Death Note Episode 1 Discussion / Poll

[Catgirls]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Death Note, Episode 1!

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Try to keep the discussion on topic and future episode spoilers out of the thread whenever possible.


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[KiNA]

Perfect.

So far both main character's voice matched their identity well .. Couldn't wait for L's voice as well .. Nah, I'm joking .. I cant wait for Misa Misa :D

Adaptation from manga was perfect, altho as most people noted .. Raito's reaction when meeting Ryuuku was a bit .. erm .. missing.

If I have to nitpick .. then the only one I can complain is did he really go so maniac early? Dont think he quite lost it earlier >.<

All in all .. a perfect start to one of the greatest manga. I had goosebump when hearing ryuuku's voice ^^

[Ottocycle]

Anyone else thought they overpimped the mass writing of names? The overly sharp hand movements and the super shiny pen(or was it a mechanical pencil) for example. I thought translucent pan overs at various angles of people dying as he was writing would have been nice.

I liked the camera shaking though..

As for the voices, Miyano Mamoru did a great job as Raito, we can clearly hear his start to the path to madness here, while not losing his Tamaki charm.

Ryuk was..underwhelming? But good nonetheless. A fresh change from what I would expect Zaraki Kenpachi from Bleach to voice(generically).

[Nightengale]

I suppose it was neccesary to give a feel that rather than just writing down names, Light was playing the ochestra of death, sending down (( self-proclaimed )) God's judgement to the evils of the world. Don't we always see exaggerated slams on the organ keys (( even when a smooth quick tap for quick interchanging patterns is the proper way to play organs )) and exaggerated camera angles during epic organ plays, this is pretty much the same thing, only with a mechanical pencil and a book.

[ShikaShika]

Anyone else thought they overpimped the mass writing of names?

I actually really loved that, just shows how crazy Light really is. He really does think of himself as a god.

Hmm... I wonder if I should give this episode a 9 or a 10... I'd give it a 10 but I know the next episode has an even higher potential so what would I give that then? :D

[Li Jianliang]

Episode 1 Screencaps & Summary (http://atashi.animeblogger.net/2006/10/death-note-episode-1-rebirth/)

Light is Light, the perfect model student who placed 1st the national mock exams... So of course he's gonna properly carry out his self-designed role of 'God' by writing names from night until dawn. I find it neat that he writes names in different languages... However, I wonder if there's a limitation to names in the Death Note, say, whether Light has to write the name in the language it was given. Like if he wants to kill someone named "John Doe", would he have to write it in English or the name in katakana would suffice?

Hmm... I wonder if I should give this episode a 9 or a 10... I'd give it a 10 but I know the next episode has an even higher potential so what would I give that then? :DI'd rate each episode to my own standards and not compare it with other episodes in the series or any other anime.

[ShikaShika]

I'd rate each episode to my own standards and not compare it with other episodes in the series or any other anime.

After some consideration, that's what I thought as well, so I gave it a 10. :) But I'm reeeealy looking forward to the next episode. :D

However, I wonder if there's a limitation to names in the Death Note, say, whether Light has to write the name in the language it was given. Like if he wants to kill someone named "John Doe", would he have to write it in English or the the name in katakana would suffice?

I'd say he'd have to write it in the language given, so katakana wouldn't work.

[Nightengale]

Every death in Death Note due to the note is shown to be killed in their original given name. We can see that in this episode where there are both English and Japanese (( probably some other language too )) written in those 2 full pages. Not that it's a problem for Light anyway, being the capable of writing in English and Japanese and probably Chinese as well. As for other obscure languages like Thailand, he still needs to google the criminal's name and crime first, so it's all a matter of copying the lines.

This overall episode is pretty much a quality anime-setting up episode done tastefully. I've would've given it a 9 if not for Light's 2 minutes playing "The Conductor of Death" directing "The Orchestra of God's Judgement" that sealed it a 10. That scene was orgasmic.

[Li Jianliang]

I see, so then you just need to be named in a language that doesn't have a written form (I can't recall any off the top of my head) to be spared from the Death Note, or better yet, never be named in the first place. Would this be a loophole?

After watching the episode three times, I've also noticed that Light's eyes turn from brown to red as he use the Death Note. Neat, this is something that can't be executed as well in manga. ^_^ And the music, too; I can almost feel the glory of Light during his intensive late-night Death Note sessions. XDD

[Lilith]

Ep 1
I gave it 10/10. Perfect.

I loved the opening, both song and sequence. It was powerful and there you can see most of the character who'll appear. The Light (red) vs L (blue) scenes were beautiful.

I really enjoyed the BGM and think they thought of it well, especially the "hymn" (I don't know what they're called in English) we hear in the Shinigami world.

Ryuk was better than I expected. He's not that ugly monster with annoying hoarse voice. Light was just awesome, his voice actor did a good job. Everything about the animation was good IMO. I can't wait to meet the rest of the characters.

I also love the ending, again, both song and sequence. I liked how the still image of composed Light suddenly changes to a maniac with wide open mouth one, then changes back, in synchronize with the song rythem. I think it has a blue feeling which made me a little sad...


that my eyes got teary. The reason is that until this very day I believe that Light is a good person (be aware that I stopped reading it when that someone died since it got licensed). It was just his misfortune to pick up the cursed Death Note. I kept thinking about how this normal-A-straight-student will change into egoistic-with-God-complex.

Just what on earth have you got yourself into, Yagami Light...

