Death Note - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating [Archive]

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Pellissier

2007-06-28, 12:41

Stark

2007-06-28, 13:21

10/10, mi favorite anime of 2006/2007.

philmein

2007-06-28, 15:13

I agree. A perfect 10 or wait, if possible, an 11.
Ultimately my favorite anime thus far. Even though L arc was the best, Near's arc was freakin' awesome as well.

Mortis

2007-06-28, 16:34

Up to episode 35 i would give the series a 9 out of 10. But after watching 2 last episodes (especially 37 ;) ) its a 10/10 (i'd like to give it a 11 tho)
Everything was made just the way it should be.
Just awesome.

ShoyzX

2007-06-28, 17:25

9/10
If it weren't for the odd seemingly rushed ending it would have been perfect.

All hopes to a DVD Extra Alternate Ending!

Auro

2007-06-28, 22:02

10/10 = 100%
It'll be my number 1 favourite anime/manga (heck tv/series/show) of all time - I'm pretty sure!

I remember when I first heard of it, (I read the back of the manga at the book shop.) Immediately I thought "now this is my kind of story." I often question such moral/ethic values. I write stories so I often include such questions and symbolism.

From the storyline, the questions of morality, the characters and their quirks.
Right down to (for the anime,) the animation, the art, the music and the VA's.
I loved each character, which is quite rare – to love them all. That meant that when Death Note was coming to the end – I didn’t really want anyone to die :p

Manga vrs Anime
Although I prefer watching to reading… I did like how the anime condensed the second arc – to me in the manga there was almost too-much information that really wasn’t necessarily needed.
One thing I liked in the manga was Ide and Aizawa's relationship - and even shown when they were in the car after cornering Higuchi.
The anime massage scene was an interesting scene indeed. Although my first instinct was this is the moment lots of fanfics/art will be based on...
It did show the friendship between them (well okay at that point one-sided but heyy...)
As far as the last chapter – I’m in too minds, really I liked how the anime just finished with his death – but I like the manga’s ending with his worshipers *wonders how many times I’ll be saying this* it was like he really did become a God in the end. Well that’s my impression – and I thought that was a good way to end it.

I'm one of those people that love to see even the minor characters have their turn, their spotlight. I was gonna say the only improvement was to have the task force/spk members/Matt, have a bigger part in it... but then again I think each of them did have some part to play even if it was small.
So re-thinking, I think generaly it was all perfect so no improvements needed...

That’s all I can think of right now.
:D

Cheezy

2007-06-29, 15:54

Best anime i've ever seen. Gorgeous animation, superb voice acting, very fitting music etc etc. 10/10

russian_ninja

2007-06-29, 18:18

Great anime. Very well thought out. I hope it's this good when it comes to America.

mist2123

2007-06-29, 18:45

Great anime. Very well thought out. I hope it's this good when it comes to America.

i doubt that they would just ruin the voices:frustrated:

zalem

2007-06-29, 18:48

Great anime. Very well thought out. I hope it's this good when it comes to America.

I'm skeptical about that. The voice acting was so perfect in this series. Especially Miyano Mamoru as Light. Don't know that there are English dub actors that are even half that good. But then, I really don't like dubs so I suppose I'm very biased on this point. ^^;;;

Endless Twilight

2007-06-29, 22:11

I'm usually a fan of dubs, but the Death Note dub trailer has been out for a while, and sadly Light's voice is just terrible.

Anyways, this series is a 10/10 for me as well. Easily became my favorite anime.

Renchan

2007-06-29, 23:37

10/10... 11 if possible.
Great story, animation, design and VA, espcially Mamoru Miyano as Light, but american's VA will ruin the voice!(Not only Light but maybe all DN's characters)

Hagges01

2007-06-30, 03:27

9/10, probably cause I hate the non-base theory of Near about Mikami
anyway, I really enjoy this one, looking forward for more in the future

TougeSil80

2007-06-30, 04:11

9/10. The Near/Mello arc isn't as good as the L arc. But over all it's still an excellent series.

Rem and Ryuk

2007-06-30, 04:17

9.9/10. The ending hurt it from being 10, i just can't say its perfect, but other than the ending it is perfect. My favorite anime ever.

MihawkXGP

2007-06-30, 09:34

Everything up to Episode 36 was a perfect 10. Last was 7-8 at most.
Over all series was fantastic from start to finish. Animation and voice acting was great. Its going to be hard to find another anime to replace this one...

Scep

2007-06-30, 11:22

9.5/10. The entire story was very well thought out. Great plot, great animation, great VAs.

EphemeralDream

2007-07-01, 16:19

10/10

I would've given it an 11/10 if they had Light begging for his life at the end :(

Pakxenon

2007-07-01, 16:36

10/10

I would've given it an 11/10 if they had Light begging for his life at the end :(
Down two notches but I'd have the same opinion. The ending was just to make some fanboys happy, but the manga version is much more suitable as an ending (not because I hate Light - I love the guy, but it just shows how one playing god can be a pathetic human being).

Overall, Death Note is an intense thriller with some of the most epic directing I've ever seen, but there were moments where it wasn't as good (Yotsuba arc, Misa Amane, etc.) and you can't really rewatch this because you'd have known the outcome already. See my review (signature) for more of my thoughts.

Grey

2007-07-02, 10:37

Hmm, I didn't watch every episode because knowing the manga plot made it a bit tedious. Nevertheless, those episodes I did watch seemed superbly done. The little revisions and additions here and there were also rather interesting.

/rant-on/ For instance, the revised ending pleased me greatly, as the manga ending had Light seem quite out of character. He was highly intelligent and dedicated to his cause/ideal, had been prepared for death in the first chapter, was surrounded by death for the rest of the story...and later on he's suddenly no longer prepared for his own death? His life was in danger, and people were going to stop him from achieving the ideal he'd been willing to give his life for in the beginning--and the thing that suddenly matters to him more is his life rather than the collapse of the ideal he'd been working towards for six years? The ideal for which he'd killed countless people?! Making his life suddenly matter more to him is spontaneously redefining his character instead of keeping with how he's been portrayed. Unnecessary change. Hah, as one person pointed out, it almost feels like the author was trying to press a moral lesson. The anime altering the ending and adding other alterations seemed quite sensible./rant-off/

All in all, I found that the revisions and additions, the various entertaining special effects, the voice acting all went well. I imagine if I had been knew to the series I might have given the show a 10/10 on all counts. But a more conservative averaging of scores leaves my final score around 9.4.

Cyber_chaotic

2007-07-02, 10:42

you can't really rewatch this because you'd have known the outcome already.

Yeah, i totally agree on this one.
------------------------------------------------
The introduction of Mikami was a very short one as i was expecting a deeper look into his character much like what happened with the Misa section.
Much the same comment for Takada.....not much character development for her.
Oh yea...what ever did happen to Misa?.....Its like when we jump into the Near arc, Misa's character 'dies' off/doesn't become as important anymore and she becomes just a backup character....what's up with that?!?!

Really missed the 'edge of your seat' stuff where the ultimate plans were placed and perfectly executed in the L arc.......really such a shame to see very little of this in the Near arc where Lights plans always seem to have tiny flaws in them that ultimately brought about his end.

Overall, the entire Deathnote series is 10/10....but....the Near arc became a sort of anti-climax and it sorta died off to a 6-7/10.

But since i love Deathnote so much, i'll give a 9/10!

^^

Super Ska Master

2007-07-02, 15:14

10/10

My only gripes are that they condensed the second arc. I wouldn't mind normally if they didn't cut things out. They also didn't give Shidoh enough screen time. Also, they shouldn't have changed the very poignant ending of the manga. Let's hope the special gives some much needed closure to the series.

And the over exagerated writing scenes rocked. (Especially Mikami's)

davyr33

2007-07-02, 16:09

Masterpiece, 20/10, one of the finest series ever

wingdarkness

2007-07-02, 16:29

Hmm, I didn't watch every episode because knowing the manga plot made it a bit tedious. Nevertheless, those episodes I did watch seemed superbly done. The little revisions and additions here and there were also rather interesting.

/rant-on/ For instance, the revised ending pleased me greatly, as the manga ending had Light seem quite out of character.

I agree with you Grey...After reading the last couple manga chapters I'm relieved they decided to end the anime in this way with Ryuk still seemingly caring for his master despite his shinigami duties....Any other way would have been inconsistent with their anime-relationship...But the jaded respect of their friendship is what gets me kinda emotional when thinking about it...

I can understand why some manga readers were dissapointed (especially if they hate Light), but after seeing both versions this fits the anime's climate far better IMO...I mean just his "mini-swimming lesson" hit me hard and made me understand the pitiful nature of his existence..There was no need to rub it in times 100 (That would have lost the poetry and execution of the episode for me)...

In any event I give this series (as a whole, looking at everything) a compelling 10 outta 10..I wouldn't feel comfortable giving it any other score..I don't think I'd be being honest with myself shaving a point or 2 off just to do it based on the end...This series was too good for too long, not to get the best rating available...

Only_a_Shadow

2007-07-02, 19:02

A 10/10.

A must-see series. I was trembling with excitement ever since the 1st episode.

w00tix

2007-07-03, 10:19

I give this series a 9/10.

While this series is by far one of my favorites, there are just some things that I enjoyed at the beginning of the series that seemed to get out of control by the end. The main reason I enjoyed the show was the mind games going on between Light and L. While you didn't know exacly what each other was thinking, you had a good idea. Towards the end of the series, you had completely no idea what Near or Light was planning, and honestly it seems a little purposterous that Light would have a "hunch" that Near wanted to have a face-to-face meeting when he started his plan for it. Basically it went from being a intelligent fight to just nonsense.

digitalmaster287

2007-07-03, 11:24

10/10

Overall it is probably my favourite series, because it combined ethical implications with an exciting plot. The only thing that I think that the anime could have imporved on was the ending. IMO, they should have combined both the anime and the manga endings to give an extra twist to the anime with the viewers wondering whose name Ryuk would write. If I could choose, it would go something like this:

1) Everything goes the same until Mikami kills himself
2) Then, Light has the whole conversation with Ryuk telling him to kill them
3) Ryuk writes Light's name down and then Light runs out the door
4) Everything else happens like the anime did it, with Light walking off and dying
5) When Light sees L's image, they cut to Near asking Ryuk if the burning book rule is fake. When he says that it is, Near burns both notebooks. Then the pages flip to reveal L's real name before finally burning away
6) To end, it shows Light closing his eyes for the last time

nmadoka35

2007-07-03, 16:37

10/10, one of the finest series

Wosho128

2007-07-03, 20:00

9/10

Everything I wanted to say has been said already.

BUT there's one thing I would like to mention. Light's plans were inspirational. The way he countered his enemies and the absolute genius of his thoughts were breathtaking to see animated. It reminds me that people can further their ideals or goals if they just use their head. Light was on the verge of making his master plan a reality. I don't agree with his methodology but his cognitive skills were amazing and were worthy of his reputation.

Thanks to this series; I find myself plotting out every single large or menial task that I undertake.

Thanks for the thrills, Madhouse!

Harvest

2007-07-05, 22:26

I gave it a 10/10 (rarely ever give a 10) the reason its in my prediction for the speacial; my version of for happened in the end:

Death note ending
Explanation by Harvest Lee

Ok for everyone that thinks Light died, you’re all wrong. Do you really think he would not have a back up plan? Think of the bigger picture Light set up Near to make it so that he’s name not being in the death note would mean he dies. Light also remembers back to the very beginning when Ryuuk says he’ll be the one to write he’s name down and kill him. So guess what happen? Ryuuk wroth down light’s name and saved he’s life which means……. ALL OF THE LIFE THAT RYUUK SUCKED UP FROM ALL THE NAMES IN THE DEATH NOTE GO TO YAGAMI LIGHT and Ryuuk dies .

I’m sure some of you may have noticed that yagami Light’s eyes glowed red near the end right? Well if you’re going to have several thousand years of life added to you, you might as well.

Simply put Near, Mhello and L were not Light’s real enemies; from the start Light’s rival was Ryuuk. Oh yeah and everyone but Light is going to die now.

Epoq

2007-07-05, 22:52

9/10

I want to give this series a 10/10, however, I didn't really enjoy the outcome.

I was behind Light throughout the entire series, and to have him beat by a cocky (and even hypocritical!) kid made me curse out loud. It's kind of a testament to how effective this show was in getting my mind to get involved with the plot and characters.

merment

2007-07-07, 00:56

best anime ever!

GriS

2007-07-07, 22:17

9/10

It was thrilling till the end of L v Kira arc, by then the whole storyline becoming N (with mello) v Kira is silly and unnecessary. I'd rather have it end as L cracking the case finally instead of his supposedly young predecessor. Being very young, it's also unrealistic for N to be able to analyse the tense situation between L and Light thoroughly.

nevertheless, I enjoyed immensely till episode 25, though at this point my interest is all lost, I managed to crawl through and am satisfied with the ending.

animation and sound are above average

Sanchu

2007-07-08, 00:32

It was a fantastic series to follow through right into the last episode. Only thing I can say remotely negative about the series is the fact that it’s short and I wish they could have stretch the episodes a bit longer for the fans that have been drawn to addiction. I’m still feeling the effects of the last few episodes and has impressed me. Not knowing what was happening with the help of the manga kept me in the dark and surprised as the series progressed. My general impression of the series it a positive one.

