Death Note - Vol.1 Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

The most important Anime of recent years!

From its humble beginnings in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine to successful international franchise including three live action films, a novel and the obligatory merchandising line Death Note has grabbed the public’s imagination like no other show in years. Eschewing the typical spiky haired hero with hidden powers, giant robots, big eyed, big breasted girls and the other Anime cliché’s, we are instead treated to story of deep intelligence and moral questioning, with more twists than a corkscrew and a game of mental chess that requires a board with more than sixty four squares on it. The fantasy elements concerning the titular Death Note and its owner, the shinigami Ryuk and the childlike, wide eyed, eccentric genius L seem totally congruous and believable. What stands out the most is how things move so swiftly and the story progresses through the narrative of Light’s thoughts, his conversations with Ryuk and the mental ruminations between Light and L as they plot their next moves without losing momentum or the viewer’s interest. If anything, the depth of thought and the rationale displayed by both characters as they try to outthink each other is one of the greatest strengths of the show

When a Manga makes the transition to an Anime there are sometimes changes made to a character or even some liberties taken with to the story. Thankfully this is not the case with Death Note and everything is exactly as originally intended by creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. To say the animation from Madhouse has brought the story to life would be an understatement. The voices totally suit and define the characters (but not the hideous US dub – avoid at all costs); the soundtrack is both haunting and dramatic; the artwork is stunning, and the tension is so palpable you can feel the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

There is no question that this is an essential series for any Anime fan to have in their collection. In short, Death Note is the new benchmark in Anime.

* * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

[Highly rated reviewer]

Death Snore

I have to admit after reading the info on the dvd, I was looking forward to watching this series, but it was a slight disappointment when I did get to see it

I didn't even get through the 4th episode before I stopped watching, I'm not saying it wasn't enjoyable but you do have to be in the frame of mind to watch some of the same thing over and over and I just wasn't.

The main character is somewhat egotistical and surprising at the same time. At first it can seem somewhat repetative, with it revolving around the main character and his otherwoldly friend and the police.

Hopefuly the second disc is a bit more entertaining.