OUR NEXT SERIES IS DEATH NOTE! Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8 of Death Note are posted to Patreon now in their extended uncut forms! patreon.com/lettsreact Comment below if you're HYPED for this new series!
Never forget. Light is just a psycopath who was bored and started killing people with the notebook. He doesn't get corrupted or anything by the notebook, he's just evil. As you pointed out, he WANTS to be known and HAS a god complex.
There are always bound to be some subtleties us who are not native speakers are going to miss, and Light writing the name of the man he saw harassing the woman is one of those cases. He wrote the name several times because he only heard it and didn't see the correct writing, so he had to guess, which is apparently *very* difficult and a way to show how intelligent Light is.
I think this was explained in the manga, and if you were watching the version translated by a good fan subs group they probably put translator’s notes there to explain it.
i’ve watched this show multiple times and never got that, wow!!! that’s such a cool detail because i always wondered about the likelihood of spelling errors in moments like those where the names aren’t spelled out in front of him
The most direct hint of Lights true nature in this episode , I think, is when he looks at Sudo, the Bully and his reasoning for not killing him isn't "Jezuz, he is just a highscholl kid, he'll grow out of it. This is _not_ a crime that should face the death penalty." It's : "nah, that guy knows me, so it could be really inconvenient for _me_ if anyone connected us"
@@ThatSamoanGuy I interpret that line as him thinking it's silly to entertain the idea that this supernatural notebook could be a real thing that works, rather than questioning his morality.
I really like the writer's choice to not make the bully the bully of light, because it makes his decision whether or not to kill the bully an objective judgement and not personal vengeance. This separates him from SPOILER ALERT !!! Mikame and Misa, because both of their support of Kira come from being victimized. Whereas Light as far as we know had a perfectly fine school and family life before the show. There was no trauma that motivated light, it was pure ideology, ego, and curiosity.
@@iminumst7827 Also in my opinion probably a psychpathic tendency. It is of course difficult to diagnose fictional Characters, but his high calculating intellect and his tendency to mimic 4emotion rather then actually feel them, but in this appear quite charming and friendly is pretty textbook
I do however think Light used to be more innocent and idealistic, because (spolder under the cut) when he later forgets about the Death Note, he changes completely. He reverts to who he once was, but with the goal to "catch Kira" he keeps entertained, motivated and challenged. While what happened before the series' start is that he was none of those, nothing was a challenge and nothing was fun, he became cynical and jaded which in turn made him into the person we see in this first episode, someone who would feel righteous killing criminals and getting a god complex. So in a way, when they in the manga at the end say that "Kira killed Light" to spare his mum, they are right. The idea, the persona of Kira killed the persona of Light. Though that could probably never have happened if he had been in a better mental state at the start.
Something I find really interesting is Light used the notebook expecting a shinigami to eventually come and kill him. It's part of the reason he wrote so many names in those first five days. But then Ryuk appears and basically says, "I'm a spectator do what you want," and Light's belief that there will be consequences vanish, leaving him completely unhindered going forward.
Yeah. Something the anime left out is, in the manga it was shown that on the first page it was written "this death note belongs to a shinigami". Most anime watchers are confused when light says "ive been waiting for you ryuk"
@Felix Yeah. Kind of a weird detail to leave out, especially since it could've been so easily included while Light was reading the rules of the Deathnote.
People who reply Lelouch and Eren don't know any of these characters seriously Light is a TRUE villain, not even once writer made him a victim, it's his own personality tha he did what he did Both Eren and Lelouch had same boring childhood trauma excuse
@@junior523 light is the protagonist but he is true evil. and sorry but eren and lelouch have same repetitive childhood trauma excuse, yeah blame external factors to make villian likeable. light villian origin story is unique, no this and that made me into evil but he himself.
Ah yes, we’ve arrived. Death Note. A classic. I love this show, it quickly went up my favorite list. I can’t wait to see you guys’ reaction. Even though we are thrown into the perspective of the character(s), we are still left in mystery. I’m not usually a crime show person, but there is something so beautiful about Death Note. So glad you guys are watching this!
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Light didn't wrote "a lot of names" on his second test. In japanese language there's a lot of ways to write a name (some characters share the same "sound", even their meanings being different). Light just tested all possible ways to write this guy's names.
I've been learning Japanese for some time now and it bothers me how there are literal hundreds of different kanji for the same sound. For example: コ こ 小 公 古 子 They're all pronounced "Ko", and those are at least another 500 ways to write it, if not more.
The problem with that is there is a rule in the death note that says if you misspell a person's name 5 times you can't kill them, (someone else can though just not you, also if you misspell their name on purpose you die instead)
What makes Light's story so interesting is that it began all on his own volition. No one asked him to pick up that notebook. No one dared him to try it out. No one forced him into go down this road. It's just the story of someone's morality put into action.
I do believe his statement of there being some compulsion to try it at least once is true. No matter how broken someone is emotionally, someone as smart as Light is just very unlikely to even consider something so far out.
@@someonerandom9939 I don't think there's something supernatural about the compulsion. I think it's a message from the author about how having such great power would be unresistable to anyone, even someone as intelligent and capable as Light
@@samoth5161 that's only if you believe there is a chance at all of it being real. Someone smart would see it and think it's stupid and might not even try it.
I'm so stoked to see you guys react to this show. Seeing you guys analyze all the characters, but *especially* Light and a certain someone, is going to be such a delight.
@@calebtsedzik6222 I was talking about L. Misa (if that's who you're referring to) was kinda disappointing to me because she started off with *so much* potential and it all amounted to nothing. Her dynamic with Rem, her becoming obsessed with Kira because he was the one who got rid of the murderer of her parents and seeing Light use that situation and manipulate her were such interesting plot points, but as the show went on none of that was explored more and Misa just felt like she was there for fanservice and to mess up so that Light doesn't have it too easy. The plotline of her and Takada 'arguing' over Light is easily my least favorite part of Death Note. So much more could have been done with Misa as the story progressed, but instead we only got fanservice and plot convenience instead of an actual fully realized character, which I find to be one of Death Note's biggest flaws.
