Title: Death Note
Genres: Thriller, Psychological, Supernatural
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
General Set-Up: High School student Light (Rito) Yagami finds a “Death Note” that allows the writer to kill the person whose name he writes. Armed with this notebook, Light decides to rid the world of all evil by judging all that have done wrong in his eyes. Throughout the story, several people rise up against Light, in order to stop his killing. Most notable is the Japanese police and a strange detective named L.
Characters: Light is a very different main character. I’ve seen shows where the main character is the villain, but never have I seen a show where the villain was so convinced that he was right, and spent so much time trying to convince you of the same thing. The show is much more enjoyable if you know that Light is the villain instead of wondering how messed up the author is.
The other notable character is L who is not introduced until several episodes into the show. All I feel comfortable saying is that he is a worthy foe to Light.
Plot: This is the show that started the genre of psychological thriller. The plot is extremely well written. With shows this wordy, many people get bored, myself included. However, this show is so well written that I don’t think that it is possible to be bored while watching the show. And that really is the highest praise that I can give it.
Ending: For the ending, and really the second season of the show, there are two camps. There are those who don’t like it because it didn’t go the way they wanted and those who will appreciate it for the amazing plot it has. I have yet to meet a single person who is not in one of these two camps. You like it or you hate it. But if you don’t like it, don’t worry. There is a Death Note movie series that has an alternate ending.
Sound: The music in Death Note was really well done, like, maybe too well done. At times over dramatic, the music does not fail to impress. Two notable songs are L’s Theme and the first opening “The World.” Both songs fit the characters and show in general well.
The English dub of this show blew it out of the water. Just because of the massive amount of reading that comes with the sub, I recommend watching the dub. But this is not just your normal dub, but I think one of the best dubs I have ever heard. The voice actor for L especially did a good job making you realize that you can’t take everything at face value. The script for the dub was one of the best translations I have seen. One of the major problems with translating anything is deciding if you want to do a word-for-word translation or a thought-for-thought translation. Death Note perfects the balance between the two.
Animation: Death Note is basically a radio show with a crazy high budget. It animation is always fluid, if not over the top. The darker colors reflect the moral grayness of the show. In a word: beautiful.
Things to watch out for: This anime does not a have a set or morals that any of the major characters follow. You have to decide your own moral code, this show won’t give you one. Many people take this show very seriously and it has sparked a real life murder and has been the basis of several suicide pacts and suicide notes. This has caused the series to be banned in several countries. While I wouldn’t say the show is dark, the moral void is too much for people who have not fully matured. Because of that I would recommend that the viewer be at least 14.
Other Media: Death Note was originally a manga, but has sparked a trilogy of movies by Warner Brother Japan. (This trilogy follows the anime/manga until the second half then has its own original plot.) Recently a Japanese live action of the anime was released (not related to the movies), but personally I didn’t like this live action adaption at all. It also has two animated movies that cover the basic plot of the anime called Death Note Relight (1 and 2).
Where to watch it: Death Note is available on Netflix and Hulu.
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