It’s a refreshing show to watch after many animes that show only heavy battles and low amount of structured plot and story lines. Each character had a lasting and meaningful effect on the anime and had impact. The " Kira vs L " drama must be one of the best rivalries I've seen in awhile. The fact that they aren't using their fists to defeat each other is something that gives Death Note an overall refreshing and intriguing look.

Total Series Rating: 9.5/10

khryoleoz

2007-07-08, 00:44

ashesatdusk

2007-07-08, 17:26

First 17 episodes 9/10, Episodes 21-25 9/10 Episodes 27-32 So So. I really like the concept over all. But I haven't found the second half as good as the first. L's character was very well done, and it was much more enjoyable to see L and Light back in forth, than Near and Light. Near seems ominipotent, and Lights strategic moves seem to rushed, and less interesting than the first half. I haven't read the manga though.

Over all seems like great series. 4 more to go though still.

Madmanslitany

2007-07-09, 02:29

I had high hopes for this show, thinking that Light was going to be an interesting and sympathetic character, some form of a dark, righteous avenger. But it looks like the author took a simple view that killing even vermin is wrong by writing in Light as THE chief villain, a wicked byproduct of his own sense of justice that Ooba too readily dismisses as misguided, and leaving his just execution at the hands of someone other than his human pursuers. Death god forbid that "L" or Near was the one to actually pull the trigger on such a punk. And it didn't matter so much that he protected the lives of would-be victims when he began his crusade. Eradicating evil is itself "evil" when "good" is just a matter of changing perspectives and relative notions, which notion by appearances seem to be that all human killing is bad. The production values and the performances were great, and the cat/mouse chase and detective work intriguing, but the simplistic characterization of what should have been a great character gets point deductions from me. I rate it a 7.

I have to say I strongly disagree; Death Note does not paint the critical issue of whether or not Light as Kira is evil or not in black in white. Throughout the anime, the question is raised over and over again whether or not Kira is actually evil. Matsuda brings it up early on, voicing the fact that crime has indeed been reduced by Kira's judgments--importantly, Souichirou Yagami, identified by the mangaka as the true personification of justice in the world of Death Note doesn't actually shoot him down, at least not at that point. Matsuda, who in many respects is the most normal and human member of the team, again brings up the point after Chief Yagami's death when he questions whether or not Kira is evil at all. Though he shoots Light in the finale, it's more out of his emotional distress over Light's betrayal and the perception that he had driven his father to his death. In the last pages of the manga, which will most likely be covered in the anime special, Matsuda is still questioning whether or not they did the right thing by assisting Near in Light's elimination.

It is true that Light slips further and further into darkness and his portrayal as the series progresses makes him harder and harder to view as an agent of justice, but before I address that, your post seems to imply that L, Near, and Mello represent some sort of clear good in the world of Death Note. This isn't true either; L and Near represent the law and the entrenched legal system, but they're never painted as truly "good." L is more righteous and honorable than Near by far, and the greater contrast in his way of thinking compared to Light (as well as the similarities) is part of what makes the first arc so good, but L himself is shown to be very capable of ruthlessness in upholding what he believes is justice. Right from the beginning, he sacrifices a prisoner's life, and is repeatedly shown to be willing to let a few people die so that he can make moves that will permanently put Kira down and prevent any more deaths after that. All very sensible things, but not the kind of things a traditional anime protagonist would be willing to do, and certainly not the type of behavior a traditional "do-good" hero would engage in. Near, who I do NOT like, is far more ruthless than L in many respects, and barely seems to value the lives of the FBI agents serving under him. So his defeat of Light hardly seems like a true black and white moral statement. This isn't a case of the hero beating the big bad villain and making a happy ending.

And now, Light himself. By the end of the anime he's started to go a bit insane, but I feel that the writer deliberately refrains from making some sort of blanket, all-encompassing moral statement on whether or not Light's mission, and his killings, were wrong. To me, Light is someone who started with genuinely good intentions, and with a mission, had he been able to stay true to it in the strictest sense (killing ONLY criminals and not the police agents pursuing him, and not those that assisted him in his journey like Takada) might really have become justice. But he's corrupted by the power of the Death Note; he is possibly one of the most capable humans that ever lived, but he couldn't handle it. And therein is the real moral message of Death Note; not that killing criminals is wrong, but with power of such magnitude, no human could possibly resist being corrupted and losing themselves. Near even says something to this effect in his final speech to Light. And in the anime, when Light sees the person he used to be, it's again emphasized that Light was never a bad person at all before he found the Death Note--the sympathy we feel for him at the end is proof that the anime team didn't intend to completely vilify Light.

UchihaByakuya

2007-07-09, 04:21

I gave it 9 im a L fan. To me L's death was a bit cheap. How do you stop a shinigami from killing you when you have to capture the person she likes ( misa) just to protect yourself. O.o

StrawHatLuffy

2007-07-09, 08:52

I gave it an 8/10. Would have given it higher if it had portrayed the ending in the manga. It would have been more dramatic to see Light beg for his life.

Overall, a rather faithful adaptation. I had faith in the beginning that Madhouse would do a good job seeing that they did an excellent job for Monster as well. I'm glad they didn't full a FMA for us.

I would rate the original manga 9.5/10. 0.5 for the pretty boring Mello portions.

iBeast

2007-07-11, 13:40

The best out there. 10/10.

Everything just seems to fade when mentioned with Death Note.

I also surf a lot of anime/manga websites and most of the favorite characters are L, Light, and Ichigo(Bleach).

Anime Overload

2007-07-13, 12:50

10 out of 10. Manga and Anime. Reasons are... the adaptation from manga to anime was superb, although some things were missed out, but it made up for it. Also because it's my favourite anime of all time now that I've seen all of it O_O It was just amazing... I feel unhappy now... I've been watching this anime since my friend adviced me to, and I've been watching it closely... and now... it's all over. -Sigh-

Echoes

2007-07-18, 20:00

I gave it a 10, because I really think Death Note deserves it.
The concept is original and well thought-out, the characters are unique and brilliantly designed and the script is genius.

Kazidoom

2007-07-20, 08:33

7/10 for me. The first episodes 1-11 are incredible and get 10/10 from me but the rest wasn't nearly as good. So much potential, perhaps too much. The author couldn't live up to what he had created.

mirage223

2007-07-26, 17:32

7/10 for me. The first episodes 1-11 are incredible and get 10/10 from me but the rest wasn't nearly as good. So much potential, perhaps too much. The author couldn't live up to what he had created.Agreed 100%. I couldn't believe how amazing DN started out. Then I got into the mid-teen episodes and it has been going down hill with every one.

6/10 overall.

lamperouge7

2007-08-05, 20:31

The best seller manga into and super/incredible/fantastic anime:
With the greatest/most interesting history, the best animation quality i´ve seen in a anime of his duration (or 26).
Music that suits perfectly.
Characters: L and Light, I have to say more?
The first arc was better obviosly, but the second was incredible too, no too god in comparition with himself only.

Death Note is one of the greatest anime ever made.

10/10.

Kalimah

2007-08-05, 22:58

death note is one of the best anime series i have ever seen...
it draws you in and wont let go, the characters are superbly written and performed, the animation is beautiful...there's nothing more i can really say

ElecNinja

2007-08-06, 11:13

8/10 for me. Mostly because I disliked how Light-o ended up. He seemed smart enough to not become overconfident with his abilities and fail in the end.
=/

Echoes

2007-08-06, 17:38

Megalomania can eat away at even the most brilliant mind.

Deathwing

2007-08-07, 01:19

8/10
I hated near (L wannabe)
i felt cheated on how L died
Light died like a wuss

absolutely loved the L arc but after that it kinda lost its edge no longer a battle of the wits between 2 well matched rivals who moves made you sit on edge to see what would happen next, but a dumbed down version of Light vs. everybody with an L wannabe leading the charge. It felt like everything after the L arc was created just to make the series longer and wasn't anywhere near as thought out.

Echoes

2007-08-07, 16:47

If you didn't like how Light died in the anime, I strongly recommend you stay away from the manga, he's reduced to rubble there. Near was a horrible replacement for L, he lacked all the characteristics that made L like-able.

ElecNinja

2007-08-07, 20:26

Megalomania can eat away at even the most brilliant mind.

Yeah, but still. I thought he would be smart enough to keep himself at check. But I guess he was just too proud.

=/

"ElecNinja is on a distinguished road"

XD

I find that hilarious.

Zwind3

2007-08-08, 00:32

10/10.

The best anime of the last year's :D, has episodes or moments that I never forget--> Shin sekai no kami to naru, I'm L :O, L death, Mikami's sakuyo episode 36 --> E P I C

MyrdiNN

2007-08-11, 18:11

Just watched the last episode (I'm late I know) and feel like I do have to express my feelings about it...

First of all I think the anime went straight downhill after the showdown between Light and L... it would've been better in my opinion if the anime just ended there and let the rest of the stuff unfolding "in the dark/in the second season". It was kinda ridiculous to suddenly have these two boys pop outta nothing and continue the L legacy. Especially Near... I would've agreed if they made him a clone of L (I mean, the damn kid does the same shit, has the same eyes, face, hair, the same annoying behavoir but he just seemed to be around at the right time.

Also was very dissapointed in Light in one of the later episodes when he lets his father take the notebook to trade... I mean wtf? You want to become a God of a new world and decide to let the tools of power just be taken away? If he had any brains he would've replaced the notebook or at least prevent it to be reachable by the outside world. Then the gigantic missile that came outta nowhere was silly too... ofcourse the Mafia would've had connections in the military that allowed secret construction/transportation of all this I guess *sigh*.

In the following episodes I began to wonder why the hell Light kept sticking in the same damn place with the same damn people who didn't trust him anyway. He obviously had enough loyal followers throughout the world... why not get rid of everyone and start somewhere else with people who trust you? Hell, take a plane to Zimbabwe and start there, small chance super-uber-rich white kids are going to search there.

But sure, if he did stick and managed to get the support of the President, why the hell not bomb the hell outta the whole building Near was in instead of sending a fat guy on a helicopter? Why not send in Delta Force to shoot everyone up?

Then in the final episode when Near did the "plot twist" of switching *both* notebooks (because banks are easy to break into in like 5 minutes), why the hell couldnt Mikami stab himself a liiiittle sooner so Light would've been able to run away *without* wounds and *with* the small note?

I got the feeling they killed off Light (in the manga and the anime) because of the message that "killing isn't good no matter what kids!" should be spread and I'm kinda dissapointed in that. Sure Light took it a bridge too far by killing those commiting only small crimes but hey, at least crime rate went down.

Also dissapointed they didn't show the world getting into a nuclear war (since Kira died) and destroying itself after the ending credits. That would've made the entire ending (and series) totally perfect again. Would've made that 7 at least a 9. Ah well.

Echoes

2007-08-11, 21:15

A lot of people feel that the show took a turn for the worse after the L-arc came to a conclusion. Though I still think they kept it fresh and interesting, I can understand why some dislike the last 12 episodes. The boys did not "pop out of nowhere", however. They were taken a from an orphanage owned by Watari, which sole purpose was to take care of gifted children, and determine who'd be worthy of carrying on the role as L.

Light stuck with the same people because anything else would have been suspicious and not very beneficial. Had he suddenly left the investigation, or worse yet, killed everyone, like you suggested, the fact that he was Kira would have been obvious. Hiding out anywhere would have been incredibly hard, as he would have been wanted across the globe, and they'd of course keep a track of his flight record.

I suppose he could have pushed for more support from the president, but I don't even know if he'd agree to shoot his own innocent citizens.

Mikami didn't stab himself because it didn't occur to him. It might not even have been a strategic thing in the first place, seems to me it was more out of desperation and despair than anything.

They might have off'ed Light because of the whole moral issue, but it might just as well have been a legitimate part of the plot, I wasn't that happy with the outcome, since L was already dead, I didn't really care much for Near or his associates. You might even say I hated them.

Now... Why would there be a nuclear war because Kira died? It's not like there were many countries blatantly supporting Kira in his quest. The only reason he had the States behind him was because the president feared for his life, if anything, he'd be happy that Kira died. I can't imagine any country with a religious government supporting Kira, since he disregards all and any religion, claiming to be the founder of his own. I highly doubt any country capable of producing nukes would be on his side, much less try to avenge his death.

MyrdiNN

2007-08-12, 08:08

Now... Why would there be a nuclear war because Kira died? It's not like there were many countries blatantly supporting Kira in his quest. The only reason he had the States behind him was because the president feared for his life, if anything, he'd be happy that Kira died. I can't imagine any country with a religious government supporting Kira, since he disregards all and any religion, claiming to be the founder of his own. I highly doubt any country capable of producing nukes would be on his side, much less try to avenge his death.