@@Marta-uv4id I totally agree with you. But I'm still curious what analysis Montana can bring to the table regarding Misa. As of L... this is gonna be fun.
@@calebtsedzik6222 Oh for sure, I'm still incredibly excited for them to watch and analyze the show, and the L and Light analysis is the one I'm by far the most excited for.
11:47 The reason why Light writes down so many names even though its his second criminal is because of the many different ways to spell that criminal's name.
When Montana called Ryuk a Babadook, I snorted iced tea out of my nose cause I was not expecting that at all LMAO He does look like a bBabadook creature. Sad to see Fullmetal go but excited to the reactions and thoughts on this series!
The director of Death Note is also the prestigious director of Attack on Titan. He know how to adapted both of these manga and made them a masterpiece perfectly. Thanks to him!
@@felipegiraldo8100 no I meant season 1 - 3 of attack on titan is directed by the same director of DeathNote which is Tetsuro Araki. Then the studio and director changed to MAPPA from WiT studio so it was another person who directed season 4 of attack on titan.
Death Note one of my all time favorite shows. The writing is so tight that despite being complex, it's fully logical and without any major plot holes. The characters are iconic and wholly unique. The soundtrack and animation is so atmospheric.
Ah, something that is actually a bit of a thing to know for western reactions: Japanese writing doesn't quite work like Western writing where single letters form words. Instead, te Words are comprised of Characters that sound whole sillybales, which form words when put together. The thing is, the Characters by themselves can mean differnt things and Names that sound the same can be written with different Characters that sound similar. Light wrote every variation of the Guys name that he could think of, to make sure he got him. An example: 光希 These two Kanji Characters could be read as the name Koki or the name Mitsuki. You will find that sometimes in Animes when Characters tell their name, people ask them about a specific Characters within the name So, yeah, if Light doesn't know how the name is spelled, he has his work cut out for him
"You will find that sometimes in Animes when Characters tell their name, people ask them about a specific Characters within the name" They even do this later in Death Note.
@@iminumst7827 Ah, it's been a while, i didn't rememebr it. But i know that it is pretty much the calling card of the special protagonist when someone is like: Oh your name is ___ with this very common character?" and the answer is usually "No, it is actually this very uncommon and specific Character that tells you something about my personality already."
Light; "I'm a normal high schooler who found a demon's book" Also Light; "I will be the god of this world" All in episode FREAKING 1!! I love this show.
the impression i get of light in this episode in regards to his quick radicalisation is that he was already going down that route, and it would happen eventually without intervention. the worst possible thing just happened to land in his lap
This was one of the first anime’s that I’ve ever watched. This show definitely deserves the attention and love that the writers and animators put into each episode.
Super excited for this. You have already proven that this is a great show for you two, because you can really dig into the questions that this show brings up. 26:12 You mentioned wishing there was an injury option. On thing I really like about the Death Note is that it is a hammer, in the sense that if all you have is a hammer, all your problems look like nails. If Light did not have the Death Note, his approach to the problem he sees would have been different. But he was given a tool, and now he only sees the one path.
4:35 Kenny is like "what is this place?" At the same time, at the bottom of the screen the title reads "Shinigami realm", but nobody bothered to include it in the English version. 😀 I mean dub for Death note is pretty good, but you still miss little things like this.
Can't wait to see Montana's reaction to Misa. She thought Winry was low key fan-servicey in the beginning of FMAB, so really curious on her take on Misa lmao
@@DingoEnderZOE2 She misread her interactions with Hughe i think lol. Like cheery = cutesy/fanservice??? She was also unaware of what the term necessarily means i think
i dont comment much but i have been obsessed with your guys' reactions since episode one of fmab. the way these videos are edited, the discussion breaks, the reactions, not to mention the fact you two are just really fun and sweet together, watching you two just interact and enjoy something together is so sweet, seriously you make my day any time I see a new video. death note was the first anime I ever watched, and I think its a perfect fit for you two, a lot of psychology to discuss and think over for Montana, and a lot of twists and turns for kenny to lose his mind over haha seriously love you guys, thank you for being one of the channels that has me hooked with every new video, and that has been getting me through some tough times yalls are awesome, cant wait for this series!
If you're wondering why the biker guy happened to say his full name aloud, it's because it was similar to a Japanese celebrity's name. It'd be like somebody in America making a point to say their name is "Dwayne Johnson" or something. (Light also wrote the name multiple times because there were several possible spellings.) And, in the manga, the "neither heaven nor hell" bit was clarified to be Ryuk's cryptic way of saying there's NO afterlife at all, like in real life.
im SO glad you both decided to react to Death Note. Relatively new fan of your channel but I LOVE watching with you! This will be a roller coaster so hope you're ready!
So happy you two are reacting to this. it’s probably my fav anime. And I am so excited to hear more of your thoughts especially cause of all the psychological elements in it.
Also I really enjoy the copyright discussion segment with timer. It's so much better than when people just abruptly cut off for an unknown amount of time! You have a sub 😊
Death Note was my first Anime watch it again After 2-3 years hits with nostalgia Good old days man Death Note will always have special Place in my heart
If you'll notice, Light actually wrote the biker guy's name several times. This is because since he'd only heard it spoken and didn't know how it was written. He just happened to get the spelling right on his last try. Also, the part where they try to rape the woman was added in the anime, in the manga, all they do is heckle her, which makes Light killing the guy seem a little extreme and unjust.
I'm glad you're reacting to my kind of animes, the philosophically and psychologically thought-provoking ones like FMAB and now Death Notes. Nice to hear your well-thought insights about them. For recommendations for similarly deep-theme/plot animes, i suggest Steins;Gate, Monster and Psycho-Pass.
10:51 Absolutely deranged that instead of Light contemplating if he’s morally justified for killing a HS bully, he questions if he should kill someone he’s connected to
I'm super surprised by the effort put into the editing and style of this reaction. It's probably the best example of a transformative reaction I've ever seen.
