Back to YouJustMight's Profile YouJustMight's Profile

Ah, it pains me to write this review. Well, to be more precise, this is more of a commemoration of the good parts of Death Note, (a.k.a. The first 20 some episodes), while strenuously acknowledging the steady decline of the series as it progressed.

This anime had great potential, as in, it would've recieved a solid score of 8, if it had ended with a short conclusion after the obvious climax. It possessed a good set up, easily transitioning into the actual plot. The portrayal of our sociopathic protagonist, Light, as an over-achieving student, bored with life, thus stunting his disillusioned path for justice, was ... a very wise decision on the creator's part. The death note in itself was both original, and intensifying.

What really pleased me to see as an avid watcher, was the implementation of a set of rules. In many anime, especially science fiction or fantasy, the characters undergo some sort of invincible transformation, making the story incredibly dull, knowing that whenever the main character comes into conflict, either they would miraculously survive, or obtain some sort of random assistance. The fact that the shinigami in this series were unable to assist their human companions, required Light to fend for himself, thus making for a much stronger character development.

L was a very straight-laced character as well, and I mean this structurally, not character personality wise. The role of a detective couldn't have been enacted better. Once again, we see set limitations that an actual detective may encounter, not some omniscient being who draws evidence from thin air. The relationship between Light and L was one that served as both thrilling, emotional, and at times comical. Despite some minor repetition, and redundant themes, this anime was everything you would expect, and wish to see in this genre.

Now the difficult part.

I don't want to provide any spoilers, but in episode 25, we see the climax of the series. Let's just say after this incident, died the quality, and interest value of the entire anime.

Sure the creators attempted to keep the once vibrant flame burning, but it just became very mediocre, and sullen. I suppose, there was really no reason to care at this point. Some may argue that it was for the purpose of truly bringing justice, but to state it bluntly, after about the 28th episode, it wasn't worth finishing. I, of course finished it, to make sure I wasn't missing any plot twists. Alas, I was left empty handed.

My only advice to the creators, was that they should've quit while they were ahead. It just dragged on, and really wasn't worth the trouble. Expecting an Xbox for Christmas, but receiving socks, is probably the best way to describe this feeling. Just disappointing.

Let me just start by saying, this anime was absolutely dumbfounding. I don't mean that in a positive way.

First of all, it's evident to me that the creators probably spent a little too much time watching Law and Order, and gathering their information of human behavior from the emotional attention whores of the internet, while never bothering to turn on the damn news once in their life. This was greatly reflected throughout the series.

I am a critical anime watcher, so I shall give credit where credit is due. The music was probably the best part of this entire series. I appreciate the intention ... of the religiously fueled Latin music, though it became redundant after the ... I don't know, 30th time hearing it. The art was alright, nothing spectacular, but it wasn't terrible.


I gave this series a score of 5, and that was me being generous. In all honesty this anime was so bad, it scraped up a fair score due to the entertainment it brought me, while I ridiculed it. The back story of the characters were so outrageous, and far-fetched, I couldn't even fathom. The personalities of the characters, especially Lucy, or otherwise known as the ditzy Nyu, was horrendously exaggerated. It was actually a bit comical to watch the girl who just sliced off someone's head, cutely jump into the protagonist's arms like it was all fine and dandy. Lucy was perplexing, but not as much as the EVER forgiving Kouta. I mean, really? If my family was brutally murdered by a sociopath, with cat ears, I'm sure the first thing I would be thinking was how soft her breasts looked. (Sarcasm). Even when Kouta found out, I'm pretty sure you spend a little more than a 57 second rain scene/ pan-zoom, contemplating your next decision regarding said killer.

The Diclonius idea could've been an interesting subject, and I admit, it wasn't executed that poorly, but the character and plot flaws was too much for me to overlook. Nana was just a mess. That's all I can say. My advice to the creators, take a Mommy/ Daddy and Me class or two, I'm sure you'll learn more about relationships between a parental figure and a child, than what you've presented.

It's supposed to be a romantic tragedy, with gore, but the use was quite excessive. I like my horror as much as the next person, but you don't need to chop someone's head off every other minute. Regarding the fan service aspect, was there really so much nudity needed? Sex was a recurring theme, not a problem if it flows. But it was so repetitive. It's like, the only way to have emotional damage is if you're sexually abused. The characters were so messed up, psychologically, and emotionally, it had me thinking," What's your point?" Again I emphasize, try to keep to the story line, and avoid unnecessary commodities.

To save myself the typing energy, I won't even address the obvious flaws in the relationships with the sexually abused run-away, Mayu, and the love-sick Yuka.

Watch this if you feel like falsely obtaining enlightenment, wish to get caught fairly quickly after murdering someone, or need to a guide to survive in the rural portions of India. Good luck.