Tsugumi Ohba’s Death Note is the perfect gateway anime, with its layered and intriguing narrative. Every turn in the story presents the viewers with thought-provoking situations. The life-threatening chase throughout the span of the series keeps the viewers on the edge.
Even after all these years, the descent of Yagami Light from an exceptional individual to an absolute psychopath remains a great topic for discussion. However, the downfall of Light wouldn’t have been as convincing in the absence of other characters, especially his lovers.
Misa Amane and Kiyomi Takada highlighted how Light was blinded by his ‘noble’ ambition, so much so that he didn’t care for anyone. Both characters were critical to the advancement of the story. Interestingly, Tsugumi Ohba, nearly forgot about Takada’s existence at one point. In an interview, Ohba opened up about the character and her intriguing traits.
Tsugumi Ohba on Forgetting About Kiyomi Takada’s Existence
Kiyomi Takada played a crucial role in the story. She was the one who killed Mello, making Light’s job a bit easier. Initially portrayed as a strong-willed character, Kiyomi was just a tool for Light to fulfill his ambition. He didn’t think twice before killing her off. Yet, without her, Light would have met his end way sooner. Tsugumi Ohba shared in an interview (via gaiaonline) that they had forgotten about her existence when Near and Mello entered the story.
But as Near and Mello got into the thick of things, there was a period in time I forgot all about her (laughs).
The introduction of the duo was a turning point in Death Note. L had done his fair research, which clubbed with the wit of both Near and Mello, finally defeated Light. The intensity of the story spiked after their appearance and Light had already assumed that nobody could identify Kira, besides L, who was already dead. It’s understandable how Kiyomi’s character was forgotten with all of that going on.
But the way she was reintroduced and explored was well-written, given she was not even on Ohba’s mind for a decent amount of time. Her involvement in the narrative was interesting but her decisions made fans question her thought process.
The Female Characters in Death Note
Ohba’s revelation about Kiyomi makes one wonder if it’s also the reason behind the poor reception of the female cast. Death Note fans are not very fond of the female characters in the story.
Most of them are love-struck characters, who are used as tools for plot progression or fan service. Kiyomi was similar, and her strong personality amounted to nothing when she was conveniently killed by Light.
She was similar to Light in many ways; she believed in his vision and was willing to risk everything for it. Her personality had a streak of superiority complex that convinced her that Light was, in fact, in love with her.
Whereas Misa had a better understanding of Light and his utter selfishness. With the weird dynamics between these characters, every time Misa caused problems for Light, it was actually quite amusing, given his horrible treatment of her.
Both Kiyomi and Misa had immense potential to be more than just devices to showcase Light’s ruthlessness. But they were also foolish to follow his whims, which led them to their ends.
Death Note is available for streaming on Netflix.