Congrats on the impending wedding! Death Note did NOT cost $40 mil to make, that is a persistent myth based on an article in (notoriously sloppy content mill) FandomWire, which confused the budget of the live action Netflix movie (which WAS $40 million) with the show. No anime has ever spent close to a million per episode; few have even spent a tenth that much.
omg this is perfect timing i just started rewatching, im so excited to see what you guys have to say about it, its a classic anime and one of the best ever!
So glad to have found this! It's one of my favorite series of all time, and it's rare to find reactors who actually go in a deep discussion about the morality of it, so that was nice! Enjoy the ride, that's a fun one!
Code Geass is a close second to Death Note in terms of characters and storyline, and I recommend it. It'll be hard not to draw comparisons between the main character and Light.
I second this. Though while I see the comparison between both characters, I also think it may be to the detriment of both of them. Thier similarities are pretty surface level. Get past the elevator pitch of each character and the differences are rather pronounced.
@@saltyk9869 in the end the huge difference between geass and death note is light arguably less moral than lelouche and is far more egotistical and selfish even in his final moments Lelouche was selfish but ultimately selfless in his plan
You have no idea how painful it is to hear Death Note and FMAB described as "older ones." Because then I have to think about how they're about as old as Candy Candy and Battle of Planets were when *I* started watching anime...
11:04 Montana good question, but no counter: 1 One: The death note cannot influence what happens after the death. So there's no way to magically hide a body. Though of course he could just write something like, " jumps in the river, suffocating". Two: Even _if_ he is never found, he'd be considered missing. That'd still be suspicious as all hell. Not _as_ bad, but still.
I'm SO glade you guys are reacting to Death Note. I do agree with Montana were I'm afraid if I use the Death Note on someone who is innocent, but I would be lying if i said I wouldn't use it at all. I do believe some people do deserve death. In SOME way I kinda understand what Light is talking about (Not with the ruling the world stuff) but I understand why Light feels the need to eliminate "bad" people.
This is the first time I’m rewatching this series, and first time in English. I watched this in Japanese when it came out years and years ago. So this is an interesting experience for me as well, like I’m watching this series for the first time, and it’s great that I’m watching the series while watching your reaction 🥰
I really love Light as a protagonist. Whether Light using the Death Note is good or bad is up to the viewer. So many factors go into being a good or bad guy and good or bad decisions. Can’t wait to see you guys dissect this!
Hes not a protagonist, hes the antagonist of the story, a villain who believes hes the hero in his own story. In a way youre right but only from his perspective, but hes really the antagonist
@@louieniall6890 Protagonist isn't automatically means good guy. Protagonist is the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text. And Light certainly is protagonist of this story because the story was about him, centered around him, and viewed from his perspective. Antagonist is a character opposite of protagonist, and that's L
@@gothorn2758 , i was about to start pointing out the same as soon as i read Louieniall's comment. Protagonist doesn't mean good guy in literature and etc., even though Light did nothing wrong.
@@Starkiller2725 you’re just repeating what i said, i know its from his perspective, thats why i said it, so obviously we experience his point of view as he believes he is the protagonist, but what hes doing is still wrong as he kills people using the notebook, making him the antagonist. Also you said light did nothing wrong? He’s literally using the notebook to kill people, doesnt matter who it is its still committing murder. Also also in this context hero and protagonist practically mean the same thing. Light believes he is the hero in the story, and thus he is labelled as the protagonist, but from his point of view. However i used the term hero through lights, as a characters, perspective, and used protagonist through our perspective
I'm highly confident that the $1m per episode factoid is misinformation from a speculative website. The live-action film adaptation from 2017 had a budget of $40m, which is where the number probably came from. Madhouse, the studio that produced Death Note, also made the 2009 film Redline, which at the time was touted to have one of the highest budgets for an anime at the time at $30m. I doubt Madhouse could have scrounged $40m for Death Note in 2006 when even modern anime with impressive productions barely have a fraction of that budget.
Honestly, that intro alone can be a whole thesis statement. There are some really good Video essays dissecting it on YT, maybe something for after the show
Something short? 12-ep (4 hr) magical girl thriller Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. #5 on r/anime's Best of 2010's and #3 on NHK's 2017 online poll. The budget wasn't $1 million per episode. There's only one source that says that and without a more official source. They probably took the live-action movie budget and divided by the number of episodes. Looking forward to more!
I’m so excited for this series. It’s crazy cause I see sooo many people defend Light and his actions. I never could, from the first episode I found him so psychotic and could never defend him. Cant wait for the rest of this!! Also I think y’all should watch JJK or an anime movie like A Silent Voice or Your Name
That budget comment made my jaw drop. I legitimately had no idea, and, like you, I knew of the series for many years, but only just watched it in 2022. That budget is absolutely insane.
Highly recommend "Code Geass" as the next series for the next open slot. Lots of comparisons have been made between it and "Death Note". Lots of political intrigue and good ol' mecha action. I'd also highly recommend "Death Parade", another series that delves deeply on morality and mortality (plus it has a crossover with "Death Note" 😉)
Easily a good competitor idk which I like more Because the drama in geass is just bananas and I’d love to see their reaction to the s1 cliffhanger slash s2 intro
The only things holding back Code Geass from surpassing FMAB are some very problematic handling of women and some weakly constructed plot points near the very end. It's fucking good
Eh, code geass is not that good, especially after you learn how much it ripped of LoGH including it's main character, and not just ripped of but also dumbed down
Watched Death Note years ago when on a family vacation during the long car rides. It was technically the second anime series I had ever watched. Favorite character ended up being L. Ryuk is funny, especially because of his absolute love for apples.
So excited to watch this, first FMAB (my favorite of all time) and now Death Note?! If you guys end up liking DN then you should totally watch Parasyte sometimes.
Yeah the budget can't be that high, I found the article where they said it was 1 million per episode but they must have mixed up the anime's budget with the Netflix movie's. The Netflix movie has a 40 million dollar budget so I'm guessing they just divided that by 37, (the amount of anime episodes) rounded it up to a million and called it a day.
