Death Note
Alternate Titles: デスノート (Japanese)
Original Japanese Release Date: 2006-10-03
Episode Length/Run-time: 39 Episodes
Summary:
One rather ordinary, if not completely dull, school day, Light Yagami—a good looking, academically excelling high school student—stumbles across a notebook that seems to have fallen out of the sky. Written across the top are the words Death Note, and inside, a list of rules to follow in order to kill a person, the most basic being to simply write their name inside. After some deliberation, Light decides to use this “gift” to clean out the filth and disappointment from humanity and become the god of a new world. Of course, for every world re-ordering plan, there are those determined to fight against it.
Review:
Coming from the manga to the anime, I can say that this is one of the most direct, accurate and well done adaptations I’ve ever seen, scenes literally replicated a good 80% of the time. The most impressive aspect of the anime itself, however, can be found in moments that were created solely for the show, moments that hold either artistic influence or thematic impact. For example, the first instance of the anime shifting away from the manga offers an unseen development for Light and L—listening to the “bells chime” as they stand on the roof in the rain—as well as plays with practically literal religious symbolism—L washing Lights feet. It adds a certain amount of abstract creativity and difference that every anime adaptation can use, especially when coming from a manga that was already so plot sound and character driven.
Both the animation and the music manage to add a touch of extra flare, the art staying true to the manga’s crisp and realistic style while the music manages to embody the dark and violent atmosphere without delving too much into the realm of screaming heavy metal. It’s not an impressive orchestra score by any means, and they do have a few instances of screamo, but it handles itself well and makes an impact when necessary.
Probably the most drastic change in the transition from manga to anime was the ending. Certain moments and aspects were kept similar enough, but overall, it was a brazen move that for many, including myself, wasn’t nearly as satisfying, and possibly even a little too much. It’s easy to understand why the changes were made—an attempt to offer one last bout of drama—but it was unnecessary and seemed almost out of place after so much in depth, detail oriented, fact to fact thinking. However, despite this slight disappointment, Death Note is probably the most brilliantly done mystery/thriller anime I can recommend. The twists and turns are beyond thought out, and the characters make each moment real and powerful. If it weren’t for that ending, and some creative license I didn’t agree with, I’d be giving it more than a 4/5.
[starrater]