I've would've given it a 9 if not for Light's 2 minutes playing "The Conductor of Death" directing "The Orchestra of God's Judgement" that sealed it a 10. That scene was orgasmic.
I couldn't agree more, that scene was done magnificently. While it did differ a bit from the manga, but it had a great impact.

I love Death Note. Looking forward to the next episode.

[ShikaShika]

We can see that in this episode where there are both English and Japanese (( probably some other language too )) written in those 2 full pages.

You know, it bugs me a little bit when people just say that anything written in the roman alphabet is written in English. There are quite a few other languages that utilizes that alphabet. :)

[Nightengale]

You know, it bugs me a little bit when people just say that anything written in the roman alphabet is written in English. There are quite a few other languages that utilizes that alphabet. :)

Like Malay. But that's hardly the issue at hand.

Besides, there's no need to really look that deeply. It's not like we can genuinely make out the names written, and all it proves is that Light is comfortable with roman alphabets and Japanese/Chinese characters all around.

Edit : - Err..My mistake. We can make out some of the names written, though from what I skimmed through, mostly are really Chinese/Japanese and English/Names with romanized alphabets. Doesn't seem to have other particular languages though.

[Karnot]

I thought translucent pan overs at various angles of people dying as he was writing would have been nice.
God, no ! Thats the way of doing it in the most boring way.
The story isnt quite filled with action as it is, especially the first half, so going a little out of the way to change a pace is good thinking.

However, I wonder if there's a limitation to names in the Death Note
I, myself, wonder if there is a limit to how many names you can write before you run out of space. I mean, the story spans QUITE SOME TIME, and Light still had lots of pages.

Also, what counts as a person's name ? A name written in official papers ? A name given by parents ? A name as in how a person refers to himself ?

[White Manju Bun]

Ive never read the manga but I thought the 1st epi was amazing! Tamaki's seiyuu I thought was perfect for Raito. Smexy!
I love the mass killing scene at the end


This overall episode is pretty much a quality anime-setting up episode done tastefully. I've would've given it a 9 if not for Light's 2 minutes playing "The Conductor of Death" directing "The Orchestra of God's Judgement" that sealed it a 10. That scene was orgasmic.

Amen! I couldnt agree more, I went back and watch it 2 more times!!

[Darklightz]

Oh that was just amazing.I can't wait to see the rest of the serie.

I am pleasantly surprised at how they added new elements to the story while keeping the original story intact.All these little details that make the anime worth watching for those like me who read the manga.

Also the scene when Light starts mass killing criminals was superb!Very well done!

[Archer]

God, no ! Thats the way of doing it in the most boring way.
The story isnt quite filled with action as it is, especially the first half, so going a little out of the way to change a pace is good thinking.


I, myself, wonder if there is a limit to how many names you can write before you run out of space. I mean, the story spans QUITE SOME TIME, and Light still had lots of pages.

Also, what counts as a person's name ? A name written in official papers ? A name given by parents ? A name as in how a person refers to himself ?

One of the unwritten rules to the Death Note: The Death Note will never run out of pages.

And for the second question, it's not any one of them. The only name that can be trusted can only be seen through a special method.

Oh, and Light can write in English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.

[yura`]

Gosh, I remember being blown away when I first started reading the manga, and amazed at how the plot is laid out, what with all the psychological twists and mind-games. The anime, being a different medium than paper, brought the introduction to life in a different way.

As for the voices, Miyano Mamoru did a great job as Raito, we can clearly hear his start to the path to madness here, while not losing his Tamaki charm.

I agree! Miyano Mamoru did an amazing job in portraying Light (or Raito, if you prefer). There were traces of Tamaki (well, probably because Ouran has recently ended), but I think that his charm has a dangerous edge to it now - somewhat frightening.

The descent to madness, I thought, was a bit too quick, but towards the end of the episode, we are shown in flashbacks, his initial hesitation and shock at what he possessed in his hands, and later, realization at the power he has now. His character transformation is almost shocking. (What kind of life has he led that he should descend into this darkness and madness?! Lol.)

The Gregorian chant-like music at the beginning and at the end really set the mood - the episode was dark and menacing the whole way through - so, so dark and sinister.

A very promising first episode which did not disappoint.

[myopius]

However, I wonder if there's a limitation to names in the Death Note, say, whether Light has to write the name in the language it was given. Like if he wants to kill someone named "John Doe", would he have to write it in English or the name in katakana would suffice?
I'd say so. Edit: That is, I'd say he does have to write in the original language. Because
I can think of at least one occasion where it would have been much more convenient to write a katakana surname--only the surname is needed at least when it's written in traditional Japanese lettering--rather than writing one the full name of the person.At that time, I can't think that Light was too off-balance to think well, and at the other time his father didn't want to commit murder so there's a possibility he purposefully held off... Though I don't think he would do so deliberately in my personal opinion.
Although realistically the news wouldn't probably put names in katakana, wouldn't they? I mean, here in the States, we don't see Japanese names reported on the news in their original language. Probably just Ohba's oversight, since
It's later noted that Light seems to be killing many criminals from the United States.

In response to the comment that someone without a name or without a language to their name couldn't be killed... This is just my theory, but maybe the lettering is only important as it relates to the phonetics of the name, so if there's a language out there with a phoneme in your name, it should do. Also, it's been stated in other places that even people who aren't specifically named may have a concept, unworded by heard to themselves in their own mind, that they associate with themselves. Edit: Oh yes, I recall now, it's a rule of the note:
"The names you will see with the eye power of a god of death are the names needed to kill that person. You will be able to see the names even if that person isn't registered in the family registration." via deathgod.org, of course. This makes me think there is always a name that will kill a person, though it's not clear.
On the subject of people who can be killed,
If you don't want to ever be killed by the death note, cover relevant parts of your face 24/7 in such a way that it can't be removed even by, say, a tentacled shinigami, and destroy all evidence of your name, or stay in an enclosed area off the beaten path where it's unlikely you'll get spied upon from the shinigami world. Once you're been seen by one, a shinigami can always track you down, unfortunately.