Well, the main fact I ranted about (nuclear) war is because there is said on multiple occasions that Kira "stopped wars" and I found it strange that noone in the series really seemed to care about this. I had hoped for the series to take a more philosophical/political turn in judging Kira's way of working. Is it bad to kill people who might kill a 1000 other people? How do other large nations react to Kira? How is the world stability effected? The economy? ect ect.

It pissed me off that this Near boy (who couldn't stop playing with dolls for gods sake) just wanted to "prove he's the best detective evah!" and have wars start again as side-effect. It would've been kinda cool if Kira actually went on with making the "perfect world" and developed his character/system of judgement throughout latter seasons or something.

Echoes

2007-08-12, 09:55

It would have indeed been interesting to see how Light would have carried out his plan for a utopia, his heaven on earth. It'd be fun to see if he would have been completely consumed by his grandiose desires, or if he'd stay true to his ideals. From what we saw in the series, we can at the very least conclude that freedom of speech would have been limited in a very real sense.

Snait3

2007-08-14, 02:23

Death Note is the best anime i've seen, I gave it a 10.

Outlawz

2007-08-18, 16:09

Entire second half sucked, 5/10.

EXEs

2007-08-23, 07:25

9/10
Know what I really liked? Light's brilliant thinking. Death Note's mangaka must've had a pretty hard time thinking out how Light's plans are going to work out. Especially the temporarily giving up the Death Note. With so many unknown factors, Light still managed to pull it off so well. Fuckin' genius.

It was 10/10 throughout the whole series for me, till the last 2 episodes. All of Light's previous plans worked out so well, then it has been usurped by some doll playing kid, namely Near. Sorry, I hate Near, and I hated how Light was humiliated so badly in the end, when he had made harder plans than this, and turned out fine, but with the ending and all his planning, pcchhh.

Jechtsphere

2007-09-01, 02:12

It was really good, 8/10 for me although I hated Light.

I wish L had gotten him but Light getting owned at the end was sweet =D

Asian Monkey

2007-09-02, 00:08

Perfect 10
cuz its the best anime ever!

Jaiven

2007-09-03, 00:15

i give it an 8/10

the L arc gets a 10, but afters L's death it went downhill. but it picked itself up in the ending. it would have been better to stick with L for the whole series.

Fishman

2007-09-03, 02:56

masterpiece? i think not.. to me death note was very enjoyable at times and repulsive at others, what parts? Everytime someone accuses light of being kira its always the same thing "but if im kira, then how did those people die while i was taking a shit, or.. "i want to catch kira myself because it is the right thing to do, how can i be kira(these type of lines were said a ridiculous amount of times in the anime) " people call this clever? I find it funny that it gets so much attention, the anime has very nice animations, voice acting,music, and obvious high budget but the story is pure crap, some things are clever i must agree but, the majority of the plot is just repeated over and over and over and most people can't tell the difference..

Riza HS

2007-09-07, 09:53

10! Perfect perfect perfect *_*

pirateking628

2007-09-07, 21:55

Does anyone know where I could find a copy or a torrent of the rewrite that is subbed? and please contacted me via email (nturdo628@gmail.com) or Aim (pirateking628) thanks

iBeast

2007-09-09, 10:19

10/10 The best anime in the past decade.

L the most favorite character all out of every manga/anime

Light is second

Death Note has the highest rating in the Anime, and in the Manga.

The competition isn't even close. I can't even remember a time where I would dose off watching Death Note, however I dosed off a lot watching Bleach and Naruto because they don't have the power to keep you on your toes.

DarknessFaLLs

2007-09-14, 23:19

this anime is perfect.. even he's not a Battle type anime like bleach or DBZ

this anime is a strategy anime and using brains to win!! heheh

Keono

2007-10-07, 11:57

psycho bolt

2007-10-08, 21:05

Character Design: 9
Music: 10 (Best of all)
Story: 8
Voice: 10
Animation: 9

Total rating: 46/50
Avg: 9.2

My rating: 9/10

kimchipride

2007-10-17, 18:21

The beginning of the anime was superb. After L died, I lost interest in watching Death Note. Light didn't seem as intelligent as he was when he was "battling" L. Otherwise, the 1st opening, animations, voice acting were great. The ending of the anime sparked my interest again and bumped my would be 8 to a 9/10

foreverdissevered

2007-10-20, 01:49

Melo and N are just fucking faggots. The second season's opening and itself is just wrecked the whole series. Should have just ended it when L died, no need for the good guys to always win. Perhaps, it should have shown how did Raito change the world and how the world is like when without him. Like 50 years later, he is gone, but the world still fear he leaves. We would be a better society.

Zetsubou

2007-10-24, 14:23

I liked Death Note a lot however the ending was not like Kira at all usually he comes up with more complex plans than that it was too simple. Even if you do say that Light had become more warped and confident I still think that was too out of character for him. As for Ryuk's intentions I think he did it just for fun and he wanted a friend like him since Light is now shinigami realm they can have a lot of fun together as Shinigami buddies :)

The reason why so many people watch Death Note and like it is because in their hearts to some extent agree with the idea of Kira like I do. There needs to be a purge on this unjust world there needs to be a new meaning of justice and if a death note did appear and someone passed judgement on criminals I would support him instead of going against them. People who live with bad intentions and hurt others for fun should never exist in the 1st place. I also Belief anyone who enjoys Death Note feels the same way otherwise they lie.

Zetsubou

2007-10-24, 14:27

Well if this is crap and is rated one of the best anime what the hell is counted as a good anime????:confused:

hopeless_loser

2007-11-15, 16:17

8/10.
I liked, but there are many other series that I liked more

Kyomi

2007-11-20, 17:51

Also 8/10
Very brilliant and sometimes very exiting

Though had me losing a bit of interest after EP 26 [beginning of Near]

Kristen

2007-11-20, 18:14

Can't believe I haven't rated yet...

I'd give this series a 9. The art here is just beautiful, and it really has some funny parts to it, along with a gripping plot. I actually did like the post-L arcs, because I thought they were fairly original. I didn't like the 2nd OP, and all OPs and EDs were sung by men, so it definately lost some points there. It also was really lacking in romance, since it seemed like Light just used the girls who were interested in him. It also lost a bit because it seemed like they were trying to say the Light at the end of the series was completely different than before, showing his lookalike, but he was nothing like that.
It also lost some points because it seemed Ryuk killed him just because he was going to die, not because Light had finally had to appeal to him for help. A lot less meaningful.

So, I'd give it a 9.

X_Danny_X

2007-11-26, 23:31

i give it an 8/10

the L arc gets a 10, but afters L's death it went downhill. but it picked itself up in the ending. it would have been better to stick with L for the whole series.

indeed, L was awesome and I generally hate emo characters such as Sasuke from Naruto.

anyway, i didnt get the point of making L die just to replace him with a character that was so similiar to him. nothing beats the original i always say, well maybe not always but in this case, it is true.

also in the anime/manga, is not like Light outsmarted L. Light outsmarted that Shinigami or whatever which caused the death of L and the others. I knew that the Shinigami would of been outsmarted or do something that it didnt want to do but I didnt know it would of killed L in the process.

that is why i like the movie, L is present throughout the movie and actually outsmarts Light and wins the day. I bet the people behind the movie thought so as well, why replace a character with a new one that are basically the same? besides people dont like change since they bond with the beginning characters.

Im confident L would of cornered Light and exposed him if he was alive in the anime.

sasuke2007

2007-12-11, 06:11

agreed! It shud have been L (ryuzaki) all the way! When he died....it defonetley went down!!!!!!! near is crap...and so is Mello. Ending isnt want i wanted it 2 be but it was OK. 10/10 up til L dies. 7-8/10 afterwards.

Ther shud hav been an alternative ending where kira ruled :D

defrule

2007-12-11, 11:53

Before L died it was like L conned Light, and Light conning L. I love how L narrowed Kira to the Kanto region in the early episodes. I loved how Light took out the FBI agents with that amazing scheme.

After L died, nothing like this seemed to come in, it all just felt like a build up to the end.

Regardless I still love the anime. 10/10

Bellecat

2007-12-11, 20:04

I liked this anime a lot. Light and L were both awesome, but Light made too many mistakes (and fell for too many traps) and I knew what the end was going to be after watching eps 25 26 and 27.
... actually, it was more like episode 10, because I'm really bad with spoilers.

Still, this anime had the most enjoyable characters I've ever seen. xD
I want an RL Death Note. Liek now. plz. ;-;

9/10 for awesome. :D

iXenomorph

2007-12-11, 20:36

AWESOME!!!! The things they do is just...unbelievable. I found myself getting stunned by their ingenuity, both on L's and Light's side. I agree however that the anime did go downhill after L's arc, but oh well. It more than redeem's itself. It makes me curious though as to

What if Kira won? Near died? Then the anime ends with a snapshot of Light's evil grin ...hehe

or

L does not die? And what if he JOINS KIRA?! LOL!!!...
"ole-tachi wa.....kira desu...."

Ban kai

2007-12-12, 17:57

:twitch:i believe there are continuing the series with out light:D

Mangafool

2007-12-15, 11:01

Death Note always kept me on the edge. Never knew what was going to happen. But, I guess it's not called the most cuuting- edge manga for nothing!

LunaWolf

2007-12-23, 04:26

10/10. Best anime i've watched ever.
Art is great and the story is so solid.

DieH@rd

2007-12-31, 09:48

I give it 9/10

If the anime ended at ep25, i would give it 10/10. After that episode I loosed interest a bit, everything was little forced with all new characters... N is ok, but nowhere near L...

Davad

2007-12-31, 13:10

I give it 9/10

If the anime ended at ep25, i would give it 10/10. After that episode I loosed interest a bit, everything was little forced with all new characters... N is ok, but nowhere near L...

I agree , i didn't like the anime after that much really. So , 9/10.

The Chaos

2007-12-31, 13:42

I Love DEATH NOTE But I Hate The End Of The Anime Why Light And L Have To Die?
I Want The Anime To Continued :sad:

Bry808

2008-01-04, 02:05

Well. I'd have to say that L brought this anime up the ranks quite a bit, I personally think he's one of my fav. anime characters, that is why I think this is one of those 9/10 animes.. But then, N was introduced, and I wasn't so interested cause L just died and I didn't want anyone to take his place.. As for Light, he has cool hair lol, not only that but, he made a great rival for L that is why I think this series is a 9/10 possibly a 10/10. But, thats just my opinion.

Ishtar Dark

2008-01-05, 16:02

I gave Death Note an 8. While it is one of my favourite animes, the fact that it grows significantly weaker later on is undeniable. Let's put it this way.

First part (til about ep 17, if I remember correctly) - Absolute perfection, a 10
Yotsuba arc (17-24, approx.) - 3... The story gets dull, the script stupid (so stupid in fact I was convinced the previous screenplay director or whoever resigned), and everything is just... bland
Second part (25-end) - 6... With L's death, things get worse, but it's not bad. The ending is kind of roughly executed, but morally satisfying, and brings appropriate closure.

fuzzles

2008-01-22, 17:14

10/10 just wish it had less of a predictable ending the only thing i was hoping for the last few eps was whether near would die, but he didn't :( oh and i was kinda hoping they would elaborate on what happens after a holder of the death note dies.

Spectacular_Insanity

2008-01-24, 03:28

I gave it an 8/10. L's death was utterly devastating. Good anime, but I lost all interest after L died. His superb mind was what kept me interested for so long.

Frailty

2008-01-24, 03:43

I rated it 9/10...

I didn't rated it perfect cuz Kira didn't won :(
well, because I think that Near didn't really gave a challenge to Kira...

Without Mikami's fault... if Light's father had killed Mello in the first place, Light would have won really cuz his plan was just perfect and flawless..... and plus, L died which was Light's real rival and Light wasn't the one who had killed him, Rem did... but it was his plan >.<

*sigh* I'd rated it perfect if Kira won T_T

siya

2008-01-25, 12:25

I loved it.....Perfect 10...This has got to be my favorite anime. Hands down is it the best in my opinion.

AuditionEX

2008-01-25, 16:54

Overrated animu.

Crisis7

2008-01-27, 04:22

The Best part is when Light gets shot 5 times by Matsuda.

Paul

2008-02-01, 16:22

Paul

2008-02-01, 16:34

I agree with most peoples opinions that this is definately one of the best anime's/manga's/story's ever made but i also agree that it went a little downhill with the introduction of Near. L was a very likeable character, especially with his ideas, his ways of conduction himself, the fact that he just looked cool, his insane fitness and strenght for a guy who nurishes exclusevely off sweets and his sense of humor. With L in the picture every episodes script was mindblowing to say the least and the outsmarting competition between L and Kira was just too beautiful. However Near was just a true child prodigy, im not sure we were told his age but since mellow was 15 then i am guessing Near was around 8-9? It just became rather dull when Near was introduced because he really was made into a supercharacter, one that could read everything almost perfectly and did not have to really make any guesses about anything. Just the way he guessed who y-kira was spoiled everything for me, it was just too easy......

