Death Note

~*Death Note: How to Make "Smart" Characters*~ The dynamic of Death Note is simple: -Protagonist (whichever one you thought it was in this show) comes up with a plan A. -Antagonist (whichever one you thought it was) has already anticipated plan A and has come up with plan B in order to thwart plan B. -Protagonist, as it turns out, has anticipated this anticipation, and so has devised plan C to counter plan B. -Antagonist, as it turns out, has anticipated this anticipation, and so has devised plan D to counter plan C -Protagonist, as it turns out, has anticipated this anticipation, and so has devised plan E to counter plan D -Antagonist, as it turns out, has anticipated this anticipation, and so has devised plan F to counter plan E -Protagonist, as it turns out, has anticipated this anticipation, and so has devised plan G to counter plan F -Antagonist, as it turns out, has anticipated this anticipation, and so has devised plan H to counter plan G -Protagonist, as it turns out, has anticipated this anticipation, and so has devised plan I to counter plan H .... Continue until author gets tired and one pre-anticipation is either incorrect or not made. This is how "smart" characters are made. There is no actual discussion of likely contingencies, it's just literal mystic intelligence. They know exactly what the other one is going to do at least 40 steps ahead. It's kind of stupid. Also, L was a crappy character. Also, Light was a crappy character too, and dumb to boot. He tested out the Death Note by only killing people in a prison in his prefecture or something. When the broadcast went out he should have immediately deduced that it was a sting by dint of having only killed criminals in that region, or should have been more skeptical about whether there is even such a thing as a worldwide broadcast. Also, once this actually happened they discuss explicitly how it could basically only be Light Yagami because he had to have had access to police records and was killing people on a schedule that was consistent with a student. The only thing preventing the police from convicting him was cowardice. 3/10 lol.

This was my first anime I have ever watched and was an amazing introduction anime for me. I am now abit more familiar with anime now but this is probably still my favourite one. Sound/Soundtrack: I have always said that if you do not notice the background music in a film then the soundtrack is doing its job. Not once was I distracted by the soundtrack,it fits in very well with the whole theme of the anime. As a big fan of the band Maximum The Hormone I can say I really appreciated the opening and closing of each episode. Art: I am not much of a artist but I think just about anyone can enjoy the art in Death Note. Rather than taking on a theme of its own it just tries to mimic reality and it does so beautifully. The art just adds to the already delightful experience of Death Note. Character: Every character is solid and has there own distinguishable character. The chemistry between characters if very good but not amazing. Death Note does a very good job in showing heavy emotions like anger and sadness in the anime. Story: This is defiantly where Death Note shines brightest. The already amazing plot line is executed flawlessly. Everything is well explained without lingering on anything for too long. Enjoyment: Death Note might be very serious but it also knows how to have a little fun. One might be able to argue that there is little re-watch value and with valid points aswell. I have watched it twice (about a 2 year gap between) and found both times extremely enjoyable. I'll give Death Note the perfect score of 10/10

Spoilers ahead. If you want an anime filled with mystery, tension as well as mind evoking moments just like myself, this is perfect for you. Death Note is a compelling, well written and unique story able to combine story, art, music and characters to create a masterpiece like no other before. Story-10/10 A truly outstanding story. Thrilling enough to have me off the edge of my seat at times. The interaction between the main cast, the dialogue and a considerable amount of plot twists was what made it so special. Even if the second part of the series is much weaker than the first one, it still makes you completely engaged to the story. The main character was what made it so exceptional, as he was unlike any others I had ever seen in other shonen manga. Light Yagami plays the role of the main antagonist, trying to outmanoeuvre and manipulate innocent people by killing them, just for the completion of his own goals. It adds more interest and tension to the viewers, as we slowly find ourselves questioning how an honour student becomes an A class serial killer in such a short time. Characters-10/10 Amazing characters, with an unforgettable main cast. The reason the second part of the story was considerably weaker was mainly because of L's replacement with Near, who I absolutely despised at that point of time. It just shows you how complex and mysterious L's character was, as his ''friendship'' with Light grew stronger. The game between a psychotic killer and a hero certainly makes you hooked on your TV screen, as it slowly makes you rethink which side you should choose. Like a game of chess, it's unpredictable, it mind boggles your mind until you make your final decision about who the winner should be. And when you find out who wins, you stare at the board in awe. That is exactly how I felt when L died, except for a moment I didn't stare in awe but in disappointment. I could never forgive Near for replacing such a character. But the positives about Light and L made me completely disregard everything negative about Near, and thus this is why I give the character section a perfect score. Even if I find L's character to be better than Light's, I find myself questioning whether he is my favourite or not. The answer to this question changes every single day, as I really can't decide who is better between them. I would really like to choose L, but I always find myself picking up Light. That's because I can relate to Light more on a personal level. And also because villainous characters are kind of my ''fetish''. Secondary characters are excellent. Misa's personality might be annoying for some people but I find her perfect as a comic relief character, at least for this kind of anime. As a shinigami, Ryuk plays a fantastic role, same with the Task Force members. Art-10/10 For a shonen anime the art is outstanding. The animation is probably one of the greatest points about the series, as not only does it capture the scenery perfectly, but it also makes every character move fluently. Despite the minimal movement, every action scene is animated perfectly. Epic scenes like ''I'll take a potato chip and eat it!'' will make you hyperventilate from excitement and pure satisfaction!!! Sound-10/10 Low of Solipsism, Kira's theme, L's theme, Near's theme and many many many others will always rest in my Ipod, in the Playlist titled : ''Greatest themes of all time''... nuff said... Enjoyment-10/10 I thoroughly enjoyed Death Note (as you may have guessed)... Before you call me a fan boy, (which I am) I must say that this anime is definitely in my Top 5. Recommendations: 1) Code Geass They are both too similar in way too many aspects. Mainly, Lelouch is the next Light Yagami with slight differences... 2) Hunter x Hunter It has nothing to do with Death Note. But this is too, one of the best shonen manga out there.

