After finishing Blood+, I craved for more anime. I think it’s a subliminal thing, oh well. I was searching the Internet communities that I hang out on and perused for something to quench my thirst. I stumbled upon people ranting about how this show called Death Note was so amazing and how everyone needs to see it. So, I went out and watched it. And boy, they where right!
Death Note (Desu nôto)
5 Stars
This show starts off in modern day Japan with a high school senior named Yagami Light. Light is a top student in his school, ranking 1st in all his classes and all test scores. Aspiring for college, he accidentally stumbles upon a Shinigami’s notebook.
A Shinigami is an other-worldly being that comes from the Realm of Death. They are Bringers of Death that occasionally visit the world of man for entertainment They usually “drop” their notebooks to see what Man would do with it’s power. The Death Note is a powerful notebook that will kill anyone that has their name written in the book. The author has full control of time, location, and how a person dies. The only downside is that the Author needs to know the person’s real name, and have their face in their memory when writing their name, or nothing will happen.
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When Light found this notebook, he decided to use it to cleanse the world of criminals and start over fresh with a world of order and justice. He starts with petty criminals in Japan and moves on to world criminals, slowly eliminating them all. Giving himself the name “Kira”, he proclaims himself god of this new way of life. Law enforcement agencies around the world start to try and track him down. Using his superior intellect, he manages to out wit them at every turn. Then a new player comes along. A man codenamed “L” challenges Kira claiming he will find him and bring him to justice. They battle with their wits in this stellar performance of mind games and surprises.
The main character in this story is Light. His character begins as semi-passive, and very reluctant in using the Death Note. He starts out only using the note to kill criminals to make his “perfect world.” This changes drastically when the Police start interfering and “L” comes in and challenges Light’s motives. He turns into a psychotic mastermind that will end up betraying everything he holds dear for this “perfect world.” The killings become more senseless and mainly to save his own skin . Although they are unnecessary, they are still diligently thought out and artfully executed in a manner that will leave you stunned.
Best words to describe this show—simply genius! The plot of this story takes a different spin then most other shows. Throughout the story you follow Light, which is considered a mass murder to most of the world, and a god to others. The main antagonist, “L”, is a battle hardened criminologist that works on the most complex cases worldwide. Having someone, which society considers a “good guy”, be the main antagonist puts a real twist on how you view this storyline. You can never really tell who is the main “bad guy” and who is the main “good guy.”
The writer really took time to think this one out and produce it. Very puzzling mind games and suspenseful plot will keep you guessing what will come next, just to surprise you with another twist that is so ingenious, it’s inhuman. The way you see Light battle a hardened criminologist like “L” takes this show to another level. Most shows fight with swords and martial arts, but this show decided to take it to a whole new level of combat with mind games and intellectual battles between two masterminds. The plot of this story must have taken years of dedication and thought process to spit out such an in depth and detailed plot. I’d have to say, it is definitely a must see for any anime enthusiast.