089 - Death Note vol. 2

089 - Death Note vol. 2

Author: We Appreciate Manga™ October 31, 2022 Duration: 39:15

Will, James and Steven talk about the controversy around Death Note at the time of its translation as well as the character Naomi Misora. Skip synopsis @ 7:47 Listeners and readers may also find the following subject matter upsetting. Discretion is advised.

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089: Death Note vol. 2

By Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba

Translation by Pookie Rolf

Lettering and Touch-Up by Gia Cam Luc

The criminal Kira, a.k.a. Light Yagami, possessor of the titular Death Note, manages to kill off the few FBI agents tasked to spy on him. By simply holding the agent Rey Penber hostage he exploits the rules of the Death Note which include the facts that you can influence the victim's behaviour in their last moments by what is written, you can also have someone use sheets from the Death Note without knowledge of its power and you can pre-emptively write the cause and details of a death before putting any name to it.

Meanwhile the detective L, teams up with the last remaining members of a Japanese task force formed to capture Kira, this includes Light's father Soichiro Yagami. L bravely exposes his face as a show of trust but chastises the force for giving him their real names. As L has already established. A name and a face are all Kira needs to kill. L interrogates each of the members before deducing they are not Kira and so L vows to the team that they will show Kira that "the good guys always win".

Unbeknownst to Light, Rey's Widow Naomi Misora has a lead on Kira and goes to contact L and the task force. But since the task force are too busy meeting L it results in no one being in the office. Through happenstance Light meets Naomi at the reception desk of the task force HQ, seeing her as a threat, he manages to convince her that he is a member of the task force. Naomi buys into Light's lies, since Naomi has worked on a case with L in the past, she finds that Light reminds her of L. Light asks for her I.D. and manages to write her name in a spare piece of the Death Note, her cause of death being suicide, After the note takes effect Light reveals to Naomi that he is Kira and so Naomi walks away never to be seen again.

Four days later, news of Naomi's disappearance reaches L. In response L narrows his investigation to the last people Raye was probing before Kira started experimenting with his victims. L begins to bug the homes of the deputy Kitamura and Detective Superintendant Soichiro Yagami.

And now L can monitor Light within his own home. What L does not know is that Ryuk, the Death God that accompanies Light, cannot be seen by humans without a Death Note.

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There's a particular kind of magic that happens when a friend hands you a book they love, especially when that book is a manga. We Appreciate Manga captures that exact feeling, beginning each conversation with a personal recommendation before letting the discussion wander into deeper territory. Hosted by the team at We Appreciate Manga™, this series is less a formal review and more like eavesdropping on a thoughtful, sometimes rambling, chat between enthusiasts. You’ll hear them explore how specific stories resonate, why certain artistic choices matter, and the very real comfort these illustrated narratives can provide during difficult periods. It’s a celebration of the medium that goes beyond plot summaries to appreciate manga as a unique and powerful form of visual storytelling. Think of it as your audio companion to a vibrant, anime-adjacent book club where the panels come to life through conversation. New episodes of this podcast have been available since August 2022, offering a consistent space to connect with the art and heart of these stories.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 136

We Appreciate Manga
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