One of the unwritten rules to the Death Note: The Death Note will never run out of pages.
As Archer says, there is a rule saying the Death Note will never run out of pages. However,
In the first few chapters of the manga--I believe the beginning of the second third chapter--there's a full-page spread in which one of the shinigami is saying how if Ryuk gave Light his note then he'd have to wait for Light to die or for the note to "fill up".* One way to reconcile this would be that the note fills up, then goes blank magically and the person loses ownership (that possible theory conceived by Flamika), but more likely it was Ohba's oversight. If it isn't included in the anime in the next few episodes, we'll know if that's the case.

*Note: Don't be confused, the shinigami is mistaken--Ryuk had an extra death note, so he can kill Light any time and take it back.

On a side note, people may want to utilize the Q&A topic when they can.

If I were watching this anime for the first time, I wouldn't want to be repeatedly hearing that Light "descends into madness". Also, Archer, your hint about the eyes of the shinigami isn't vague at all, you're clearly saying there's some way to get the power to see people's names, although yeah it's not such a big deal since we'll see this mentioned in one or two episodes.

The episode's downloading right now for me, but I have to go out, so I'll just watch it all when I get back... Looking forward to that!

[aohige]

Besides, there's no need to really look that deeply. It's not like we can genuinely make out the names written, and all it proves is that Light is comfortable with roman alphabets and Japanese/Chinese characters all around.

Edit : - Err..My mistake. We can make out some of the names written, though from what I skimmed through, mostly are really Chinese/Japanese and English/Names with romanized alphabets. Doesn't seem to have other particular languages though.

Just confirmed. I saw some written in Hangul (Korean).

I could only find Roman alphabet, Chinese characters/Japanese kanji, and Hangul.
Perhaps, over the course, we'll see Arabic, Thai, and others.


Although realistically the news wouldn't probably put names in katakana, wouldn't they? I mean, here in the States, we don't see Japanese names reported on the news in their original language.


True, but Light is sitting in front of a PC... and it's very easy for Japanese to look up actual spelling of people.
Besides, I'm sure he didn't use "the Television news" to get all those names.
You think Japanese TV broadcasts hundreds of american criminal names (even ones in jail) every day? hehe.
I'm sure he looked up known criminal names on the internet.

[Dagger]

Does anyone know how Japanese fans have reacted to Miyano Mamoru's performance as Light in episode 1? I'm curious because English-speaking fans have expressed a wide range of opinions with no real consensus as of yet. (For the record, I thought he did a fine job, although there were one or two weak lines.)

[justinstrife]

Just watched the first episode. Holy heck that was awesome. His transformation is going to be very fun to watch. Rated it a 10 for above said reasons. :)

[Hibiki Recca]

Just watched first ep. Brilliant, sets up atmosphere for whats to come later. (Again, I'm someone who stopped reading once it was licensed). Looking forward to see how they handle later events.
I liked how they seemed to add more to Lights initial discovery of the Death Note, however it dropping into his school seems a bit too convienent. Still, good music, excellent animation and decent sounding voices. I had doubts on Ryuk's voice, but that laugh is bone-chilling.

[somekid]

This episode was simply brilliant; in fact, I have a hard time deciding whether I prefer the manga or the anime now. The music was perfect for this kind of show as well. I really loved that last part that showed Light writing the names into the Death Note and seeing the criminals drop dead.

[ZeusIrae]

It's perfect the animation is gorgeous.And Light....OMG...Light is God;

I laughed histerically when he said that he would purify the world.
"And I will be the god of the new wolrd"Go Light,go and make this world a better place.................(evil laugh,I am serious).
The adaptation is excellent ,it feels completely new.

The only thing that suprised me he's that Light gets his god-complex sooner but that's not a bad thing.The VA is excellent,it's frightening to see Light come to life like this.

[myopius]

Just watched it. Can't rate it because having read the manga I'm biased, and noticed all the ways they changed it around.

Light doesn't see the note fall, he notices it on the ground. He doesn't think the words "There must be something wrong with me," he just thoughtlessly brings it home. He doesn't interact with any of his schoolmates. The scenes in which he killed two people were shown after his conversation with Ryuk--the time split occurs just as he stands back up and whip out his pen, not right after "Shibutaku's" accident. He vomits after considering what he's done, he doesn't just lean over. As has been said, in the manga the bikers weren't trying to take her clothes off. Instead of leaping out the window when it's still light out, the scene is set in darkness so Ryuk just tells Light that "it'll be fine" for Light to open the door for his mother to show him that no one else can see him. They immediately show Ryuk eating three apples which Light's mother brought to him, which causes Light to yell at him to answer the question, for some reason. Ryuk also get very rude, saying that Light must have egocentrically thought that because he was "smart" he found the note, when in the manga he's more laid-back.More importantly,

