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Layers upon layers of plot...
I've been skimming through Death Note again, mostly looking for L art (on that note, if anyone has a textless version of Volume 7's cover, please let me know!), and I noticed something that I hadn't before. Cut for spoilers through the introductions of M and N.
While Light and L are handcuffed together, L starts asking if Light would be his replacement if he died. I was confused by these statements a bit on my first read-through - L couldn't possibly be trusting Light, could he? No, of course not, it's got to be a trap of some sort. Maybe he just wants to see his reaction. But then, if L does die, Kira will become L, and he will be unstoppable. Why would L set that up?
This time through, the lines made far more sense. Of course he's setting Light up. Of course he still believes Light is Kira. Of course he realizes Light will be made his successor in name. But he knows what they don't - L already has successors. He's putting faith in the abilities of Near and Mello to deduce what he has - that Light is Kira - and he's making sure that Light is not someone they can ignore or miss noticing. If he dies, Near and Mello will have the advantage of knowing that there's a "second L" and using that as a springboard for their investigations.
Every time I read a volume again, I appreciate how amazingly intelligent L was more and more.
While Light and L are handcuffed together, L starts asking if Light would be his replacement if he died. I was confused by these statements a bit on my first read-through - L couldn't possibly be trusting Light, could he? No, of course not, it's got to be a trap of some sort. Maybe he just wants to see his reaction. But then, if L does die, Kira will become L, and he will be unstoppable. Why would L set that up?
This time through, the lines made far more sense. Of course he's setting Light up. Of course he still believes Light is Kira. Of course he realizes Light will be made his successor in name. But he knows what they don't - L already has successors. He's putting faith in the abilities of Near and Mello to deduce what he has - that Light is Kira - and he's making sure that Light is not someone they can ignore or miss noticing. If he dies, Near and Mello will have the advantage of knowing that there's a "second L" and using that as a springboard for their investigations.
Every time I read a volume again, I appreciate how amazingly intelligent L was more and more.