Story: Any good story can spread from a single well defined and provocative plot element, in this case, Death Note. The death note is a notebook, containing a set of rules and blank sheets of paper, which kills any name entered into it. The rules stipulate that with regards to various time restrictions, the person entering the name can also write a cause of death as well as time and place of death, and other intriguing additions and exclusions. A shinigimi drops his death note on the ground near a school where a boy named Light finds it. From there, the story begins. I knew at this point that the concept had potential for huge success as long as the character controlling the notebook is reasonably complex and intelligent. But Light brought far more to the table than I had imagined. Additionally, the plot element that took me most by surprise was the relationship that developed between Light and his arch nemesis, L. As the story dictates, these two are intellectual geniuses in a league all their own. The "cat and mouse" analogy is a good way to describe there battles, yet does not adequately demonstrate the scale of cunning and cleverness utilized in their bouts. Few shows, anime or not, get me in that mood where I absolutely need to keep watching to see what one or the other is going to do next.
Unfortunately, the story arguably overstays its welcome. This is both a blessing and a curse. After the climax of the first season, the second season feels a little bit more like an appendage of the first, rather than the second half of a series proper. Fortunately the show is so good that it welcoming to have more Death Note to enjoy. My problems were largely due to the death of a vital character, and the attempt that the story uses to make up for it. But they were minimal.
Art: The art in Death Note is good. I would not go as far to say it is excellent, nor would I say that about the manga's artwork. However, the story does not particularly require the background scenery, action sequences, or even characters to be too extravagant. This is a cerebral adventure for the most part. A psychological battle between many minds. Still, the art perfectly captures intense decisive moments in the anime, successfully conveying the appropriate messages to the audiences. Also, we the viewers truly begin to witness darkness settle over Light, and was greatly enhanced through the visual work done in the anime version.
Sound: I did not notice the sound to bee too intrusive, which is good. I would not sing its praises either. What it does manage to do is an effective job highlighting certain moods in the anime that need to be conveyed for the audience to pick up on in a nonverbal setting. It never made any mistakes, confusing the tone of the story, getting in the way, or being absent when it should not be. Nonetheless, it was not the best.
Character: This story contains my favorite character in any anime I have seen or manga I have read, "L". Along with L, Kira (Light) is almost as equally enthralling, though I'm sure some will make the reverse argument. The entire story line comes to rest on these two's shoulders, and they do not disappoint. I must admit, I am a sucker for intellectual thrillers, but I find it hard to believe that most people would not agree upon the genius behind these two characters. I am partial to L because he is a bit more mysterious, more self-assured, and a little more human than Light. But they are fitting rivals and you may chose which ever side you like. Their methods of solving problems and thinking critically are amazing tools, and may even start getting the audience to look at their every day lives with a wider scope of understanding and reasoning.
The supporting characters for the most part do not play substantial roles in the plot. However there is a subgroup of 4 or 5 characters that remain relevant the whole story. These characters are less structured than Light and L, but they serve purpose to the plot line. One notable character is Light's dad, who also happens to be the Chief of Police, but that subplot did not bore me for too long, and I enjoyed its conclusion.
I would like to take a moment to discuss the role of the Shinnigimi in the anime. I very much enjoyed the portrayal of Ryuk, Rem and the other Death gods. They almost have a glow of subtle softness, innocence even, when compared to some of the other characters. They can be used just like everyone else. They identify with the humans enough where we begin to understand them, but ultimately they are Shinnigimi and possess motivations we do not understand. This was a beautiful portrayal in my opinion.
Enjoyment: This is my favorite anime / manga series, and nothing has come along in the past couple years to change that yet.