Chuckling. In the manga, when he returns to his room and picks up the note, he's sweating and lightly laughing, like "Heh... heh... heh..." That's what I recall, it seemed like a nervous laugh to me, like the happiness of someone who is doing something fantastic which causes them to feel fulfilled but which is emotionally and psychologically draining. In the anime, he's chuckling manaically, essentially.
Light acts way too emotional when confronted with Ryuk. When he's told he won't be punished, he acts like his mind was just blown, far beyond simple "surprise". I suppose these two things are just attempts by the animators to make things more interesting... More importantly, however, he looks extremely freaked out when Ryuk tells him he won't go to Heaven or Hell, when in the manga he's sweating and smiling nervously.
Which fits more with how we later see he responded to Ryuk's statement.When he's thinking about the task of killing the rotten, I don't think the logic of how he came to conclude how he wanted to do things was very clear:
In the manga is like: "I'm always thinking the rotten should die" -> "With this I can punish the rotten" -> "If I do I may lose my sanity" -> "There is no one else I can trust" -> "I must, no, I will do it."
In the anime it's like: "With this I can punish people" -> "Do I have the right to?" -> "More importantly, the rotten must die" -> "I must punish the rotten" -> "If I do it I'll lose my sanity/soul" -> "But only I can do it" -> "I must do it."
It was nice how they lead into the episode title with both Ryuk and Light thinking that their world is rotten. At least they essentially aced that.

Really sweet how Shibuimaru Takuo just got completely owned by that truck. Three times, lol. The name-writing scene was pretty overdone though, IMO. Seeing random guys falling through glass windows was just bizarre. And wow, so they'll be doing the Rules of the Death Note at the middle of each episode? That's pretty cool. I'll check out Live-evil's sub later on. I noticed TW put out a V2, I wonder what the differences are....

On the OP. Cool, but way too many apples. I suppose since the movie overemphasized apples, they decided they wanted to really emphasize apples, but man. Seeing Light take a bite out of an apple in the OP just seemed goofy to me. I suppose that the woman with blue hair lying down must be Misa, since she has the cross hanging from her neck. Who are...http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/4561/vlcsnap184909uv4.th.png (http://img60.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vlcsnap184909uv4.png)
? I would assume that it could be "those two", but it seems oddly stylized.If they do include the entire manga series in these 37 episodes, I hope they change the OP's animation. They can keep the theme song, but they should reflect the emergence of new characters and growth of existing characters. Actually, I think the OP, as it is, is kind of lacking; even if it's just to cover the first part of the manga, it should include more content. It should
reference Naomi and Raye at the very least.
At the end of the OP, when Light reaches out to Misa, I thought Misa looked a bit too pathetic/downtrodden, honestly. But I loved the symbolism of that animation along with the song lyric ("I'll show you a world..."). Indeed. Indeed.

The ED was fantastic. Nothing I'd really change. (Music was also a bit better too, IMO... that's often the case when they try to over-shounenize a manga that has deeper aspects--referencing more mellow themes seems to make a lot of sense.) And the ED's theme is a theme I was hoping they'd put more focus on in the anime--the theme that, like I always say, Light is not just an action hero or a madman, but someone with a deep meaning to their existence, one which may affect the world on a large scale but also acts in parallel within his heart.
In the first episode/chapter, Light says he'll forfeit his sanity, and, effectively, his moral sense, to do what he must. And that's the last we hear of the fact that he does not, at his core, want to forfeit those things, but feels he must--well, except moments like in chapter 22, there are very few times we really see that conflict.
Light mentions that he had never thought of the death note as a curse--he had always considered in the best thing that had ever happened to him. But his face is shadowed, and the fact that he's treating it so seriously shows that there's a conflict.

[Lilith]

Great review, myopius. I would really appreciated it if we'll see more of you through out the series.

At the end of the OP, when Light reaches out to Misa, I thought Misa looked a bit too pathetic/downtrodden, honestly. But I loved the symbolism of that animation along with the song lyric ("I'll show you a world..."). Indeed. Indeed.
You mean she isn't already too pathetic/downtrodden? :p And yes, the symbolism was beautiful.

[Dagger]

Who are...http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/4561/vlcsnap184909uv4.th.png (http://img60.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vlcsnap184909uv4.png)
? I would assume that it could be "those two", but it seems oddly stylized.If they do include the entire manga series in these 37 episodes, I hope they change the OP's animation. They can keep the theme song, but they should reflect the emergence of new characters and growth of existing characters. Actually, I think the OP, as it is, is kind of lacking; even if it's just to cover the first part of the manga, it should include more content. It should
reference Naomi and Raye at the very least.

Actually, those two are Naomi and Raye. Like the Creation scene with Light and Ryuk, it's a reference to a famous piece of art--in their case, the Pieta.

[myopius]

Thank you, Lilith--I really love Death Note so I'm definitely planning on commenting in upcoming episodes. I won't post quite so much text from here on out on a regular basis, though, I hope. x.x That is, I hope I can stimulate others to post text in substitute of my own, so we can have great discussions. Anyway, Misa's personality isn't downtrodden, I'd definitely say.

Magus--oh, wow, can't believe I didn't realize that. I thought the person on the left was short, didn't realize they were leaning over... That is an awesome reference.

[guiltygearxt]

who has better subs?

Desuno? Live-evil? TW?

[Nightengale]

Actually, I thought the Misa OP bit was different.

I think it was there to emphasis on the simple idea of how Misa became Kira's die-fan, and the hopeless-ness of her self and those she lost from the world, vanished as a being (( note that she couldn't see Light's face, just merely a vague image )) descended down to cleanse the world of evil, however...that image is still nothing more than an image imagined by Misa. Her ideal God.

Because what the real God has for her is chains that control her feelings and life, not an arm to welcome her (( which then still wasn't assossiated with Rem )) and love her.

