Welp, this was a super tense, beautifully directed masterfully constructed.....
dumb-as-fuck spot of writing?
Is that how we feel? It's sorta how we feel.
In a show that will have a CORNICOPIA of problems with its femme characters - this is the first truly egregious shot off the bow in that stripe.
A TENSE scene that throws away so many interesting and wild dramatic avenues to simply demonstrate how smart Light is.... and that's....that's it.
We're sure there are people that will find it funny, but we couldn't get over how facially weird and dumb some of the elements of this particular plot are.
If we seem incredulous and dumbstruck, we sorta are.
RIP to Naomi and all of the awesome dramatic avenues that we don't get to see in this story!
We got some more PRL, MMM and Shitty Movie Nights incoming!
xoxo,
The Watchers in the Bar
Comments
Yeah I'm not looking forward to the rest of the reactions tbh
Natasha Padparadscha
2023-02-26 02:41:36 +0000 UTC
If you want to see more of Naomi check out the light novel Death Note: Another Note written by Nisio Isin. It deals with the murder case that Naomi worked on with L. It definitely is a better showcase of why L thought so highly of her and why Naomi trusted L so much. It also just gives Naomi so much more depth (her nickname in the FBI was 'Misora Massacre') . And it has just as much clever detective work and smart crime solving as the regular story. There is some big spoilers for the main story so I advise to wait until you are done before you check it out.
Adam Vialpando
2023-02-26 02:14:21 +0000 UTC
I love Death Note but the way it handles females is just so bad. Most suck and the few good ones get very little screentime. I am annoyed that Matsuda of all people lasted longer than Naomi. What annoys me even more is that originally Naomi was supposed to have a much bigger role. Unfortunately the author said he wrote her too smart and if she didn't die the story would have ended too soon.
Adam Vialpando
2023-02-26 02:04:09 +0000 UTC
Right on! There is definitely 2007 'edgey' humour I cringe at now. I think being an adult, I really see the 17 year old Light a lot differently.
Avi Chetri
2023-02-25 17:22:14 +0000 UTC
Uh oh. If you guys can't handle this one. There's going to be certain interactions with a certain female character later on that is gonna make you guys flip your lid.
Nicholas
2023-02-25 15:17:15 +0000 UTC
we find it facinating we're way ahead and stoked to see where this stuff goes!!
Sean TankTop
2023-02-25 03:40:12 +0000 UTC
Naomi had so much potential... I like anime as a genre (the ones i like, i REALLY like.) but it can be so rough watching as a woman. Especially when my first anime and favorite even now is FMAB where the mangaka does such a good job writing their female characters with backstories and motivations, just overall well-written. I mean it helps that she is a woman haha. While many fall short in this regard, there are some really good ones out there. AOT does a pretty good job (tho I will say, I feel like Mikasa's character could have a bit more depth, but she's strong so that's cool)
april 🍏
2023-02-25 02:56:49 +0000 UTC
I honestly think Death Note might be the one for you guys, the interactions with Light and Misa is very cringe.
Avi Chetri
2023-02-23 20:11:39 +0000 UTC
This show has a lot of strengths to it, but unfortunately I don't think its handling of female characters is one of them. This just feels like an episode where the writing didn't rise to the challenge of telling a story where Light was so impressively clever that he was able to barely - essentially at the last second - eek out a win in the mental game of chess against Naomi. Still an engaging series overall, but this really doesn't feel like a high-point for it.
Andrew W
2023-02-23 02:31:47 +0000 UTC
Ohba killing off a woman for being "too smart" instead of writing around it definitely fits with the views he's expressed in other works.
Toua77
2023-02-23 02:28:00 +0000 UTC
Ohba's excuse for the way Naomi's story ends is that he realized that she
was so good at her job that it would strain suspension of disbelief that she hadn't caught Kira within a few chapters. Personally, I feel like this is a
classic case of "fridging." Haunting and beautiful, but unnecessary.
Christopher Tanner
2023-02-23 02:09:22 +0000 UTC
yeah, it just smacks of backwards writing regardless of Manga streamlining or no. It's like in GoT when Arya is walking in the middle of street, not to draw out the Waif but to get to an arbitrary moment of drama that only exists for people to go "oooh, cooooool". Like this can't be THE THING. There's got to be something else right, cause no one would be that dumb.
Sean TankTop
2023-02-23 01:00:18 +0000 UTC
Thank you.
Toua77
2023-02-23 01:00:08 +0000 UTC
Yeah they didn't have the time to give this side story, they already streamlined a bunch of the manga as is. In the end the only reason this character is here is to have this moment, to show how smart light is by using everything that happens in their short time together to beat this mini boss before moving onto the final boss in L.
TrixieTurner
2023-02-23 00:56:58 +0000 UTC
It is as far as the design and the direction and there's some great tension, but it does seem like it's written backward. She needs to get outsmarted by Light's big brain, so she has to do a few facially idiotic things that I don't see the character as described and given what they've said in past episodes, would ever do.
Now, this kinda arc, where he wins her trust and eventually sends her to her demise could totally work, but I just don't buy that she would trust this literal child she runs into in a lobby inside of 10 min that quickly. I'd be almost more sadistic and fucked up if they did go the long route with it, slowly earning her trust etc.
Sean TankTop
2023-02-23 00:51:26 +0000 UTC
No worries I was commenting specifically on the cops getting the alises.
TrixieTurner
2023-02-23 00:36:17 +0000 UTC
Again, like really into seeing this perspective again. This is such an Iconic episode for me and so many others but it probably boils down to the imagery or maybe because I watched this for the first time when I was 16 lol
Calvin Delaney
2023-02-23 00:35:51 +0000 UTC
Should I read this as you'd like the details or no thanks regarding the details. If the former, should I post them below in another comment, or would you prefer them via messages.
Toua77
2023-02-23 00:31:59 +0000 UTC
Yeah, one of my least favorite episodes in the series, and a good example of some of the weaknesses in series. Still worth a watch and still has some all time classic anime moments, but its definitely got some stumbles along the way.
malik
2023-02-23 00:31:23 +0000 UTC
no worries! All the best to you hand your Mom!
Sean TankTop
2023-02-23 00:31:05 +0000 UTC
naw, we appreciate it. I mean if it quacks like a duck....
Sean TankTop
2023-02-23 00:23:31 +0000 UTC
Sorry, thought you were talking about Light and Naomi since they were who Sean talked about in the post.
Toua77
2023-02-23 00:17:14 +0000 UTC
I was talking about the detectives and L but cool.
TrixieTurner
2023-02-23 00:07:36 +0000 UTC
Doesn't help that the author has pushed the view that women who are openly smart and proud of it are annoying and that truly smart women will hide their intelligence to be more approachable.
Toua77
2023-02-23 00:02:35 +0000 UTC
Also, sorry for cancelling my pledge earlier this month. My mom was hospitalized and knowing this episode was coming was actively fucking with my headspace. She's out now and I'm doing a lot better so I'll be renewing later tonight.
Toua77
2023-02-22 23:57:50 +0000 UTC
Unfortunately it only gets worse from here. Naomi Misora is just about the only femme character that the author, Tsugumi Ohba, has written in any of his works that can't be reduced to some combo of wish fulfillment, sex appeal, or plot device. He actually goes even more mask off sexist in his other works. The author did make an excuse for why he killed her off like this, but it kinda rings hollow in light of his now obvious misogyny. I can provide details if you all want, but they'll contain spoilers for his other works.
Toua77
2023-02-22 23:43:45 +0000 UTC
It's the common problem when people write super smart people, the way its shown is usually just making the rest of the world dumber than them.