Death Note
When I watched Death Note, I found the ideas it posed to be very interesting. Light gets his hands on the death note, which he can kill anyone with by writing their name in it, and he begins to use it to execute criminals, with his behavior growing more unhinged and extreme as the show goes on. In the later parts of the show, Light even begins to kill those who try to uncover his identity, even if they have not committed any crime, such as government workers and eventually L. This question that the show poses is whether it is just to kill evil people, or if it is wrong. Light believes that he is enacting justice, while L believes that this behavior is immoral.
I think that a good portion of L's belief stems from themes similar to the ones represented in Psycho-Pass. Even if it were just to kill evil people, it would be wrong for a single person to do it, as it the solely depends on this person's subjective idea of evil. If I remember correctly, some people within Death Note even refer to Kira as "playing judge, jury, and executioner," which perfectly represents this concept.
What's most interesting is that the how never really sides with either Light or L. The audience is free to view either one as the "protagonist," and thus their ideologies are depicted as equal. This is represented in their conflict as well, as I felt like whether L proves that Light is Kira or Light kills L became more about deciding whose ideology is better rather than one driven by survival.
Personally, my beliefs are more in line with L than with Light, but I don't think that it's necessarily objectively correct. Whichever side is correct is very philosophical, and depends heavily on which ethical values one perceives as most significant.
Hello! I agree with a lot of the ideas you discussed in your post! Specifically, your discussion of subjectivity within morality stood out to me and I fully agree!






