[Sorrow-K]

Being only one of two people on the entire planet who hasn't read the Death Note manga, I really didn't have a huge idea what to expect. But, I was immensely impressed by what I saw.

The thing that impressed me the most was the music. It matched the mood of every scene perfectly, but it also managed to draw attention to itself, thanks to the fact that the tunes themselves were so good. I think the soundtrack is going to be a killer, but time will tell whether or not it'll be a truly great one or not. Nonetheless, given what we heard in the first ep and the budget this show seemingly has, I'd be willing to be that it'll be very good.

Animation was superb, but that almost goes without saying. The directing was great as well. Even though I haven't read the manga, you can sometimes tell when there's a great amount of loyalty to the source material even without having read it, and that seemed to be the case here as well.

I still have no idea what the story is going to take, given the premise... and that's a good thing (nothing worse than a series that becomes totally predictable after the first ep.) But, if the atmosphere if the first ep is anything to go by (and the hype from manga-readers), this looks like it's going to be a winner.

[aohige]

The only thing that suprised me he's that Light gets his god-complex sooner but that's not a bad thing.The VA is excellent,it's frightening to see Light come to life like this.

I think they did that to get the audience "hooked on" the show by grabbing their attention.

I think it was successful :D

[akurashy]

Being only one of two people on the entire planet who hasn't read the Death Note manga, I really didn't have a huge idea what to expect. But, I was immensely impressed by what I saw.

I haven't read the manga so i join in!, okay I was also impressed, but while I was watching it it became a bit boring and with the same loop of "so if this death book real or not.."

I didn't like the part of his god-complex weirdness, but I guess he's going to party now killing all the serial killers/ major criminals.

Overall, enjoyed it also liked the BGM and opening/ending :D

[monir]

who has better subs?

Desuno? Live-evil? TW?
The best answer is to judge for yourself! :) While TW had made a pretty good reputation during when they were subbing Naruto, they have been missing from the fansubbing scene for sometime after their brief attempt at subbing Bleach. Live-Evil is another good group who subs good shows. I haven't heard about the group Desuno, but that doesn't mean they are not good.

That said, I have yet to see the sub by any of these mentioned group above but I am sure they have all done a good job.

One more thing I would like to add; while TW and Live-Evil are pretty good groups, they also don't consider themselves as "speed-subbers" (don't really like that term, hence, I put it in quotation.) The virtue of patience needs to be adhered when one wants a show subbed by them, meaning, that more than likely no Death Note-subs are waiting a day after the RAW for the show are found. I really hoped Lunar would pick it up since they are very quick without compromising the quality of overall subbing. :)

[DrewGSR]

This show has potential, its pretty damn interesting. I really like it so far.

[asteron]

As for all the talk of the language of the name.

I don't think it would matter much. I mean names are not unique to people (since different people can have the same name) and so why would a person need a unique name?

The notebook scans your mind for the face anyway which is unique.

I think of the writing of the name more as a declaration of intent or a contract to kill. I dont think things like the language or legibility of his handwriting would matter with a magical item which can read his true intent.

[Scep]

the whole anime pace went very nicely. I havent read the manga yet tho, so im pretty curious as to how this storyline can proceed on other than killing killing killing killing killing killing killing and er... killing.

[Deathkillz]

its soo much more than killing...theres suspense that can give you a heart attack and tragity that will break your heart...only read the first 2 volumes and it gave me an emotional trip somewat :heh:

[Karnot]

And wow, so they'll be doing the Rules of the Death Note at the middle of each episode? That's pretty cool.
They will ?

[Itachikun]

Thank god they put the rules of the Death Note in the episode. Saves alot of typesetting time :p

[Cooldude]

The only thing I don't like

is the way they showed Raito showing Ryuk how many names he wrote in his Death Note

In the manga, he suddenly opened his Death Note and shoved it in front of Ryuk face and Ryuk laughing about how many names he wrote down already. That would've made a great chilling scene if animated

Also, don't like how calm they made Raito look when he first met Ryuk, he was a lot more freaked out in the manga. Kinda shows how he turned from a normal human into a maniac.

[Lilith]

goldlilys, please edit your post QUICKLY. Distribuiting licensed material on AnimeSuki forums is strictly prohibited. Thanks. :D

And LOL I agree Itachikun. But wait, how many rules are there? Will they fit in 37 episodes?

I disagree with you, Cooldude. In the anime Light was definitely no where near calm when he met Ryuk. He screamed, fell of the chair and backed away to the wall. Don't you think that's enough? :) After a minute, he calmed down and talked to Ryuk normally which was fine by me. This is Light we're talking about, the "trickster" with amazing mentality.

[sedukshun]

wow so many good reviews on this anime i might have to add another one to my "going to view" list of anime lol

[Deathkillz]

i think light did a pretty good job not freaking out after seeing ryuk...an normal person would have died from a heart attack (ironic?)...just shows how strong minded light is ^_^

[i0td]

i think light did a pretty good job not freaking out after seeing ryuk...an normal person would have died from a heart attack (ironic?)...just shows how strong minded light is ^_^What I like more was how Light not only did what you mentioned in your post, but also had the guts to explain his plan to become a god to a god. Ryuk's reaction was priceless. I especially loved the mischievous smirk at the end, foreshadowing all the trouble to come. With that said, I'm definitely looking forward to more of this series.

[KaneDragon]

Yeah, the motorcycle incident was hilarious. Not0wn3d. Three times lol. Reminds me of Ichigo getting pwn3d in Bleach...

