So, who is the subject of my next Favourite Character Praise
Friday?
Misa Amane from Death Note!
Warning: The following will contain spoilers!
For those who don’t know, or haven’t had a chance to check
out my analysis of why I dislike Light Turner from Netflix’s adaptation of
Death Note, I’ll give you guys a quick info-dump about why I absolutely adore
this show.
I have watched Death Note seven times in the last seven
years, since I was introduced to it. Every single time I’ve revisited the show
I have come across something new and interesting, and a completely new level of
storytelling. I absolutely adore all of the characters, regardless of where
they stand on the scale of “Kira is Justice” and “Kira is an over-glorified serial
killer that needs to be stopped”. My absolute favourite of all the characters,
however, is Misa Amane, aka The Second Kira.
She is a character that I immediately gravitated toward.
Fifteen-year-old Imogen loved her just as much as I do now. She always struck
me as a clever and sharp girl who was utterly devoted to the cause she served.
She is one of those characters that I have never found myself disliking, even
when the general consensus was that she was annoying.
I have many reasons for adoring her, including her character
design and aesthetic, the way she is portrayed exceptionally well by every
voice actor that has taken on the role, which I have seen, at least, to even
how well she fits into the series.
But these are, arguably superficial means to like a
character to the extent that I do. So, like with all of my other favourites
thus far, I have dissected the reasons and I am presenting them to you now, for
your reading pleasure.
She is actually immensely intelligent. The reason that she
decides to follow Light is because she agrees with him and believes that he is
right, and thus became subservient in order to assist him. She was his greatest
ally. This was demonstrated by the fact that when Light lay dying in the
warehouse, he called for her, begging for her to help him, even though she was
nowhere near him. She showed off her intellect by orchestrating a rouse where
she was able to take out several police officers indiscriminately and make a
very strong statement to attract Kira’s attention. She was always aware of the
consequences of her actions and was willing to go to any lengths to prove that
she had no intention to harm Light. This was a very good method of showing
compliance, whether motivated by emotion or methodical planning. By immediately
saying that she would let him hold onto her note, she showed him a fierce level
of trust, whilst also showing she was willing to help him. This was further
exemplified by the fact she was willing to use her friend, who acted as a
pasty, preparing the tapes she would end up recording Kira videos on, to her
demise without hesitation demonstrated a cool and relentless resolve. Like
Light, she was willing to use people that could be classed as disposable as
pawns to do her bidding while she pulled the strings.
She is very selfless. It is demonstrated throughout the
series, that when motivated to do so, Misa will not hesitate to do anything for
a person if she feels strongly enough about them. When she was without her
memories of her time as The Second Kira, she went out of her way to assist L
and Light in catching Higuchi, the man working under the name of Kira. She took
advantage of her status in the idol and acting industry, and the shortcomings
of Touta Matsuda ((whom I will praise respectively at a later date!)) in order
to manipulate him into confessing. She takes advantage of being allowed her
memories to return briefly and retaining as much knowledge as she could from
Rem, the Shinigami who first assisted her as The Second Kira, to help the
investigation and subsequently return Light’s memories to him. Whenever she was
acting as Kira, she was quick to do what she could for Light, solicited or not.
She, aware that she had been blessed by Gelus, the Shinigami that died saving
her, with an extended lifespan, was happy to half it to assist Light in killing
criminals and becoming the God of the new world. She knew that she could have
died that day and lived her life, grateful; to Gelus, to Rem, and to Light.
Her exuberance makes her an endearing character. Watching
her interact with the stoic Light and the awkward L is entertaining as a viewer.
There is a fascinating aspect of seeing the trio, two without their memories of
being Kira, bounce off one another. L, despite his suspicions of her, grows
fond of Misa, as do several other members of the Japanese Task Force, Matsuda
and Mogi to name a few, both after spending extended periods of time in her
company. She is a character that knows that people will love her, and doesn’t
hesitate to flaunt that trait to the benefit of Light. Her likeable cheerful
persona makes her a quick hit with both Sachiko and Sayu Yagami, and
eventually, Light’s father warms up to her too. This is demonstrated by the
fact that they are all so comfortable together post-timeskip, when in the
Yagami household. Misa was always respectable, despite Light making out that
his, once fictional, girlfriend had slept with him several times before Misa
made herself known to him. Regardless of their inevitable first impressions
that the pretty goth at their door was the girl who had slept with Light, they
couldn’t help but find her politeness and cheeriness. It also made her a
character that was easy to underestimate, whether or not she had her memories
at the time. When Mello and Matt are observing her as she was once believed to
be The Second Kira, Mello remarks that she is just a stupid woman, demonstrated
by her dedication to Light, to whom she would soon become engaged.
Misa is a character that both fans and characters alike,
underestimate immensely throughout the series - Light included. She is one of
my favourites due to the fact that, despite being so devoted to Light she had
the power to make immense change. It was after the rise of The Second Kira that
more and more people started to fall in-line with Light’s ideals. She was able
to manipulate Higuchi into confessing as she knew he was attracted to her, and
wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with her. She is quick and adaptable,
and had she not been a Kira supporter, could have been a better adversary than
L because of her refusal to take prisoners. She makes that clear from the
moment she proposes she pretend to be his girlfriend at the start of the show,
she will kill anyone that she sees associating with him romantically.
Please, if you have opinions on Misa Amane, feel free to
share them with me! Don’t forget you can check out my previous Character Praise
by looking through the hashtags below.
And remember!
Per Aruda Ad Astra
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