Death note anime: review

The world is in chaos, the crime rate is all time high, and that's when I saw this anime. The anime that broke records worldwide, and is still unforgettable - Death Note.

Episodes: 37

Creator �" Tsugumi Ohba

Other name �" Desu Noto

Genre- Psychological thriller, supernatural, mystery

Movies- Animated - 2

Live Action movies �" 3

Language �" Japanese (Dub available in all major languages)

Characters �" Light Yagami, Misa Amane, L, Ryuk and Rem.

Rating �" 4/5

 

Adapted from the best selling manga, ‘Death note’, the story revolves around 17 year old, bored genius, Light Yagami. He’s disgusted with the crime rate and the humans around him, to the extent that he wishes to exterminate them. And then, it happens.

Light happens to see a book falling down from the sky, as he’s sitting in class. As he exits the building, he picks up the ‘death note’, and reads the instructions, which are as follows : ‘The human’s name whose is written in this notebook shall die’. Initially assuming it to be an elaborate prank, Light decides to discard it, but his curiosity gets the better of him.

Just to satisfy it, he experiments with the book on a criminal, whose name and face is displayed on TV, which also adds to the criteria while using the death note. In other words, if somebody has the same name as the person you want to kill, picturing their face will ensure that the right person is dead. If you do not do so, the book is useless. The criminal dies, and for the next five days, Light kills more than a hundred criminals whose names are aired on TV.

Light happens to find a huge Shinugami (death god) in his room on the sixth day. The Shinigami Ryuk, explains that the notebook Light’s using is his, but he will not be punished for using it. He finds Light interesting, so he decides to follow him around, since he too, is unentertained in the Shinigami world. The ICPO notice the rapid death of criminals caused only by heart attacks, which makes them believe that another serial killer is on the loose.

Detective ‘L’, the world’s greatest detective, whom no one has seen or ever met, decides solve the case. He openly challenges Kira on TV to kill him, thus infuriating Light, who is turning into a megalomaniac. Light believes that killing criminals will make the world a better place, simultaneously preventing people from committing further crimes.

Since neither L nor Light are aware of each other’s identity, the cat and mouse game begins. Both these characters are equally sharp, smart and perceptive, which makes this anime so interesting. The anime has its hilarious moments, despite being a psychological thriller. You will be hooked to this anime, until you finish watching the last episode. By the end of it, your soliloquy will commence.  

The songs are amazing, and the background music adds to the suspense. Madhouse has done a great job while adapting the manga, and has surprisingly managed to end the narration in 37 episodes. But the only disappointment is the storyline after the great twist. The anime makes you question the future of humanity, and if you don’t watch it, you will regret it.