Jul 10, 2015
Death Note definitely deserves all the praise it gets. I don't think it's overhyped at all. Albeit, the premise is a tad bit unrealistic. But that didn't prevent me from enjoying the anime. It's not like the show prides itself off it's realism. It's about a notebook that kills people, for fuck's sake. I respect the writers immensely, because they acknowledge that the premise is unrealistic. And by simply doing that, they turn a totally bullshit scenario into something more familiar. They use total fiction to invite more thought provoking and realistic ideas. So even though the literal plot might be a bit void of
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realism, it still manages to be filled with tropes that are intimate to real life. What I'm trying to say, is that by using a ridiculous premise (a notebook that kills people) and equally ridiculous characters (a 17-year-old genius who wants to play god), the show's plot eventually tells us, that in the end, no matter how good your intentions originally were, you're still just a bad person doing bad things.
Through all this, this very unrealistic anime presents itself as an examination of the very realistic idea of human morality and what makes us "good" people. It's truly a deep anime, so much so that its meaning can be debated for hours. That's why I think Death Note is not overhyped at all. Underneath its shallow, cheap action-y surface, Death Note raises questions of ourselves and humanity's strive for god-like control.
Philosophical nonsense aside, it does have its flaws in the conventional department. The soundtrack can sometimes be distracting. The animation style is sort of show-y, and sometimes I wished for a bit more subtlety. And the voice actor for Light sometimes put an odd emphasis on phrases for absolutely no reason, which was distracting (especially during dramatic scenes). And in later episodes, I began to question the quality of the plot arc we were going through, and what purpose it had to the whole story.
Overall: What I can say for sure, is that it was a really enjoyable ride. I mean, what else can you expect from an anime staple?
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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