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7546/deathnotenot0wn3dko9.gif
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7733/bleachichigogetspwnedfz5.gif

Light's too insane, though. Shame, believing that he can cleanse the world of evil. Ryuk saying "But then you'll be the only one left". Oh, well,
that's the moral of the story. So much potential if his ego had been a little bit less. And Misa had been a little more bright.

[Karnot]

I wonder if the rest of the show will continue to be exactly 1 chapter per episode...
But either way, the first 30 chapters are the best of them all. Oh, and maybe the corporation part.

[KaneDragon]

Yeah,
I certainly was never expecting the time skip following L's death. And suddenly Light has all this power and resides in his Fortress of Doom. wtf. Felt too post-apocalyptic. First half was superior, but Light was being too evil for me, so meh.

[garnet07]

Oooh I love the first episode of Death Note. I like the effects and the voices match the characters so well. And did anyone say that the voice of Light is the same voice of Tamaki from Host Club. Haha that's hilarious. I hope to see more of characters especially the cute L.

Just want to ask when do they play this in Japan. Is it every Tuesday only or something? Cuz I want more to come faster. And if theres only 37 episodes, will they fit everything storywise? Cuz Isnt there like 120 chapters for the manga. So the anime should be more like 50 or more episodes. Well just wondering.

Overall, I so soo highly recommend this. Also waiting for Perfect Girl Evolution to be fansubbed. Hope someone is doing that. :D

[Catgirls]

Just want to ask when do they play this in Japan Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the way you keep track of time. From the Q & A Thread (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=36894):

Mahou’s Showtime Page (http://www.mahou.org/Showtime) | Fall Anime Schedule (http://hashihime.atspace.com/0610sched.html) (credit: Kaoru Chujo (http://forums.animesuki.com/member.php?u=19971)) | Date&Time.com (http://www.timeanddate.com/) (time conversion)

Q. When does Death Note air?

A. Wednesdays at 12:56 AM (Japan time)

Click on the "Date&Time.com" link above to convert to your time-zone.

And yes, it airs only once a week ... which means, the show will unfold over 37+ weeks.

[gmanr26]

I just felt random in getting this show cuz it was episode 1... and i'm happy for it... the art is amazing, and the premise seems even better, i love that shinigami (death god) is shown differently than like in bleach .... i hope to be enjoying alot more of this show in the future.... anyone know how many episodes are planned for this show/season

[ashefatal]

37 episodes

[Sinestra]

I have never read the manga but a lot of people told me how good this series was so i checked out the first episode and i must say i was pleasently surprised. The who concept is right up my ally. I love the animation its so dark and gothic i hate animes where the premise is grim but the animation does not reflect it. Death Note reflects the darkness and twisted nature of the story perfectly.

Yagami is great charcter and portrayed very well his voice is great defiently approve of whoever is playing him. My favorite part about Yagami is how arrogant he is. He beleives that he is the only person who can right the wrongs of the world his personality fits right into it. Hes an straight A student perfect son he seems popular and hes very intellgient. All these things makes for a very arrogant yet very bored indvidual. I hope the anime shows us a little bit more about his psyche. Ryuk is cool ass Shinigami he dropped the book because he was bored sounds like something a Shinigami would do. Im looking foward to more scenes with im as well.

The best scene is ep 1 one had to be with Yagami writing all the names down followed by the people dying. That gothic music playing in the backround made that scene even more creepy and messed up.

I do have question Ryuk said that any human who uses the death note can neither go to heaven or hell. Does that mean he Yagami would go to purgatory when he died? i also thought there was no punishement for using the book so why would it effect Yagami's after life? Does it have something to do with taking life? its not the fact that hes using the book its the fact that hes killing people.

[myopius]

Really interesting to hear the opinions of people who haven't read the manga. :D I feel like this topic was 95% manga folk until Sorrow-K said that they were 1/2 of the people who hadn't read the manga--maybe that comment broke the ice.

Unfortunately, Sinestra, it's not clear from the context of this episode what Ryuk meant by a human who uses the note going to neither Heaven nor Hell.

[Dark`]

I do have question Ryuk said that any human who uses the death note can neither go to heaven or hell. Does that mean he Yagami would go to purgatory when he died? i also thought there was no punishement for using the book so why would it effect Yagami's after life? Does it have something to do with taking life? its not the fact that hes using the book its the fact that hes killing people.

It's somewhat of a spoiler...obviously. :heh:





I have no idea what Ryuk meant. :p










LOL, just messing. I still don't feel comfortable just posting what he means though. So if you really want to know, send me a PM. Don't blame me for spoiling/ruining things for you though.





Overall, a pretty enjoyable first episode. I've followed and finished reading the manga already, but am just now starting to pick up the series from Tokyopop. Going back and reading the first volume now, they did take quite a few liberties with the episode. My biggest gripe would probably only be the fact that Light didn't see the Death Note falling from the sky, but rather he just kind of saw it materialise on the ground. Other than that, no major complaints.

Oh, and while most people seemed to like Light's "orchestration" scene the best, I have a different favourite. That scene was great...but overall, as a big fan ever since I read vol 1 months ago, has to be Ryuk's response when Light tells him he'll be the God of the new world. "Humans are interesting!" I just get goosebumps everytime I see that scene (at least 3 times now).

[sunny_ta]

I haven't touched the manga, but I loved the first ep. I can already tell this series is going to become incredibly interesting. The little dabs of humor here and there is surprising, considering the serious tone of everything., (Ryuuku is hilarious).

*waits for next ep*

[Nightengale]

Hint before you seriously consider reading the spoilers : GTO, Yes, Great Teacher Onizuka.