I have really crazy squirrel ADD when it comes to anime LOL I've been wanting to watch Death Note for a very long time and I've had it saved on my queue in my streaming services. But I've never gotten a chance to watch it just like a lot of other shows cause I get distracted by what I find 🤷♂️🤣. I'm excited to watch this with you guys together and so far it looks just like I knew it would! Its really good! Keep the content going you guys! 💪🙌
11:50 Kanji is complicated thing. You have signs which pronunciation is usually way different in names. Light (Raito) is written like 月 but normally you would pronounce it "Tsukki". Or there is even one character for two differently pronounced names. He didn't kill this many people by then (yet). He wrote that guy's name in any possible way to get it right.
I think that after the second kill & Light knows he was the executioner so he immediately goes into self preservation mode by justifying the killing. People do this all the time - as long as they can say so & so does worse than them, they keep doing what they want.
As real-life laws change and the way we consume media/news evolves, Death Note proves to be as relevant as ever. The questions asked when it first came out stand the test of time today: What if Light killed someone for something, then 2 months later the thing they were arrested for becomes legal? Is that justice? Is that fair? What if someone was innocent all along but the media Light uses SAYS they are guilty and he kills them? What if the media has wrong information? With the exception of "lets go hang out at the arcade", this show is timeless.
This show makes allot of since if you are familiar with the Japanese legal system because they operate under the concept that if you are arrested for a crime, then you are 100% guilty of it. They have a 99.99% conviction rate and its very common to simply plead guilty as your guilty plea is seen as a good thing when a judge sets your penalty. Compare that to the US where you a presumed innocent until proven guilty (and I know this is debatable).
Oh, one last comment, something I noticed during the reaction: I think you're the first person to talk about how not killing them with heart attack could also mean killing them in a more peaceful way (and not a more brutal one like Light was thinking). It already hints at Light's mindset - and thankfully, at yours being in the right place!
Another reviewer on TH-cam mentioned that this series is surprising because of the pacing & how much is constantly revealed vs a standard show where you are slowly introduced & a single big reveal happens at the midway and final episodes of the season.
So happy you guys are reacting to this. For the next series, please consider NEON GENESIS EVANGELION. That masterpiece of animation is an amazing psychological and philosophical journey.
I love how we went from Attack on Titan where Eren's black and white world view of It's us against the titans kept blurring more and more between the seasons until he was able to see all the different shades of Grey to Death Note where Light seems to be headed in the opposite direction and his black and white view of the world only seems to solidify with evry second he's on screen.
if you guys are looking for another short but high quality show I can't recommend Paranoia Agent enough. it's only 13 episodes but it's also directed by Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers) and it's astoundingly weird and good.
I'm working on Death 😮Note myself. Such a beautifully made anime with a great psychoanalytic discussion on what type of Justice is right. I love the dynamic between Light/Kira and L. I've gotten through 9 episodes so far, and its unbelievably fantastic.
Guysss, I haven't watched your videos in MONTHS because I grew bored of youtube and I come back to this? I'm so happy rn oh my godness. I missed this channel
OUR NEXT SERIES IS DEATH NOTE!
Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8 of Death Note are posted to Patreon now in their extended uncut forms!
patreon.com/lettsreact
Comment below if you're HYPED for this new series!
super hype!
I vote Your Lie In April for the next anime reaction!
if light dies does he become a shinigami
Never forget. Light is just a psycopath who was bored and started killing people with the notebook. He doesn't get corrupted or anything by the notebook, he's just evil. As you pointed out, he WANTS to be known and HAS a god complex.
@@Nachumbox good, that’s what the world needs
There are always bound to be some subtleties us who are not native speakers are going to miss, and Light writing the name of the man he saw harassing the woman is one of those cases. He wrote the name several times because he only heard it and didn't see the correct writing, so he had to guess, which is apparently *very* difficult and a way to show how intelligent Light is.
Wow, thanks for explaining that. I was v confused thinking the book showed names written by previous owners or something
Heh, 69
I never thought about that but it makes so much sense. Numerous kanji have the same pronunciation.
I think this was explained in the manga, and if you were watching the version translated by a good fan subs group they probably put translator’s notes there to explain it.
i’ve watched this show multiple times and never got that, wow!!! that’s such a cool detail because i always wondered about the likelihood of spelling errors in moments like those where the names aren’t spelled out in front of him
The most direct hint of Lights true nature in this episode , I think, is when he looks at Sudo, the Bully and his reasoning for not killing him isn't "Jezuz, he is just a highscholl kid, he'll grow out of it. This is _not_ a crime that should face the death penalty."
It's : "nah, that guy knows me, so it could be really inconvenient for _me_ if anyone connected us"
I don't disagree. But I think his earlier line of "There must be something wrong with me to even consider (using) it" is pretty direct also. Lol
@@ThatSamoanGuy I interpret that line as him thinking it's silly to entertain the idea that this supernatural notebook could be a real thing that works, rather than questioning his morality.
I really like the writer's choice to not make the bully the bully of light, because it makes his decision whether or not to kill the bully an objective judgement and not personal vengeance. This separates him from SPOILER ALERT !!! Mikame and Misa, because both of their support of Kira come from being victimized. Whereas Light as far as we know had a perfectly fine school and family life before the show. There was no trauma that motivated light, it was pure ideology, ego, and curiosity.
@@iminumst7827 Also in my opinion probably a psychpathic tendency. It is of course difficult to diagnose fictional Characters, but his high calculating intellect and his tendency to mimic 4emotion rather then actually feel them, but in this appear quite charming and friendly is pretty textbook
I do however think Light used to be more innocent and idealistic, because (spolder under the cut)
when he later forgets about the Death Note, he changes completely. He reverts to who he once was, but with the goal to "catch Kira" he keeps entertained, motivated and challenged. While what happened before the series' start is that he was none of those, nothing was a challenge and nothing was fun, he became cynical and jaded which in turn made him into the person we see in this first episode, someone who would feel righteous killing criminals and getting a god complex. So in a way, when they in the manga at the end say that "Kira killed Light" to spare his mum, they are right. The idea, the persona of Kira killed the persona of Light. Though that could probably never have happened if he had been in a better mental state at the start.
