(What the heck, might as well share this one)
Info:Death Note was a manga created by Takeshi Obata(Illustrations) and Tsugumi Ohba(Story,writing and everything else.), published in Shonen Jump from November 2003 to May 2006. Death Note adapted into a anime on October 3rd, 2006 and ran until June 26th, 2007 on Japanese television. It also spawned a series of video games and three live-action films, along with two light novels and two animated films(which were condensed versions of the story.
Even the word "Death" in the title should tell you that this for older audiences. The violence is depicted realistically, despite the supernatural elements, as people die of heart attacks,accidents,etc. Mild language is promiment in the English dub, although the original Japanese version may contain stronger language, depending on what subtitle translation you are watching with(Official or fan-sub) and the second opening's lyrics feature the word "fucker" a few times. Sexual content is minimal, aside from a few innuendos.
Review:
Well considering that I haven't read the manga for "The Big O!", I'll have to put that review on hold, but I'll go head and write a long-awaited review(in my opinion, as I've really wanted to do a review of this series) of the popular series, Death Note. After watching Tokyo Mew Mew(which was okay, considering I don't watch magical girl anime much.),I started watching this along with Azumanga Daioh (a odd combination) and I unintentionally speed through it quickly, because it was so engrossing and suspenseful(at the time). I later read the manga and rewatched the anime(mostly through the "Rewrite" films) and I realized it wasn't as much of a masterpiece as I thought, but it was still a solid anime series.
The story starts out with a high school student named "Light Yagami" who considers the world to be rotten, considering the high levels of crime happening in Japan and a Shinigami("Death God" to the people who don't know much about Japanese mythology.) who's bored with the world he lives in[the Shinigami Realm]. Light finds a notebook on the ground, then considers it to be a junvenile prank at first, but he lets the curiosity get the better of him. He tries it for the first time on a criminal who happens to be holding children hostage at a elementary school. He writes the criminal's name in the notebook and waits 40 seconds to pass(The notebook kills people in 40 seconds normally), but sees that nothing has happened.. yet. As he is about to turn his television off, the news reporters state that the hostages have been successfully rescued and that the criminal in question has died, with one witness stated that he just "collapsed". Even though it was a criminal, Light goes into shock afterwards. Later on he goes to a convenience store and just reads a manga. Three men appear towards a vulnerable woman and one of them introduces himself. The man tells his accomplices to take the clothes off of the poor lady. But switch back to Light with a plain look on, writing down the name of the criminal in his notebook. The woman runs away and that same guy tries to chase after her on his motorcycle, but a delivery truck soon crashes into him. Light goes into shock once again, as he finds out that the notebook can kill in other ways besides a heart attack!
At first you think he's actually using the notebook with good intentions by killing two criminals, one which held children hostage and the other who tried to rape a woman, but soon we see that Light has written a lot of names in his notebook. He looks over his work, with a evil chuckle. But then someone comes into his room.. said person happens to be the Shinigami from before and so beings the story with Ryuk and Light meeting for the first time.
Animation-wise, this is a great-looking anime..
After seeing Chobits, this is what I thought was MADHOUSE's animation style:
But then I saw Death Note and realized that MADHOUSE can do a large variety of animation styles:
Serious Light is Serious
Death Note's animation is step above most anime, presenting realistic anatomy,looks and shading. One of the characters, Misa Amane is about the only character that's close to looking like a average anime character, although she doesn't have big eyes. Light and L are the other two that also stand out, not only in the anime itself.. but from other anime as well. L has "panda" eyes, with bags constantly under his eyes(from sleep deprivation obviously.) and Light has two distinct eye styles, in which his normal eyes(Episodes 1 and 16-24) denote that he's the normal ace student he used to be, while his slanted eyes(Episodes 2-15 and 17-37) denote that he's Kira.
Audio-wise, Death Note has a soundtrack that's almost as addictive as Cowboy Bebop. The majority of the soundtrack is atmospheric rock, with a little trip-hop and electronica thrown in. However the series will also use orchestrated music in certain moments, which actually re-asserts Light's "god complex". I'm a fan of the music too, with some of it on my computer and phone(Same goes for Cowboy Bebop). My only nitpick is that while the second opening song is head-bangingly awesome, it just doesn't fit the series, in comparison with the first opening theme which fits the series just fine.