Otherwise great anime that will be an example to other animes of this kind in the future...

Echoes

2008-02-01, 16:52

Just felt like i had to ask this...

It just feels so strange that after all his hard work and his ironically close to godly calculations, he ended up loosing in such a pathetic way. As we have all seen in the series, Light took precautions with everything and never acted recklessly, however in the last episode it seems to me that he did way too many stupid mistakes that are very unlike him. First off did he really have to say "Near, I win!" and why on earth did he not have a backup plan in case his freeky servant does something wrong or if Near and the others just do not die? It just seems so unlike him, but i also get the feeling that when Near came into the picture the writers just felt like wrappng up the story.....

Sorry if this has been posted before but does anyone feel the same way?

It's not that unlike him. If you'll recall the incident with Naomi, where he got her to reveal her name to him. Here, he also revealed his identity as Kira right before the Death Note was going to take effect. He didn't have a backup plan here either, and as CIA agent, I find it plausible that she could have provided him with yet another fake identity. He certainly didn't have to reveal his identity to her at all, but he did so out of pure spite and malice. Fantastic scene, though.

Besides, hasn't Light always been gleeful and sadistic? He certainly seemed to enjoy killing people who opposed him, right from Lind L. Taylor. Him not proclaiming his victory to Near would have been a lot more out of character, imo.

Frailty

2008-02-02, 06:47

Just felt like i had to ask this...

It just feels so strange that after all his hard work and his ironically close to godly calculations, he ended up loosing in such a pathetic way. As we have all seen in the series, Light took precautions with everything and never acted recklessly, however in the last episode it seems to me that he did way too many stupid mistakes that are very unlike him. First off did he really have to say "Near, I win!" and why on earth did he not have a backup plan in case his freeky servant does something wrong or if Near and the others just do not die? It just seems so unlike him, but i also get the feeling that when Near came into the picture the writers just felt like wrappng up the story.....

Sorry if this has been posted before but does anyone feel the same way?

just wanted to add
well basically I think that Light really had a flawless plan... and even I thought that he would won since he already knew what was going to happen.... he didn't have mistakes anyway, Mikami have and it causes Light's loss.. and saying he won I think it means that he had forseen or had expected what was going to happen... but the plan backfired leading him to destruction and craziness...

siya

2008-02-04, 13:16

just wanted to add
well basically I think that Light really had a flawless plan... and even I thought that he would won since he already knew what was going to happen.... he didn't have mistakes anyway, Mikami have and it causes Light's loss.. and saying he won I think it means that he had forseen or had expected what was going to happen... but the plan backfired leading him to destruction and craziness...
Well, I think the real reason he screwd up is because he started declaring himself God. By doing this, he thought he couldn't loose, there is no way, and even if he made a mistake things would be fine....And the Mikami isn't the only one who made a mistake. Light made lots along the way but was able to fix them....The fact is, Light made the mistake along with Mikami....If Mikami hadn't did what he did, Light would of won...If Light hadn't did what he did, Light would of won....If only one wrote Tadaka's name down, Light would of won...the fact is Light told Mikami to do what was necessary....So that was Light's mistake...He couldn't fix it because by the time he realized what happend it was already to late.

Endrance

2008-02-04, 13:55

True i agree light manipulated those that believed in his cause into doing his will but also into doing anything they could to help him achieve his goals so i dont think mikami is to blame. he was only doing what light convinced him he needed to do. light got to cocky which led to his downfall

Paul

2008-02-05, 11:37

Thats all true but it still feels like the writers wanted to wrap up to story quickly after the introduction of Near...

siya

2008-02-05, 13:00

Thats all true but it still feels like the writers wanted to wrap up to story quickly after the introduction of Near...

sWell, the series was never supposed to be a long series...so by the time L had died, the were running out of time I would guess which is why they rushed the story to the end. So if I were to guess, they made Light Screw up, and have Near catch it so he could win. I mean, if you look back in the series, almost every single mistake Light made he always noticed he made it and always fixed it...and now some 15 year old kid comes along and is able to exploit and mistake that Light some how doesn't catch until lt's too late? I don't think so. I mean, I like Near and I'm not putting him down, but it's more so of observation that makes me come to this conclusion. It's ironic really...He needed to Tadaka and Mikami to kill for him so it would lower the supicion on him so he wouldn't get caught, and in doing so, they are the reason he got caught in the end....

Paul

2008-02-06, 13:48

Spectacular_Insanity

2008-02-07, 10:45

sWell, the series was never supposed to be a long series...so by the time L had died, the were running out of time I would guess which is why they rushed the story to the end. So if I were to guess, they made Light Screw up, and have Near catch it so he could win. I mean, if you look back in the series, almost every single mistake Light made he always noticed he made it and always fixed it...and now some 15 year old kid comes along and is able to exploit and mistake that Light some how doesn't catch until lt's too late? I don't think so. I mean, I like Near and I'm not putting him down, but it's more so of observation that makes me come to this conclusion. It's ironic really...He needed to Tadaka and Mikami to kill for him so it would lower the supicion on him so he wouldn't get caught, and in doing so, they are the reason he got caught in the end....

Well, actually, Light made a mistake WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY before that. His first mistake ever was killing Ray Penber. Ray had planned to end his investigation that day of the busjacking, but Light decided to kill him and his fellow FBI agents before that time. Sure, there's no way Light could have known, but the fact that Ray was investigating him (and was killed a short time thereafter) allowed for L to narrow down the suspects. Frankly, if Light hadn't killed Ray Penber, L probably wouldn't have been able to get as far as he did in the Kira case. Sure the ending was a bit fudged due to time constraints, but really his first mistake way back near episode 7 in the end was one mistake too many, even though most people wouldn't see it as a mistake in the first place..

fuzzles

2008-02-10, 10:34

I feel the same way...... And not to go offtopic or anything but wasn't Mellow 15, i dont think we ever were told Nears age but it seems like Near could be more like 8 years old...... (Playing with toys etc.)

Mello was born in 1989, and near 1991

waterchan

2008-02-10, 22:19

For me, the climax, the moment when my heart suddenly skipped a couple of beats, was the moment when L turned around,

stared dead at Light, and said, "Watashi wa L desu yo desu yo desu yo desu yo desu yo "

:D

faust123

2008-02-12, 00:17

Whew. Just spent the weekend watching 1-37 and I was blown away. Like all of you I didn't like the beginning of the N arc, but I think I know why. That is really the only area of the anime where light is floundering and doesn't know what to do. As much fun as it is to hate him, I think we all want to see him succeed too (which makes this difficult to watch).

I was actually completely satisfied with the end, and I really don't think they could have pulled it off any better. Light's sociopathic personality just erupts into something spectacular. The ONLY thing that upset me was that he called misa's name AND takada's name. If he had just called for Misa it would have been absolutely perfect. Calling out both of their names highlights light's selfishness again, whereas if he had just called for Misa I think it would have signified that he had a conscious (kind of) and felt bad for how he had treated her (may be :b).

Misa was my favorite character and I was sad to see her get pushed to the side towards the end.

All in all I have to give this one a 10/10. This has been like crack for the past 3 days, and my heart is still racing. Awesome!

Spectacular_Insanity

2008-02-12, 04:08

^ Soon you'll be feeling withdrawl symptoms. Better go get some apples, lol. XD

siya

2008-02-12, 12:55

Well, actually, Light made a mistake WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY before that. His first mistake ever was killing Ray Penber. Ray had planned to end his investigation that day of the busjacking, but Light decided to kill him and his fellow FBI agents before that time. Sure, there's no way Light could have known, but the fact that Ray was investigating him (and was killed a short time thereafter) allowed for L to narrow down the suspects. Frankly, if Light hadn't killed Ray Penber, L probably wouldn't have been able to get as far as he did in the Kira case. Sure the ending was a bit fudged due to time constraints, but really his first mistake way back near episode 7 in the end was one mistake too many, even though most people wouldn't see it as a mistake in the first place..

Yea good point. Which is why I said most of the mistakes he made he was able to fix.

ReizoSan

2008-02-13, 10:24

Yea good point. Which is why I said most of the mistakes he made he was able to fix.

I really loved most of the series apart from where L dies it just seemed that after that episode everything seemed rushed, before that every episode was packed with a lot of key moments which made it a really great series, If they had maybe a better ending then i would of said "One of the best anime's i have ever watched" but still the thought of that ending :(, i felt more sorry for Misa when Light dies :(.

Animation: A+
Sound: A+ ( Great voice acting by Aya Hirano(Misa) plus Light and Ryuk were great too, also the background music were great)
Story C (The death of L and Light were not what i would of liked to see and they way it felt rushed at the end ruined it but if that wasn't there it would of been an A-)

Overall: B+

Spectacular_Insanity

2008-02-14, 01:33

My favorite part of the whole series is the insane "dynamic epic writing". I find it hilarious how writing in a notebook can be so glorified. :heh:

Ketro

2008-02-21, 22:41

Perfect 10, because it was a great storyline, and a great ending. It didnt stray to far from the manga either. I liked the ending, and how they didnt milk the series:

Kira, our savior

:heh:

Chiron_Basileus

2008-02-24, 18:35

I liked it until I realized nothing was happening and there was no character development. Mellow is the only interesting character and we know what happened with that. One of the more overrated shows.

Shinigami_Mello

2008-02-27, 20:35

It'd have probably gotten a good 10/10 from me if they hadnt done so much condensing to the second arc. To the point of making my favorite character (Mello) look like a side character. He had a volume and a half to his 'mafia arc' which was cut down to an episode and a half.

Shidoh did less in the anime than in the manga. And I wasnt too satasfied with the anime ending. It was absolutely epic till...it diverged.

The animation was good, though it had a few big drops from time to time. Voice acting was superb and it was highly enjoyable.

So 8/10 for me!

Kikio

2008-02-28, 12:19

I loved the series and I kinda think that the Kira case would never come if Light just killed them with a reasonable description like the one with the bus hijacking.

Daiki

2008-03-02, 14:58

I like how the storyline progress, it keeps getting better and better and the battle is epic. The music is pretty good especially the BG and the 1st OP. Unfortunately, I really dislike the second OP.
I hate to be biased but I hate the ending. I actually wanted Light to win. I don't like N lol

Death Note Wizard

2008-03-06, 10:24

Great anime!I love the mystery and the note!
If i had the note i would do the same as Light but would not kill those who are looking for me!I think Light became kinda evil at the end!
Too much power got the best of him!!

Gotta love Light's evil grin!

Tenerezza

2008-03-07, 19:57

Just finnished the anime myself, quite sad overall of the quality of the show, it started really good, and I after ep 26 it just turns nasty, personaly I would have liked that the show ended at ep 26 but no it didn't. It feelt draged out like they didn't want to end the show sadly.

Tenken's Smile

2008-03-14, 00:42

What should I say ? The first 20 chapters are extremely interesting: suspension-building, thrills and breath-taking! But as the story progresses, it loses its grasp on the readers as the author was prolonging it....

D a m i e n

2008-03-17, 04:51

was a good ride.
light screwed up when he killed lindel L taylor. it was the first murder he committed that could not be defend by any kind of moral value. this murder purely free and deprived of any justification. it only served to inflate his ego it prooved that he had already lost track of the true aim reguarding his own action and that he was already in denial. this first murder made him loose all of possibility of redemption from as his action could no longuer be conciderer acceptable.
dont get me wrong i dont not agree with his conception of killing criminals is a good thing, i concider it to be totally wrong but i can accept that people could see his actions as an evil necessity.

it was nice to see the real light after he resign ownership of his notebook. The fact that he genuinely though that kira needed to be arrested and his action stoped while being afraid of his personnal feeling somehow agreed with some of kira's doing, clearly showed that granting a godlike power to people just corrupt then to the core.

L really made the show, N was a great character too but he really felt like a copy paste (but he is L successor so i guess i can accept it.) M was too much of a psycho for me to like his character.
i felt bad for both women that kira used never once after he got corrupt did he had anykind of feeling for the people that surrounded him. his lonelyness was total but i didnt feel sad for kira he did his choice, though he was holier than the rest of humanity and only proved to be selfish and greedy and in the end got what he deserved.
that is where deathnote did a good job, it s in creating a character who wont leave you indifferent that makes you question your own moral standard.

overall 7.5/10.
the show lost a bit after L's death but N redeemed it.

Touka

2008-03-18, 21:23

The whole series was truly amazing. It proudly sits on my favourite anime list at number one.
The story was brilliant, very intelligent. It couldn't have been better.
The characters were, again, brilliant. They were all very interesting and some of the expressions and smerks Light made throughout the anime... ah... amazing...
The music couldn't have been better.
The animation is mind-blowing. It's truly stunning.
Everyone seems to hate the ending and Near and Mello, well I don't really like them either, but I was entirely satisfied with the ending. I think all of the directions the anime took were pefect, I enjoyed every part of Death Note and think it couldn't have been better. I found no episodes boring, every one had something unique, something I loved.
To me, this is as perfect as anime gets. I doubt anything can top Death Note. Easily 10/10. PERFECT.