When humans die, there is neither hell...nor there is heaven. In the end, there exist only darkness only for those who've reached their death.

Hope that answers your question.

[myopius]

I enjoy Death Note.

[[DOT].L]

When humans die, there is neither hell...nor there is heaven. In the end, there exist only darkness only for those who've reached their death.
Which is surprisingly existential when you think about it.:)

[Li Jianliang]

When humans die, there is neither hell...nor there is heaven. In the end, there exist only darkness only for those who've reached their death.Directly from Japan: "After they die, the place they go is MU (nothingness)." 死んだ後にいくところは、無である。

[Lotiman]

Death Note is a masterpiece. I was so excited about it when I heard it going to be in anime and now it is finally here.

[Kisuke06]

I have just watched the first episode. Very good, indeed. So many people was talking about this anime that I decided to check it out and, well, I'm glad I did.

This is a great show, has a very nice story. When Light is talking about beeing a new God you can already predict that he is going to do... not-so-good things. :heh:

[Kaon]

Death Note is just dark enough to balance the rest of the light-hearted stuff that's been showing lately: Haruhi, ZnT, School Rumble. Note Higurashi's absence on that list.

Though I haven't read the manga, the concept is highly appealing, and from what I saw in the first episode, I have high expectations for the rest of the series. It'll be the perfect winter series; darkness and morbidity is great stuff when it's cold and dark outside. Make no mistake, Death Note is morbid, you can't have a show about a guy that kills criminals by writing their names in a little black notebook that isn't.

I found the conversation between Light and Ryuk quite awesome. One one hand, you have the grotesque Death God (with a thing for apples) and the genius with the Death Note. Ryuk's apparent interest in the nature of humanity is quite compelling, I'll be eagerly awaiting further development of the story.

9/10.

[Deathkillz]

^ you are right on ryuk being awsome :p i really like the VA for him...it fits perfectly on how i imagine his voice would be...especially when he sed how interesting humans are...its just gives me goosebumps listening to how evil he is :heh:

[Spastic_Hobo]

Not a half bad job. The anime pretty much captures the spirt of the manga perfectly. I'm curious to see how they handle a few characters later, but so far I'm impressed.

My only major gripe is the over dramatization of Light writing the names in the book (I mean its kinda cool I guess, but a little too dramatic if you ask me).

[Sinestra]

It's somewhat of a spoiler...obviously. :heh:





I have no idea what Ryuk meant. :p










LOL, just messing. I still don't feel comfortable just posting what he means though. So if you really want to know, send me a PM. Don't blame me for spoiling/ruining things for you though.





Overall, a pretty enjoyable first episode. I've followed and finished reading the manga already, but am just now starting to pick up the series from Tokyopop. Going back and reading the first volume now, they did take quite a few liberties with the episode. My biggest gripe would probably only be the fact that Light didn't see the Death Note falling from the sky, but rather he just kind of saw it materialise on the ground. Other than that, no major complaints.

Oh, and while most people seemed to like Light's "orchestration" scene the best, I have a different favourite. That scene was great...but overall, as a big fan ever since I read vol 1 months ago, has to be Ryuk's response when Light tells him he'll be the God of the new world. "Humans are interesting!" I just get goosebumps everytime I see that scene (at least 3 times now).


Thanks for the warning i didnt this question would spark so many responses. I have choosen not to read the spoilers ill just ride it out but thanks to everyone who posted it. man this series kicks major ass

[IchiKyo]

I rated it 10/10
I never read the Manga but i really like the Anime
First Time I never show something good with a good background of Death
The Opening is Good, remind me Bleach and the Ending is good too, Nightmare.
Everything's dark and the Main Character is not just a stupid boy who just writting a name and finish, he continues and every name he writes, he looks satisfy and compare himself like a Good who will erase all Bad Guys of the World, he looks a them, analyse and examine with a perfect jugement, why he want them to die... The Next Episode will be interesting
I'm very interested for who is L...

[Kinny Riddle]

Finally I have time to post my thoughts.

Though I've already read the whole manga, watching the first episode once again brings a big grin to my face like an idiot, just like when I watched the live-action version of the movie. :D Madhouse has adapted another dark series well since the excellent Monster.

Miyano was decently evil as Light begins his journey down the Dark Side (R). Next episode we'll see how Yamaguchi Kappei performs as the eccentric detective L.

Of course the one I'm waiting for is Hirano Aya as Misa Misa, but I can wait.

[Guido]

Given the overwhelming popularity that the manga enjoys and that most of the mainstream otaku population was expecting the anime, I made my decision to jump inside the wagon.

I just can only say that I'm glad that I hopped into the ride. Honestly, DEATH NOTE is addictive and different, more of the unique toy you are coveting but can't afford to have.

I'll lift my reservations on reading the manga, until I have seen the anime to its entirety.

Starting with the main leading characters, episode one accomplishes in exploring their drives and motivations. Simply put, the world sucks because everyday ordinary people make sh*t without giving a damn, and the rest of the mainstream population copes to it as the daily norm.

The Shinigami world may be a literal reflection of the ordinary world and is not unlike to it. That means is neither white or black but on different shades of grey. Although Shinigami look horrific and menacing in their forms, they're just lax and apathetic indulging on simpler pleasures which makes a vicious cycle for laziness.

The audience can feel for Ryuk and Light because from time to time just by looking at our surroundings we can too snap and be repulsed on what's going on with the crazy and stupid stuff that keeps hapening day in and day out.
Is there something better outside from our little world of comfort? , Why do I have to feel alright that someone's misfortune not bothers me, as along as it do not affects me?, Would be okay if I should have more?