Voice acting is solid in both the original Japanese version and the dub, although some things didn't transfer well in localization, like Misa's terrible singing voice(which was better in the Japanese version). I feel that Brian Drummond did a solid job portraying Ryuk, especially with his creepy laugh and Alesssandro Juliani does a solid portrayal of L. Brad Swalie(dub) and Mamoru Miyano(original Japanese version) both portray Light well, although they both have different strengths. Misa Amane is still annoying in both versions, however.
For example in one episode, Light takes a potato chip and eats it(which inspired a meme). While Swalie does it in a over-the-top manner, Miyano on the other hand portrays it like a badass. However Swalie literally has the last laugh, portraying Light's laugh in the final episode in a chilling manner.(as opposed to Miyano's depressing laugh).
Either way, both the dub and original Japanese version fare well.
Character-wise, this is actually one of the more debated parts of Death Note, considering that while it has an interesting concept, some people will say that the characters were perfect and others state that some of the characters were flawed.
In my opinion, I do believe that a few of the characters are in fact, flawed.
This does goes into spoiler territory, so beware.
First off, we can focus on our main antagonist, Light Yagami. Originally he starts out as a guy you would normally cheer off, considering that he's taking down criminals.. right? In actuality, Light loses his mind over the course of the series.
Heartless bastard in progress
Some people also have the audacity to say that Light is intelligent, when that's only evident in the first episode and the first half of episode 2.(Along with maybe episode 16 and onward)
Soon the police recognize that someone is out there murdering criminals and that's not much they can do about it. But then they call in L and soon the Japanese police department joins in on the investigation. L sets up a decoy on national television(not really.. it's just limited to Japan.), called "Lind. L Tailor". He declares that he is L and what Kira is doing is evil, pissing off Light, who wastes no time and kills LLT on the spot. One of Light's flaws is his egotistical ideals of "If no one worships me for the God I am, I'll kill them.". He desires for everything to work towards his advantage, which does happen a few times in the first half, but it's more common in the second half up to a certain point. He could've realized that it was a trap all along and resisted killing Lind L Tailor. Light also seems to take risks, especially when Raye Penbar was on his tail for a few episodes. He could've been easily framed as Kira if he wasn't careful, as Raye Penbar could have written a name of a passenger on the train and ended up finding out what the pieces of the notebook could do. At least he wasn't stupid in the rest of the first half, more or less a bastard. You could consider Light Yagami to be a god, but only as one that punishes anyone who doesn't abide by his rules.
You are mean one, MrGrinch Yagami
When L decides to take matters into his own hands, he becomes friends with Light. Light lacks compassion for anyone who isn't on his side.. in fact he is cold-hearted. You have to feel sorry for L, with him considering Light to be his only friend.. episodes 16-24 pretty much highlighted L and Light's platonic relationship. However, L is a friend with a benefit.. as Light could easily kill L right there and now, but another character stalls Light's plans.. Misa Amane.
Now let's change the focus over to Misa and I won't go into much detail either, as Misa is simply put, a "dumb blonde".(Blondes aren't really unintelligent, but it applies in this case) Misa embodies the "yandere" stereotype, as she'll do anything to please Light, but however she does get in the way frequently(She appears less in the second half, though.), which stalls Light's opportunities to kill L. Misa also gives this otherwise serious anime, a "sitcom" feel with her actions, not to mention she's annoying and useless. Only a few times in the anime is she actually useful, but otherwise she's just another worthless character half of the time.
L is the true hero of the series, for at least the first half. L is one of the best characters in the series in my opinion, as he's got his own quirks(although he eats like a pig) and without him, Death Note would just be a boring anime about a guy[Light Yagami] killing people. You could see L as a good version of Light, without the egotism or god complex. Despite falling into one of Light's traps later in the series, L is a careful character, but he's also smarter than Light in some regards. Unlike Light, L doesn't involve emotions with his work. Light's egotism and arrogance
. L, on the other hand while intent on solving on the investigation, taking any means to solve it, doesn't share the same twisted morals as Light.
Some people will root for Light, but others(like me) will root for L.