"I'LL TAKE A POTATO CHIP... AND EAAAT IT!!!" Ahhh yes. The ever so popular Death Note. To be honest I never understood what people saw in it. I was kinda never able to bring myself to watch it thinking that it was probably boring and dull. Well, I was wrong. Let's start with the story then. It's simple enough, we have a bored psychopathic high school student (Light Yagami) who finds a notebook (called Death Note). It's not just an average notebook though, oh no. This one can kill a human whose name is written into it. Naturally the first thing I though was great he's gonna kill everyone. However it turns out that Light is a man of principles and he wants to create a just world by killing criminals across the globe. Joining him is a shinigami by the name of Ryuk. He's a tall intimidating fellow, although he rarely gets involved in Light's matters. Actually the only thing he seems to care about are... apples. And so the duo sets out on a journey to rid the world of evil. The plot picks up from there and gets more and more interesting as the story progresses. The characters are very interesting and there are... phew, dozens of them. I'm not going to discuss each and every individual character because it would take me years to do that. Intead I'll sum up the three main ones. Light, L and Misa. Light, as I mentioned earlier is a high school student but he's not your avergage student. He is a genius, a prodigy. Brought in to capture him is L, another genius with an amazingly fast intellect. He can work out what you're going to say before you even think about it. Then we have Misa, a famous pop celebrity who also happens to posses a death note. She meets Light and finds out that he also has one. She falls in love with him and literally becomes his slave after that. I didn't like that development though. I don't mind a bit of romance and love but Light and Misa's relationship gets extremely repetetive and there is no development there whatsoever. A bit sad, isn't it? Sound and art are absolutely amazing. I thought the sound was composed by Hans Zimmer himself. It's overly epic. It'll squeeze a few tears out of you, trust me. Art is super epic. It's like Bleach meets Dragon Ball. I never knew writing something in a stupid notebook could look so amazing. The pen becomes an instrument, and the person writing with it is... a composer and the music he creates shakes the entire world, nay, the universe gahhhh! Something like that. In other words this is one hell of an epic series that everyone must see. But if you have read this far then you're probably wondering, if I like it so much then why did I give it a rating of 9 and not 10? Well, let me explain then. It's the ending. For an anime of this calibre, the ending is absolutely horrible. I'll be frank - it's crap. When watching the death note I was expecting a more meaningful ending. I don't know, some kinda of a recap on human history, some kinda of a philosphical explanation of life narrated by the main character or something like that but... nada, the edning is completely meaningless. It will let you down a little, because you've come so far watching the series you'd expect some kind of a reward at the end. But instead of getting a tasty meal, you're left with leftovers. Therefore I had to lower my score by a point. Death Note is a great anime and deserves its high popularity, however because if its ending it will never be a masterpiece. All that said, I recommend this anime to everyone. It's very interesting and entertaining!

Death Note, as I'm sure you know by now, revolves around Light Yagami, a genius high school student, who finds a notebook titled Death Note, giving him the power to kill someone simply by writing his or her name into it. He takes it upon himself to rid the world of criminals, and hopes to become the God of the new world he creates. Upon killing many criminals, the world takes notice, giving this unknown killer the name Kira. The greatest detective in the world, L, is notified and takes up the case to find Kira and bring him to justice. The story really is an interesting one, there are many extremely suspenseful moments spread throughout the anime (although most are in the first half). It starts out exceptionally well, hooking you from the first episode due to the interesting story, and instantly making you a fan in the second with the introduction of L. From there, the story goes on at a fast pace, always suspenseful and extremely entertaining. We first run into some problems when, in episode 16, Light executes a plan which we may appreciate in later episodes as genius, but for the span of seven episodes, the series' excitement lessens. This is because previously in the series, there were two different focuses: Light attempting to kill L and L attempting to find out Kira's identity. However, after episode 16, the former element is removed from the show until episode 24, when Light's plan is unveiled. But the show barely even has a chance to pick up steam again, because two episodes later, an even worse change takes place, as two new characters take up the Kira case, Near and Mello. For the remaining episodes, the only motivation for watching the series is that you feel a need to know how it ends since it was so captivating in the beginning, but almost none of the suspense remains. The series doesn't return to form until the last two episodes, when Light is directly confronted, but with one last trick up his sleeve. The art is great, it has a darker feel to it, which suits the tone of the anime. During some of the more crazy name-writing scenes the limits of the artists are really pushed as there is a sudden explosion of pen flying across paper with sparks seemingly erupting from the Death Note, and the criminals subsequently collapsing. The art also receives a needed improvement during the most important scenes, where the background detail is significantly amplified. Aside from these improvements, the art still remains fantastic throughout, the characters look great and the backgrounds are nicely detailed. The voice acting (I've only seen the dub) is similarly great, especially in L's case. The music is a strong point, the first opening and closing themes are great, as is the rest of the music for L's arc. There are many memorable songs, from simple but catchy guitar riffs to haunting piano compositions to full-blown neo-classical orchestras, complete with opera-esque vocals (to accompany those crazy name-writing scenes mentioned earlier, along with a couple other moments of major suspense). Like all (well, most) things in Death Note, the music gets weaker after L's arc, but there are still a couple great songs introduced in the second half. The character selection shows a nice variety, and nearly all of them have a purpose in the show. Light is a very interesting character, yet as the protagonist (if you can call him that) he lacks qualities you can relate to. Obviously there are people who agree with the major ideal of Kira, the ideal being that murdering people who do nothing but bad for the world is morally right, however you can not relate to Light from the very beginning of the show, best shown by his immediate desire to become God of his new world upon discovering the Death Note. No matter your ideals, I highly doubt your major concern, if given the power to kill, would be becoming a God. Sure, everyone wants power, but Light's just a little...crazy. And his craziness increases throughout the show, gradually increasing as Light gains less and less regard for other people until his insanity peaks with the last episode. L is a very interesting character, a lonely genius who enjoys eating sweets, sits (and holds objects) oddly. He doesn't really develop from there, he's always the same old detective with questionable tactics, but the character's always fun to watch. The small police team working with L has a nice little variety of personalities and moral positions. Misa is annoying, as she's supposed to be, so I'm not really sure if that's a positive for the show, for being able to make a character who you wish Light would just kill off, or a negative, for being, you know, annoying. Ryuk, the Shinigami who follows Light for a section of the show, is very entertaining. He's the one who causes the story to unravel, dropping the Death Note from the Shinigami realm just because he was bored. He brings some humor to a show that is devoid of it otherwise (other than Matsuda's obsession with Misa and L making the rare quip, which is always hilarious to me because up until he says it, you'd never imagine his character would make a "Light" pun, among other things), with his love of apples and the withdrawal symptoms he gets when doesn't have access to any, always laughing at the misfortune of Light in his raspy voice. Rem, another Shinigami, serves her purpose as a small obstacle to Light but doesn't add any extra enjoyment in doing so. Near is really a flat-out bad character. Although he serves as an "L 2" of sorts, just because he takes up the Kira investigation doesn't mean he has to act just like L with minor differences. Formula for 1N (one Near) L - love of sweets + love of toys - black hair + white hair - both legs up when sitting + one leg up when sitting + always sitting - all enjoyment while watching - respect* = N *L gains your respect (or he would if you had respect for anime characters) by showing his genius throughout the show while Near just comes to the right conclusion immediately. L is guilty of this as well at times, but not to the same extent that Near is. Mello is pretty generic, he's pretty much just your average bad guy. But smarter. And with chocolate. So, does Death Note deserve a 10? Well, not really. All the flaws should take a huge chunk of enjoyment away, and they do, especially the entirety of the last half of the show (and that sounds like a damn huge flaw, an entire HALF of the show!?), but there's just no other rating I can give it. I flat out loved this show, and while in my mind it seems that I'm overrating it, it seems that it has a similar effect on others, as generally everyone recognizes the second half of the show as weak, yet the average rating is still 8.89. So while there are apparent flaws all over the show, all the positives outweigh the negatives to such an extent that the show receives a perfect score from me.