Something I find really interesting is Light used the notebook expecting a shinigami to eventually come and kill him. It's part of the reason he wrote so many names in those first five days. But then Ryuk appears and basically says, "I'm a spectator do what you want," and Light's belief that there will be consequences vanish, leaving him completely unhindered going forward.
Yeah. Something the anime left out is, in the manga it was shown that on the first page it was written "this death note belongs to a shinigami". Most anime watchers are confused when light says "ive been waiting for you ryuk"
@Felix Yeah. Kind of a weird detail to leave out, especially since it could've been so easily included while Light was reading the rules of the Deathnote.
@@ryanakers1372 true it leads to unnecessary confusion
Light is such a unique protagonist. You will never come across another protagonist like Light
Well Lelouch is somewhat similar but a bit less egoist and no god complex.
People who reply Lelouch and Eren don't know any of these characters seriously
Light is a TRUE villain, not even once writer made him a victim, it's his own personality tha he did what he did
Both Eren and Lelouch had same boring childhood trauma excuse
@@melak8325 Light isn't a villain and Eren's and Lelooch's backstories are not boring.
@@junior523 light is the protagonist but he is true evil. and sorry but eren and lelouch have same repetitive childhood trauma excuse, yeah blame external factors to make villian likeable. light villian origin story is unique, no this and that made me into evil but he himself.
You won't find another Light in anime, but certainly in history. Robespierre comes to mind.
Ah yes, we’ve arrived. Death Note. A classic. I love this show, it quickly went up my favorite list. I can’t wait to see you guys’ reaction. Even though we are thrown into the perspective of the character(s), we are still left in mystery. I’m not usually a crime show person, but there is something so beautiful about Death Note. So glad you guys are watching this!
Light didn't wrote "a lot of names" on his second test. In japanese language there's a lot of ways to write a name (some characters share the same "sound", even their meanings being different). Light just tested all possible ways to write this guy's names.
I've been learning Japanese for some time now and it bothers me how there are literal hundreds of different kanji for the same sound. For example:
コ
こ
小
公
古
子
They're all pronounced "Ko", and those are at least another 500 ways to write it, if not more.
The problem with that is there is a rule in the death note that says if you misspell a person's name 5 times you can't kill them, (someone else can though just not you, also if you misspell their name on purpose you die instead)
@@nicodamus6895 yeah that sucks
They don’t read comments lol
@@popsiclecheese4256 And who said that it was for them?
What makes Light's story so interesting is that it began all on his own volition.
No one asked him to pick up that notebook. No one dared him to try it out. No one forced him into go down this road.
It's just the story of someone's morality put into action.
I do believe his statement of there being some compulsion to try it at least once is true. No matter how broken someone is emotionally, someone as smart as Light is just very unlikely to even consider something so far out.
@@someonerandom9939 I don't think there's something supernatural about the compulsion. I think it's a message from the author about how having such great power would be unresistable to anyone, even someone as intelligent and capable as Light
@@samoth5161 that's only if you believe there is a chance at all of it being real. Someone smart would see it and think it's stupid and might not even try it.
Forbidden fruit
@@someonerandom9939
True. But you can never underestimate human curiosity.
I'm so stoked to see you guys react to this show. Seeing you guys analyze all the characters, but *especially* Light and a certain someone, is going to be such a delight.
Are you talking about a certain male character or a certain female character? Both are interesting, but I wonder who you meant.
@@calebtsedzik6222 I was talking about L. Misa (if that's who you're referring to) was kinda disappointing to me because she started off with *so much* potential and it all amounted to nothing. Her dynamic with Rem, her becoming obsessed with Kira because he was the one who got rid of the murderer of her parents and seeing Light use that situation and manipulate her were such interesting plot points, but as the show went on none of that was explored more and Misa just felt like she was there for fanservice and to mess up so that Light doesn't have it too easy. The plotline of her and Takada 'arguing' over Light is easily my least favorite part of Death Note. So much more could have been done with Misa as the story progressed, but instead we only got fanservice and plot convenience instead of an actual fully realized character, which I find to be one of Death Note's biggest flaws.
@@Marta-uv4id I totally agree with you. But I'm still curious what analysis Montana can bring to the table regarding Misa.
As of L... this is gonna be fun.
@@calebtsedzik6222 Oh for sure, I'm still incredibly excited for them to watch and analyze the show, and the L and Light analysis is the one I'm by far the most excited for.
That's what I'm saying, this show is a perfect candidate for their intellectual prowessss
So glad you guys are reacting to this! Hope you enjoy it!
Me first time too.
Before this i watched Attack on titan
11:47 The reason why Light writes down so many names even though its his second criminal is because of the many different ways to spell that criminal's name.
When Montana called Ryuk a Babadook, I snorted iced tea out of my nose cause I was not expecting that at all LMAO He does look like a bBabadook creature. Sad to see Fullmetal go but excited to the reactions and thoughts on this series!
Well it would be the other way around. Ryuk and Shinigamis existed before way the Babbadook thing
Don't you guys just love the poker face of light Yagami coming home to his mother acting like he's not a murderer just another normal student 🤣
What does your "I just killed a guy who totally deserved it" face look like?
@@BenJover like this emoji👉🏾😬
The director of Death Note is also the prestigious director of Attack on Titan. He know how to adapted both of these manga and made them a masterpiece perfectly. Thanks to him!
Yeah no fillers with this guy
dude i literally didnt know that, this director is INSANE then. man just carries on his shoulder both of probably the best anime adaptations ever..
@@felipegiraldo8100sadly Tetsuro Araki only Directed seasons 1-3 of AoT. It would have been different if he was able to finish it.
@@raylenerobin why would it be different since thr manga was already written..?
@@felipegiraldo8100 no I meant season 1 - 3 of attack on titan is directed by the same director of DeathNote which is Tetsuro Araki. Then the studio and director changed to MAPPA from WiT studio so it was another person who directed season 4 of attack on titan.
The best quote that describes Death Note is "You could either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain".