These are few questions and doubts that first Ryuk and then Light ponder about the reason why they are in their respective worlds. They just want to break the routine and see what's ahead; what if something changes that would faze and challenges our current perception of the mundane?

Enter the DEATH NOTE.

The anime revels mostly in psychological horror, avoiding gratuitious bloody violence. So whatever deaths continue to happen won't be by random, but forming part of Light's scheme to mold his ideal view of the world as he deems fit for righteousness.
The only problem is that holding such an accesible power which the DEATH NOTE provides would inevitably grasp Light's mentality from obsession to madness that the average population is not only rotten but has no hope and the world would be better off without them.

The supernatural elements such as the Shinigami mostly present themselves to complement and sustain the decadent atmosphere, serving forewarnings for the unspeakable horrors that the DEATH NOTE users will keep on comitting.

Just by looking into episode one, I can give myself an idea onto which direction the plot is heading. Witnessing how little by little Light loses his grip on his quest for making the world less sh*tty day by day, but just as Ryuk pointed out that Light will end up causing more mess and havoc instead of alleviating it.

[IchiKyo]

Of course the one I'm waiting for is Hirano Aya as Misa Misa, but I can wait.


Aya Hirano... Can't wait :D
Who will she dub anyway?

[Nightengale]

Aya Hirano... Can't wait :D
Who will she dub anyway?

The girl in the rain in the OP, Misa.

[Myriel DesTorrents]

Great! I liked the manga and I liked the voices of Ryukku and Raito, they are serious and deep. Cool!

I can't wait for the others!

Myriel

[physics223]

It had a great first episode, but I was personally more affected by Asatte no Houkou than this one. Of course I'll go on watching - with a good manga source like that and with great voice actors, IMO, I think this will finish as one of the better series of the fall season.

[Dark`]

As Archer says, there is a rule saying the Death Note will never run out of pages. However,
In the first few chapters of the manga--I believe the beginning of the second third chapter--there's a full-page spread in which one of the shinigami is saying how if Ryuk gave Light his note then he'd have to wait for Light to die or for the note to "fill up".* One way to reconcile this would be that the note fills up, then goes blank magically and the person loses ownership (that possible theory conceived by Flamika), but more likely it was Ohba's oversight. If it isn't included in the anime in the next few episodes, we'll know if that's the case.

*Note: Don't be confused, the shinigami is mistaken--Ryuk had an extra death note, so he can kill Light any time and take it back.

Kinda late for a response...but I just recently started re-reading the Death Note manga...I don't really recall that rule though (maybe I just haven't gotten to that point again yet).

I'm not sure if you were reading from the raw or reading a translation, but the scanlation I have doesn't use the phrase "fill up."

Scanlation: "No way...if that were to happen, he'd have to watch over until either the human or the notebook met its end."

Viz: "As if...if something like that happened, he'd have to stick around until that human died, or the notebook is done."

At the start of chapter 5, Ryuk also mentions something similar, except he uses the word 'finished' (in Viz's version). My scanlation has Ryuk using the phrase 'the end' again.

'met its end', 'is done' and 'finished' can refer to the Death Note being destroyed, not necessarily "filled up". In that context, it makes sense that the Death Note never runs out of pages (one of the rules apparently, gonna try and see if I can find that) so the Shinigami/Death God who lost their Death Note and had a human pick it up would have to follow them around until the human owner dies (natural causes or otherwise), or the Death Note ceases to exist (burned, blown up, shredded, etc).

[mantidor]

I really like this first episode. I was a fan of the manga and the adaptation is great, I even liked the over-dramatic writting on the death note :heh:, I didn't like the op or ending but to be honest most J-pop makes me go "meh".

I find interesting people's first impression. Mine was the opposite, I really didn't like the morbid, darker, "angsty" mood, and I like manga who goes that way but I was hoping for something else rather than just Raito dealing with the emotional part of having such kind of power, and oh boy if the manga delivered. I just hope people who liked that part weren't dissapointed by the way the story turns by ep2, ep which btw Im going to dl now ^_^

[SUPARSTARX]

Just finished the first episode, looks pretty good. Has the manga been licensed?

[Lilith]

Just finished the first episode, looks pretty good. Has the manga been licensed?
Yes, by Viz. http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?series_id=392 :D A note, though... clicking on the volume synopisis IS spoilerish. :uhoh:

[Death Note fan]

I loved the first episode. At first I didn't know what was going on. My first thought "Ok random kid in school... that's gotta be the protagonist. WOA! notebook falling from the sky... SWEET IT'S PLOT!!" Death note totally kick ***

[siya]

I'm giving it a 4 out of 10..it wasn't good in my opinon

[$akura]

9.9/10
Not quite 10/10, because Ryuk's voice wasn't "playful" enough for his character. ;P

[ryuuzaki32]

The first Death Note episode was so awesome! Perfect graphics of the characters and the layout for the series...spot on!

[zero-ed]

Love this, started watching yesterday and am on episode 10, hooked from the beginning!!

Is this strange but i dont like light???? i dont like the way he uses the death note?? is this strange, i almost think of him as the bad guy???

[Hanime]

Love this, started watching yesterday and am on episode 10, hooked from the beginning!!

Is this strange but i dont like light???? i dont like the way he uses the death note?? is this strange, i almost think of him as the bad guy???

I thought exactly the same thing when I saw it!
I'm more of an L fan.. anyway..
I see Light as an evil psychopath, haha. :3


:p