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Post by Lyss on Oct 21, 2010 16:41:36 GMT -5
Death Note Anime Review Death Note is one of those anime that every “true” anime fan will inevitably, at some point, encounter and watch (or read, as is in the case of the manga). While I have not yet had the pleasure of actually reading the manga, I have watched the anime, therefore I shall review it for your viewing pleasure.
First opening theme. The World by Nightmare. Second opening theme. What's Up, People?! by Maximum the Hormone. First ending theme. Alumina by Nightmare. Second ending theme. Zetsubou Billy by Maximum the Hormone. Total Episodes: 37
Oh my god, it’s so popular, so it must be crap.
[/u] Interestingly enough, it’s become a silent rule that most anime or manga that are “popular” (and here I speak in terms of Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Fushigi Yuugi, and Sailor Moon) are garbage, stupid, and simply a waste of time to watch or read. If it’s mainstream, then it can’t possibly have any redeemable qualities. While I do agree, there are many non-mainstream series that are very good and, in all honesty, much better than most “typical” anime or manga, there are also the few mainstream series that are gems in and of themselves. One of those being Death Note. Sure, it’s popular, and likely has a near-cult following, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad series because of it. It has a cult following because of how good it is. It’s not your typical shoujo or shounen series. OMG, Light is so hot, especially if he’s paired with L, Misa should go to hell, etc. etc.[/u] Yeah…yeah. If you’re one of those animanga fans that likes to fangirl/boy over how hot character X is and how character X should be paired up with character Y because they’re such a good couple, and character Z should go die in a hole because they’re messing up the oh so wonderful chemistry of the entire relationship…then this isn’t the anime for you. Quite frankly, watching Death Note requires you to have some patience and understanding; which means all the dialogue and all the characters are, in some way, important, whether it be important to the plot or as merely another plot device. And, like I mentioned in another review, it’s rather pathetic to watch or read something and debate the sexual orientations of the characters, or to say that because character X made this sort of facial expression, s/he must be in love with character Y. If you think like that…it’s rather depressing. Plus you’ll be entirely lost as to what the actual plot is if you let your mind wander like that. And, as I mentioned, it’s rather pathetic. Also – Misa should not go to hell. Really, girls/boys, I understand that you’re jealous because she gets to spend so much time with Light, but that doesn’t mean she’s stupid, or useless. Is it because she’s blonde and happens to be pretty, or rather happy-go-lucky in nature? If you have a semblance of a brain, as is required to watch this anime, you’ll realize that Misa is actually very important to the plot, and is also intelligent. Maybe not as intelligent as Light or L, but then again you’ll have to take into account that they are geniuses, while Misa has average or above-average intelligence. After all, she was famous on her own, and worked very hard to be as such. I don’t understand why Light is so nice in the beginning, but then he suddenly turns into this evil bastard.[/u] It’s called “corruption”. “Degeneration of character”. “God complex”. All of these can be applied to Light. I would say he is the embodiment of what happens when we let power go to our head. I think I recall him being a Pisces – both men and women born under this sign are very easily influenced. Obata-sensei and Ooba-sensei did their homework. What is the crazy guy with the book’s name anyway?[/u] Oh, Light. Yagami Light. Or Yagami Raito. It depends on what you prefer. Light is the “Romanized” name. Raito is the Japanese pronunciation, and how it is written in katakana.月 kanji, with the katakana ライト beside it to specify the pronunciation. There, you learned some Japanese. Light himself states in episode six that his first name is written with the character for moon, but pronounced like “raito/light”. Death Note begins by introducing Yagami Raito, a young student who is bored with his everyday life and believes that the world is rotting. Later on, we are also introduced to the Shinigami Ryuuk, who is bored with his life in the Shinigami World, and also believes the world is rotting. Because he wants something interesting to happen, he drops his Death Note into the human world, inevitably sparking the chain of events that would lead to Raito’s corruption and triumph. When Raito discovers that he can kill a person merely by writing their name in the Death Note, while keeping their face in mind, he decides to use the notebook for good. He takes on the alias “Kira” and sets off killing criminals as he sees fit, writing their names down. Soon, he begins to experiment – manipulating the times and cause of death of his victims. Raito wants to become the new god, he wants to become the “god of the new world” – he sees his goal, can almost taste victory on his tongue. He has planned everything, only to have it ruined by L, a mysterious genius who is the number one detective in the entire world. Death Note is essentially a “game of cat and mouse” between Raito, the protagonist (antihero) and L, the antagonist – who most everyone inevitably ends up rooting for in the end. The anime uses psychology and the sheer intelligence of these two main characters, Raito and L, to drive the story forward, as well as the suspense and thrill, tension, and anxiety that the whole anime manages to push down on its viewers. The first half of the anime, the half that includes L, is flawless – simply because we have such a fascinating and interesting antagonist. The second half, the one that has Mello and Near as the main antagonists, is not quite as flawless. Near, although a character in his own right, could easily be called a clone of L. He even looks a bit the same. Simply put, he is not quite as compelling or even as likable as L. Mello is a much more interesting character, in my opinion – simply because of his mannerisms and appearance. Both characters, however, play their role and inevitably catching and destroying Raito. Because, during the entire anime, we have witnessed the growth and corruption of Raito’s character – he was first the “good schoolboy” with very good grades. Then he became the “good schoolboy” with the ambition of cleansing the world. And then he became corrupted in his power, his elation – drowned in it, if only for the appearance of L. Because of L, he became caught up in his game, in his quest, and his true purpose was lost. Instead of cleansing the world, his one goal became that of vanquishing L. 9/10 starsCreditsThis review was written by me, Lyss. Please do not redistribute without my permission, or claim as your own. Thank you. Death Note is the property of Obata Takeshi-sensei, Ooba Tsugumi-sensei, and Shueisha.[/blockquote][/sup]
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