Techniques used in different mediums have a profound effect on how narratives are conveyed. In particular, a dark narrative may describe the same subject matter across different media formats however, stylistic choices such as colour, transition and angles can emphasize the darker theme more effectively. This paper will argue that Death Note uses movement and fluidity in the anime to portray its dark theme and heavier narrative to viewers compared to the manga, which focuses on the panel transitions and a black and white colour palette.
Clearly exemplifying Napier’s definition of anime as a narrative art form, the anime adaptation of Death Note uses the effect of movement and camera angles to effectively highlight its dark narrative foundation. Lamarre’s animetism or a horizontal sliding of the background produces a sense of movement through space which serves as a vehicle to represent Misa’s devotion to Light’s twisted vision (Lamarre 6). The snapshots of the victims are cleverly intertwined in this scene to break apart the movement and highlight the immorality of Misa’s actions hidden behind her righteous justification. As Misa walks almost mindlessly, her eyes capture death from her surroundings from adults to the kids running past her. This movement acts as an instrument to immerse the viewer in the perception of justice and the costs of playing god. Furthermore, the tension between animatism and cinematism in “Silence” demonstrates Misa’s journey to continue on Light’s dream of creating world free of evil by killing off any individuals guilty of sinning (Lamarre 6). The animated medium also allows for the inclusion of music, which is an element lacking in the manga. This addition acts as Misa’s inner monologue allowing viewers to engage in the depth of the heavier narrative and the interplay between right and wrong. While the movement sets up the scene for the viewers to follow along on Misa’s journey, the sudden inclusion of still shots and the creepy singing in the background pulls together in a joint effort to feature the narrative heavily built upon death.
While movement in the anime is used to emphasize the dark narrative within Death Note, the manga utilizes panels and the transitions between them to achieve a similar effect. By using McCloud’s subject-to-subject transition following Groensteen’s inset, Obata emphasizes the crucial moments leading up to the fall of Light’s biggest rival (McCloud 71; Groentseen 86). The smaller frames within one large frame emphasizes L’s falling figure and prolongs the exact moment of his death, which acts as the defeat of the justice system in the ultimate cat and mouse game between L and Light. Obata does not focus on the expression of the characters in this exact moment, as he pictures L with his back towards the readers. Instead, he chooses to heighten the sense of helplessness by keeping L’s back almost as if he was at eye-level to immerse the reader to identify with L. This emotion is intensified with the repetition and close-up of L’s back and the dramatic dropping of his spoon (Ōba 7:6). The death sequence is further stretched out as Obata chooses to incorporate L’s final inner monologue using McCloud’s moment-to-moment transition (Ōba 7: 10; McCloud 70). Relying heavily on expressionistic details, the grandiose sense of triumph in Light is starkly contrasted to a sense of bitter failure within L’s glassy eyes. By visually positioning Light in a large half-page panel dominating above his dying opponent, Obata leaves the readers with limited closure, but also with completely opposing emotions of triumph and defeat (Ōba 7:6). Due to the moment-to-moment transition of L’s eyes closing, the readers are not required to participate to understand the scene, which means it requires very little closure. These panels and their transitions in the manga successfully duplicates the ability to accentuate the darker theme in Death Note like its anime counterpart.
In Death Note, the fluidity of the animation proves to be a great technique in accentuating the theme of a relentless and dramatic war between light and darkness. In “Silence”, the balance between full animation and limited animation allows the viewers to focus on the exchange of dialogue between the two rivals. The limited movement in the shots allow the viewers to fully participate in comprehending the inner emotions of Light as he looks at L very gently. This provides continuous and involuntary closure in the viewers, but also a moment of reflection in the relationship between the characters (McCloud 68). The scene highlights a part of Light and L’s relationship in which they are not completely competing, but rather appreciating the qualities of one another. However, only seconds later the limited animation switches over and highlights the change in Light’s expression leaving the viewers to feel the never-ending tension between the light and darkness that Light and L’s characters represents. Additionally, the transitional moment from one scene to another without dialogue acts as an equivalent to a gutter as outlined by McCloud, where viewers participate to figure out the atmosphere and emotions within the characters and connect the scenes together (McCloud 65). Likewise, in “Silence”, the panning of the camera on a close up of Light as he strikes a menacing expression acts to pull the viewer into his violent and cunning scheme to kill L. Following this, the freeze-frame shot of his dark red eyes and shadowed expression highlights the lack of empathy in his inner monologue. This technique also produces a character that is less relatable to the viewers and ultimately builds animosity. While Light is the main protagonist, the viewers are able to follow his path of corruption and his gradual change to an anti-hero through the animation highlighting his growing violence and lack of empathy in the inner monologue shots.
While the fluidity in animation allows for consistent reader participation in the tense and depressing narrative, harsh contrasting colours of black and white has a profound effect in dramatizing the storyline in the manga. Ryuk is drawn in a completely black outfit clearly representing a god of death (Ōba 1:19). Through this technique, Ryuk’s presence is elevated and demands the readers’ attention on the page. The dominating black clad figure against a simplistic background combined with a low angle shot establishes a sense of vulnerability and powerlessness in Light in the early beginning of Death Note (Ōba 1:19). Obata’s use of shadowing helps establish the heavy atmosphere common throughout his work within the series. In addition, the use of bolded black words to engage the readers’ sense of sound (Ōba 1:19). Due to this, the manga is able to compensate for a lack of audio through the use of bolded black words. This technique is well utilized as readers imagine the difference in sound just with the distinction of black against a white speech balloon. The colour palette combined with the exaggerated expressions through the multiple panels heightens the emotional resonance with the readers to a similar degree as an animation would. The readers’ participation is increased with the small details of the black and white scheme reflecting the narrative encompassing death. Furthermore, as L’s suspicion of Light increases, his inner monologues about the god mentality of a childish murderer are written in black highlighted in white. The inclusion of white dramatizes both L and his inner monologue within the page and enhances the effect of the words (Ōba 3: 21). By fully utilizing the contradicting colours Obata matches the tone and mood set by the overarching theme of death. The death motif within this narrative is continuously intensified with the play on the stark colours.
While both the anime and manga utilize two different mediums, they are able to effectively enhance a dark, death haunted narrative by taking advantage of the movement, fluidity, transitions and colour. By appropriately employing these techniques they complement the heavier narrative and as a result elevate Death Note above its competitors in the shōnen manga and anime category.