DEATH NOTE – 22

Summary:

Because Misa got Higuchi to stop killing criminals to prove that he’s Kira, L now worries to himself about finding out the method Higuchi uses to kill. When questioned by Light, Misa admits that Higuchi wants to marry her and thinks that she’s the second Kira. Since Light also recognizes that they don’t know the method in which the killings are done and won’t be able to find out if the killings stop, L says that he needs time to think about what to do. He then contacts Weddy, and she reports that she’s had a difficult time with the security at Higuchi’s house compared with the other men of the Yotsuba group that she’s investigated so far. Instead of working on Higuchi’s house, L asks Weddy to plant listening devices and cameras in all six of Higuchi’s cars. He then turns his attention to Light and asks if he remembers killing. Light picks up on the implication that he used to be Kira, but L insists that Light make the assumption that he was Kira and then forgot after the power was transferred, all for the sake of analysis. L is curious if Light feels that Kira’s power was transferred to someone else by Light’s own will or by someone else who gave him the power. After thinking a moment, Light says that it would have been his own will, and L reveals that this is the same conclusion he had come to. He cannot acknowledge that there’s someone who is watching from the heavens and doing all this, and he believes that Kira’s abilities are only moved by the will of the person holding the powers.

In terms of how to trap Higuchi and see how he kills, L then comes up with a plan that involves the Sakura television station. The idea is to have someone on there willing to reveal Kira’s identity at the end of a three hour show, and it can’t be someone that Higuchi doesn’t think that he can kill. It has to be someone whose name he can find out, so it has to be Matsuda. Light feels that it’s made believable because Matsuda was the one who eavesdropped in on that meeting and is supposed to have died. L suggests that they would initially use frosted glass to conceal Matsuda’s identity, but then pretend to accidentally reveal Matsuda’s face for a brief moment. With this plan, they can predict Higuchi’s movements as he tries to get Matsuda’s name and kill him. L, however, does note that the problem here is that if Higuchi can kill people just by seeing their faces like the second Kira could, then Matsuda would die. Although initially shaken by this thought, Matsuda wants them to let him do it. Sometime later, Namikawa arrives at a private home for a secret meeting with Midou and Shimura. Through process of elimination, they conclude that Higuchi must be Kira and back that deduction up with how Higuchi is the greediest for money and promotions. Shimura, however, also remembers that Namikawa got a phone call during the meeting after Hatori’s death. Almost as if on cue, soon after Shimura mentions that, Namikawa gets another phone call from Light and L. Namikawa decides to reveal to the others that he’s on the phone with L, and he tells L that Shimura and Midou are unhappy with Kira and they want to see what happens between L and Kira.

With L’s go-ahead, Light reveals to Namikawa that they’re planning on catching Kira tonight, which causes Namikawa to suggest that this is the end for Higuchi. Light’s surprise at Namikawa knowing that Higuchi was Kira gives it away to Namikawa that Higuchi is indeed Kira, just as he and the others had suspected. In any case, Light wants Namikawa to call up Higuchi tonight and tell him about the Sakura TV program soon after it starts. Namikawa agrees to do this, and when the time comes, he follows the plan. Higuchi is shocked to see someone revealing on television the details of what was overheard at the meetings, including that Hatori was killed. He’s even more shocked to see the frosted glass get accidentally knocked over to briefly reveal Matsuda’s face. He recalls that he had made sure Matsuda was dead by writing down the manager’s name into the Death Note, but he soon realizes that this name must have been a fake. His first step is to call Misa, but she doesn’t pick up for him. Higuchi then calls up Midou to convince Midou to use his father’s influence to get this show off the air, but Midou thinks doing that would be suspicious. In addition, Midou mentions that Matsuda’s face was just shown, so whichever of them is Kira should be able to kill Matsuda now. Knowing that he can’t reveal that Matsuda was using a fake name without giving away that he’s Kira, Higuchi gives up on Midou.

The desperate man then calls up Mogi who explains that Misa has gone off somewhere while they’re all on vacation in Okinawa. Mogi refers Higuchi to the head of the talent agency to find out about Matsuda’s identity, so that’s who Higuchi calls next. With everything going according to plan, the boss doesn’t remembering Matsuda’s real name and tells Higuchi about the resume at the agency’s office with that information on it. Because he’s also on the company trip, the boss tells Higuchi how to get into the office and find the file. With two hours left until Matsuda gives away his identity on television, Higuchi gets in his sports car and sets out with the Death Note and a gun. L and the investigation team watch from headquarters as Weddy starts trailing him on her motorcycle. Not noticing he’s being followed, Higuchi thinks to himself that he’ll definitely kill Matsuda. Rem can only watch silently from the backseat of the car as Higuchi starts laughing maniacally.

Preview:

I was impressed by how much more interesting this was compared to the manga, which had a lot of rehashing of material. There was a good use of music to keep the pace going, and they didn’t take up all that time walking through the plan beforehand. Granted, that did show how well Light and L could predict exactly what Higuchi would do, with the exception of the part where Higuchi tries to get Midou’s father to stop the show. Regardless, everything goes according to plan, which is another sign to me of how deadly a combo Light and L are if they work and think together.
The one thing I found a little distracting during the first half of the episode was all of L’s cakes and sweets that got paraded in. But, as if to make up for that, they showed L squeezing that bunny to demonstrate what would happen to Matsuda if Higuchi had the Shinigami eyes. I thought it was a nice touch. Anyway, we’re nearing the end of this arc, and next week should be the climax.