AN EXTREME GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE.
That basically sums up the masterpiece which is death note. I was drawn to this anime initially, due to it's IMMENSE popularity. And let me say this now, it certainly lives up to it's reputation.
First off, the story begins in a very intriguing way, which captures the audience's attention, immediately. The use of a mixture of divine intervention and attractive art, which is the backbone for this anime, proves to be very wise on the author's part. This allowed for a much larger pool of audience to be drawn from; Fantasy lovers: check, Horror gremlins: check, Action junkies: check, those who crave a mystery, and a tale which flexes the brain muscles: check, AND even the romance addict, fan girls. All of these elements are present within the anime, leaving no anime connoisseur unsatisfied.
In every anime, there is a protagonist, and antagonist. In my years of an anime-lover, I've noticed that the bigger the fan-base is for each character, the more popularity it gains. Every watcher is quietly (or not so quietly) rooting for his or her preferred character to prevail, which in turn creates a much larger impact when important events occur. This is precisely the tact of Takeshi, and Tsugumi-sensei (writers of Death Note). The first few episodes are centered around our main antagonist, Light Yagami, (or protagonist, in his eyes), following the development he creates with his plans of utilizing the Death Note to create a better world. Kira is born. Many watchers, such as myself, are drawn out by his ability to bring to light /no pun intended/, our deepest thoughts, subdued by our sense of human morality. Finally, BAM
This mysterious character known as L, appears. If you are like myself, your response to his presence was sour, to say the least. "An obstacle in Light's path!" something along those lines. OR, you could belong to the category of people who were waiting for someone to knock this sociopath off of his high-horse. Nevertheless, as the story progresses, you start to get a feeling of attachment toward both characters. Not sure of whether you want our beloved antagonist to be caught, or melt into the temptation of Light's false sense of justice. This intense clash causes one to jump out of their seat with anticipation, heart beating faster with every episode.. unconsciously taking on the mind of a criminal. "Will I be caught...?"
This spectacle of a plot continues on for the entire anime, even with or without, one of the main characters. *no spoilers* xP All of this accompanied by a very intriguing sound track. I'll admit, the music is rather repetitive, but the reason it received such a high score from me, is due to it's amazing adaptability to the mood. It fits quite well, and adds to the suspense.
A teaser for all my lady, romance-lovers out there ~ (males welcome ;) The art is VERY good. Excuse the morbid appearance of the shinigami.. But the main guys, are quite the eye-candy, and excuse me for saying this, but look fairly nice together as well. BUT, that is for a different time. There is also, sprinkles of romance, not gender-biased.. Hehe, keep an eye out for that.
Overall, Death Note is an AMAZING anime. The only reason it did not receive a 10, is due to some minor fillers, that somewhat diverted my attention from the main plot, but nothing that caused too much a damper. Murdering, although we all know is wrong, this anime makes us ponder on what true morality is. Any show with that sort of influence, is definitely worth watching!