Shinigami_Mello

2008-03-27, 11:42

This anime would get a 10/10 for being absolutely awesome...IF they didnt butcher the Mello/Near arc. I still love DN too much so I gave it an 8.

Since Mello is my favorite character (and something about Matt got to me too), it was really dissapointing to see his arc butchered. He seemed like a secondary character when compared to Near. His arc, spanning about 1 1/2-2 volumes, was cut down to about 1 1/2 episodes. Quite depressing. (I dont like Near to much though...)

The animation was great, Madhouse quality, and had it's up's and downs, but captured DN perfectly. (actually, it made the series look even darker than it is)

Music is made of win. Nothing more to say on that. It was PERFECT.

My biggest gripe was though...that they changed the end, which I found perfect in matching the overall series. I hated how they changed it. It was in my opinion perfect in the manga.

It's hard to not give it a 10, but I'll stick to an 8.

Carrossea

2008-06-27, 20:09

Carrossea

2008-06-27, 20:12

This anime would get a 10/10 for being absolutely awesome...IF they didnt butcher the Mello/Near arc.

I don't think they butchered Mello/Near's arc. Of course it wasn't better, they just made it shorter and did very well. Best show ever. I would give it a 20 if I can. I gave it a 10/10 though.

Echoes

2008-06-27, 22:14

So people I know or people online say that after episode 26, the series get DEAD boring. Man, were they dead wrong. I watched every episode and it was awesome! It Never got boring to me. The best and most perfect show I have ever watched! I give it a 20!!!

Yes, a lot of people felt that after a certain event around that time the series lost its touch. I am not a part of this group, though I can probably see where they are coming from. I prefer the first two thirds of the series to the last, but the last one-third of the seires is still amazing and better than the vast majority of anime I have seen. Overall I have rated Death Note as one of my rare 10s, it's hard to put into words just how much I enjoyed it. I'm not saying it's perfect, but I can probably count the animes I enjoyed more than Death Note on one hand.

anime ronin

2008-07-06, 22:03

definately a perfect 10. the entire anime was brilliant and had me thinking. it was so brilliant i almost had a hard time keeping up with it. however there were some things that L predicted/proposed that were just about impossible to think of. but still this was by far the most well thought of, mysterious, and clever anime ive seen by far. 100% :)

saku-san

2008-07-07, 09:16

the anime is all it could ever be nothing less!!!
its perfect!!!!!
right down to the "not so importent" cherecters (sp?)

lupus6x9

2008-07-08, 10:49

This thread is to be used for discussing the entire 37 episodes of Death Note ... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions etc.

A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:
General impression of the series.
Opinions on the overall story, writing & plot devices.
Thoughts about the animation quality.
Characters/Character Design

How did the anime compare with the manga?
Whether there should be more footage (DVD only) that you think it might be worthy.
What the show meant to you.
What could the creators/animators/writers could have done better.
And so on.

The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:

Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Adaptation from Manga: 1-10
Editing: 1-10

Average = Total Series Rating

Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.

General impression of the series: I gave it a seven out of ten. I liked it, it was very intelligent, but it felt childish.
Opinions on the overall story, writing & plot devices: The beginning was excellent. Once Light was turned in, it got kind of sucky in my opinion. As much as I love to hate him, he's very boring when not being crazy and evil. It picked up a bit at the ending.
Thoughts about animation quality: The animation was pretty high quality, especially the car scenes.
Characters/character design: I'm sorry to all I will offend by saying this, but, even though I'm a guy, I hate Misa. She's annoying. She has no free will, she just wants to be Light's slave. Between that and the fact that (at least in the subtitles) she talks in third person, I just have to hate her guts. She's a thousand times worse than Light.
I like L, though. He's quirky and weird, and he's really just as cynical as Light, only on the other side. And even though most don't, I liked L's predecessor N, but not M.

How did the anime compare with the manga? I've only read the first four of the manga, but it seems to be very closely following the series (well, the manga came first, but you get what I mean).
Should there be more footage? I don't think it's necessary. Nothing I thought was visually stunning. It's not Satoshi Kon's Paprika. I'm more interested in the story than the visual appeal on this one, or any behind-the-scenes stuff.
What the show meant to me: It's a good show. I really didn't connect to some deeper meanings or inner morals.
What the cast/crew could've done better: Make the show more mature. Get rid of Misa and the annoying love scenes and concentrate more on the inner intelligence of the show, including all of the ingenious plot twists and sudden "holy crap" parts.

Animation Quality: If five is average, I rate it a six. 6
Voice Actors: If not for Misa, I'd give it a nine. Instead, eight. 8
Script: Light has to explain himself too often in his own thoughts. It sounds like I'm watching Fairly OddParents. 5
Adaptation from Manga: I am not obligated to rate this.
Editing: 10
Addiction to the show: 9

Average = Total Series Rating = 7.6
I wouldn't round it up, cuz I just don't think it's worth a "Very good" rating.

saku-san

2008-07-09, 09:44

[QUOTE=lupus6x9;1712441]
Characters/character design: I'm sorry to all I will offend by saying this, but, even though I'm a guy, I hate Misa. She's annoying. She has no free will, she just wants to be Light's slave. Between that and the fact that (at least in the subtitles) she talks in third person, I just have to hate her guts. She's a thousand times worse than Light.
I like L, though. He's quirky and weird, and he's really just as cynical as Light, only on the other side. And even though most don't, I liked L's predecessor N, but not M.

QUOTE]

im w/ u
misa is an airhead!! ^_^
otoko-sama (N) is just like onii-sama (L) but w/ toys not candy ^_^

Terrato

2008-07-13, 00:04

Deathnote was really good. i thought it was gonna be some emo story lol. its more of a "detective" story i would say. there are some things i disagree with but overall i think they did a good job with the tragedy

jordan-spice

2008-07-24, 20:00

I gave it a 10/10.
What I found so impressive was the character development. Light's character is one of the best examples of the Byronic hero I've ever seen. And L's character was amazing as well.
I really loved the music as well.
The only thing I didn't exactly love was Misa's singing in that one episode (I can't remember which one).
This anime was genius.

kamuinoyume

2008-08-23, 16:35

When I first red about the plot I figured that this would be rather boring I mean just think about it a guy gets a notebook that can kill, yeah it was original but, I didn't see anything promising. How wrong I was, after seeing the first episode of the anime I scouted the net for the manga until I found it and by episode 7 I had almost finished reading it, and considering the fact that I don't like reading or that I read slow, I admit it, that was something, and although I knew what was going to happen the anime kept surprising me with it's flashy effects and I was happy to see that they cut Near's saga so much, and it was actually more agreeable then in the manga, so by the final episode I ended up giving a 9 to the manga and a 10 to the anime, a true Masterpiece.

blewin

2008-08-26, 00:30

It's been a while that I've felt so much emotion watching an anime, so addictive that I couldn't stop watching, so involved that I even thought about it sleeping or on the way to somewhere. But like many others, DN's appeal lessened the moment L died. Still, it's been a great watch. Vastly entertaining and intellectual. I don't feel I've wasted my time watching DN even though the main characters died (as opposed to Chrno Crusade).

I'm rather surprised that Misa escaped punishment and remains alive at the end.

Echoes

2008-08-26, 00:34

I'm rather surprised that Misa escaped punishment and remains alive at the end.

Misa commits suicide in the manga, and it's implied that the same thing takes place in the anime.

blewin

2008-08-27, 00:39

Misa commits suicide in the manga, and it's implied that the same thing takes place in the anime.

thanks for that bit of info!

I read from wiki that the author didn't intentionally made DN a good and evil theme, but with something like DN, how could people not speculate on good and evil? not to mention that all who did evil died in the story?

Mello

2008-09-03, 06:22

I love Death Note anime and voice actors on japanese-version. They are better than english-version.

oompa loompa

2008-09-06, 12:49

firstly, its been a while ( atleast it feels like a while..) since ive posted on asuki, and its great to be back..

awesome show. i can see why people dont give it such high ratings, but the fact of the matter still remains, everyones always dying to see the next episode. characters, and character development was awesome.. but theres.. something about it that holds me back from sayhing it was a 'masterpiece' so to speak.. not quite sure what at the moment.. perhaps some of it is.. childish? i give it a 9/10. one hell of a ride, though im not sure about the rewatch value of death note.

Gamma_Sennin

2008-09-18, 04:37

For me death notes originality, and ability to get the reader/viewer thinking was what set it apart from all other anime released in 07.. the L arc was extremely addictive and lived up to the expectations as it developed.. the near arc although it had similar jostling for superiority that the L arc had it was more predictable, and i guess after L vs Light the benchmark was rather high.. and although at times it seemed it could reach the same heights.. it never eventuated.. especially in the anime which was rather rushed...

10/10 for L arch 8/10 for near... overall 9/10

anime team did an awesome job.. animation was clean and well polished, and the voices fit perfectly (Original Japanese voices btw)..

all in all worth every moment..

Frikk

2008-09-26, 19:07

DEATH NOTE 10/10

The reason why i loved Death Note was that you had to think all the time (not all the time, but much...) This is fucking awesome. But i have to say that the last episode was nearly killing me because the I WON!

But the funny with Ligth... He do serrious stuff funny... He begin to laugh when he get caugt... That's make me laugh to... He get mader in every episode... And when the close from Season 1 to Season 2 he got "Red Eyes" :frustrated: When poor L died... Well... It gotta be the most awesome end of a season in the history.

Best Anime in the History :)

DO NOT READ THIS IF U HAVENT SEEN THE HOLE ANIME YETl

shibuyakazuya_fhaye

2008-09-29, 04:31

i also really like this anime
even the characters are badly hot and handsome
epecially light!?
whew....
the stories in each episode have a very good twist
i really admire the writer who wrote this

apotheosis

2008-09-29, 20:45

first arc 10/10

Loved L and Raito's battles. These eps had me on the edge of my seat and wondering how they could get out of seemingly impossible situations. The back and forth of L vs Raito was to me the highpoint of the series & once it was gone, nothing ever took it's place.

second arc 6/10

M and N just don't give me the same feeling as L, sorry. I also thought Raito made tons of stupid mistakes in the last third, letting the good guys win somewhat by chaos & luck rather than being better. I would have believed L beating Raito a lot easier, without contrived situations.

ending 3/10

I found the ending to be quite manufactured and sudden ... like the manga-ka just decided that he'd run out of good confrontational thriller ideas. Raito has no reason to take the stupid risks he did to try and take out N: what killing this one person is suddenly going to make him that much more in control? He had only to stay in the shadows and bide his time.

He lost all the patience of earlier and seemed to lack good judgement. I suppose this is to show his corruption by power, but I was really hoping that he'd be beaten by someone superior to him. Instead, it felt more like a bunch of lesser people got lucky when he became overconfident.

total: 7/10

Overall, the series is still great, but I think it could have had much greater impact if the manga-ka had ended it earlier (or taken a hiatus and come up with better ideas for the last arc).

crystalalien87

2008-09-30, 21:14

this show was insane... L arch was 10/10 and N was 7/10 but the series get a 10 for keeping me on my feet... i watch the whole thing in 2 days lol... and i had to keep watching... Its a shame Misa had to die :( she was my favorite but the like i stated before it was truly a work of art...
I guess light has to spend eternity with some of his buddies right?

Echoes

2008-10-01, 06:29

I guess light has to spend eternity with some of his buddies right?

Light (and everyone else) will merely cease to exist according to Ryuk.

NightMare_Hibari Kyo

2008-10-07, 19:48

its the best anime for me i watched bleach naruto one peice and alot maybe over 100 anime's hehe and i liked this the most! Addicted to DN watched it alot from 1-37

Uncreativex

2008-10-10, 12:47

One thing, in the start, the only reason Raito dates Amane is because of Rem/her DN powers, however, when he loses his DN memories/self, he still continues to date Misa. Since he has no use for Misa as a normal human, why does he still date her? Does he suddenly love/even like her, and does he lose this after regaining his DN?

Carlos45

2008-10-10, 13:56

This anime is one of my favour, and it is ashame that Light had to die, since i don't consider him pure evil, because he wanted justice to be served, and the laws failed to do that, therefore he took it upon himself to punish criminals.

Moonbattery

2008-10-13, 22:05

It was definitely an excellent series. although at first L's death was an unexpected plot twist, but it was also a poignant display of Light's corruption by the absolute power he held. L's battles with Light were spectacular as they parried and jousted each other. Yet Light's transformation into Kira and the human deity it represented ultimately showed its inherent flaws.

Zero_Gravity

2008-10-14, 07:31

The series was fantastic, music score was incredible (which is a major thing for me), my favorite character, L, is what really drew me into the series.
I'll admit, i read the sample in a Shonen Jump issue some time ago and found it interesting, month or so later Death Note became a hot topic so when I looked into it i was "hey! I read this", and I was in 110% in agreement with L and Near, while he did help the community he broke the law to do it.

