Misa Amane
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| Misa Amane | |
|---|---|
| Death Note character | |
 Misa Amane or second Kira as seen on a book cover of the manga (front cover of 4th Volume, Love). |
|
| First appearance | Chapter 27 : Love in 4th Volume, Love |
| Last appearance | Chapter 100 : Face to Face in 12th Volume, Finis (in last storyline — she appears in Teito Hotel deluxe suite when Light called to her.) |
| Created by | Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata |
| Voiced by | Aya Hirano Shannon Chan-Kent (English) Erika Toda (Live Action) |
| Profile | |
| Nicknames | Misa Misa |
| Aliases | second Kira |
| Age | 19 at introduction, 26 at death[1] |
| Gender | Female |
| Species | Human |
| Date of birth | 25 December 1984 [1] |
| Date of death | 14 February 2011 (manga)[1] |
| Occupation | Model, Actress |
Misa Amane (弥 海砂 Amane Misa?) is a fictional character in the Death Note anime, manga, and film series.
Contents |
[edit] Conception and development
Tsugumi Ohba, writer of Death Note, decided to create Misa to be the second Kira before the serialization began. He felt that having the story solely consist of males would be "boring" and that he wanted "a cute female." Ohba debated on when to introduce Misa before deciding to introduce her after Naomi Misora dies. Ohba, intending to introduce her with the Shinigami Eyes, described her as having to be "spontaneous and not too bright" and that he determined her personality "from the start." Since Light Yagami would never want to trade for the Shinigami Eyes, Ohba wanted another character to use to trade for the eyes, so he decided to use Misa.[2]
Ohba said that the conception of the name Misa "was kind of random but I think it was from "kuromisa" [Black Mass]. It must have been based on something."[3]
Ohba and Takeshi Obata, artist of Death Note, wanted to use the gothic lolita design to convey "gothic imagery of the Shinigami and that world."[4] Ohba said that he is "into that fashion" and that having Misa first appear in unusual clothing would be "more interesting."[2]
Obata, imagining a mix of an "energetic Japanese artist" and a "foreign rock and roll singer," felt "set" when he drew Misa for the first time. Obata said that he felt "apprehension" regarding the length of Misa's hair; personally he wanted her fringes (bangs) to be "straight across" but believed that creating Misa completely within the bounds of the gothic lolita design would be "too much." Ohba also believed that using "hardcore" gothic lolita would be "too much."[2][4]
Therefore Obata designed her so she looked "a little more natural" and to appear "cute" to people who "weren't into the Gothic Lolita style." When the Near and Mello arc appeared and Misa became a top idol, Obata decided to make her look like "a popular actress." Obata said that he remembered "having a lot of fun" while looking through gothic lolita magazines and drawing Misa.[4] In response to a question inquiring about which characters the creators faced the most difficulty in creating, Obata selected Misa. Obata said that he had difficulty comprehending the concept of "doing anything for the person you love" and that he felt like the character controlled him when he drew her. Death Note: How to Read 13 also states that Misa "required a lot of artistic variation" because of her "many expressions" that ranged "from goofy to serious."[5]
When designing color book covers Obata assigned colors to characters to "get the atmosphere right." Obata assigned pink and black to Misa.[6]
Ohba said that he did not include Misa in the final chapter because he did not "come up with a situation to fit her in."[7]
[edit] Character
Misa is a famous model, singer and actress and has an immense crush on Light Yagami. She usually refers to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa-Misa" to be cute and tends to be hyperactive. Though Misa wears jewelry with a crucifix theme in the manga, she wears fleur de lis jewelry in the anime adaptation.
Her song is Misa no Uta (Lit: "Misa's Song"). She sings it in episode 25, wearing a Maid like dress.
Douglas Wolk of Salon describes Misa as being drawn in a "Japanese comics' tradition of cute, tiny, airhead girls with big eyes" and being a "lot cannier than she pretends to be." Wolk adds that the reader could "watch her measuring how much quasi-innocent charm to pour on in every situation."[8]
She decides to devote her life to Light because he punished the criminal that killed her parents when she was younger; a burglar killed Misa's parents in front of her eyes. Misa, unable to forgive the killer and wanting to kill the burglar herself, saw multiple delays in the killer's trial before Kira killed him.[9] According to Ohba, Light sees Misa as a "bad person" who killed people, so he acts emotionally cold towards her and manipulates her.[10] The Shinigami who follows her is Rem. Misa also performs two eye trades, cutting her lifespan in half twice; the first was with Rem, and the second with Ryuk. However, two shinigami destroyed themselves for her (Gelus (Jealous) and Rem), which added their original years to hers.