Ryuk is another interesting character, mostly because he's neither good or evil. While Ryuk does give Light
further instructions about using the Death Note and even notifying him about certain things like the "Shinigami eye deal"(which halves your lifespan), Ryuk is only doing what he's supposed to. Ryuk doesn't care if what Light is doing is good or evil, as Ryuk is just like a spectator, relieving his boredom by watching Light kill people.
The other characters in the series serve their purpose and a few of them have their own episodes.
Two major ones that appear later in the series.. I'll just give short, non spoiler-ish explanations, rather than the lengthy descriptions of Light and L.
Near is a character that appears later, after a certain event in the manga and anime, who is similar to L. He's okay, but he doesn't really amount up to L. Mikami is the fourth Kira who appears later, who shares most of the same traits of Light's personality, except that Mikami is obsessive-compulsive(which becomes important later).
Overall to finish up this review, Death Note isn't a masterpiece by any regards, but amid it's flaws, it's also an interesting character-study, to see how brilliant(sometimes) a villain that Light is.
Death Note isn't for everyone though, as some people may not like the fact that a serial killer is one of the main stars. Others may enjoy it for Light's badass-ness, but personally I liked it for the cat-and-mouse games that Light and L had.
I also consider it to be one of the few good anime/manga to be published in Shonen Jump, although Death Note is more borderline seinen. Death Note also manages to be faithful to the manga, with few differences. Another cool thing about the series is the notebook itself.
Sure it can cause heart atracks but yet it's such a versatile weapon, heck.. Light even tests the capabilities of it early in the series.
In the mind of Kira, you could think of all of the ways to kill people, but unfortunately it has to be via realistic means, so I'm not entirely sure if the Death Note could cause a mass plague or not.
I do feel that the moral themes could've been expanded on, instead of leaving in the dust after the first few episodes.
In my opinion, Death Note is worth checking out for someone who's tired of anime filled with cute little girls or mediocre plotlines with many holes.(Death Note does contain a few plot holes, but most of everything is tied up in the end.)
I recommend against skimping out by watching Rewrite, as Rewrite contains multiple plot holes(because it's condensed, which means that some moments were cut out.), which isn't really worth it for a few new scenes.
4 out of 5 people just said "Just as planned".
Yes, I just had to do that
The next review will probably be the "Big O!" or something else.
Original Source
Info:Death Note was a manga created by Takeshi Obata(Illustrations) and Tsugumi Ohba(Story,writing and everything else.), published in Shonen Jump from November 2003 to May 2006. Death Note adapted into a anime on October 3rd, 2006 and ran until June 26th, 2007 on Japanese television. It also spawned a series of video games and three live-action films, along with two light novels and two animated films(which were condensed versions of the story.
Even the word "Death" in the title should tell you that this for older audiences. The violence is depicted realistically, despite the supernatural elements, as people die of heart attacks,accidents,etc. Mild language is promiment in the English dub, although the original Japanese version may contain stronger language, depending on what subtitle translation you are watching with(Official or fan-sub) and the second opening's lyrics feature the word "fucker" a few times. Sexual content is minimal, aside from a few innuendos.
Review:
Well considering that I haven't read the manga for "The Big O!", I'll have to put that review on hold, but I'll go head and write a long-awaited review(in my opinion, as I've really wanted to do a review of this series) of the popular series, Death Note. After watching Tokyo Mew Mew(which was okay, considering I don't watch magical girl anime much.),I started watching this along with Azumanga Daioh (a odd combination) and I unintentionally speed through it quickly, because it was so engrossing and suspenseful(at the time). I later read the manga and rewatched the anime(mostly through the "Rewrite" films) and I realized it wasn't as much of a masterpiece as I thought, but it was still a solid anime series.
The story starts out with a high school student named "Light Yagami" who considers the world to be rotten, considering the high levels of crime happening in Japan and a Shinigami("Death God" to the people who don't know much about Japanese mythology.) who's bored with the world he lives in[the Shinigami Realm]. Light finds a notebook on the ground, then considers it to be a junvenile prank at first, but he lets the curiosity get the better of him. He tries it for the first time on a criminal who happens to be holding children hostage at a elementary school. He writes the criminal's name in the notebook and waits 40 seconds to pass(The notebook kills people in 40 seconds normally), but sees that nothing has happened.. yet. As he is about to turn his television off, the news reporters state that the hostages have been successfully rescued and that the criminal in question has died, with one witness stated that he just "collapsed". Even though it was a criminal, Light goes into shock afterwards. Later on he goes to a convenience store and just reads a manga. Three men appear towards a vulnerable woman and one of them introduces himself. The man tells his accomplices to take the clothes off of the poor lady. But switch back to Light with a plain look on, writing down the name of the criminal in his notebook. The woman runs away and that same guy tries to chase after her on his motorcycle, but a delivery truck soon crashes into him. Light goes into shock once again, as he finds out that the notebook can kill in other ways besides a heart attack!
At first you think he's actually using the notebook with good intentions by killing two criminals, one which held children hostage and the other who tried to rape a woman, but soon we see that Light has written a lot of names in his notebook. He looks over his work, with a evil chuckle. But then someone comes into his room.. said person happens to be the Shinigami from before and so beings the story with Ryuk and Light meeting for the first time.
Animation-wise, this is a great-looking anime..
After seeing Chobits, this is what I thought was MADHOUSE's animation style:
But then I saw Death Note and realized that MADHOUSE can do a large variety of animation styles:
Serious Light is Serious
Death Note's animation is step above most anime, presenting realistic anatomy,looks and shading. One of the characters, Misa Amane is about the only character that's close to looking like a average anime character, although she doesn't have big eyes. Light and L are the other two that also stand out, not only in the anime itself.. but from other anime as well. L has "panda" eyes, with bags constantly under his eyes(from sleep deprivation obviously.) and Light has two distinct eye styles, in which his normal eyes(Episodes 1 and 16-24) denote that he's the normal ace student he used to be, while his slanted eyes(Episodes 2-15 and 17-37) denote that he's Kira.
Audio-wise, Death Note has a soundtrack that's almost as addictive as Cowboy Bebop. The majority of the soundtrack is atmospheric rock, with a little trip-hop and electronica thrown in. However the series will also use orchestrated music in certain moments, which actually re-asserts Light's "god complex". I'm a fan of the music too, with some of it on my computer and phone(Same goes for Cowboy Bebop). My only nitpick is that while the second opening song is head-bangingly awesome, it just doesn't fit the series, in comparison with the first opening theme which fits the series just fine.
Voice acting is solid in both the original Japanese version and the dub, although some things didn't transfer well in localization, like Misa's terrible singing voice(which was better in the Japanese version). I feel that Brian Drummond did a solid job portraying Ryuk, especially with his creepy laugh and Alesssandro Juliani does a solid portrayal of L. Brad Swalie(dub) and Mamoru Miyano(original Japanese version) both portray Light well, although they both have different strengths. Misa Amane is still annoying in both versions, however.
For example in one episode, Light takes a potato chip and eats it(which inspired a meme). While Swalie does it in a over-the-top manner, Miyano on the other hand portrays it like a badass. However Swalie literally has the last laugh, portraying Light's laugh in the final episode in a chilling manner.(as opposed to Miyano's depressing laugh).
Either way, both the dub and original Japanese version fare well.
Character-wise, this is actually one of the more debated parts of Death Note, considering that while it has an interesting concept, some people will say that the characters were perfect and others state that some of the characters were flawed.
In my opinion, I do believe that a few of the characters are in fact, flawed.
This does goes into spoiler territory, so beware.
First off, we can focus on our main antagonist, Light Yagami. Originally he starts out as a guy you would normally cheer off, considering that he's taking down criminals.. right? In actuality, Light loses his mind over the course of the series.
Heartless bastard in progress
Some people also have the audacity to say that Light is intelligent, when that's only evident in the first episode and the first half of episode 2.(Along with maybe episode 16 and onward)
Soon the police recognize that someone is out there murdering criminals and that's not much they can do about it. But then they call in L and soon the Japanese police department joins in on the investigation. L sets up a decoy on national television(not really.. it's just limited to Japan.), called "Lind. L Tailor". He declares that he is L and what Kira is doing is evil, pissing off Light, who wastes no time and kills LLT on the spot. One of Light's flaws is his egotistical ideals of "If no one worships me for the God I am, I'll kill them.". He desires for everything to work towards his advantage, which does happen a few times in the first half, but it's more common in the second half up to a certain point. He could've realized that it was a trap all along and resisted killing Lind L Tailor. Light also seems to take risks, especially when Raye Penbar was on his tail for a few episodes. He could've been easily framed as Kira if he wasn't careful, as Raye Penbar could have written a name of a passenger on the train and ended up finding out what the pieces of the notebook could do. At least he wasn't stupid in the rest of the first half, more or less a bastard. You could consider Light Yagami to be a god, but only as one that punishes anyone who doesn't abide by his rules.
You are mean one, Mr
When L decides to take matters into his own hands, he becomes friends with Light. Light lacks compassion for anyone who isn't on his side.. in fact he is cold-hearted. You have to feel sorry for L, with him considering Light to be his only friend.. episodes 16-24 pretty much highlighted L and Light's platonic relationship. However, L is a friend with a benefit.. as Light could easily kill L right there and now, but another character stalls Light's plans.. Misa Amane.
Now let's change the focus over to Misa and I won't go into much detail either, as Misa is simply put, a "dumb blonde".(Blondes aren't really unintelligent, but it applies in this case) Misa embodies the "yandere" stereotype, as she'll do anything to please Light, but however she does get in the way frequently(She appears less in the second half, though.), which stalls Light's opportunities to kill L. Misa also gives this otherwise serious anime, a "sitcom" feel with her actions, not to mention she's annoying and useless. Only a few times in the anime is she actually useful, but otherwise she's just another worthless character half of the time.
L is the true hero of the series, for at least the first half. L is one of the best characters in the series in my opinion, as he's got his own quirks(although he eats like a pig) and without him, Death Note would just be a boring anime about a guy[Light Yagami] killing people. You could see L as a good version of Light, without the egotism or god complex. Despite falling into one of Light's traps later in the series, L is a careful character, but he's also smarter than Light in some regards. Unlike Light, L doesn't involve emotions with his work. Light's egotism and arrogance
come back to bite him in the ass in the end, where he gets captured by Near and is later killed by Ryuk
Some people will root for Light, but others(like me) will root for L.
Ryuk is another interesting character, mostly because he's neither good or evil. While Ryuk does give Light
and laterKyosuke Higuchi and then Teru Mikami, both who are unaware that they are involved in Light's plan
The other characters in the series serve their purpose and a few of them have their own episodes.
Two major ones that appear later in the series.. I'll just give short, non spoiler-ish explanations, rather than the lengthy descriptions of Light and L.
Near is a character that appears later, after a certain event in the manga and anime, who is similar to L. He's okay, but he doesn't really amount up to L. Mikami is the fourth Kira who appears later, who shares most of the same traits of Light's personality, except that Mikami is obsessive-compulsive(which becomes important later).
Overall to finish up this review, Death Note isn't a masterpiece by any regards, but amid it's flaws, it's also an interesting character-study, to see how brilliant(sometimes) a villain that Light is.
Death Note isn't for everyone though, as some people may not like the fact that a serial killer is one of the main stars. Others may enjoy it for Light's badass-ness, but personally I liked it for the cat-and-mouse games that Light and L had.
I also consider it to be one of the few good anime/manga to be published in Shonen Jump, although Death Note is more borderline seinen. Death Note also manages to be faithful to the manga, with few differences. Another cool thing about the series is the notebook itself.
Sure it can cause heart atracks but yet it's such a versatile weapon, heck.. Light even tests the capabilities of it early in the series.
In the mind of Kira, you could think of all of the ways to kill people, but unfortunately it has to be via realistic means, so I'm not entirely sure if the Death Note could cause a mass plague or not.
I do feel that the moral themes could've been expanded on, instead of leaving in the dust after the first few episodes.
In my opinion, Death Note is worth checking out for someone who's tired of anime filled with cute little girls or mediocre plotlines with many holes.(Death Note does contain a few plot holes, but most of everything is tied up in the end.)
I recommend against skimping out by watching Rewrite, as Rewrite contains multiple plot holes(because it's condensed, which means that some moments were cut out.), which isn't really worth it for a few new scenes.
4 out of 5 people just said "Just as planned".
Yes, I just had to do that
The next review will probably be the "Big O!" or something else.
Original Source