"I'll Take A Potato Chip... AND EAT IT!" -Light Yagami The 2006 Psychological-Thriller anime and the top 32 of the best animes in MyAnimeList, Death Note, is no exception and by far, the horrific masterpiece of the 21st century. Unlike any Detective, mystery animes out there like "Detective Conan", Death Note is the one who can make you going at the edge of your seat. It has tons of plot twists, the chase between good and evil is fantastic, logics and puzzles surrounding the story, and other good stuffs surrounds here. This is the darkest anime that I've seen thus far, and that's why, until now, this anime is still circulating the pop-culture today. Story: (SPOILERS) The story starts with the man named Light Yagami, a 17 High School Senior who is smart and intelligent and popular to women due to his looks. But, according to Light, he is already bored on his current situation right now, including his life, his school and even the world. Then, when he saw a notebook falls to the ground, he gets suspicious and tested it on his own hands whether this notebook is true or not. And when he use it, it was a surprise that the first guy who wrote on his Death Note dies of a heart attack, at first, it was a coincidence, but when he uses it on the second time because the group of thugs were sexually aroused by the innocent woman, one of the thugs dies. And with that, he is now currently trying to kill every single one of the criminals in Japan in order to restore the "Justice" in his own hands with his fellow Shinigami named "Ryuk", naming himself by the codename "Kira". But, when the mysterious detective named "L" interested about Light's mysterious killing behind the scenes, Light gladly accepts the challenge from L and the fight is on for who will get the right to fight for justice. The tensions is the best in my opinion when a detective named "L" was been introduced to stop Light, AKA, Kira, from killing every single one of the criminals around Japan. Then, things are about to get a little bit interesting when Light's father, Soichiro Yagami, is a Bureau Chief of the police department and now L's Deputy Director. But, Light is also smart and intelligent in many ways, so in order to prevent L's for suspecting him that he is Kira, he do many preventable ways in order to keeping out of the limelight from L. There are so many things that I could say, this is very fantastic and smart. It was great, full of surprises, so many plot twists, and secrets behind Light's shadow as Kira. Everything in this anime is the icing of the cake with the cherry on top. Including some Logic and puzzles that could make you think what will happen next is really keeps me on the edge of my seat. And It was very fantastic to see those scenes. Of course, because of Light, there are no happy endings, I assure you, he's the enemy of the state, so there's no such thing as "The Bad Guy Wins And The Story Ends" cliche. If there was an anime that has that cliche, Death Note has not. It was good, And bad in both ways. Why? Good because the bad guy dies, Bad because of the story's ending. And like everyone around the internet who watched this anime, this explanation fron "Knight_Sentinel" from fanpop.com has a good explaination, and according to him: "For one thing, I never really liked Near or Mello, I always felt they were pale imitations of L. Near didn't really outwit Light he just got lucky because of Mikami's mistake. If Light had to lose, it should have been to L and it should have been because of some clever trick not sheer luck. Secondly, given how original the anime had been to that point, the issues it had raised such as questioning what was right or wrong I expected something better than the standard cliched "good guys beat the bad guys" ending. Light did do a lot of questionable things(as most great figures in history have done) but he was trying to create a better world and it would have been interesting and in keeping with the highly original spirit of the anime to see him win." But anyways, the story is great, the only thing that it was criticized about is the ending. Art: Due to it's graphical nature and it's violence, the art and animation performed well in this anime. But the only animation that really caught my eye is the first opening sequence of Death Note, where Light depicted as the false god and the "Pieta" depiction of Raye Penber and his fiancee Naome Misura. Sound: I've watched the English Dub Version of this anime, and the thing is, it was great actually from Light, to Ryuk, to L and others. All of the voice actors is the best in this English dub version. And as for the background music, it was a tense and gives me a lot of goosebumps in every single one of the episodes out there. And as for the OSTs, the only two themes that I like are the songs, "What's up People" and "Zetsubou Billy" from the Japanese metal band, "Maximum The Hormone". Character: From Light's Anti-hero character to L. There are a lot of character development around here, and the characters here are perfect. I have nothing to say in this character section. So, it is a job well done for these characters here. Enjoyment/Overall: Like I said before, this anime will always get you at the edge of your seat, it will gave you thrills and suspense about it and the revelations about who is owners of the Death Note and the purpose of this if somebody takes control of this diabolical notebook. So it is a job well done to MadHouse Entertainment and Tetsurou Araki (currently director of "Attack on Titan") for doing this wonderful work. The anime is great and it is the best anime of the 21st century because of the famous "Death Note" Notebook that circulating around the web. Including the important rule of Death Note is "The Human whose name is written in this note shall die. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject's face in mind when writing his/her name. This is to prevent people who share the same name from being affected." So my final verdict for this anime is a 9/10. The main bummer here is the ending of the story, that looks like it was in a hurry to quickly air the final episode. To be honest, it was good if MadHouse just told the fans to calmly wait for the final episode in order to set those things right. But anyways, 9/10 is enough to see this anime a well-done performance from MadHouse. It was fantastic! And I have the moral lesson of this story, and that was: "Any gift or power can be used for good or evil, abused or praised, it's not destiny that controls those actions, it's our decisions."

Unique, clever, thrilling, addictive. I cannot fathom the brain and thought process of who created this. In my opinion, "Outstanding" summarises Death Note from start to finish. I have never watched anything so 'clever' in my entire life. You think you're smart enough to guess what happens next, I guarantee you won't. After a couple of episodes, you'll be hooked. This is truly an anime anyone can watch. It pushes the limits of what can be created via fiction. The sense of morality, hope, justice, revenge and righteousness are a few examples of what you can expect. The plot twists and the character development are superb. After each episode you want more! I would highly recommend this to everyone, whether or not you are into anime, it is irrelevant. Death Note from start to finish questions the difference of what can be considered 'good' and 'bad', or in this case, good vs evil. If you have half a brain, or an average IQ, you cannot help but be sucked into this. This is easily the most thrilling series of something I have ever watched. Not the first anime i've seen either, but this one stands out the most. An absolute masterpiece, you won't regret watching this. - Joseph

Death Note is the first anime that I have ever watched. At the time, I did not consider myself to be a fan of anime in the slightest, and it was my girlfriend that convinced me to give this show a chance. It did not disappoint, and it has changed my view on anime completely. I will try my best to keep this review spoiler free, not revealing any major plot points, which could ultimately ruin the show for those yet to watch it. I personally feel that the concept of Death Note is unlike anything I had seen created before, giving a good understanding to the viewer about how too much power can corrupt any man. The way that this descent into madness is handled is brilliant, and although the change begins very early in the show, it increases towards the end. The entire show is essentially one big, exciting game of cat and mouse between main characters, Light and L. After a few episodes, you will begin to "take the side" of one of these main characters. The show does a fantastic job of providing both sides of the argument positives and negatives. The way that Death Note constantly surprises the viewer is mesmerizing, what you are expecting to happen rarely ever takes place. The characters in Death Note are the real selling point of the show. Two completely unique characters, unlike many others in media today. We decide which one we consider to be the protagonist and the antagonist. Both believing that they are fighting for justice, giving these characters their conviction, both feel that they are in the right. Ryuk is a Shinigami, he is responsible for Light being given the Death Note, and throughout the show provides comic relief. I do, however, feel that Ryuk was a bit of a wasted opportunity, and after the first 10 episodes he rarely appears. The concept of the Shinigami World having Death Notes is an interesting one, and I am upset that we did not learn more about it. Later on in the show, we also get to know the character Near, who I feel is an under appreciated character. His personality is very unique, and the actions we see him carry out, in order to find Kira are interesting. He is often seen playing with toys, which depict characters from the show. The show also introduces many other characters, however none of them are nearly as memorable as Light and L. Like most people, I have to agree that the show begins to go downhill after episode 25. However, in my opinion, it does not become as awful as some people make it out to be. It is just not up to the same quality as it once was. I thoroughly enjoyed the finale, and feel that most of the loose ends were tied up. If the show were to have had a different ending, similar to that of the live action Death Note films, I feel the show would have received much more praise from viewers. As I mentioned earlier, this was the first anime that I ever watched. Due to this, I did not have a great idea of what was good art and what was not. After viewing the art of other anime series, I feel that Death Note has good art for its time of release. However, I do not consider it good enough to be a sole reason to watch the anime. The show has a dark, dull colour palette, matching the theme of the series. We are very rarely shown a landscape of something to be considered "beautiful". I found that the show mainly concentrates on the story and the character development. If this is something that interests you, you should love Death Note. For those interested in watching this anime with the English dub, it will not disappoint. There is not a single character who's voice does not suit them. The English voices of Light, L, Ryuk and Near are my personal favourites. Overall, I feel I would rate Death Note 9/10. Almost everything about it is perfect, however as mentioned before, it does begin to go downhill later on in the show. If the plot were to have been altered, so that the second half did not occur, I feel this would raise my score to 10/10.

First review ever so spare me ^-^ [Everything that sounds spoilerish is in the first episode] Death Note is among the 'godly' realm of anime, right up there with Full Metal Alchemist, Steins;Gate, HunterXHunter and Gintama. The thing that separates Death Note from the others is 100%; The Story.[10] The story, holy hell man, this is one of the only anime that makes a plot twist, hides it, and lets YOU discover it on your own. This story makes you question your own beliefs and can change your view on the world, and none of that was an exaggeration, I can assure you. Being slightly in the realm of anime watching, you've probably heard about Death Note. Even if you haven't, Death Note has found its way into western culture, and not in the most desirable ways. The story revolves around Light Yagami, THE brightest student in Japan. He discovers a notebook named the 'Death Note'; written inside are the words; 'those whose names are written in this book shall die.' sounds like crappy chain mail from the late 90's right? wrong. The consequences of those 10 words reak havoc throughout Japan and the rest of the world. All because of a goddamn notebook that some lazy-ass Death God (Shinigami) dropped, to have some 'entertainment'. I am glad this isn't real because damn, its some scary shit. [Manga] - compared to the manga, the anime trumps it. The manga had some story issues about halfway in and it got a bit boring for a few chapters, but the anime, they just gloss over the irrelevant shit, and they gloss well. Nothing is lost, and nothing is unneeded, perfect even. The Art. [9.5] Personally, I love the art, you knew what everything was, everything was almost identical to how Takeshi Obata drew it. The *only* thing not giving it a prefect 10, is that there are a few scenes throughout the series where the characters just look really strange, like its only for half a second or something but yeah it's not noticeable enough to waver your thoughts on the amazing animation done in this anime In the first episode, the art comes of as incredibly saturated, very bleak and very plain. In my opinion I see this as how Light views the world around him and as the series goes on, it gets brighter and more vivid as more of the story unfolds. The Sound.[10] Holy ambient batman. TRUMPETS, GOTHIC CHURCH CHOIRS, HEAVY METAL. EVERYTHING IS HERE AND AT THE RIGHT MOMENT, the score throughout the anime was perfectly written and especially throughout the battle scenes, it didn't feel intrusive, it just felt so natural. The Characters [10] To maintain my spoiler free [exc. ep 1] review I'm just going to say a few things. Ryuk; easily a hilarious necessary addition. Comedy is spot on and really plays the whole 'are death gods actually bad though?' card very well. Light; INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENTLY written, he embodies our natural thought processes and seems like he does the natural, logical things anyone would do... The other characters that are revealed later on in the series are easily some of my favourite characters and I'm yet to see someone disappointed in how the characters are written in this show. Enjoyment [10] I thoroughly enjoyed this show, its philosophical, it provokes you to think about it almost every episode and its JUST SO DAMN GOOD. If you're hesitant to watch it YOU'RE MISSING OUT ON EVERYTHING, WATCH IT. OVERALL: [10/10] (Rewatch potential [10/10]) Lastly; Impact on The World: Death Note has been banned in several places, most reason revolve around the 'Makes students take an interest in death' chant. As with video games, scapegoats are aplenty and this anime & manga series, being the 'controversial' story it is, is no exception. This should not be a reason to not watch the show, I REPEAT, DO NOT MAKE THIS A REASON TO PASS ON THIS ONCE A GENERATION SHOW. Thank You for reading my 'review/recommendation! Arigatoo Gozaimasu~ -Zukosfireyass

Fan rating: 5/5 Critic Rating: 4/5 Overall rating: 9/10 Death Note is hard boiled. It's not a mystery, because you know whodunnit. You follow the criminal's perspective. What is an antihero? Is it a hero with villainous qualities or is it just a villain who gets the story told from his viewpoint? Both probably. I think of Death Note as a study of narcissism induced by brilliance or just being a sociopath. In other words, we sometimes possess traits that by nature alienate us from people, leaving us to live in our own inner worlds. To some, mundanity is the death of the soul. Maybe we are such keen observers of the human condition that we can't bare to constantly see the subtext of insecurities that plague every day conversation. Maybe we are just so smart we can't stand being around other people's stupidity. Light is a narcissist. He just is. He looks like everyone else, acts like everyone else, but this is a farce. Most guys like him are never seen for what they truly are. We have no choice to believe that Light was born with something missing, that even a boy with a loving family, who grew up comfortable, can just be born wrong. We can't always blame the parents, or even society. Monsters are sometimes just born. Hard boiled supernatural detective story. Light and L begin a game of one-upping that often seems like it's going to break but doesn't. It begins to seem this might be an infinite story. As Light commits his crimes; L puts him in positions that should be impossible,(and unforeseen factors intervene) but Light adapts , his plans becoming more serpentine in the process. Something has to give. Light's God Complex contrasts with Man's Greed. Light's genius contrasts with L's genius. Light's darkness really does overwhelm any light. Any character who truly seems to solve crimes from a sense of heart, a desire to make the world better, seems quite irrelevant. Only those who coldly see crimes as puzzles cause change. The rest are pawns, serving grand masters. I debate the second half of the series, and how I feel about the introduction of new characters. That's why I decked a point for the critic rating, but couldn't for the overall. Overall it's still just so perfect to me. Something had to change to justify the series length. Just as I was thinking Light vs. L needed to end, something happened to make the number of episodes make sense. Still, I wasn't rooting for them, and their back story needed more fleshing out for me. I was curious to their connection to a main character. While some may say the characters needed to be cut, I disagree. I think they represent the idea of cycling generations, of how nothing lasts forever and yet everything repeats. They represent how the next generation can build on the work of those that came before them, of how achievement does not often occur in one lifetime but over many. This is life. We all want to change the world, but sometimes we just pave the way for the next person to do so. You may be able to fight one person, but can you fight generations. When you've learned one enemy so thoroughly, how quickly can you adapt to another? You are the same, but your enemy suddenly changes. From a storytelling perspective, it seems these new characters have an unaffair and unearned advantage. But really, don't we all get to take something our ancestor's accomplished for granted? I think one of the minor episodes was one of the most brilliant case studies in storytelling I had ever seen. When Light needs to get the full name of his next target to keep from getting busted, a ticking clock begins. He has to get her name before she contacts his father. The writing is like something for the stage, written in carefully controlled beats, that ratchets up the tension. No explosions, no big twists, not even a big plot point, just a slow burning pace that left me wondering who I was rooting for. The ending wasn't predictable until it happened. That's how engrossed I became. It pushed the proceedings into opera. The detective's great reveal was more than a genre convention; it was a god's lament.

First off, let me say i'm didn't give this anime a 10. I wasn't completely amazed but people have different opinions after all and nevertheless i still think this is a show with few flaws and alot of enjoyment. It has a very nice feel to it and this is a great watch for those into the mystery genre especially. The show is hardly at times slow and usually packed with suspenseful and captivating moments, plenty of plot twists as well. Story (9). Right off the bat i'm going to say i think the story was the show's strongest asset. The whole tone in general is very grey and morbid, and I liked that. The tone collaborates with the whole idea of the story very well without it being depressing or feeling dull. The story itself picked up very quickly, pretty much getting to the point in the first episode with little exposition or build up. This is done to make you actually want to watch the show and (plot twist) it works! The story evolves well and there are very high points which happen to be very suspenseful and actually at times made me nervous to see what was going to happen. There are alot of unexpected turns in the story, part of this is due to the very well executed character interplay particularly between Light (the main character) and L. I will say though, a few episodes felt a bit slow and i was slightly uninterested at times, however high points in the story made up for that indeed. Whenever i thought the show was losing me, it griped me right back in again. There were no real plot holes at all and rarely times when you could guess what was going to happen next, which is good and allows you to watch and enjoy with little thinking. There were some emotional moments as well as some dark moments, but the times where there was alot of build up and suspense were the the best aspect. The ending didn't set well with me, mainly because i wanted to see a different ending but even so i'm not criticizing the show at all for it because the ending was well executed and gave good subtle closure. Art (8). The animation is dated of course so i can't complain about lack of quality or anything. The characters looked good and real while being unique at the same time. The environments looked grey which set well with the story and tone. The show's aesthetic was actually really nice and i liked it. Death Note has a very nice feel to it where characters and objects have a omniscient glow and light reflect them which looks pretty. Tense moments are animated very well, even when all that's happening is a character writing down a name it looks just very good and fluent. Effects like Rain and dark clouds help to flesh out the dark overall mood. Sound (8) The soundtrack fit very well with the series, having a classic horror/mystery/thriller style to it. During intense moments the music was beautiful. during dialogue scenes or build up scenes the music is added in well, not eclipsing what's going on in the story but at the same time making you enjoy listening to it. The first intro song is in my opinion the best, it suited the show rather perfectly and set the tone well. The second is a complete change to a heavy metal style song. This does work but it isn't one of my favorites. The ending tracks are a bit forgettable, the second one worked well but I honestly don't remember the first. The voice acting of the characters is spot on, all of them are portrayed well and the general sounds are crisp and clean. Characters (7) The characters are my least favorite feature of the show in my opinion. This isn't a bad thing and doesn't mean i didn't like them it's just that i couldn't connect with them that much and some are a bit forgettable. I will say as the series went on some of the weaker links are fleshed out more and that was a good touch. All the main characters worked and played their roles well, Light, Misa, Ryuke, and L were all solid interesting characters. Light's intensions are made clear from the start and you see how his character changes especially at the very end. Ryuke is personally my favorite, showing he has no intrest in taking sides in the dilemma of the story is funny to see considering he watches these sometimes terrible things happen without a care. His constant giggling was funny to me, and he's just a likable presence despite being a god of death and all. Misa did he job well, she was another likable presence and she had her moments. I can't say i truly understand her goals but I didn't have problems with her at all. L is another of my most liked characters. His interplay and chemistry with Light is the best part of the majority of the show. The whole dynamic between them is very interesting to watch, and L himself is very weird. I guess weird is interesting to me, nevertheless i really liked him. A few of the characters introduced later in the series were my least favorite, to me they were just kind of annoying and I didn't care about them at all. In all honesty i hated them but it's not because of bad writing I just simply hated who they were if that makes sense. The side characters like I said are the weak link. Side characters usually end up being my favorite but in this case they were a bit forgettable. Matsura had his moments and i did like him but the rest were nothing special but were functional for the most part and weren't useless. Enjoyment (7) my gripes with the show are simple and not much...The characters could've been a bit better, and the story went slow to me 1 or 2 times. Overall though, i did enjoy it. I liked seeing the story progress and build up over and over and I liked seeing the match of wits between Light and L. The chemistry there between those two was spot on. The story developed for the most part perfectly and had a proper ending. Despite the fact i said it didn't set well with me, i'm over it and realized it was a suitable ending. Overall all the way through i rarely found myself bored and was most of the time invested in the story. So in all this was a great anime and i'd recommend it to ANY Anime fans. Other people in general as well. I plan on re watching this again and for 37 episodes it's more than worth the time. Hope this helped, if you somewhat agreed with this give it a thumbs up (:

Death note is a real masterpiece, this is my first serie where I cannot tell anything bad about. Let's start with the story: Light Yagami is boy of 17 that is frustrated in how rotten this world is. When he has found the death note ( rules: 1) The human whose name is written in this note shall die. 2) This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected. 3) If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. 4) If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. 5) After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.) he decided to use it to make this world a better place. So he planned to kill criminals with it, to accomplish his ideal. but already after a few day's that he uses the death note, his ideal has changed into: that he will create a new (perfect) world and that he will become the god that rules over it. But his goal becomes much harder to accomplish, when L (the best detective of the world) gets in his way. from here it is a battle of the minds between those two geniuses. the principle is simple: the first whose identity is revealed will die. I think you can start to imagine how psychological this is. The main question is “will light’s noble goal succeed or will the death note turn him it the very thing he fight against?” but this is only one of the great questions they handle. another great one is: “Is Light a good person or a criminal himself?” personally i don’t had the feeling he was a criminal however i must admit when i thought about it clearly, i’ve decided he was one because of these questions: “has one person the right to judge over everybody’s life?” and “is the death penalty a good way to punish?”. Of course you have to decide yourself, what you think of him and his judgement. However i found him a criminal, I still liked his thoughts and the way he fight for his goal therefor I couldn’t choose between light and L, since L is a wonderful character on it’s own. I really like the way he handles and how he thinks about judgement. Another great thing about it is how you get sucked in the story. I’ve watched the first 28 episodes without any stop and I would’ve finished it, if i didn’t needed to go to school that day. The way they make it exciting is unbelievable. The story as well as the music is built up so great that once you’re over 5 episodes it gives you the feeling you can’t stop. That doesn’t mean the first episodes aren’t good. I never was so excited from the first episode as this one. but as i said that feeling only grows while watching it. There are some that says that the second part is worse and that it should’ve stopped after the first. I personally don’t think so, I like the second part as much as the first. The story circumstances have completely changed and there are new wonderful characters, what keeps it interesting. Then one more thing, the drawstyle is magnificent. It really makes the characters who they are. And L is one of the most original characters (from design) I ever saw. So in my opinion the plot was insane, the characters awesome, the background music good, drawing style very good and the enjoyment is the combination of all of these together. Because of all of this I think this anime is a must seen. Not only a must seen for an anime watcher but one for everyone.

In today's society, it's so difficult to find innovative, challenging and stimulating material that is also enjoyable. Death Note hits the nail on the head with it's highly appealing, informative, and complex storyline. It is truly unique in concept, and indisputably my favourite anime. Ever. I could certainly spout praise for the series all day, not to say it's ultimately perfect. Obviously the supernatural subject matter throws reason out the window, but an element of realism is lost. The detectives chasing Light make huge leaps - killings during the day? MUST BE A STUDENT - and though this may be pinned on their amazing deductive skill, it seems a little implausible. There are minor plot holes, but this doesn't detract too severely seeing as it contains such a complex, overarching story - an audience is pleasantly confused. Some emphasis on ideas is a little obvious; different views are sliced into the action with somewhat cheesy dialogue. Also, while the voice acting (English Dub) is usually consistent and indicative of the talented cast, we sometimes are subject to awkward transitions and vocal techniques that aren't behavioural of characters. Another thing I noticed (only because I have watched it sooo many times) was that actors of well known characters (Matsuda, L) voice minor characters such as news reporters and bystanders - but I suppose i'm being pedantic now. Well, that ends my list of what was not so good, the rest is good news, I assure you! One of my favourite things about the anime is the use of symbolism - the apple to represent sin (as in the Garden of Eden ordeal...), and the meta scenes where L and Light (and even other characters) are represented by different colours and openly fight each other. The creator's clever presentation of ideas allows the audience to search for a deeper meaning. And this deeper meaning is certainly prominent. Each episode highlights philosophical ideas - mortality, justice, corruption of society, good vs. evil, morality, sin, and so much more. It leads you to think about the world; would we be better off without these criminals? Whose job is it to "pass righteous judgement on the wicked?" Does killing exile you from heaven? Characters are another strength of Death Note. Ryuk and Misa will make you laugh, Light will make you cringe, and the empathy and rapport we gain with the characters make us hope and suffer along with them. Undoubtedly, you will take a side. Kira, or the law? I found myself routing for Light, his tactics, acting, and intelligence were pretty... appealing ;) Every action he would take, I'd be all like "NOOO DON'T YOU'LL FALL INTO L'S TRAP!" or "OH HOLY JESUS YOU ARE A GENIUS" The art is simply outstanding. Characters are proportional, environments are beautiful and detailed, setting is appropriate, colouring sets a distinctive mood, and the design is flawless and unique. The style is quite realistic for the anime convention - no crazy coloured hair or unlikely features - which really allowed focus on the ideas conveyed, and the seriousness of the story. Overall, I don't think I can really explain why I love Death Note so much. Everytime I watch it, I just marvel at the genius and artful masterpiece that was produced. I definitely recommend it to anyone with a love for mystery and a mentally challenging anime.

I first came about Death Note when some of my friends started watching it and arguing who was better, Light or L? It got rather annoying, and for some reason, I planned to join in the argument by watching it... And also too see what makes Death Note "this good". Like me, I'm sure a lot people who have watched Death Note watched it because they were curious. Just a few warnings about the anime, there are some “extreme writing” elements in it that would make you think that the characters were training for the sport of writing or something, and that Misa’s voice may hurt your ears… Death Note… Certainly different from your normal plot. Simply put, a notebook that falls from the sky, is found by a student called Light Yagami. Now, just as anyone would think, once he saw the notebook, he instantly thought it was just a prank. But, just as humans would, curiosity got the better of him, and so he begins to see if it really is what it claims to be. What he finds surprises him, and he begins to use the Death Note “for the greater good” and begins using the alias “Kira”. The police start noticing patterns, they call on the legendary “L” to investigate, and find out who is doing these mass killings, and how. Things start to become complicated for both L and Light, when there is someone else also claiming to be “Kira”. Now, whether or not I have taken a biased approach to “Death Note”, I do not know. Death Note is said to be “one of the best anime ever”, and right now, I believe I can agree with that it is "one of the best". Death Note is an anime with a very well constructed plot, with many twists and turns. The characters and events have been well thought through, with it being difficult to find many holes in the planning. “Death Note” keeps it’s fast moving plot and storyline throughout the series and almost every episode ends with a cliffhanger, making you want more and more! One main thing does seem to disappoint me though. Once it became present that there was a second arc to the series, the tension and the excitement of the plot line seemed to drop (well for me at least) with the events occurring with Yotsuba Group. It seemed as though they may have just wanted to stretch the series for a bit longer, although it did pick up again with the introduction of “Near”. The ending however, I found a little disappointing, and a bit cliche though... As much is hyped up about Death Note, it is not perfect. Now, the storyline, as I have said before, is very strong. It moves fast, and keeps you wanting more. The animation is exceptional. I do not believe that there is a noticeable slack in standard with the animation. The eyes and hair is detailed, character costumes and body shapes don’t seem to be distorted, facial expressions seem appropriate etc. Sound? This, for me, seems to be it’s only not so good side, although still very good. The soundtrack could have been improved in some areas with it for me starting to get a little repetitive… The "godly singing" gives a nice epic feel to it, however it does seem to feel as if it gets a little overused. The first opening and closings I think could have been improved, as it didn't quite seem to match the plot. The second opening theme songs some people may find a bit offensive, however it does seem to fit the characters and plot line better. Nevertheless, the soundtrack was still very good, and the voice actors fitted the characters pretty much perfectly, with outstanding performances by Miyano Mamoru, Yamaguchi Kappei and Hidaka Noriko, playing Light, L and Near respectively. Despite the anime’s very good plot, art, sound and character developments and characteristics, I did not seem to enjoy it as much as I thought I would have, which may be due to having over-expectations, however, it still does deserve an overall 9.4 out of 10 and is arguably "one of the best anime" ever. Highly recommendable to those who enjoy crime-fighting with a difference, and also highly recommendable to everyone else! Whether I like L or Light better? Hehe...

MAJOR AND MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD This is one of those animes where I watched them as a kid despite not actually being an anime fan. I thought it was one of those cartoons with people fighting monsters but it's not like that. This anime is in a way kind of unique in how the method of battle is. Battle of Wits and using the Death Note. The story was decent but it got worse after the second half not saying the first half was any better though. This anime had character that I actually DID enjoy but near the end it got worse and worse which is the primary reason I have rated it a 4 out of 10 score. The enjoyment however is more than most of the other animes ive watched because of it's unusual plot twists and Light's clever thinking of how to get out of tribulation and difficult situations Conclusion: I rate it a 4/10 it's only way to get a higher score is if the only good characters in the series didn't actually die

*FOR THE VERY FEW OF YOU OUT THERE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THIS ANIME JUGGERNAUT, SPOILERS FOR DEATH NOTE. ALSO, THIS REVIEW WILL BE HUGE, BUT PLEASE BEAR WITH ME" Let's flash back to 2006. Anime at the time was a decently popular entertainment medium with a few great hits that many internationals know. However, we never really got a global phenomenon from the anime industry. A pair of shoes came on at around the same time, and one year later, that pair got an English dub that showed the world the true power of anime genius protagonists and the effects they would have on our world as we know it. One of those was Code Geass, which was amazing, but had but a brief run in the spotlight meaning that despite being so popular on MAL, it would never truly cement its mainstream status the way a Shounen Jump anime adaptation would. Speaking of which, his show Death Note, was the other, more successful brother of the two, even if MAL scores say otherwise. This show originated as a Shounen Jump manga, and judging by Bleach and Naruto, that meant instant stardom, and now Light Yagami and his black notebook of death is the most popular anime of all time, and an anime who's worldwide phenomena juggernaut status would only be challenged twice. One by SAO, once by Attack On Titan. Well, now to the present. This show is officially a classic. Now, how well does this killer hold up? Let's find out, shall we? Light Yagami is a genius student in high school. One day, a black notebook literally falls from the sky, and in doubt, he tests it out on some criminals currently trying to molest a girl a few hours after class, only to find out, it works. It turns out, it was like a rock being thrown into stagnant water. Ryuk, a shinigami from a realm of shinigami (creatures who created and posses Death Notes) dropped it on purpose waiting for someone to pick it up and "change the world" because he's bored. Soon, the police realize how horrible such a thing could be, and call up the world's greatest detective, L, who quickly reveals the city where this killer, now called Kira, is. It soon becomes a figurative chess match between the two as many police members due to Kira's book, even if some methods are a bit cruel on Light's end. Soon, he gets scouted by Misa Amane, another Death Note wielder, only he is reluctant to have her on board, but decides to use her for this whole ordeal, ready to kill her if he doesn't need her anymore. Soon, after deciding to erase his memory, he and Misa are locked up and mentally tortured for days before joining up with them, as this group of corporate assholes is up to some shady business, and after that sidequest is finished, Light ends up re-encountering his Death Note and regains his memory, and with that, proceeds to finish L off. So, ok, good story. It was a fun little figurative chess match, even if the last few episodes up to that point felt like a tedious sidequest involving corporate assholes for the sake of an antagonist. Well, apparently, the original mangakas wanted to end it there, but due to fan demand, caved in and created a lackluster 12 episodes to cap it off. A few years later, after somehow having the world under his fear-mongering thumb, and not getting caught at all, he is still working with the police. Apparently, L has two apprenticed known as Near and Mello, who go off to do their own thing to catch the Kira. Mello kidnaps Light's sister and kills kid dad, while Near takes a more analytical and chess player like role. Ultimately, they were still sorta working together. A new Death Note user named Teru Mikami joins Light's cause and looks like a perfect member, only until the ending. Somehow, Near and his men managed to barge into Mikami's room without anyone knowing, switched his Death Note with a fake, in a hackneyed attempt to lure out a super genius like Light, AND IT WORKS!!! Also, Light was never smart enough to come up with a backup plan like he always does, and ends up being exposed, shot, and eventually killed by Ryuk's own Death Note! I'll get to how badly the ending betrayed the characters of the Death Note users in the characters section, but the ending is just bad! I mean, it is so egregious that it is literally one of the worst endings I've seen to date. Sure, Death Note had a decent story, but the ending was so bad. It felt like they had no reasonable way to kill Light, so they took the easy way out. It didn't entirely ruin the story, but the last 12 episodes managed to make a watered-down sequilitis story that bogged everything down overall, instead of waiting and then making this last 12 episode arc into a sequel. Well, we have what we have, and overall, not too shabby, ending aside. Light Yagami is a villain protagonist and let's be honest, while he was kind of interesting in the first 25 episodes, 26-37 make him lose all of his charm. He was power hungry and had a god complex, but had a decent set of morals that decayed the more he was immersed in his cause to save the world. Some say the path to hell is paved with good intentions, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the first 25 episodes managed to do that brilliantly, and we probably wouldn't mind if he won since despite being morally questionable, he still has some morals about family and was interesting. The last 12 episodes make him cocky, lethal, toxic, and more power hungry than ever, ruining his credibility as a likable character. The ending was a real slap in the face for his character though. He became SO COCKY, that he never bothered to use Misa as a sure-fire backup, gave himself away so easily that way he could gloat if he won, and overall, failed to have a reasonable reason to be defeated. However, he at least died with more dignity than in the manga, so I'll at least give it that. Ryuk is a snarky, narcissistic, creature who admits that he is only working with Light into Light screws up. He makes for some decent comic relief. L is an interesting genius with odd quirks, and a morality that can sink if need be. He also has a sweet tooth, and is kinda kickass, more so than Light. I like the way he died, since he died at just the right moment to jumpstart our hype back up after the fullness of episodes 18-24, and had a reasonable and epic send off. The officers are good people and decent characters as well, but for the sake of time, I will only be talking about four other people. Misa starts off as calculating, and also a good planner when it comes to hooking Light. She doesn't show any of that off afterward, becoming just another Yandere-ish jealous girl that always kisses up to Light, and while I didn't dislike her, I can see why many do. Now for the worse supporting cast. Teru Mikami, is a bad-guy fighter; always has been. He didn't care if he got hurt. As long as he stopped injustices around her, and grew to hate his mother when she tried to convince him to stop lest he got hurt by some bully. Now, he is crazy, with his epic pen writing skills, and a true immersion with his cause. This causes him to be rather gullible and stupid near the end though, and the fact that Kira like his pawn/ex girlfriend only to find how he did that too and at the exact same time, made me really dislike him after I already hated Light for doing that. Mello, is an asshole. He is always at Near's throat, is blackmailing Light by holding his sister hostage, and is just a muscle asshole because an interesting antagonist in Death Note is a foreign concept. Near... I hate Near. He is literally a watered down L who uses are rally stupid method to somehow come out on top. Plus, he worked with Mello to do his thing, actually using Mello as a pawn, and he's a really good liar. So, yeah, not amazing, but a decent cast nnetheless. This was done by Studio Madhouse and if you know Madhouse, you know how good they are at their projects. They went for a more realistic look combined with a more digital art that the early 2000's have plagued the industry with, and th…