According to How to Read 13, Misa loses her memories related to using the Death Note and retains her love for Light. Misa falls into despair after someone "like Matsuda" "probably let it slip" that Light died.[7] Misa commits suicide one year later on February 14, 2011. The cloaked woman who appears at the end of the manga is not Misa; the woman is an unnamed follower of Kira.
At the anime's finale, Misa's suicide is not specifically mentioned nor seen. Misa appears standing outside the safety rail on the edge of a skyscraper looking into the sunset dressed in a maid's outfit.
Misa, born on December 25, 1984 (1987 in the anime) in Kyoto, has a height of 4 feet eleven inches[11] and a mass of 36 kilograms[11] (79 pounds[1]). Misa has a bust size of 76 centimeters, a waist size of 51 centimeters, and a hip size of 75 centimeters. Her blood type is AB. (see Blood types in Japanese popular culture)[1]
[edit] Film
Misa, portrayed in the film by Erika Toda, is seen filming a dorama called "Misa-Misa's Happy Sweets," where she states that she is baking treats to make her enemies fat. After filming of that section ends, she expresses support for Kira on camera. A supervisor states that the section will be cut due to controversies.
Ryotaro Sakajo, the assistant director for "Happy Sweets" and Misa's attacker, dies from a heart attack when Gelus writes his name inside of his Death Note. Gelus's Death Note then falls in front of Misa, who immediately picks it up and finds Rem after reading the notebook's rules. In the film Misa has a brother who, along with her parents, dies when a murderer kills Misa's family.
Misa does not commit suicide in either of the films, and her memory from the incident and the Death Note is erased. She still harbors her obsession for Light and bids him a happy birthday from her mini shrine of Light. She feels that a piece of her life is somehow missing. In addition, her appearance is slightly modified in both films: while Misa has blonde hair in the manga and anime, it is brown in the film.
[edit] Actress's portrayal of Misa
Erika Toda said that, prior to filming, she felt "a lot of pressure" due to the character's popularity with audiences. She said the pressure vanished when filming began. Kitty Sensei of The Star theorized that Toda did not have "the time to think much about how fans would react," citing film shoots that Kitty Sensei described as "physically and mentally exhausting" such as the straitjacket scene. Toda said that undoing the straitjacket took a lot of time, and at times she waited in the jacket between takes. Toda also said that on one occasion, she wore a blindfold for an hour during filming.[12]
[edit] Yonkoma
Death Note: How to Read 13 describes Misa's "sexiness" in the Death Note yonkoma as receiving a "power boost compared to the main series."[13]
[edit] Reception
Tom S. Pepirium, an editor of IGN website, describes Misa in a review of the Death Note anime episode "Performance" as being the "show's weakest and most annoying character." Pepirium cites "the tone in which she is written." He feels that her motivation and Kira obsession are "in league with Death Note's dark sensibilities." He says that when Misa's "spouts" her "deep and fully realized" affection for Kira in "her whacky, excited, poodle-like way" the information "loses all impact." The reviewer uses "girly sophomoric pink fluff," and "Jar Jar" (a reference to Jar Jar Binks) as figurative adjectives for Misa.[14] He also had compared Misa to Dot from Animaniacs.[15] Pepirium said that he wished that Misa spent more time in a "somewhat serious state" instead of a "silly lovesick, big-eyed anime characterization."[16]
[edit] Reception of the film version character
Erika Toda said that she views Misa as "complicated and fascinating." Toda added that she does not comprehend why a person would willingly use a Death Note; Toda said that she admired the fact that Misa "does everything she sets out to do" and that the actions of Light and Misa are "criminal."[12]
Christy Lee S.W. of The Star said that Toda's portrayal of Misa in the second film "may seem rather annoying for being overly bubbly and cute at first" and that the character "grows" on the viewer "after a while." Lee said that at the end of the film she saw Misa as "quite endearing."[17]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 16.
- ^ a b c "How to Think." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 62.
- ^ "How to Think." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 60.
- ^ a b c "Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 127.
- ^ Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 191.
- ^ Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 117.
- ^ a b "The 13 Truths About Chapter 108." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 200.
- ^ Wolk, Douglas. "Death strip." Salon.
- ^ Volume 4, Page 93
- ^ "How to Think." Death Note How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 65.
- ^ a b Death Note: How to Read 13. Shueisha. 16.
- ^ a b "Here’re a few hints of the second and concluding part of Death Note the movie, The Last Name.." The Star.
- ^ Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 215.
- ^ "Death Note: "Performance" Review." IGN.
- ^ "Death Note: "Friend" Review." IGN.
- ^ "Death Note: "Confession" Review." IGN.
- ^ "A Name to Remember." The Star.
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