Directionality of にも


This is part of an analysis of episode 6 of Death Note (from this page:
<http://samuraimoon.blog67.fc2.com/blog-entry-204.html#comment_list>)

> 結論。夜神月はやっぱり幼稚で負けず嫌い。
> **ネタバレですが月は部屋中に監視カメラを設置されてもボロを出さないほどの演技力の持ち主なんだから、レイ・ペンバーに尾行されていることを知ってもアクションを起こさなかったらLにも手の打ちようはなかったはずなのに**
> 。つーか月はLの安い挑発に乗せられて大失敗した経験をまるで活かせていない。夜神月の成長性は限りなくゼロに近いと言えます。

The author is criticizing Light for being a megalomaniac and making really
stupid moves (「間抜けすぎるぜ」と間抜けすぎる行動を取り... (if it means that)).

In this paragraph he mentions Light's incredible ability of not reveling his
faults/secrets (that he is Kira) even in situations like when he got
surveillance cameras in his room as a reason for what comes next, but I can't
make sense of that part.

At first I was trying to interpret that paragraph as:

> Because Light has such great acting abilities if he wouldn't have taken any
> action (kill Raye and the FBI agents) even knowing that he was being
> followed by Raye, L should have no means to do anything against him
> (のに=showing regret) (implying that because of he's convincing acting Raye
> would conclude that he is not Kira (which ended up happening) and L wouldn't
> be able to further his investigations and end up suspect of Light (which
> also happend in the end))

But then I found this sentence:

> 見たこともない浮気相手に手の打ちようがない。 There's nothing to do _against_ a cheater's lover
> that hasn't been seen

So now I think that Lにも手の打ちようはなかった instead of meaning that L should also be
powerless (against Kira. L doing the action), means that Light should also be
powerless against L (に indicating the target is L). But trying to make sense
of that paragraph now is difficult. It would be something like:

> Because Light has such great acting abilities if he wouldn't have taken any
> action (kill Raye and the FBI agents) even knowing that he was being
> followed by Raye, he(Light) should have no means to do anything against L
> (のに=showing regret)

This would make sense if the author of the blog is stating that Light just
wants to confront L on whatever grounds as a way to show that he is superior.
So he doesn't care about going under the radar but beating L. (Maybe that's
what the author is refering to when he says 「間抜けすぎるぜ」と間抜けすぎる行動を取り). But
mentioning that he's a great actor wouldn't be neccesary in this paragraph
then.




for Lにも手の打ちようはなかったはずなのに, i think this would apply, with も adding a " **even**
a person like L couldn't..." emphasis

> ㋚その状態が適切かどうかを判断するための、個別の基準を表す。「私には大きい」「子供には無理だ」

where as 浮気相手に手の打ちようがない would the follow. with に marking 浮気相手 as the 目標 of
手を打つ.

> ㋔精神作用の向けられる目標を表す。「母に甘える」「スターにあこがれる」「幼馴染みに恋する」「スポーツに熱中する」「勉強に打ち込む」

definitions of に from 明鏡




for Lにも手の打ちようはなかったはずなのに, i think this would apply, with も adding a " **even**
a person like L couldn't..." emphasis

> ㋚その状態が適切かどうかを判断するための、個別の基準を表す。「私には大きい」「子供には無理だ」

where as 浮気相手に手の打ちようがない would the follow. with に marking 浮気相手 as the 目標 of
手を打つ.

> ㋔精神作用の向けられる目標を表す。「母に甘える」「スターにあこがれる」「幼馴染みに恋する」「スポーツに熱中する」「勉強に打ち込む」

definitions of に from 明鏡