Its one of my favorites, not top 3 but definitely top 10

imarhiagbe

2008-10-23, 14:08

Deathnote is nice and short and a great anime and manga. I'm just a little annoyed that the last few episode of the anime are dubbed. :confused: I hate dubbed anime.

Genius-kun

2008-10-23, 22:23

I wouldnt say perfect but definitely up there. There were some really good bits but some bits were boring.

OutSmart

2008-10-27, 19:25

9 out of 10

Excellent anime, loved nearly every single element of this series. The only thing that kept it from the perfect 10 for me was the fact that the storyline in Near and Mello's saga is just NOT as good as L's.

I think it's an absolute must see for anime fans.

ronin myael

2008-11-15, 03:26

Definitely one of the best anime/manga I've ever watched/read. It's just so darn cool!

Hiraishin

2008-11-15, 07:04

My favourite ever anime. Enough said.

Fedric 555

2008-11-27, 08:56

this anime story plot is good.so i give it 10 out of 10.a

Timo.

2008-11-27, 12:36

I love this anime,it's my favourite i think.

I give it 10/10

Tripfag

2008-11-28, 22:13

Ah, Light Yagami.

There are other villains like him. Ones that pull off amazing Xanatos Gambits every day and get away with it. But they have more to offer than thought. Revolver Ocelot can shoot. Thanos can punch. But what can Light do? Look pretty and eat chips.

Pathetic.

kawaii_mg

2008-11-29, 03:39

the anime deserves a perfect 10!!

it has the best plot 'cause it's totally unpredictable!!
the anime was really well made ..

SpiralArchitect

2008-12-04, 01:18

I loved this series very much but I also felt that parts of it tend to drag on, such as the three episodes following the death of L. Mello and Near were close to being mistakes after adding them into the story, though the creators ending was satisfying enough to forget about how close Mello and Near came to bringing that show down towards the end. A great anime definitely in my top 10.

lee_kim

2008-12-18, 21:36

I give this series a 9.5/10.

While this series is by far one of my favorites, there are just some things that I enjoyed at the beginning of the series that seemed to get out of control by the end. The main reason I enjoyed the show was the mind games going on between Light and L. While you didn't know exacly what each other was thinking, you had a good idea.

deathcobra

2008-12-19, 13:36

i give this a 9/10

it's a really awesome manga to read. this is the first series i read. i'm very inpressed with the whole series. the main thing i like is the characters and the whole idea behind it. it was serious at like all times then some funny parts. but i love deathnote!

mimi_girl

2008-12-24, 21:32

I gave it a 10/10 BIG TIME.

This has to be the best shounen anime I ever watched. The only shounen animes I knew were Pokemon, Digimon, Zoids and some others. Surprisely, this anime PWN all over the rest which is pretty damn good lol. I could definitely watch it again and again if I'm ever in the mood (like right now lol). Graphics, story line, everything was just perfect even though I never even read the manga.

Vegard Aune

2008-12-25, 14:35

I actually finished Death Note several months BEFORE joining this forum, but for whatever reason, I just felt like posting my thoughts on it now:

I was somewhat sceptical to the series, initially thinking that it seemed way too dark for my tastes, and the first episode (which my sister just happened to be watching one day) did little to change my opinion. However, then I saw the second episode right afterwards, and the whole scene with Light and L declaring that they were going to catch the other one if it was the last thing they did really caught my interest, and I decided to watch it after all.

It managed to stay constantly exciting up until the point where Light gave up his memories of the Death Note and Yotsuba came into the picture, at which point I thought it kind of slowed down, and that part just wasn't quite as exciting as the stuff that came before it. Then, the part where he REGAINED his memories was definitely awesome, and while I already knew that L was going to die, the episode when it happened was still excellent.

Unfortunately, after this, I kinda got the feeling that maybe the story would have benefited from being shorter. It did start to drag after a bit, and while there was still a lot of awesome stuff going on, it just wasn't quite as good as the first 15 episodes were. Then there was the final "showdown" between Light and Near, which had me constantly glued to the screen despite already KNOWING that Light was going to die. Though both Light and Near seemed to have thought everything through to a level which was, honestly, beyond ridicculous, they just executed it in a so utterly brilliant way that I can't really complain about it.

Then, the very last scene was great in how it actually made me feel sorry for the guy, despite him being like, the biggest mass-murderer in the world and a horrible person in every sense of the word, so the ending was definitely one of the highlights of the anime, even though I later read the manga and thought it was kind of a shame that the epilogue-chapter was excluded.

Music-wise, the background-music fit the series, the first opening and ending were good, but the second ones were just not my kind of music. I've never liked heavy metal (if that's even what it was) and those songs did nothing to change my opinion. The one thing I did like about "What's Up People", though, was its impossibly stylish animation, which kinda redeemed the opening for me.

In summary, the series was pure awesomeness for the first 15 episodes or so, then it lost a bit of steam after that, but still managed to stay quite enjoyable all the way through, and had a spectacular finale. Final rating: 9/10.

coffeegirl

2009-02-17, 07:28

9/10 because the whole "What's Up People" thing annoyed me...I don't think screamo fit the feel of the series...And also because I'm a harsh critic :P
I loved the background music in the actual episodes though. It's chilling. ^^ I loved the ending, so slow and sad, and I love all the intricate ways Light plans the murders. Oh, and the rain scene in episode 25...*swoon* This is my fave anime ever. :)

Alpha-1

2009-03-08, 16:08

Death Note was by far one of my favorite manga/anime I had ever come across. The way the characters evolved throughout the series was great as well as the theme of good vs evil. To bad Light/Kira had to die though I mean like he kinda deserved to die but, at the same time he didn't because when he first got a hold of the death note used it for the good of the world by killing off the criminals and stuff, but after a while he became what he tried to get rid of.

jigoku shoujo

2009-03-10, 17:37

9 out of 10 : Excellent - they let the last manga chapter out...

Deathnote13

2009-03-13, 23:28

i loved every thing but the last episode
i mean the anticipation
it was not what i thought it would be
i gave it a 9
are there any animes like death note?

jigoku shoujo

2009-03-14, 12:52

are there any animes like death note?

Code Geass :)

KimmyChan

2009-03-25, 06:33

I give this series 9/10 - I think it's rather cool ^_^

FragrantFlora

2009-03-26, 04:16

I gave it a 8. The plot is very interesting though I did get bored during a few of the scenes.

ILoveNear

2009-03-26, 06:26

10/10
I thought the ending was perfect, Light got sloppy after Deafeting L, and for that he diserved to lose to Near, & Mello.
This is the show that made me start watching other animes in hopes the'd be this good ^^

SaffyC

2009-03-29, 12:17

I think that it was a great concept with a great execution, which is usually an unlikely combination. The brainplay was cool, I guess, and I'm satisfied with all the characters' depth, backstory, etc.. (very odd for me, since my specialty is character analysis..)

However.

I just wish there would've been a LEETLE more humor in it. I mean, half the time we're like. OMG. Everyone's gonna DIE! oh wait, no they're not! aHH!

It's like a perpetual cliffhanger.

If you've ever read the EPIC-PWN series Discworld, that's the sort of funny I'm talking about. They have serious ideas and morality plays, but the general absurdity of the whole situation is what makes you laugh. (e.g. Genies with Timeshare lamps :D) And, of course, lots of puns.

L's still really cute, though. ;)

So yeah, a 9.5 or something from me. Also, my mom would like to say that DN is "plausible, but not realistic." Meaning, it could've gone differently at many plot points, and sometimes things don't make sense. But nothing can be seriously compared to the realisticness of Jane Eyre, so just loosen up, Mom. :p

StevOmaru

2009-03-31, 10:14

10/10

This was one of the few animes in which I got very into after just the first two episodes. One thing that I loved about this show was the "mind battle" that was constantly going on between Kira v. L and then to Kira v. Near and Mello. This show was an intellectually stimulating show in the sense that it kept making who want to question the judgments of the characters and to question who was in the right and in the wrong. It made you think about the morality of this world and how we truly feel about it.

Almost each and every single episode was like a cliffhanger to the nest, "What is Lights next move?", "How can L prove who Kira is", "What are the consequences of this next action?". The show always had you thinking and always had you on the edge of your seat.

This is by far one of the greatest animes/mangas to ever arise and I will say that to anyone without hesitation. A show that involves the reader/watcher, a show that is mind stimulating, a show that makes you anticipate each upcoming episodes, and a show that can be read and watched more than one time.

A show that is action packed, but throws barely any punches at all? Yes sir. Without any hesitation, this is PERFECT!

Doodles214

2009-04-04, 14:41

one of the best series of all time. Wonderful writing. too bad light dies, though...

Knowledge Seeker

2009-06-16, 13:59

9/10

Y'know, the premise of Death Note is mind-numbingly simple, but the way it evolved through clever writing, and wonderful characterization made it one of my favorite anime of all time. I'm not going to call Death Note a masterpiece, but it was so well-executed, it deserves praise! From the clever strategies of L and Light to the wonderful settings that grace the series, this is a unique production. I hate to say it, but I loved Light's character, he was the complete opposite of the standard protagonist. Every time Light did something awful, I was so torn. What do I mean? While I felt that Light did a lot of things that violated morality, his strategies were genius. That why I felt so conflicted with his character, haha.

Anyway, Madhouse really outdid themselves with this series. Music, animation, and visual effects enhanced an already good story. And L, he's a great character that made the first few arcs of DN so excellent.

Definitely one of my favorite series.

Thomas meaning "Twin

2009-06-16, 16:44

The Death Note series is perhaps the most ingenious cartoon ever made. It teaches sound morality, deductive reasoning, and very Biblical theme. That tells me that Japanese love their children, because Death Note is far cry from Family Guy. I have researched even the names, and a few peculiar details on times.
"Kira" means sunlight in Japanese, Persian, and Latin. I may be first to point this out, but tetragrammaton names of God: YHWH and JHWH. None presumably knows how they were pronounced, Every time my ancestors(Isrealites) wrote that name in script they used a new pen, wrote it once, and threw the pen away. I can understand the wisdom in this: looking at the name the both have two H's: H as hydrogen fuses with itself H to form Helium and sunlight. Interesting how some cultures virtually deified the sun itself. Kira's indignation is likened also unto the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation 19:15- "Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Can I get an AMEN from anyone??!!! Having the name Kira and Light is reminiscent of two Lampstands of Revelation 11; that are described as "Two Witnesses," Prophets, two lights(candlesticks/lampstands). Kira meaning "Killer" is different than the Commandment which means: Thou shalt
not murder.
Jealous: "...For I am a jealous God..."
Ryuk is a raven like creature. It was the Ravens who fed Elijiah in the wilderness. "Gods of death love apples" so does the God of life, and so it is called the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. I understand why, but that is another story.
Misa is root word in Hebrew meaning "resembling God;" that is, the root word for Michael(Mikamee also). I particular saw her as Magdalene type figure to Kira.
Mikamee:Michael the Archangel.
L is the pronunciation for the Hebrew word for God: El
Rem: Rapid eye movement in sleep. However if your eyes move that fast when you are sleep, they even faster when you are awake. 1 Corinthians 15:52: "In a moment in twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Of course They are in the East, and yes reincarnation is existential. A twinkling of an eye is measured at 11/100 of a second. Are not those who are dead in a state of REM either "lost" or keenly aware like yours truly, that we continue from flesh to flesh, life to life, perhaps to awaken that we are already in a portion of our afterlife, and life eternal.
"Near" because the coming of The Lord Jesus Christ is NEAR!!!
The Death Note: a passage about a "little book" in the hand of an Angel. Revelation 10:9- "So I went to the Angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said to me, "Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be sweet as honey in your mouth." Sweet truth, but what a rotting world in contrast!!
In light of the rotting world, the beattitudes adequately reflect the heart of the character Kira and of Jesus Christ, in addition to those who anguish because of the abominations in the world.
Mat 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
Mat 5:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Mat 5:3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4 Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5 Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Mat 5:6 Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Mat 5:7 Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Mat 5:8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Mat 5:9 Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Mat 5:10 Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The Holy Spirit is like a Shinigami. The Holy Spirit not a mere "god of death," but a God of Life eternal.
Kira Is a magnificent personification and a parable of the Biblical Christ.
Thank you and God Bless you Mr. Tsugumi Ohba: purely brilliant!!

Thomas (Meaning: two, The twin)

Trafalgar Law

2009-06-16, 18:09

Erm, Thomas, most of what you're saying is far from true. All the names are japanese, so the names are written in Kanji and have nothing to do with western equivalents.
Examples:
A form of Kira may mean light in japanese, but the form in Death Note is simply a japanese transcription of "killer".

In "How To Read" it was stated that L was chosen by the author because he needed a good and cool sounding letter, he also considered J, but ultimately chose L.

Near is just a part of Nears real name Nate River.

