Death Note 17... very minor spoilers.

[timepiececlock]

It really bugs me that the only female in this cast is an insane Bratz doll come to life. Where are all the women? This whole show is so... male. I usually don't pay attention, but it's incredibly obvious here. Everything about this is masculine, from the simple things like an all-male cast or the lone female as a negative stereotype, to the subtler things, like the way L and Kira think, and the way the author explains things. I don't believe that certain things are strictly masculine or feminine, but the show certainly fits the comon stereotypes of those labels. This show may be daring in its anti-protagonist and anti-antagonist choices and in its casual treatment of murder, but it's not nearly as subvertive as it could be. It's boys playing a boy game against boys, where the only girl gets used as a tool for the male characters' plot advancement.

I know that the cast is cops+Kira and the majority of cops are men, but female police officers do exist and they could do with having a few on this task force. If nothing else, at least to provide a different perspective in analysis. It seems a very basic distinction to make, but it's an important one if you want to have a full view of any situation. They should find themselves a female mathematician or logician, and a female psychologist too. For that matter, this whole team should have more intellectual fields represented than just criminal justice aherents.

I have another thought, too: if L were really as smart as he supposedly is, he'd have an entirely separate investigation team acting and reporting to him, completely unconnected to the police task force. He's too vulnerable and the information/scope too limited with just these people. Plus, he looks like the type to have a control group, like in any social experiment. In some ways he's using Light as a control when it comes to comparing the task force's theories, but that's a double-edged sword considering how suspect he is.

Nobody can build a mega sky-scraper in a few months. Pipe dream, and not a very good one. I hope we're supposed to believe that he bought and refitted it, not built it from the ground up. Even when you're rushing materials and financed by the best, shit like that takes 2 or more years to finish from cement slab to indoor networked security system.

Comments

Re: will reply to the rest later, but

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

Bwahaha, don't worry, I knew what I was doing when I typed that comment! Who's to say it wasn't purposefully misleading? Anyway, last night I agonized over typing it really carefully and ultimately decided that it isn't useful. But oh ho, this doesn't tell you anything either!

*BRAINWASHES* There is no war in Ba Sing Se You are imagining these cryptic clues... they do not exiiiist...

But sorry about that! I think I shouldn't have mentioned it after all, if just to save you the panic! That's what so "double-edged sword" about misleading hints: they may spoil less than they appear to, but the person still reading/watching doesn't know that. >

Re: will reply to the rest later, but

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Actually, no, this is all good to hear, because now I am doubting what I had previously resigned myself too! Just knowing that you *weren't* hinting to anything specific means I don't have to read anything specific into it.

You... might have actually UNspoiled me. Or tricked me into *thinking* you have. Very clever.... I'm questioning. I believe you just enough to not believe you, which means there's no point in inferring because I wouldn't put it past you to be deliberate about it, after all. Very clever save.

That's what so "double-edged sword" about misleading hints: they may spoil less than they appear to, but the person still reading/watching doesn't know that.

Exactly. You may not actually be spoiling anything for me in your view, but if your comment leads me to the right conclusion, then in my view that hint would have been the responsible factor in spoiling me. You can't control what my brain infers from an open-ended comment, but if I'm good at intuiting the future plot events then all I might need is a small trigger to set me on the correct path of guesswork.

I do think L will get it, either way. Mostly because that seems the most likely future for the show to keep their antagonism alive and active.

Re: will reply to the rest later, but

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

*bows* Thank you, thank you. Unfortunately, it's not as clever a save as it might appear since what actually happens is so complicated that it's... kind of difficult to spoil. Which is why I'm not flailing along with my apology, and possibly the only thing that actually saves me. *is kind of stupid, ack*

I believe you just enough to not believe you, which means there's no point in inferring because I wouldn't put it past you to be deliberate about it, after all.

Not that I was being very subtle ^^;; I wonder how you'll view all this if you watch THE episode and revisit this conversation. It'll look very odd, I bet.