Death Note one of my all time favorite shows. The writing is so tight that despite being complex, it's fully logical and without any major plot holes. The characters are iconic and wholly unique. The soundtrack and animation is so atmospheric.
Ryuk is my favorite character and he's not a "bad guy". He's the ultimate neutral character and that creates an awesome dynamic with Light.
Ah, something that is actually a bit of a thing to know for western reactions: Japanese writing doesn't quite work like Western writing where single letters form words. Instead, te Words are comprised of Characters that sound whole sillybales, which form words when put together. The thing is, the Characters by themselves can mean differnt things and Names that sound the same can be written with different Characters that sound similar.
Light wrote every variation of the Guys name that he could think of, to make sure he got him.
An example:
光希 These two Kanji Characters could be read as the name Koki or the name Mitsuki. You will find that sometimes in Animes when Characters tell their name, people ask them about a specific Characters within the name
So, yeah, if Light doesn't know how the name is spelled, he has his work cut out for him
"You will find that sometimes in Animes when Characters tell their name, people ask them about a specific Characters within the name"
They even do this later in Death Note.
@@iminumst7827 Ah, it's been a while, i didn't rememebr it. But i know that it is pretty much the calling card of the special protagonist when someone is like: Oh your name is ___ with this very common character?" and the answer is usually "No, it is actually this very uncommon and specific Character that tells you something about my personality already."
wow that’s actually really interesting
Light; "I'm a normal high schooler who found a demon's book"
Also Light; "I will be the god of this world"
All in episode FREAKING 1!! I love this show.
the impression i get of light in this episode in regards to his quick radicalisation is that he was already going down that route, and it would happen eventually without intervention. the worst possible thing just happened to land in his lap
The last shot in the intro with light having god like wings is so symbolic. Still gives me chills seing that
This was one of the first anime’s that I’ve ever watched. This show definitely deserves the attention and love that the writers and animators put into each episode.
Super excited for this. You have already proven that this is a great show for you two, because you can really dig into the questions that this show brings up.
26:12 You mentioned wishing there was an injury option. On thing I really like about the Death Note is that it is a hammer, in the sense that if all you have is a hammer, all your problems look like nails. If Light did not have the Death Note, his approach to the problem he sees would have been different. But he was given a tool, and now he only sees the one path.
That is such a smart way to describe it, you hit the nail right on the head with that one! :D
@@acanimatics906I see what you did there 😆😂😂
4:35 Kenny is like "what is this place?" At the same time, at the bottom of the screen the title reads "Shinigami realm", but nobody bothered to include it in the English version. 😀 I mean dub for Death note is pretty good, but you still miss little things like this.
I think it’s pretty self explanatory later on.
Can't wait to see Montana's reaction to Misa. She thought Winry was low key fan-servicey in the beginning of FMAB, so really curious on her take on Misa lmao
Wait really? How could anyone think Winry was a fan service type character when she was just awesome?
@@DingoEnderZOE2 She misread her interactions with Hughe i think lol. Like cheery = cutesy/fanservice??? She was also unaware of what the term necessarily means i think
@Joshua also FMA was written by a woman lol Misa is definitely one of the worst characters to be in anime
Neither of them are fan-servicey at all. You could argue Misa is a poorly-written character but she really isn’t fan service.
@@koki84ji7 just because it was written by a woman doesn’t mean there can’t be fan service
i dont comment much but i have been obsessed with your guys' reactions since episode one of fmab. the way these videos are edited, the discussion breaks, the reactions, not to mention the fact you two are just really fun and sweet together, watching you two just interact and enjoy something together is so sweet, seriously you make my day any time I see a new video. death note was the first anime I ever watched, and I think its a perfect fit for you two, a lot of psychology to discuss and think over for Montana, and a lot of twists and turns for kenny to lose his mind over haha
seriously love you guys, thank you for being one of the channels that has me hooked with every new video, and that has been getting me through some tough times
yalls are awesome, cant wait for this series!
If you're wondering why the biker guy happened to say his full name aloud, it's because it was similar to a Japanese celebrity's name. It'd be like somebody in America making a point to say their name is "Dwayne Johnson" or something.
(Light also wrote the name multiple times because there were several possible spellings.)
And, in the manga, the "neither heaven nor hell" bit was clarified to be Ryuk's cryptic way of saying there's NO afterlife at all, like in real life.
Montana pulling through with the anti death penalty angle before getting too far into the "using it for good" narrative. Love her.
Both of you are in for a treat with this show! Top 10 anime definitely.
im SO glad you both decided to react to Death Note. Relatively new fan of your channel but I LOVE watching with you! This will be a roller coaster so hope you're ready!
I cannot express how excited I am to watch you guys react to this series!
The god complex of light yagami is perfection to this series.
As someone who used to have god complex, I understand and relate to Light so much
So happy you two are reacting to this. it’s probably my fav anime. And I am so excited to hear more of your thoughts especially cause of all the psychological elements in it.
Also I really enjoy the copyright discussion segment with timer. It's so much better than when people just abruptly cut off for an unknown amount of time! You have a sub 😊
Death Note was my first Anime watch it again After 2-3 years hits with nostalgia Good old days man Death Note will always have special Place in my heart
If you'll notice, Light actually wrote the biker guy's name several times. This is because since he'd only heard it spoken and didn't know how it was written. He just happened to get the spelling right on his last try. Also, the part where they try to rape the woman was added in the anime, in the manga, all they do is heckle her, which makes Light killing the guy seem a little extreme and unjust.
I'm glad you're reacting to my kind of animes, the philosophically and psychologically thought-provoking ones like FMAB and now Death Notes. Nice to hear your well-thought insights about them.
For recommendations for similarly deep-theme/plot animes, i suggest Steins;Gate, Monster and Psycho-Pass.
I haven’t seen Steins;Gate or Monster yet but I’m with you 100% on the Psycho-Pass recommendation
10:51 Absolutely deranged that instead of Light contemplating if he’s morally justified for killing a HS bully, he questions if he should kill someone he’s connected to
I'm super surprised by the effort put into the editing and style of this reaction. It's probably the best example of a transformative reaction I've ever seen.