And last, considering the holy spirit and shinigami the same... Shinigami are the japanese equivalent of the Grim Reaper, a personifacation of death, meaning "Death God"

Thomas meaning "Twin

2009-06-16, 19:42

I am pretty deep into esoteric symbolism and the like. So I like to and tend to read into things. Looking up the meanings of the names did have the common denominator of a Biblical theme. thus my analysis of the Death Note series. That is why I see that Christ taught in parables to inspire abstract, yet deductive thought. I even think the Bible perfectly discloses the "UFO/Alien" phenomena; and that the "God the Father" of the Bible is an Extra Terrestrial. If you examine creation stories from the Bible, to Native American, to Asian, there is some wisdom to be gathered in analyzing what they either directly and/or allegorically referring to, like interpretting dreams. Take the Native American "Turtle," a Mayan Haab month, and a symbol I believe of slow moving tectonic plates, that "carry" the world(the land) as if it were "carried on it back." That is all another story entirely. I have Law Enforcement experience too, and have had to deal with some very bad people close up. So "Kira" to me is carrying out the Laws of Statutes and Judgements of the Torah.

digger314

2009-07-06, 00:09

Simply a masterpiece. In the end I couldn't help but feel sorry for Yagami Light despite all the evil doing. Without the influence of the Death Note he really was quite a nice person. It makes you think, would absolute power corrupt even you?

I don't like to vote 10 because nothing is perfect, but that would probably be voting on my own scale, so 10 it is.

Slobodan

2009-07-13, 07:24

9/10

Death Note is a top notch anime. Like a symphony masterpiece, it drags you in slowly without ever letting go, increasing the pace through ingenious actions the characters take til the grand finale where it culminates.

To start with, I think it looked pretty awesome. Admittedly, there were fluctuations in the character animation/drawing at certain points, but those weren't that often and when done right, the visuals are great; the death gods, character expressions and action sequences are full of eye candy and look very stylish. The script is really ingenious, I could seldom tell what was going to happen next. If I had to name the part in the series which I particularly liked, it had to be the time when L was seriously starting to get on Light's tail - revealing the way characters think in a dramatic way is one bright point in this anime. Actions are never taken without serious calculation and reasoning, therefore I really can't think of any plotholes right now.

However, as much as I liked the episodes after L's death, I don't think they could ever surpass the ones prior to them. If it had ended with L dying, I would have been pleased. Don't get me wrong, I totally liked Near, Mello and the events that followed; if one asked me whether I'd like to undo the creation of those episodes my answer would be no. But this, and the fact that Light went berserk in the end and died (not very surprising, justice wins bla bla bla) still stand as slight objections to this anime in my review. Maybe it's just my personal preference, but the last third of the show is a bit pale compared to the first two.

Thomas meaning "Twin

2009-07-17, 07:42

I loved the cartoon, watch it over and over. Often spotting a new esoteric with my Shinigami Eyes and Keen Sense of "East."
I work as a Correctional Officer and would love a real Death-Note. Imagine Ryuk popping in me then after one 4 day work week. Have an Apple from man whose name means "Appleseed." LOL
Torah Torah Torah

Flies in Stone Cold October freeze!!

blackpanther27

2009-07-31, 00:06

10/10, brilliant psychological anime with awesome rivalry between L and Kira :)

Megaritz

2009-08-12, 20:38

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the ENTIRE series.
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
SPOILERS

Okay, I could go on and on about how much I love the early episodes of Death Note (and why I don't love the late episodes), and in fact I plan to do just that. Overall, a brilliant series. I have never seen such a high-concept premise--an ordinary-looking notebook that kills people. The possibilities are endless. It's a fantastic plot device for a detective story. It opens up some interesting questions: What would we do if we had a Death Note? Could it be used for good? What would it do to a person's soul to kill hundreds of people many miles away with just a pen? And who could possibly stop us?

It's also a devious way to get us to identify with a mass murderer, almost Hitchcock-style. The way the first season opening and ending sequences romanticized Light's struggle making him into a Christ figure (I'm reminded of the Sealab 2021 line "He killed for your sins") to be alarmingly enchanting. I found it morbidly fascinating to root for Light. (That said, anyone who genuinely believes that Light is the "good guy" of the series simply wasn't paying attention).

The mind games are consistently fascinating in the early episodes, with a real suspenseful feeling that *anything* could happen, and *anyone* could die. It's really nerve-wracking sometimes, and very creative and unpredictable. Ray Penbar and Naomi's deaths were both unexpected, as I was convinced they would both be major characters.

Although the story does not get bogged down in politics, I have to wonder whether the writer had a statement to make on the death penalty. Is he saying that we are like Light by accepting the death penalty as a suitable punishment for criminals? I don't know, and Ohba isn't saying, but I find it interesting. Personally, I'm against the death penalty and believe we don't have the right to take the lives of others once they are behind bars where they can do relatively little harm. Our prison system needs work...but I digress.

I loved the style. I loved the quirky characters. The over-the-top quality created a sort of humor that somehow didn't ruin the drama for me--in fact, it enhanced the drama. I particularly enjoyed the delightful "potato chip" scene. The gambits by Light and L are amusingly excessive (killing FBI members en masse, putting 80 cameras in a house), but in a way that only enhances the story.

I like the fact that there are hardly any traditional "action" scenes. For me, action scenes generally all blur together. They tend to feel obligatory and don't move the story forward. The only real action scene in Death Note that I can think of (Higuchi's capture) is actually set up very well by the story. As a result of this, and of the fact that it is pretty much the only such scene, makes it stand out as epic and exciting, rather than obligatory.

I also appreciate the lack of romance, except where it is used as part of the mind games with Misa and Takada. With very little action and romance, there is nothing to dilute the sheer creativity of where the story goes.

The story has a refreshing lack of plot holes and does not rely too much on coincidences. The only contrivances I recall in the early episodes are that Light's father is the Police Chief, and that Light happens to meet Naomi in the police station at the right time. The first coincidence is fairly believable and adds weight to the relationship of Chief Yagami, Light, and L, so I have no problem with it. The second coincidence was more contrived, but not by any means implausible. Naomi's whole involvement was based on chance, and I found the strangeness of her role to be interesting. However, I do ultimately prefer the way the live-action movie handles it. Anyway, I can tell the writer knew what he was doing, and knew exactly what every character was doing when, why, how, and where. I think that's generally the best way to avoid plot holes.

The story is full of surprises--not with revelations, but with the audacity of what actually happens. In the first 17 episodes or so, there was no end in sight for what brilliantly unorthodox, yet somehow practical and inevitable, plot twists would happen next. Misa's introduction as the second Kira, Light joining the investigation of his own crime, are two of my favorite twists.

The plot isn't content to just rehash the same material to death--it really goes places, to the point of changing pretty much the entire premise a few times, particularly during the Yotsuba arc. It takes advantage of the possibilities provided by its premise.

One of my favorite mind games was between L meeting Light, and Light meeting Misa. L instructs Light to "impersonate" Kira to "fool" Kira II. L knows that Light most likely *is* Kira, and Light knows that L knows. I found the cat-and-mouse dynamic between them fascinatingly complicated, and it's one of the reasons I love the early episodes so much.

Misa and Light's imprisonment and subsequent memory loss was another shocking, bizarre twist. I never saw it coming. I also found it interesting how the imprisonment shifts viewer identification (well, mine) from Light to L. Like L, we don't know what Light's planning, and can only watch and wait.

After that, it starts to drop a bit in creativity. Something about the Yotsuba arc just wasn't right. The mind games are gone for now, replaced with other amusingly drastic measures taken against Yotsuba (L instructing Eibar to pretend to investigate himself, etc). The darkness is gone, and it's now a bit cheesy. The business leaders discussing "Who shall we kill today" is hilarious. However, the strange thing is that the very wrongness and relative light-heartedness made the Yotsuba arc creepy for me, because I knew it would not stay that way and Light would get his memory back. It was eerily foreboding.

L's death was brilliantly devastating, and if you examine the details, it is clear that it was planned ever since Light got himself imprisoned. That's why Light had the notebooks switched--so Rem would be close to L. Although I wish he had lived longer, L would have done Light in if he had survived, by going back over the evidence and seeing how it fit with having the Death Note be involved. If he examined the videotapes of Misa, he would see Rem.

After L dies, it starts to go downhill some more. The first few episodes of the Near/Mello arc were pretty good, although it's clear they were cramming too much of the manga into a short space. It sets up a good dynamic between Light and L's successors, and it makes sense that L would have a backup plan in case of his own death.

There are two things that keep the Near/Mello arc from being a repeat of the L arc. They *both* need to be well-integrated into the story and have a sufficient role in the mind games, and they know about the Death Note, which L didn't until shortly before he died.

I like how Near is backed by the high-ups in the government, Mello has a bunch of Mafia goons in the underworld, and Light, the third detective, is Kira, who they are both hunting. I also like how Mello acquires a Death Note, and becomes like a "Kira" to get an edge in his detecting, in contrast to Light, who became a detective so that he could continue being Kira.

The Mafia plotline still had some of the series' former creativity. Kidnapping Sayu brings things closer to home and drove home the fact that anyone could die, even characters who weren't supposed to be involved in the whole mess. I like how Light uses Misa to manipulate one of Mello's cronies into revealing their location, and how he takes the drastic step of sending his own Death Note to his father in the Task Force. Light's responses to Mello also provide clues to Near, which uses the three characters together with cleverness.

Soichiro's death is appropriately heroic (I always thought of him as the *real* hero, as well as the conscience, of the story). I like the fact that he couldn't bring himself to use the Death Note.

After that, it finally loses it. I'm impressed that Death Note stayed so good for so long. It took a lot of creativity and ingenuity to pull it off. I'm just disappointed that the plod to the finish wasn't as epic as it should have been.

To start with: The Characters. Soichiro and L are now dead. Now, Light throws Misa out on the street (metaphorically) and replaces her with two new, completely unforeshadowed, and far less interesting, characters--Mikami and Takada. This fits with Light's character and it makes sense, because of how closely he and Misa were being watched. Their role also takes advantage of the fact that popular opinion favors Light, which was established earlier in the series. It was also partially set up by a clever scene where Light provokes his minions, lead at the time by Demegawa, to attack Near's headquarters. The problem is that his two new accomplices are not very well developed and come in too late in the story for them to really be involving. Important characters should not come out of nowhere when there are only about 7 episodes to go.

Mikami's not so bad. He has some interesting quirks and a creepy backstory. He also works well as a harbinger of Light's potential new world--a mindless pawn who worships him as God. I do wish they had properly set him up earlier. They also needed to better clarify how Near came to suspect him, as in the manga.

Takada is the real problem. She is an interesting plot device--Kira's spokesperson to his minions, and kind of a decoy-for-a-decoy along with Mikami--but *only* a plot device, not a character. Particularly egregious is the fact that she falls in love with Light. It was also contrived with Misa, but there it was clever and original. Now, it is just contrived--and repetitive.

Mello's character also "falls from grace" in the story. Despite the exciting things he did earlier, and the interesting dynamic he brings to the table, he is now inexplicably relegated to a side-character. He even dies offscreen, which is inexcusable. *Sigh* Matt's death was quite effectively shocking, though. It also brilliantly shows how brutalized the general public, especially the police, have become by openly accepting the murderer, Kira, as their law.

Finally, the ending. It has some great moments. The scene where Mikami is writing everyone's names down is fantastically epic and the cliffhanger where we don't know whether the entire remaining cast will die is among the most devious cliffhangers I've ever seen. I'm also fond of Light's breakdown after being calm for so long. His rapid succession of failed attempts to salvage his plan remind me of someone with no chess pieces left, struggling for a stalemate. He also gets a fantastic evil laugh, and in the English dub he delivers my personal favorite use of the line "IT'S A TRAP!" I also think it's somehow appropriate that Ryuk is the one who writes Light's name in the Death Note, although I think it was done better in the manga.

The exact plot mechanics of the ending, however, are disappointing. Light and Near repeatedly one-up the other, but the technicalities behind it are rather dull. Fake pages! No, fake notebook--The other one was elsewhere! No, we switched that one, too! The end. I also don't like Light losing due to Mikami's mistake, although I will acknowledge that the possibility of Mikami being his undoing was established earlier. I would have preferred for Light to be genuinely outsmarted by a devious plan he couldn't possibly have foreseen, although Near using Lidner to manipulate Mello was kind of clever, even if it wasn't very well-explained in the anime.

Well, that's about all I have to say about Death Note. I understand some people love the Near/Mello arc, but I'm only articulating my problems with it because of how much more it could have been. I only even bothered thinking about it so much because I adore the early episodes so much. At the end of the day, even the late episodes logically follow what has come before, and for the most part Death Note is a very intelligent, creative, exciting, suspenseful, and thought-provoking series.

Episodes 1-16: 10/10
Episodes 17-23: 8-ish/10
Episodes 24-26: 9/10
Episodes 27-29: 7.5/10
Episodes 30-37: 6.5-ish/10

Overall: 9/10. As if the exact numbers really mean much. Wow, that was a long post. TL;DR, right? Believe it or not, I didn't copy and paste it; I wrote it specifically for this forum. I hope someone actually bothers to read it...

roriconfan

2009-08-13, 00:45

I can do that too.

ANIMATION SECTION: 9 [Top notch, realistic and fluid, with amazing camera angles, movement and shadowing effects.]