Death Note Review THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS Story: The story of Death Note revolves around a 17 year-old boy called Yagami Light and a Shinigami, whose name is Ryuk. In the Shinigami World, Ryuk was bored and then decided to throw his Death Note to the human world. But what does this notebook do? Well... “The humans whose name is written in this note shall die.” On the human world, Light catches the notebook, but at first, he thinks it’s just a joke. Despite that, he takes the Death Note, and goes home. In order to see if the notebook is real, he writes the name of a man who took eight people (including teachers and students) hostage. After 40 seconds, the man died. After that, Yagami starts killing all criminals he “knows”, and then the police and the world best detective, L, join forces to catch Light, who is later called “Kira”. I honestly think this is probably one of the best animes I have ever watched. This story is just unique and wonderful and to be honest I don’t think that there is anybody out there that actually does not like Death Note. It’s not my favourite anime, but it’s almost. The fight between L and Kira it’s just too amazing and brilliant. Tsugumi Ohba really did an wonderful job writing this. I give the story a 10/10. Art: Ok, I don’t know what to say about the art. I really like it. I think L is the one who is better designed. And Ryuk, too. The Kira’s evil look just makes him a badass. There’s not much that I can say about the art on this anime, because, well, you know, I’m not an artist, so the only thing I can do is appreciate it. Therefore, I give the art a 10/10. Sound: THE SOUNDTRACK ON THIS ANIME IS JUST TOO FUCKING AWESOME!!!!!!!! Every character has an awesome theme. My favourite one is Ryuk’s theme. PERFECT. L’s one is good, too, but, RYUUUUK!!! I also think the seyuus are perfect for ach character. The best seyuu, in my opinion, is Miyano Mamoru, who role plays Light. After saying this, I give sound a 10/10, as well. Characters: This is the best part on this review. I’m going to talk about three characters. Yagami Light: He’s my favourite character on this anime. I prefer him as L. I know his methods are not good, and I honestly think he shouldn’t make justice by his own hands, but watching him towards the anime, just made me realize he’s just too perfect. Yes, perfect. He got insane and completely crazy by having power. It’s like the people nowadays get when they have money: crazy. Light felt that, being such an intelligent person, he would always won. And that’s right, he’s intelligent as hell, but he didn’t won. Which obviously makes me sad, I wanted Light to win. Evil never wins, and that’s a shame. Sometimes things aren’t all sweet and pink. But he couldn’t win in this case. He would get killed by Ryuk at any time, even if he had won. Despite all this facts, Light’s just THE man. L Lawliet: I love L. I really do. When I first watched the anime, I didn’t like him that much, but after reading the manga, I almost like him more than I like Light. I was really sad when he died, but at the same I was happy cause that would give a chance to Light to finally win and be the God of The New World. Unfortunately, both of them died. Such a big loss to the anime world. L was incredibly intelligent, and he knew, since he met Light, that he was Kira. He just didn’t have enough proof. And it’s kinda sad, cause he saw Light as his friend. I don’t know if he meant it when he said it, but it’s sad, anyways. Ryuk: I just wanted to talk about Ryuk cause this guy is my second fave on the anime. I like him to much. On the last episode, the things he were saying while writing Light’s name, almost made me think he kinda “felt” for Light. I mean, they were together for 6 years, they went through so many things together. Light learned with him. Ryuk learned with Light. I know he’s is just a Shinigami, and Shinigamis represent pure evil, but... Rem felt for Misa. Jealous felt for Misa. Couldn’t Ryuk have felt for Light, even though he’s not that kind of shinigami? It’s what I think, anyways. The others character are good as well. But I have to say this, I HATE Near. I HATE HIM. Despite, I give the characters a 10/10. Enjoyment: I watched this anime in three days, so I really enjoyed watching it. 10/10 obviously. Overall: After everything I’ve said here, everybody can understand I give Death Note a 10/10. I really like the anime. One favourites of all time.

Eh, no ones going to read this because theres already millions of reviews of Death Note. Anyway, this has GOT to be in my top 10 (or 20) list of best anime EVER mainly because it was my first ever gateway anime. Also because I found the story to be completely ground-breaking compared to anything I had ever seen before. I literally felt like a caveman discovering fire for the first time. The plot, the suspense, the excitement, the thrill...oh yeah, this anime is truly a binge watcher's galore. The soundtrack is great and perfectly fit every scene in the anime. (It is a mixture of electronic indie rock and the occasional orchestra stuff for the epic scenes). For people who are new to anime, I SERIOUSLY recommend that you watch Death Note first mainly because of the crime/thriller/super natural genre, which MAY be easy to digest by a wide variety of audiences. Also because it doesn't have that much fan service which an outsider may find a bit weird or off putting at first.

I found Death Note to be of exceptional quality, both in animation and in it's content from beginning to end, and when I say "end" I'm referring to episode 25. As far as I'm concerned, episodes 26 through 37 simply aren't relevant, especially when said episodes only serve to either dumb down the premise or even perhaps the viewer with a sort of "shock and awe, look at me and my overly predictable plot twists!" It also doesn't help that the most interesting and intelligent aspect of Death Note isn't even present at the series conclusion, but rather replaced by an extremely annoying, younger knock off, and don't even get me started on the 'other one' and his stupid chocolate bars! If Death Note would have concluded at it's logical closure point it would be greatly deserving of the mass amount of hype it's been able to generate (despite it's terrible television ratings here in America). But alas, the logical closure point was ignored, and thus the series ended on a rather (pardon my French) shitty closure point. I guess what bothers me the most is that there was so much potential to be had in Death Note, but in the end it was squandered for mediocrity. Not only is the official ending extremely rushed, it also leaves the viewer completely unfulfilled. Summed up, "You mean to tell me that I waited 37 episodes for 'that'?" ...my sentiments exactly Had I'd been reviewing only the first 25 episodes 9's (perhaps 10's) would have been in order. I guess the best advice I can give to the viewer is this; Death Note is a 25 episode long series ;) On a related side note, seeing as I'm somewhat of a music snob, I can't help but comment on the atrocity that is the second opening theme of Death Note. I'm not against loud screamy music, not in the least bit, after all I avidly listen to bands such as Orchid and Ampere for Christ sake. However when it comes to Nu-Metal garbage like the opening theme in question I simply can't stomach it. All things considered, it is amusing how the f-bomb is dropped several times during said song, a much needed comic relief (why is cursing broadcast on TV so damn amusing?) much the same as the poorly executed blast beat during the final few seconds.

This anime was decent the first time I watched it. The first half was alright, but once they replaced one of the main characters, the anime went from a 4 to a solid 1. I only say that because unfortunately My Anime List doesn't have any ratings below a 1. The characters lack reason for their actions, and there is no character development at all. Death Note was such a cool idea, but it was so poorly implemented that I sincerely believe this is the worst anime that I have ever seen. Death Note is cool to watch for the first half, but only once. The second time you watch it, if you are anything like me, you will begin questioning the motives for every character, except you'll quickly learn, there is no motive for any character. The basic mindset of the characters can be described as this: - Haha my name is Light. I got book that kills people. Haha I killed one guy. Haha now I'm a psychopath even though I used to be a genius haha. - Haha my name is Misa. The thought of death makes me wet. I love Light so I'm gonna kill who he tells me to. Haha - Haha my name L. It's a single letter haha. I chew my nails and am an overly edgy kid who never sees the sun ahah