Congrats on the impending wedding!
Death Note did NOT cost $40 mil to make, that is a persistent myth based on an article in (notoriously sloppy content mill) FandomWire, which confused the budget of the live action Netflix movie (which WAS $40 million) with the show. No anime has ever spent close to a million per episode; few have even spent a tenth that much.
omg this is perfect timing i just started rewatching, im so excited to see what you guys have to say about it, its a classic anime and one of the best ever!
One of my favourites of all time. So stoked to see you two checking this one out
I am so unbelievably excited for this
I love how Light's morality counter goes down XD
also Death Note was my first anime so I'm really excited to watch you guys react to it!
So glad to have found this! It's one of my favorite series of all time, and it's rare to find reactors who actually go in a deep discussion about the morality of it, so that was nice!
Enjoy the ride, that's a fun one!
I forgot how well made death note is, Been a while since I have watched it so this will definitely be a fun reaction
This 1st episode rly shows a deep dive into Lights view of the world and himself. And yes, the music is superb for this anime
Code Geass is a close second to Death Note in terms of characters and storyline, and I recommend it. It'll be hard not to draw comparisons between the main character and Light.
I second this. Though while I see the comparison between both characters, I also think it may be to the detriment of both of them. Thier similarities are pretty surface level. Get past the elevator pitch of each character and the differences are rather pronounced.
@@saltyk9869 in the end the huge difference between geass and death note is light arguably less moral than lelouche and is far more egotistical and selfish even in his final moments
Lelouche was selfish but ultimately selfless in his plan
You have no idea how painful it is to hear Death Note and FMAB described as "older ones." Because then I have to think about how they're about as old as Candy Candy and Battle of Planets were when *I* started watching anime...
One masterpiece after another, you are on the roll!
Ahh! y’all are doing Death Note! Can’t wait to watch this with you guys! Oh and side note, I hope your wedding is joyous!
Morality counter going back to zero was funny af
11:04 Montana good question, but no counter: 1
One: The death note cannot influence what happens after the death. So there's no way to magically hide a body.
Though of course he could just write something like, " jumps in the river, suffocating".
Two: Even _if_ he is never found, he'd be considered missing. That'd still be suspicious as all hell. Not _as_ bad, but still.
It's been a while since i've watched you guys and i am glad to be back here. And yeah, there's not a better reason, DN is indeed a timeless classic.
Calling Ryuk the Babadook is so funny to me 🤣🤣
I'm SO glade you guys are reacting to Death Note. I do agree with Montana were I'm afraid if I use the Death Note on someone who is innocent, but I would be lying if i said I wouldn't use it at all. I do believe some people do deserve death. In SOME way I kinda understand what Light is talking about (Not with the ruling the world stuff) but I understand why Light feels the need to eliminate "bad" people.
This is such a perfect first episode. Can't wait for the next reaction.
Coming back to this episode reaction after watching the finale reaction today feels very nostalgic now
This anime is one of the most thought provoking plot. So good
This is the first time I’m rewatching this series, and first time in English. I watched this in Japanese when it came out years and years ago. So this is an interesting experience for me as well, like I’m watching this series for the first time, and it’s great that I’m watching the series while watching your reaction 🥰
I’ve never watched Death Note, but I’ve read the first black edition volume 1. I’m excited for the reaction. Lots to analyze in this show.🖤
I don't think there's ever been a first episode of a series that I found to be as perfect as Death Note's.
This show aired in 2004 and the fact that people still talk about it shows how impactful it was
I really love Light as a protagonist. Whether Light using the Death Note is good or bad is up to the viewer. So many factors go into being a good or bad guy and good or bad decisions. Can’t wait to see you guys dissect this!
Hes not a protagonist, hes the antagonist of the story, a villain who believes hes the hero in his own story. In a way youre right but only from his perspective, but hes really the antagonist
@@louieniall6890 Protagonist isn't automatically means good guy. Protagonist is the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text. And Light certainly is protagonist of this story because the story was about him, centered around him, and viewed from his perspective. Antagonist is a character opposite of protagonist, and that's L
@@gothorn2758 , i was about to start pointing out the same as soon as i read Louieniall's comment. Protagonist doesn't mean good guy in literature and etc., even though Light did nothing wrong.
@@Starkiller2725 you’re just repeating what i said, i know its from his perspective, thats why i said it, so obviously we experience his point of view as he believes he is the protagonist, but what hes doing is still wrong as he kills people using the notebook, making him the antagonist.
Also you said light did nothing wrong? He’s literally using the notebook to kill people, doesnt matter who it is its still committing murder.
Also also in this context hero and protagonist practically mean the same thing. Light believes he is the hero in the story, and thus he is labelled as the protagonist, but from his point of view. However i used the term hero through lights, as a characters, perspective, and used protagonist through our perspective
@@oriandthesleepytime , absolutely, zero knowledge of terminology.
I'm highly confident that the $1m per episode factoid is misinformation from a speculative website. The live-action film adaptation from 2017 had a budget of $40m, which is where the number probably came from. Madhouse, the studio that produced Death Note, also made the 2009 film Redline, which at the time was touted to have one of the highest budgets for an anime at the time at $30m. I doubt Madhouse could have scrounged $40m for Death Note in 2006 when even modern anime with impressive productions barely have a fraction of that budget.
Honestly, that intro alone can be a whole thesis statement. There are some really good Video essays dissecting it on YT, maybe something for after the show
Make sure to hit Like, Comment, and SUBSCRIBE if you’re HYPED for Death Note!
When are you going to react to The dragon prince?😢
It didn't cost a million per episode for death note , that's just myth.
So hyped. This is one of my favourite anime of all time.
Something short? 12-ep (4 hr) magical girl thriller Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. #5 on r/anime's Best of 2010's and #3 on NHK's 2017 online poll.
The budget wasn't $1 million per episode. There's only one source that says that and without a more official source. They probably took the live-action movie budget and divided by the number of episodes.
Looking forward to more!
I’m so hyped for this journey! Perfect for you two psych thinkers. Plus it’s just amazing.
I’m so excited that you two finally started reacting to this!
I’m so excited for this series. It’s crazy cause I see sooo many people defend Light and his actions. I never could, from the first episode I found him so psychotic and could never defend him. Cant wait for the rest of this!!
Also I think y’all should watch JJK or an anime movie like A Silent Voice or Your Name
That budget comment made my jaw drop. I legitimately had no idea, and, like you, I knew of the series for many years, but only just watched it in 2022. That budget is absolutely insane.
Highly recommend "Code Geass" as the next series for the next open slot. Lots of comparisons have been made between it and "Death Note". Lots of political intrigue and good ol' mecha action. I'd also highly recommend "Death Parade", another series that delves deeply on morality and mortality (plus it has a crossover with "Death Note" 😉)
Easily a good competitor idk which I like more
Because the drama in geass is just bananas and I’d love to see their reaction to the s1 cliffhanger slash s2 intro
Code Geass is GOATed
The only things holding back Code Geass from surpassing FMAB are some very problematic handling of women and some weakly constructed plot points near the very end. It's fucking good
Eh, code geass is not that good, especially after you learn how much it ripped of LoGH including it's main character, and not just ripped of but also dumbed down
Code geass is not for reactions
So many fillers and cringe fan services
Watched Death Note years ago when on a family vacation during the long car rides. It was technically the second anime series I had ever watched. Favorite character ended up being L. Ryuk is funny, especially because of his absolute love for apples.
I've seen this show so many times and had NO IDEA of their budget, that is insane! :O
After Death Note please watch Monster.
It's a Mystery thriller.
I'm sure you'd love it.
It got a lot for you to theorize and make predictions
A lot of great characters on that one too!
@@ut5834 yeah they would definitely love Grimmer
I HAVE BEEN WAITING MONTHS FOR THIS
So excited to watch this, first FMAB (my favorite of all time) and now Death Note?! If you guys end up liking DN then you should totally watch Parasyte sometimes.
There's no way the budget on this anime was THAT high. That's unbelievable
I mean it looks incredible for its time.
Yeah the budget can't be that high, I found the article where they said it was 1 million per episode but they must have mixed up the anime's budget with the Netflix movie's. The Netflix movie has a 40 million dollar budget so I'm guessing they just divided that by 37, (the amount of anime episodes) rounded it up to a million and called it a day.
LET(t)S GOO! Very excited for this series
I have really crazy squirrel ADD when it comes to anime LOL I've been wanting to watch Death Note for a very long time and I've had it saved on my queue in my streaming services. But I've never gotten a chance to watch it just like a lot of other shows cause I get distracted by what I find 🤷♂️🤣. I'm excited to watch this with you guys together and so far it looks just like I knew it would! Its really good! Keep the content going you guys! 💪🙌
11:50 Kanji is complicated thing. You have signs which pronunciation is usually way different in names. Light (Raito) is written like 月 but normally you would pronounce it "Tsukki". Or there is even one character for two differently pronounced names. He didn't kill this many people by then (yet). He wrote that guy's name in any possible way to get it right.
It’s on-yumi vs kun-yomi
I think that after the second kill & Light knows he was the executioner so he immediately goes into self preservation mode by justifying the killing. People do this all the time - as long as they can say so & so does worse than them, they keep doing what they want.
As real-life laws change and the way we consume media/news evolves, Death Note proves to be as relevant as ever. The questions asked when it first came out stand the test of time today: What if Light killed someone for something, then 2 months later the thing they were arrested for becomes legal? Is that justice? Is that fair? What if someone was innocent all along but the media Light uses SAYS they are guilty and he kills them? What if the media has wrong information?
With the exception of "lets go hang out at the arcade", this show is timeless.
Had a great time watching this reaction, so glad you guys are finally doing this series!
This show makes allot of since if you are familiar with the Japanese legal system because they operate under the concept that if you are arrested for a crime, then you are 100% guilty of it. They have a 99.99% conviction rate and its very common to simply plead guilty as your guilty plea is seen as a good thing when a judge sets your penalty.
Compare that to the US where you a presumed innocent until proven guilty (and I know this is debatable).
I accidentally found your channel, it's a legendary anime, I'm very glad that someone else is watching it.
A million dollars per episode?! For two guys sitting in a room talking while one writes names in a notebook? Just goes to show how awesome Ohba was!
Oh, one last comment, something I noticed during the reaction: I think you're the first person to talk about how not killing them with heart attack could also mean killing them in a more peaceful way (and not a more brutal one like Light was thinking). It already hints at Light's mindset - and thankfully, at yours being in the right place!
Another reviewer on TH-cam mentioned that this series is surprising because of the pacing & how much is constantly revealed vs a standard show where you are slowly introduced & a single big reveal happens at the midway and final episodes of the season.
The counters are all so funny! Love the "wrong counter" hahah
The discussion break 1/5 thing is so good!
So happy you guys are reacting to this. For the next series, please consider NEON GENESIS EVANGELION. That masterpiece of animation is an amazing psychological and philosophical journey.
I love how we went from Attack on Titan where Eren's black and white world view of It's us against the titans kept blurring more and more between the seasons until he was able to see all the different shades of Grey to Death Note where Light seems to be headed in the opposite direction and his black and white view of the world only seems to solidify with evry second he's on screen.
if you guys are looking for another short but high quality show I can't recommend Paranoia Agent enough. it's only 13 episodes but it's also directed by Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers) and it's astoundingly weird and good.
I'm working on Death 😮Note myself. Such a beautifully made anime with a great psychoanalytic discussion on what type of Justice is right. I love the dynamic between Light/Kira and L. I've gotten through 9 episodes so far, and its unbelievably fantastic.
I think Light Yagami and Eren Yeagor would get along great with each other.
😂Yeah and lelouch from Code Geass too
Guysss, I haven't watched your videos in MONTHS because I grew bored of youtube and I come back to this? I'm so happy rn oh my godness. I missed this channel
The only react channel i acualy come back to. You guys are underrated