099 - Death Note vol. 12

099 - Death Note vol. 12

Author: We Appreciate Manga™ January 15, 2023 Duration: 55:40

Listen in on James, Will and Steven as they talk all about the final chapters of Death Note, discussing their favorite tricks that the characters utilised and more. What was your favorite trick? But beware! there are spoilers of both the 2006 Japanese two-part movie as well as the manga and the anime! Otherwise come and listen in! Skip synopsis @ 5:02

 

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099: Death Note vol. 12 ⁓ Finis

Story by Tsugumi Ohba

Art by Takeshi Obata

Translation by Tetsuichiro Miyaki

Lettering by Gia Cam Luc

 

Light Yagami, the boy gifted with the magical and powerful Death Note was able to reshape the world as the god like Kira. A battle of wits began with Light and the prodigy detective L but Light successfully kills L and becomes the "the second L"; four years pass only for Light to be faced by the arrival of L's heirs, Near and Mello. Both of L's heirs know of the existence of Light's murder weapon, the titular Death Note.

Near and Light agree to meet each other at a warehouse, where Near claims to have proof of who the serial killer known as Kira is.

Near knows that Japan's NPA (National Police Agency) has had no leads on Kira upon L's death, he also knows that they acquired a death note before L's death and had acquired a second death note upon losing the first to Mello. Near also knows that Kira has made no threat or demand in order to retrieve the existing death note from the NPA branch. And finally, one actual god of death, Ryuk resides amongst the NPA task force. These facts support that Kira has planted himself among the task force.

Mello revealed to Near the existence of the fake 13-day-rule, and NPA task force agent Aizawa revealed to Near that Light was a suspect until the discovery of this 13-day-rule. These facts support that Light is Kira.

Before their meeting Mello abducts one of the two Kira proxies, Kiyomi Takada. Mello dies from Takada's hidden death note scrap and soon Takada along with any evidence of the death note is killed off by Light's own hidden death note, since you can rip pieces from the note book and still use them to kill.

Near has organised the warehouse meeting so that the last living Kira proxy, Teru Mikami can be tricked into secretly writing all names down in a fake copy of Kira's death note. If Teru is arrested and Light's name is absent from this fake death note. Then Near wins, having all the evidence he needs on Light/Kira.

The only issue for Near however is that Light already knows about Near's fake death note plan.

Comparisons from how the ending of the anime differs from that of the manga:

  • Teru Mikami dies on screen, after Light is caught by Near in the Yellow box warehouse, Mikami, whilst under arrest, grabs a pen and stabs himself in the chest with it.
  • The image of Near's finger puppets being reflected in Light's eye is absent in the anime.
  • Ryuk is not in the warehouse after Light is shot and injured, Ryuk is alone outside when he writes Light's name in the Death Note.
  • Misa attempts suicide by jumping, the implication that she intuitively knows that Light has now been caught as Kira.
  • Light flees the warehouse; he runs past an apparition of a schoolboy walking in the opposite direction. It is himself as a teenager, before he became Kira.
  • When Light finds a place to hide, he soon dies. Possibly alone if it were not for L's ghost appearing in the same room.
  • The final scene of the manga makes no appearance in the anime, the one where a large cult of Kira followers making a candle light vigil.

Notable differences from the manga and the 2006 movie adaptations:

 

  • The first movie covers the events of volumes 1 to 3 and the sequel covers volumes 4 and 7.
  • L is seen stirring his tea with a small lollipop.
  • Near's mask resembles L but in the 06 movie L did wear a mask, the mask of the Hyottoko.
  • Lind L. Tailor pronounces Kira, with the R syllable replaced entirely with the letter L and a slight emphasis on the first vowel. As in saying the word "killer" but with "ah" replacing "er".
  • Raye Penber is Japanese and has the surname changed to Iwamatsu. This is due to the movie casting local actors, as is usually the case for most film studios. Foreign agencies do exist, but finding an actor who is both a good performer, bilingual and foreign is a challenge for most, with actors like Anupam Tripathi (famous for Netflix's Squid Game) being an outlier.
  • In the first movie Naomi Misora confronts Light Yagami, this proves to be her undoing as she reveals to Light that she is Raye's fiancé. And in a late plot twist, Light tells Ryuk that he sought out and found her name on a church's register. The climax in the first movie ends with a more dramatic version of Naomi's death.
  • Kiyomi Takada appears in the second movie, she fulfils the role of Higuchi with an abridged version of the events in the Yotsuba arc.
  • Takada never attends university with Light and Light never dates her.
  • Takada is a news anchor who kills her rival in order to become a fully-fledged news presenter. As she raises suspicion the task force bugs her home and use Matsuda to blackmail her.
  • Matsuda does not fake his death, instead when confronting the Higuchi/Takada character he presents himself with a fake business card and name whilst wearing a disguise. This leads to the bait-and switch-tactic of using the TV broadcast, which in turn forces Takada to make the eye trade and kill a policeman whilst making her way to the TV station.
  • The conclusion to the sequel 'Death Note: The Last Name' is perhaps the biggest difference in comparison to the manga, the anime adaptation and even the Netflix movie. As with the manga, L suggests having Americans on death row test the Death Note rules, however once a trend in Kira deaths occur L tells Soichiro that he has written his own name in the death note and has decided to test the 13-day rule on himself, by doing this he is invulnerable to an attack from Rem and L has Soichiro pretend to leave for America so to make a surprise ambush on Light.

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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.
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