Death Note… Certainly different from your normal plot. Simply put, a notebook that falls from the sky, is found by a student called Light Yagami. Now, just as anyone would think, once he saw the notebook, he instantly thought it was just a prank. But, just as humans would, curiosity got the better of him, and so he begins to see if it really is what it claims to be. What he finds surprises him, and he begins to use the Death Note “for the greater good” and begins using the alias “Kira”. The police start noticing patterns, they call on the legendary “L” to investigate, and find out who is doing these mass killings, and how. Things start to become complicated for both L and Light, when there is someone else also claiming to be “Kira”.
Now, whether or not I have taken a biased approach to “Death Note”, I do not know. Death Note is said to be “one of the best anime ever”, and right now, I believe I can agree with that it is "one of the best". Death Note is an anime with a very well constructed plot, with many twists and turns. The characters and events have been well thought through, with it being difficult to find many holes in the planning. “Death Note” keeps it’s fast moving plot and storyline throughout the series and almost every episode ends with a cliffhanger, making you want more and more! One main thing does seem to disappoint me though. Once it became present that there was a second arc to the series, the tension and the excitement of the plot line seemed to drop (well for me at least) with the events occurring with Yotsuba Group. It seemed as though they may have just wanted to stretch the series for a bit longer, although it did pick up again with the introduction of “Near”. The ending however, I found a little disappointing, and a bit cliche though...
As much is hyped up about Death Note, it is not perfect. Now, the storyline, as I have said before, is very strong. It moves fast, and keeps you wanting more. The animation is exceptional. I do not believe that there is a noticeable slack in standard with the animation. The eyes and hair is detailed, character costumes and body shapes don’t seem to be distorted, facial expressions seem appropriate etc. Sound? This, for me, seems to be it’s only not so good side, although still very good. The soundtrack could have been improved in some areas with it for me starting to get a little repetitive… The "godly singing" gives a nice epic feel to it, however it does seem to feel as if it gets a little overused. The first opening and closings I think could have been improved, as it didn't quite seem to match the plot. The second opening theme songs some people may find a bit offensive, however it does seem to fit the characters and plot line better. Nevertheless, the soundtrack was still very good, and the voice actors fitted the characters pretty much perfectly, with outstanding performances by Miyano Mamoru, Yamaguchi Kappei and Hidaka Noriko, playing Light, L and Near respectively.
Despite the anime’s very good plot, art, sound and character developments and characteristics, I did not seem to enjoy it as much as I thought I would have, which may be due to having over-expectations, however, it still does deserve an overall 9.4 out of 10 and is arguably "one of the best anime" ever. Highly recommendable to those who enjoy crime-fighting with a difference, and also highly recommendable to everyone else! Whether I like L or Light better? Hehe...
