DEATH NOTE / First Impressions

Summary:

As he speeds down the road towards the talent agency office, Higuchi continues to watch the television broadcast in his car and hears Matsuda explain that Kira needs two specific things in order to kill. Higuchi takes this bit of information to mean that Matsuda feels that he is safe because Higuchi doesn’t know his name. This causes him to wonder if Matsuda already took care of all the documents at the talent agency, so he asks Rem’s opinion. Higuchi isn’t aware that Light and L are watching and listening from their headquarters, and they are understandably confused about who this Rem is that Higuchi is talking to. When Higuchi reasons the name on the document might still be fake that even if he does find it, Rem suggests that he should at least give it a try because doing nothing would result in his name getting revealed on television anyway. Rem also does not think that Higuchi should kill Misa or her manager even if he does succeed in killing Matsuda because that might cause someone to suspect him. Higuchi, however, dismisses Rem’s idea to relinquish the Death Note. He soon reaches the talent agency and, after locating the right file, he writes Matsuda’s supposed real name down in his Death Note. Not knowing the significance of this, L and Light don’t think that they’ve seen the method of killing, so they don’t have the waiting Mogi and Aiber attempt to arrest Higuchi yet.

Returning to his car, Higuchi watches his car’s television for Matsuda to die, but it never happens. Frustrated because he’s running out of time and can’t reach Misa by phone, Higuchi thinks to himself that he can go to the Yotsuba office and get the surveillance tapes of when Matsuda was there. He could use those tapes to kill Matsuda if he had the Shinigami eyes, and he reasons that half his life is worth not being exposed, so he proposes the deal with Rem. After gaining the Shinigami eyes, Higuchi drives his way to the Yotsuba office, but get stopped by a police officer for speeding. With no time to spare, he writes down the officer’s name and then speeds away. The officer attempts to give chase, but quickly crashes his motorcycle and dies. L watches this scene unfold and decides that Higuchi might now be capable of killing just by looking at someone’s face like the Second Kira could. He informs everyone of this fact and announces that they’ll be capturing Higuchi now. Setting in motion the next part of the plan, Light’s father Souichirou has the television station replace the real Matsuda and his interviewer with mannequins playing a pre-recorded interview. L and Light themselves board a helicopter with Watari and fly out after Higuchi. They are sure that he will be heading to the Sakura Television station building because Wedy took care of everything at the Yotsuba company already.

Indeed, Higuchi is unable to find the security tape that he wants at Yotsuba, so he rushes towards the TV station not realizing that it’s a trap and that Wedy and Souichirou are already there waiting for him to come. Souichirou refuses Wedy’s offer of a gun because he’s no longer on the police force, but he is the one who later gets hit when Higuchi pulls out his own gun to shoot at Wedy after the ambush is sprung. Fortunately, Souichirou only suffers a shoulder wound from the bullet. Higuchi, however, escapes to his car and starts driving again, though he notices that the Kira TV program is no longer on the air. On the road ahead of him, an entire row of police cars appear that all have darkened windows. Since Watari had told the police not to get involved, L and Light realize that it must be someone they know acting from within the force. In actuality that turns out to be Aizawa and Ide working together. With the police blocking the road ahead and only a pair of cars plus a helicopter on his back, Higuchi tries to turn his car around, but Watari snipes out one of the sports car’s wheels. With his car surrounded by police cruisers, Higuchi then attempts to threaten his own life, but Watari proceeds to then snipe the gun from his hand too. Both Light and L feel that it’s now over.

Preview:

I liked how this episode started with L mirroring Misa’s commercial by licking his lips and opening the banana with his teeth, but the overall first half was rather slow-paced until Higuchi got his ultra-creepy look courtesy of his new Shinigami eyes. Maybe it’s just a high speed car chase that makes everything seem to go faster. I also found it interesting that L guessed correctly that Rem was a Shinigami even when he doesn’t really know what one is. Light seemed very lost about who Rem was, so it would seem to show further proof that L is smarter than Light, but Light made up for that by having the Death Note. And now that Higuchi has been captured, things are going to be falling back together for him and Ryuk‘s going to be coming back…

29 Comments

  9. I think they kinda gonna speed up everything now since by ep 27 they need to show the appearance by M and N and ofcourse i reckon by 28 M will get a copy of the death note…

    cyw1988
    Reply

  12. N, well, I dunno what your idea was but _I_ was really surprised as I read more and more… chapter 58, oh my god… but we’are not there yet, only at the end of chapter 52.
    the next anime episode will be fun, I’m looking forward to it 🙂

    shiNIN
    Reply

  13. It was a great episode and the next episode Kira is back. Finally, it’ll be good to have Light back as Kira again. Though I disagree with you on the L being smarter then Light thing as we shall soon see…

    Though that might be my Light bias kicking in. Heh…

    zalem
    Reply

  15. Lol, that pic of Misa taking a bite of what looks like a potato chip? It reminds me of that scene with Light taking a bite out a potato chip with all the sparkly effects.

    DoubleX
    Reply

  18. cool! Higuhi’s ultra creepy look!! just like in the manga! =D looks like he doesn’t need the death note, just one look at that creepy face then death is sure to follow! 🙂 ryuk is going to be back! with his bankai! =D few episodes left then i will be able to watch Show Spoiler ▼

    on the screen!

    whitey-chan
    Reply

  22. It’s definetely going to end like in the manga Show Spoiler ▼

    Oh and I loved this epi better than the manga I guess heheh THE ONE AND ONLY ORIGINAL KIRA’S BACK *dances of happines*

    RickaZ
    Reply

  24. >THIS ANIME IS THE BEST OF THIS SEASON!!
    >ALSO THE BEST FROM THE PAST SEASON TOO!!
    >Animation is somewhat ” AMAZINGLY OUT OF THIS WORLD ”
    HAHAHAHA no. Though DN is good, I can’t agree that it’s the best of the season [that it started in]. However, this episode IS pretty good in production points. So THAT’s where all the money went from the last couple of weeks. 😀

    So… JUST AS PLANNED is next episode, eh? I look forward to it.

    pakxenon
    Reply

  26. quote=Light seemed very lost about who Rem was, so it would seem to show further proof that L is smarter than Light, but Light made up for that by having the Death Note.

    Light gave L hints that shinigami’s exists. Since Light has no clue that shinigami’s exists and he lost his memories I say he’s in a disadvantage.

    Haohmaru
    Reply

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