Death Note Anime Review

                                                                DEATH NOTE - 

                                                                         Year: 2006

                                                               Produced by: Madhouse Inc.

                                                                        Rating - 5/5

                     

                                                            

Death Note's supernatural premise is as grand and absurd as the idea itself, with a magical notebook that can kill, serendipitously sent from a demon from another dimension. However, despite this grand and unrealistic premise, he execution of the series is fantastic, and far beyond great. I may not be consistently perfect, but it's damn near enough. 

Death Note is broken up in multiple arcs, some of which are better executed than the others, but each arc furthers this story of a boy, then a man, who assumes this God like power over the world, killing without mercy anyone who doesn't fit into his vision of a new Utopia. Light Yagami is the most egotistical, absurd, and maniacal lead character there is, and his role as Kira only supports the fact he's spoiled and overconfident, but undeniably intelligent.

On the negative side, one major misstep in the plot was the gigantic leap in time the series took at one point, going years into the future in what seemed like a single frame. One second Light is a teenager, the next he's in his early twenties. It made no real sense, and certainly was confusing.

Another negative note, some might say, is the somewhat obvious deaths throughout the series. Without spoiling it, these are characters you certainly wouldn't want to die, but they do anyway. That's a good way of gauging who you should kill, and whose character is worth it, and Ohba in his original manga series certainly weighed these ideas. 

The positives far outweigh the negatives, with the art and animation being top notch and the complexity of the story untouchable. Death Note has, by far, the greatest soundtrack in anime history. The iconic orchestral thumping when someone suffers a fatal heart attack is as memorable as the apples, or the almighty potato chip writing scene. Even if the timeline is a little wacky, the presentation of the series from start to finish is a masterpiece, with each detail perfectly laid out and crafted, and the complexity of the plot being just undeniably enticing.


Out of 5 stars, I give Death Note a full 5. I find it hard to compare this series to anything else, as it genuinely is one of the greatest anime of all time. If you have never seen this, just a warning. Don't read the manga ending and expect that to occur, as it is different. 

Overall, Death Note is an incredible artistic anime that explores the god complex we all might suffer from, but not quite on the same scale as Light Yagami. Watch this anime and you won't be disappointed. I guarantee that.

- Tony D. 

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