his anime counterpart. The more I thought about this, the more hate I saw Near get in the fandom, the more it bugged me.

Of course, there will always be those people who hate Near just for existing, pretty much, but the most common reason I saw for disliking Near was that “he was too emotionless”, and “a boring, dull character. As I also found, many people who believed that also had not read the manga.

I have to say, unfortunately; in my experience, the anime’s portrayal of Near did make him seem like such unless you dug really, really deep - almost irritatingly so. When I first watched the anime, I was on Near’s side. For one thing, I found his emotionless persona to be cool and unique from most heroes in any series. For another, I really, really wanted to see Kira die, so…yeah. Despite this more favorable opinion of him, after I finished the anime, my love for Near was nowhere near (Death Note and its endless puns) what it is now.

In contrast, after I read the manga, I found myself much more invested in Near as a person. As I read the manga, layer after layer was added to the character of Nate River; by the end of it, Near was on the road to his current position as one of my favorite characters in any fictional work to date. After doing more analysis on him and discussing him with other DN fans on Quotev (thank you so much to all of those who analyze Death Note with me, I have so much fun during our debates about it and I’ve learned a lot of things), my adoration only increased. If I have to rank him in my favorite fictional characters (and believe me, I’m familiar with a lot of fiction, be it games, manga, anime, books, visual novels, you name it), Near would definitely be in my top ten.

I love that boy.

To put things in perspective, I’ll begin with a list of similarities between Near’s anime and manga portrayal (and I’m obviously speaking characteristics, not physical appearance):

1. His puzzle/toys obsession

2. His antisocial nature and complete lack of life skills

To be honest, that’s pretty much all that I can recall that remains nearly identical between the anime version and manga version of Near.

Now, let’s get into the differences.

1. His intelligence

Yes; Near is a clear genius in both the anime and the manga. However, the manga shows more examples of this. For one thing, Near’s extremely complex explanations in the manga are nearly paragraphs of text long. The anime never shows him giving any such detailed analyses, which is probably part of the reason why there are those who complain that Near gets too much plot armor. For example, the infamous "figuring out who X-Kira is scene”: I have to say, the anime utterly failed in that, if you ask me. The scene blatantly seems like filler and just completely unrealistic. I mean really - Near’s eyes lighting up like his superpowers are being charged and hyperspace blurring behind him? Yeah…no. I can understand why that seems like plot armor. In contrast, the manga actually bothers to thoroughly explain Near’s thought process and the evidence backing up his conclusion.

Also, there are two plans of Near’s that are cut out from the anime (that I can remember):

- His plan to get the mafia to return the Death Note (if I remember correctly): (Confession time - I forgot the contents of this plan, aside from it requiring Light to pose as L and threaten the mafia somehow.) Obviously, coming up with plans takes intelligence, but Near appears to come up with this strategy on-the-spot, making it all the more impressive. Light cracks his own plan (that gets his dad killed, so touching) so it becomes immaterial, but it still shows the levels of Near’s intelligence.

- His plan to get a member of the Task Force on his side: A.K.A. we see how badass Near is. He requests that a member of the Task Force meet with the SPK in person - that member turns out to be Mogi. As they talk, Demegawa unleashes the mob on the SPK’s headquarters, cueing the “drop the money from the sky” scene. Now, this was a failed plan of Light’s to take out Near and the SPK, but not only does Near counter this plan - he actually uses it for his own benefit. He orders Mogi to be bound and gagged to prevent him from making any noise, and when the Task Force contacts them to ask if everyone is safe, Near lies straight to their faces and says Mogi had a heart attack on the way to their new base - meaning, Kira is aware that Mogi is in the SPK’s hands and is trying to prevent him from giving any information. Naturally, the only ones who know this are the Task Force and the SPK, which means that Kira is among the two groups. This is what ultimately leads Aizawa to ally himself with the SPK - the suspicion towards Light that reblossomed thanks to Near’s machinations.

2. His snarkiness

So, in both the anime and the manga, Near has some snarky moments, though significantly more in the manga. However, in my opinion, the anime left out the most significant snark from Near in the series. When Light comments that the SPK members all died despite Near’s best efforts (this was after Sayu’s kidnapping, where Mello acquires the Death Note and kills most of the SPK), Near replies, “Yes…I was somewhat prepared for this the moment you handed over the notebook, but it sure does hurt.” He throws the implied insult back at Light’s face (who is the placeholder of L at that point in time). Near shows more willingness to take the initiative and be a little more aggressive in the manga (given the fact he snarked off at L the Second). In fact, the second one of the plans cut out of the manga that I mentioned earlier also shows this difference between anime and manga Near.

And now, we arrive at what is my biggest problem with Near’s anime portrayal -

3. His humanity

I can actually understand why anime-only people saw Near as a soulless robot. The anime does not provide any show of emotion from him whatsoever unless you dig ridiculous deep into the situation to the point where you almost feel like you’re reading too much into things. Near is not a robot - he is a human being, and on a human being, this is simply unrealistic. On the other hand, the manga cleverly throws in subtle nuances that lead you to question and analyze Near’s softer sides without directly showing them to you. It adds a much more interesting spin to his character and makes you question what exactly caused him to become the way he is - all in all, the manga’s portrayal makes Near much more interesting than the anime’s.

Let’s begin.

- The mass murder of most of the SPK

Alright, so Mello writes all the names of the SPK that he has access to, promptly killing them. In the anime, Near simply sits in his chair with a stone-cold expression, and doesn’t look at all concerned as his colleagues literally fall to the ground, dead, around him. By contrast, in the manga, he actually looks pained. From the way his gaze is intently focused on the dice structure and his bothered expression, it’s almost as if he doesn’t want to look. Obviously, this makes for a much more relatable and realistic character in the eyes of the audience - showing visible pain at the death of his coworkers. It also makes you begin to think about Near’s character specifically because he seemed so emotionless. We’re introduced to Near and see how devoid of feeling he seems to be the first few chapters of his appearance, and then bam - he’s clearly upset as his colleagues die. At least for me, it got me thinking about Near’s more human sides

- His interactions with his subordinates

Near’s interactions with the members of the SPK remain largely the same in the manga and the anime. In my opinion, though, two important scenes were cut out from the anime that adds a lot more to Near’s character. For one, there’s the scene where Near disbands the SPK officially and explains that they’ll now have to operate as an underground organization. He goes on to warn his subordinates of how dangerous their positions will be should they choose to continue under his lead, as he will keep trying to catch Kira. This is significant to me because he actually offers them a way out. Going even further, he admits that he’s afraid - “I’m scared, so I’m not going outside”. This ability to understand and sympathize with the possible fears of those who work under him adds yet another layer of complexity to Near - he prefers to seem almost inhuman and strange and his behavior, but has no trouble admitting to a very human quality - fear. I should also add that this line is refreshingly vulnerable in a way, meaning that Near is close enough to and trusts his subordinates enough to drop the facade at least a little.

It also displays his capability to see through and grasp the perspective of others emotionally and not just pragmatically. This is something that I find Light, and to a lesser extent, L, to be lacking in. They can both accurately predict the next moves of their opponents by putting themselves in their foe’s tactical situation and practical mindset, much like Near. However, unlike Near, they fail to do the same when it comes to more sentiment-based areas.

And the other interaction is when Near admits that Mello is dangerous, but he also remarks on his belief that his subordinates will be fine. “That may very well happen. But I have faith in your excellent skills.”

As you can tell from this quote, Near praises his subordinates for their abilities. Unlike L or Light, who use the Task Force/Kira followers like chess pieces almost all of the time, Near allows his subordinates some freedom in their actions. Notice that he doesn’t tell them exactly what to do should Mello try something - he simply states that people of their caliber will be able to get out of a difficult situation. This is very different from the condescending way that L and Light tend to treat people working under them. The Task Force/Kira’s followers are older than L and Light, yet they treat them like children because they know that their intelligence is inferior in comparison to their own. This shows a blatant lack of respect. In contrast, Near, despite knowing this, respects his subordinates and holds them in high enough regard to give them free reign over such things. It may also be influenced by the fact that Near is aware that despite his ingenuity, he is still a teenage boy and his subordinates likely have more general life experience than he does. And we as humans tend to hold the opinions of our elders in high regard.

- His words about L

In the anime, Near doesn’t say much about L at all. There’s barely anything suggesting that he feels any kind of attachment to L - in fact, it seems as though he actually doesn’t see L as all that great. In the manga, however, either Aizawa or Mogi calls Near out on his use of borderline illegal methods. His response is, “For Mello and I, L is the only person we adore, and the only person who deserves our respect. And the one person we respected was killed by Kira, so we’re willing to use any methods necessary to defeat him…don’t you think it’s only natural for us to feel that way?”

This quote proves two things about Near. First, he did respect L. Second, it reflects on his humanity once again. Near is basically saying that it’s only natural for himself and Mello to want revenge on Kira for killing the one person they respect. The desire for revenge is also a very human trait, and the fact that Near shows a deeper understanding of such matters says a lot about him.

- Speaking of everyone’s contributions

In the anime, Near states that his victory is thanks to Mello. In the manga, he elaborates upon this, giving credit to the people who had a hand in defeating Kira and placing special emphasis on Mello - basically, he’s indirectly thanking all of them. This is already interesting in itself, but what really stood out to me is the way Near dismisses any contribution he made to the case. Even though he provided the backbone for the defeat of Kira during Death Note’s second arc (without his initial plan, nothing anyone else did would have meant jack shit), he gives himself no credit. He seems to place more value on his gratefulness towards the others for helping him rather than savoring the feeling of his own success, which is, to me, an admirable trait.

- His reaction when Light tries to write his name on a scrap of the Death Note

Light, sneaky little bastard that he is, managed to write ‘Nate Rive’ on the scrap of Death Note paper that he had hidden in his watch. One more letter and Near would have…you know, died. The thought is too painful.

We never do see Near’s reaction to this in the anime, which I found almost offensive. Seriously, Near almost died and his reaction to his brush with the grim reaper isn’t even shown? By contrast, the manga shows that he’s alarmed. Though he regains his composure within the next few seconds, the single panel of his shocked expression was all that we needed. It’s very understandable, as a human being, to fear death. The fact that Near showed surprise at the very least when he came close to meeting his end makes him more relatable.

And finally…

- Eating chocolate at the end of the manga

When working with the Task Force to solve a new case some time after Light’s death, Near is seen playing with his toys and…eating a bar of chocolate. For one thing, this is an obvious way to honor and remember Mello. This alone is touching, as it shows that Near really does miss Mello and wish that he hadn’t perished.

But recently, a friend of mine pointed something out that I hadn’t thought about before (I love hearing her theories about Death Note, they’re always so insightful and well thought-out, not to mention that talking to her is just enjoyable in general). Chocolate is a commonly known stress reliever, and Near is now the new L. Him eating chocolate at the end of the manga, in his new position, could be signifying that he is, understandably, like any sane person would be, stressed out. He now has to bear a considerable burden on his shoulders for the rest of his life as the new World’s Greatest Detective.

So, there we have it, my rant analysis on my problems with the anime’s portrayal of Near. Overall, the manga just made Near a more complex and interesting character. Thanks for reading.

Near and L are not “basically the same character.”

So the opinion that Near is basically a cheap rip off of L has made me headtilt for years. As someone who adored both L and Near for different reasons, seeing people dismiss Near for apparently being “the same” just never sat well with me. While I do personally consider the criticism that Near’s story arc was weaker than L’s valid, I don’t think the criticism that Near is a “bad character” because he’s basically L is. As an anon asked me on my old blog what my opinions were on this, I decided to re-post my observations here for consideration. 

Outward Expressivity

Near is much more open about his sarcasm and taunting

L tends to be offensive in backhanded ways.

Near is also more visually expressive. Near often  looks disdainful, irritated, exasperated or smug.

L, while also expressive, tends to be more consistently deadpan and he talks more with his body language (clenched fists/grit teeth) than he does with his facial expressions

Near’s body language is distinctive and he tends to carry himself in defensive postures. This appears to be entirely genuine as we see his body language has not changed from when we see him at the Wammy’s house flashback

L’s characteristic slouched posture is entirely feigned as evidenced by his early appearances in the manga and his mannerisms tend to appear calibrated to prompt very specific responses.

Near often uses toys to help communicate his ideas

L does not use any props to communicate

Attitude towards Teamwork

L makes it quite clear as the most intelligent person in the room, what he says goes. He is authoritarian in his approach to teamwork. He issues orders and expects his team members to obey.

Near is team player. While he clearly wields ultimate authority, Near makes a point to seek out the opinions of his team before proceeding with his decisions.

L will belittle team members who are trying to help him. His response upon finding out Matsuda has chosen to infiltrate the Yotsuba Group on his own is to immediately belittle him in front of the entire team by calling him stupid.

Near, while blunt, does not belittle those who are on his team. Notably, he finds out Lidner undermines his plan to keep everything as normal as possible before Jan28th 2010 by allowing Mello to kidnap Kiyomi. He does not immediately belittle her for ineptitude.

Morality

L states in Chapter 109 that he does not care about morality and that the only thing that matters to him is winning by any means.

Near places greater value on a moral compass and stresses that he opposes Kira because he had determined for himself that it was the right thing to do.

L will take drastic actions that violate human rights in order to secure evidence. L will keep people in detention for as long as necessary to force them to confess if he believes they are guilty.

Near does not take drastic action until he has more evidence to back up his own theories.

(That said I will concede this could be due to the confounding effect of Near not having the same political power as L does by the time he rises to prominence in 2009).

L wishes to turn Kira over to the authorities and personally see to it that he is executed.

Near determines that he would rather have Kira imprisoned in a secret facility for life.

(Though the confounder here may be that the political climate of the world of DN in 2009 is more hostile to the idea of giving Kira a criminal trial than it was in 2004).

L wanted every Kira caught and convicted.

Near, despite having confirmation that Misa is the second Kira, does not press for her arrest at the conclusion of the series.

Self Reflection / Thought Processes

L will literally sulk for months over being wrong about his pet theories

Near is able to accept when he is wrong and will adjust accordingly without turning it into a personal tragedy.

L views the playing field like a dynamic chess board with an opponent who will react and respond to his actions.

Near views the field more like putting together a static puzzle

I think Soichiro had survived to the warehouse scene. I think although being devastated by finding out his son is Kira, he wouldn't condone Matsuda shooting Light. I think he would intervene and get Light some medical help. Because even though his son is a mass-murderer, he's still his son. And he can't just sit back and watch. That would've been interesting to see. Although my heart hurts for his mother and sister when they find out. 😥 Light why?

Actually I kind of doubt the warehouse scene would have happened if Soichiro had survived because Light wouldn’t have attempted murdering his dad. Light keeps the entire task force alive for as long as he does because he specifically doesn’t want to kill his dad as well. For that matter, I’m also pretty damn sure this whole “seduce Takada” plan would have never taken off if his dad were around either and second arc as a whole would have looked very different. 

Buuuut if we’re going to disregard Light’s characterization and assume the warehouse proceeds as planned, I also really doubt Matsuda would have shot Light if Papa Yagami were right there. How could he? Like sure, he feels betrayed and all, but anything he feels would be nothing compared to what Soichiro would have felt and there’s really no way Matsuda could squeeze himself in there with his own comparatively tiny personal angst. 

In that scenario, it’d be the SPK who shoot Light, and the SPK wouldn’t have gone nuts with their guns like Matsuda does so there’d be a very good chance that Light could have been stabilized and received medical attention. Even Ryuk might have kept Light alive a liiiittle longer just so he could watch the drama between Light and his dad. But then again, maybe not. I don’t think Papa would begrudge the SPK for trying to stop Light from writing by shooting him nonlethally and once, but that’s with retrospect. In the moment, all he’d see is his child suffering and in pain and Soichiro is demonstrably irrational when it comes to his kids. He fails completely to be an unbiased police officer when it comes to Light and Sayu and the idea that Soichiro would just watch someone gunning down his kids is totally unbelievable. I’m pretty sure Papa would put himself between Light and his shooter, swat the note scrap out of Light’s hands and plead with him to stop. He wants answers, not a dead son. 

Light gives everyone an explanation as to why he believes he’s in the right prior to getting shot, and I find it very difficult to see how Papa would miss the parallels between what Light is saying and what he taught Light personally about the importance of justice and self sacrifice. That’s the part that has to hurt even more because he, of all people, would be inclined to view Light as a good person who was just deeply misguided. Soichiro of all people would not give up on his son, and wouldn’t see him as an irredeemably evil human being.  He’d want Light to turn himself in peacefully and atone for what he’s done. The actual warehouse scene would have eviscerated Soichiro emotionally.