Most Hollywood movies couldn’t do it better. There is variety in faces, so nobody looks the same and most characters change cloths all the time, so don’t expect the “Naruto effect”. Excellent, as long as you like dark palette colors. Still, there are also too many static frames that ruin a perfect mark.

SOUND SECTION: 10 [Thrash Metal and chorus/opera themes are not for everyone but I personally loved them.]

Opening and ending songs are simply mind numbing. Some music themes repeat too often and may become tiresome after the 100th time you listen to them. But I personally didn’t find that to be a bother. Voice acting had no obvious problems and was fitting with every character.

STORY SECTION: 7 [The God Of The New World!]

The Death Gods in the series are really bored with their existence and from time to time play tricks with mortals, just to kill the boredom with a little laugh. An ingenious and amoral teenager named Yagami Light finds a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it. He decides to use this note to kill all the criminals in the world and establish a new world order of peace and justice… with him adored as a God! Although he hides his identity, people worldwide quickly realize his existence and divide into pro and against of his actions.

The theme of the series is morality. Is it moral to kill someone, without giving a chance of redemption for his crimes? Don’t you become a criminal by killing against the law, even with the best of intentions? Does killing all those you consider “evil” can really make the world a better place? How can you be sure if someone deserves to die? What makes your personal judgment criteria better than anyone else’s?

Of course, the protagonist doesn’t really care about morality. In fact, he clings towards the opposite direction. He doesn’t believe in universal morality, God, after-life punishment, or ethics in general. In fact, the main atmosphere of the series promotes such beliefs. God is either uncaring with the world or non-existent and all beings in Creation are left to do as they please, with morality and justice being just human fabrications for maintaining social order. Yagami is beyond such ideals. He believes that the end justifies the means and that brilliant people like him are superior and thus always correct before the opinions of pitiful commoners. If HE gets what HE wants, then nothing else matters. He is willing to do anything it takes to promote his way of thinking, including taking advantage of people’s feelings and good intentions, winning their trust just to abuse them, killing good-willing people who don’t agree with him, killing supporters who don’t follow his commands to the fullest and even killing his zealots when they are no longer useful to him. And all these without even lifting an eyebrow, since what he does is in his mind always correct. He is an extreme form of a Machiavellian character! Or a psyched version of Cao Cao from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The message he promotes is quite amoral: “There is no meaning in life, goodness is for suckers, brains and cunningness are all that matters, live the way you like and screw how others feel about it.”

Yagami’s rival in the story is “L”, another ingenious teenager who believes that upholding the laws is the closest thing people have to justice and morality. Logic and thorough examination are his ultimate weapons. He and his aid are in fact a crazed version of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. The story is mostly about Yagami vs L and his followers, trying to outsmart one another with various, cunning, multi-layered mind tricks. Yagami tries to hide the fact he is Kira, the supernatural killer, and dispose of L & co. without leaving incriminating traces around him (a VERY hard task!). L & co. on the other side tries to smoke him out and arrest him for the murders (also VERY hard!).

The detective-story aspect of the series is exceptional. A crazed Sherlock Holmes taking on a Machiavellian / Cao Cao-like character! Wow! Unpredictable and yet ingeniously planned-out, most of the time. The two of them are next to each other most of the time and yet they can’t do a thing to eradicate one another, just like that. Not without an ingenious planning that doesn’t leave room for openings for the other guy’s ingenious planning! Man! It’s like watching a chess game between two world champions! All the people are just pawns in their hands; manipulated to do their bidding, without even realizing it most of the time.

But the supernatural aspect of it is simply bullshit. There is no realism or reasoning with all the weird stuff in the story.

Death Gods that are bored and throw Death Notes at humans for fun? What the hell; boredom as driving force?

Although there are several attempts to explain and reason the powers of the Death Note, there are still no explanations about the general existence of it in the world. A few of the “holes” in the story are the following: Why does the Death Note exist? Who made it? Why do Death Gods exist? Why are they bored with their existence? Did something happen that made them lose their reason-for-being? How correctly does the accent of the name of the one you want to kill must be written? What if the language you are using does not support a proper pronunciation? How well must you imagine someone’s face? What if you remember him as he looked decades ago? Why the pages of the Death Note never end? How does someone forget about its existence without having memory problems with everything else he was doing in the meantime?

So, ok, some can arbitrarily think that God made the Death Note and the Death Gods and then stopped caring about His creations’ actions, thus depriving everything of a reason-for-being. And that the Death Note works with a “Word: Death” spell, which is triggered by translating the victim’s written birth-given name to its True Name via the Death Notes’ metaphysical energy. But these are just unsupported viewers’ opinions and thus not really canonized as true.

How can Yagami’s depiction of an ideal world work in practice? A world of total justice and peace, based on the fear of death? That would only be a world of terror and hopelessness. Also, in theory every human being loses his/her temper and does something really stupid at least once in his/her lifetime. There wouldn’t be anyone left alive in Yagami’s ideal world! Maybe Yagami is a delusional, insane and megalomaniac person, self-convinced he is always right. Or maybe he became insane because the Death Note offered him the power to kill without being punished for it. Whatever the reason, throughout human history, people with total control over the lives of others don’t become more just and caring, as time goes by. They become crueler and more uncaring, thus slowly bringing the fall of their own creation.

As you can tell, the ending is not a cheery one. And it will feel really dry with what you were promised with all the presentation so far. I must say that it is different than in the manga, because the scriptwriters wanted a more dramatic and moral ending. Censorship is the root of all “adaptation decay” and so, it is worse than the manga version.

I have noticed great similarities between the scenarios of Death Note and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion . Both stories involve an ingenious youth who gains a supernatural ability and plans to change the world from the shadows. Yet Code Geass is a lot richer in terms of emotions and motives, and thus it is superior to Death Note. But then again, it is far less serious with all that lukewarm humor and fan service moments that it simply loses credit. Still, if you like one of these, you will definitely like the other as well.

A minus in the story is the deterioration of its seriousness towards the end. Yagami starts making terrible mistakes and L’s side reaches to unsupported verdicts, without actual facts. Which means, Yagami gets stupid and his rivals know the truth with Deus ex Machina revelations. Either the facts were not presented properly or the scriptwriter simply reached to a story dead-end and made a poor attempt to wrap the story as he could. Whatever the reason, the perfect image of the event storyboard is ruined in the last episodes and spoils your great impression of the series, like a tower of deck cards that crumbles because of a badly placed card on the top.

But don’t get bogged down with all this criticism. The story is indeed great but because of its story holes and lack of supported facts in the end, it looses some points. It is still worth watching.

CHARACTERS SECTION: 7 [Black and white, flickering their tones.]

Yagami/Kira and L are the only characters that really matter, thanks to their non-stop mind-trap competition. All the rest are just supporting cast that exist just to criticize or promote the actions of those two. You cannot really connect with any supporting character. Why?

Problem no.1: All characters have the same demeanor. From the top criminals and detectives, down to the normal every-day people, they are all serious/cynical and with almost no grimaces. I don’t say I support cartoon-like, extreme grimaces all the time, but a few wouldn’t hurt anyone. How can you like characters that behave almost like robots of the same assembly line? Especially in a setting that has no excused global depression in it. It is supposed to be like the “real” world, where people have the freedom of emotional variety and personal individuality. Sure, there are times where characters do silly/funny things but even those are just there to ease the grim atmosphere, not break a smile on someone’s mouth. They may not look the same but really feel the same, no matter where you look.

So, even the top two characters are essentially the two sides of the same coin : It’s a “Do what you want to change the world” vs “Follow the rules and let the world learn from that” battle that spreads to the entire cast. Of course, this is a hard thing to notice as all characters dress differently (Misa with Goth lolita style, Ryuk with punk style), and have quirks and personal tastes (L loves sweets) that cloaks the truth and fools most of us to think that they are different. It would have worked if ANOTHER problem were not so obvious.

Problem no.2: There is NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! How could the scriptwriters miss that? Absolutely no one changes beyond a figment of an OBVIOUS FROM THE START way, during a series that is supposed to be deep, philosophical, and spanning several years in duration. This is so stupid, it deserves a punishment.

Also, I must point out the fact that many characters are really stereotypes and not even their quirks make them different. The following characters were easy for me to predict their role in the story from the first episode they appeared. Misa is your typical lolita pop-idol that exists solely for fan service. Yagami’s sweet sister exists just to be kidnapped and used against him. Matsuda is the silly police officer nobody takes seriously that will stand up to his beliefs in the time of need and save the day.

So, the characters are great to watch but lose appeal when seen as what they really are: Stale and homogenous variations of the same, central personality. Still, their cool demeanor is so imposing that really saves them from becoming shallow and uninteresting.

VALUE SECTION [Valuable lessons on what NOT TO DO IF YOU GET OMNIPOTENT.]

Historical Value 3/3: It is simply the best detective/thriller/fantasy series ever made into Anime. What else can you give it?

Rewatchability 2/3: Mystery series tend to have little replay value, as the story is not that thrilling the second time you watch them. But it still has enough elements and perplex story that may spur you to watch it again, just to grasp any details you missed.

Memorability 4/4: Totally! If you love the first time and it sticks with you, who cares about the value of rewatching it?

Total for Value: 9/10

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 8 [Note to self: Never write my name in a notebook!]

-On going scenario without fillers is always a sign of enjoyment.
-The whole “God is Absent, Ambition over Goodness, Truth gets you nowhere” atmosphere may discourage most people who are accustomed to more cheery stories.
-The whole idea of a book that can kill you by writing your name in it is hard to swallow at first.
-The series tends to be less “smart” after the time skip, as Yagami gets stupid afterwards. His plans are easily falling through thereafter and his enemies know the truth from the “scriptwriter’s mouth”.
-It was a lot more interesting than the similar other famous series I have seen so far, which were great but also quite boring most of the time.
-Anyone who has been fed up with kids’ shows will find it at least interesting.

VERDICT [My Dear Diary … today the following people were really nice to me … Oh, shit, wrong book!]

The accused is found … NOT GUILTY! … He is amoral, illogical, snobbish and doesn’t want to mature. But he does all that in a pretty cool way.

SUGGESTION (DEATH) LIST

This series is better than:
Boogie Pop Phantom, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Jigoku Shoujo. All these are supernatural/mystery thrillers but have really slow and tiresome plot.

This series is better than:
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. It is sci-fi instead of thriller, but the story follows the same path. Too bad it goes haywire in the second season.

This series is equal to:
Monster. Also a supernatural/mystery thriller with a really slow and tiresome plot, but has an awesome story.

P.S.: Do you remember that Christmas song about “Santa Claus knowing if you were good or bad, making a list and coming to town?” … BE A GOOD BOY!

no97emotions

2009-09-05, 09:40

Whole DN is cool...http://rosalys.deviantart.com/art/L-Death-note-71712057

Big Daddy

2009-09-08, 02:06

Honestly probably the best made anime I have ever seen... Great food for thought, Dub was incredible, every episode made you want to watch the next.

10/10. Without a doubt my favorite anime next to One Piece/Code Geass

HitagiIsHot

2009-10-14, 13:07

dethgod89

2009-10-21, 12:35

it was good until it was dubbed :mad:
other than that it was perfect a lil rushed at the end but perfect none the less

Tenken's Smile

2009-10-28, 19:42

Perfect 10 !

PS: VERY few series got my perfect 10 :)
The others are Harry Potter and Doraemon :)

Arina-desu

2009-10-31, 15:32

Death Note is the perfect anime! It has suspense, a tiny bit of humor, a tiny bit of love (well, not really), myrstery, horror.....I love this series! When I first watched it I fell in love with it by the first few minutes! The concept of a Death NOte that kills people was genius to think of! (But that'd be terrible if it really was real) :O

The characters had different personalilties that made them unique and the plot development worked perfectly!
10/10!! <3

Gaea

2009-11-09, 04:23

it's not perfect, since L dies...

Kiratwig

2009-11-09, 21:56

Death not is definately the perfect anime in my opinion. It has almost every single anime quality that I like. It was also one of the first animes I became a true fan of. With all the stuff I bought it shows. Ill like it till the day I die I can assure you that.

Gaea

2009-11-11, 11:30

Good show, but still....after the L death i didn't had the enthusiasm to watch it till the end...the only reason i saw those last episodes is because i wanted to see how Kira will die....and also i didn't liked that corny part in the end when N said that together they were invincible....very corny and american...

LXwillXlive

2009-11-15, 19:31

my absolute favorite! the most well thought out plot in my opinion! manga or anime, they are both my favorites. i really like the added scene in episode 25 which wasnt in the original manga.

and the potato chip scene was definitely not as epic in the manga XD
if you dont like watching anime, you still have to see that scene! XDXD

Tanksenior

2009-11-19, 19:22

11/10, didn't really know what to expect when I first watched this show (it was recommended by a friend who didn't tell me anything else other than "you should watch it"), and boy did it blow me away!

Exact same thing for me, recommended by a friend, and hell, I haven't seen another anime yet that was even close to being THIS AWESOME. It blew me AWAY.

:bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow: