Family is what you make of it

What They Say:
Ryuk warns Light (Masataka Kubota) that he’s being tailed by an FBI investigator (SHOGEN). Light wonders how much L (Kento Yamazaki) already knows about Kira’s true identity…The nervous Light begins a series of tests to figure out how to use the Death Note to get rid of the FBI investigator. Meanwhile, Soichiro (Yutaka Matsushige) is astounded to learn that L considers his children prime suspects.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With live action dramas averaging at around 40 minutes per episode, it’s no surprise that the amount of ground covered plot-wise can be pretty crazy. With Light and L already well-established and in the middle of their unnecessarily roundabout means of finding out the other’s true identity, episodes two and three cover the entirety of Light’s conundrum with an FBI agent hired by L to tail him.

FBI Agent Raye Penber always felt like an under-utilized character in the manga, so to see a slightly different take on his character is refreshing, even if it does still end with his death. He emits a calm and cool demeanor that movies and TV have made us associate with agents. Though at the same time he also makes some pretty rookie mistakes, allowing Light to slip away from his sights almost effortlessly on two separate occasions all for the sake of advancing the plot. Like the majority of deviations from the source material, the changes to Penber’s character arc are interesting enough when watching, but don’t offer enough of an overall change to the story to hold any significant weight.

With Light desperate to figure out a means to kill L, he begins to use the Death Note as a means of experimentation—testing out the limits of what he can make his victims do thanks to the killing notebook. It’s here that we begin to see Light’s “Kira” side, with shinigami Ryuk even taking a break from his comic-relief duties to commend him appropriately. However, for the most part these scenes are at odds with a sideplot of this arc concerning Misa.

Thanks to an offhanded comment Ryuk makes about Misa’s lifespan coming to a close soon, Light begins fretting over the pop idol, unsure of any means to save her. While it does serve as an interesting means to demonstrate that the Death Note can do nothing but kill with its powers, it’s clumsily executed, having Light come off as rather wishy-washy in terms of his character. Yes, it’s still early on in the series and he’s allowed to make mistakes and show signs of sympathy, but the jump between that and coldly killing off FBI Agents for his own sake is far too wide to be believable, even by J-drama standards. Add to this the fact that Ryuk clearly brought up Misa’s death as a means to manipulate Light himself and it makes for an all-around sloppy characterization.

Where the series really shines are the shorter, more underplayed moments at the Yagami household, away from any major plot developments.

Episodes two and three both have scenes in which Soichiro enters his home for the first time in what is clearly a long while. With L using any and all means of unorthodox investigation, going as far as directly calling family members of the police force to the chagrin of the chief superintendent, Soichiro is stuck between the unwavering detective and his higher-up. He seeks solace in his house and his children. While Sayu isn’t a major player to the overall plot of the series, her mere presence at the Yagami household as well as her interactions with both her brother and father help flesh out those characters as well as herself significantly.

Meanwhile, Light’s interactions with his father play out very differently between both episodes. In episode two’s scene, Soichiro begins to question Light about his whereabouts—L having told him about his son’s suspicious activity as reported by Penber. It’s awkward and everything you would expect from an exchange between a father and son, making Light feel vulnerable in a very natural manner while also further establishing Soichiro as a person of justice. The following episode’s home scene plays out completely differently, with Light being more in control of the situation, speaking only after careful consideration. It reaches the point that you begin to respect Light’s despicable performance as he goes from complete obliviousness about the Kira investigation to concern about his father over the case. He clearly isn’t being sincere about anything he speaks of and yet he knows that if he doesn’t speak as such, any unnecessary suspicion will continue to be thrown onto him.

On the surface, they’re quiet and simple scenes, but they flesh out the characters much better than any flashy death montage or investigation scene can.

All of this continues while Near and Mello watch on the sidelines, laying witness to every gain and loss L makes in his own investigations. Their initial introduction was jarring (and even off-putting in the case of Mello being re-written to be Near’s marionette in this iteration), but with their occasional bit scene in each episode so far, it gives a sense of impending doom, as if L was the least of Light’s worries.

In Summary:
While the majority of the plot-progression feels like the writers merely checking off what iconic scene from the manga should be adapted next, the slower scenes meant to flesh out the cast and their motivations remains the major reason to continue watching. It’s not much to go on so far, but it shows signs of improvement.

Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Lenovo Laptop IdeaPad Y570, 15.6” at 1080p, JBL Brand Speakers with Chamber