Death Note

Death Note is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga series of the same name written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was directed by Tetsuro Araki at Madhouse and originally aired in Japan on Nippon tv every Tuesday shortly past midnight, effectively from October 4, 2006, to June 27, 2007. The plot of the series primarily revolves around high school student Light Yagami , who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook called a Death Note. This book causes the death of anyone whose name is written in it and is passed on to Light by the Shinigami Ryuk after he becomes bored within the Shinigami world.

Rating:

IMDb - 9/10

Rotten Tomatoes : 100%

MyAnimeList : 8.6/10

 

Episodes

The anime series is comprised of 37 episodes of about 20 minutes each. For a list of televised episodes .The list of episodes:

1.Rebirth

2.Confrontation

3.Dealings

4.Pursuit

5.Tactics

6.Unravelling

7.Overcast

8.Glare

9.Encounter

10.Doubt

11.Assault

12.Love

13.Confession

14.Friend

15.Wager

16.Decision

17.Execution

18.Ally

19.Matsuda

20.Makeshift

21.Performance

22.Guidance

23.Frenzy

24.Revival

25.Silence

26.Renewal

27.Abduction

28.Impatience

29.Father

30.Justice

31.Transfer

32.Selection

33.Scorn

34.Vigilance

35.Malice

36.1.28

37.New World

Main Characters of the series are :

1. Light Yagami("Justice")

Light Yagami (夜神月, Yagami Raito) is the main protagonist of the Death Note series. After discovering the Death Note, he decides to use it to rid the world of criminals. His killings are eventually labelled by the people living in Japan as the work of "Kira."

2. L ("One")

L (エル, Eru) is a world-renowned detective who takes on the challenge of catching the mass murderer known as Kira. In his investigation, L becomes suspicious of Light Yagami and makes it his goal to prove that Light is Kira.

3. Misa Amane

Misa Amane (弥 海砂, Amane Misa) is an up-and-coming model, actress, and supporter of Kira who eventually becomes the Second Kira. After gaining a Death Note, she seeks out Kira in order to thank him for killing the man who murdered her family and to offer him her help. Having made the trade for the Shinigami Eyes, Misa learns that the identity of Kira is Light Yagami. After a meeting with Light, she decides to dedicate her life to helping Light however she can, and becomes determined to use her eyes to uncover L's real name.

4. Ryuk

Ryuk (リューク, Ryūku) is a Shinigami who indirectly gives Light Yagami a Death Note after becoming bored with the Shinigami Realm. In an effort to amuse himself, he steals a second Death Note and drops it into the Human World for someone to find. This Death Note is discovered by Light, who uses it in an attempt to cleanse the world of evil and injustice, satisfying Ryuk's need for entertainment.

5. Rem

Rem (レム, Remu) is the Shinigami who gives Misa Amane one of the Death Notes she had. Like Ryuk, Rem possesses two Death Notes; however, Rem did not get hers through trickery. The Shinigami Gelus, who had fallen in love with Misa, sacrificed himself to kill her destined murderer. In doing so he was reduced to dust, leaving only his Death Note. Rem delivered this Death Note to Misa, since it was her life he saved.

My review :

Death Note’s review is very simple: It is just outstanding and beyond words!! There is no Anime like Death Note and I can debate on this anyone.

Pros

• Concept- There is a notebook in which whosever name you write he/she will die. A very simple concept. And such rich storyline they've managed to build , that at no point you feel its been overstretched.
• Antagonist- L role is one of the most powerful in this anime that people start to dislike the protagonist . At the end of first episode itself you hit hard when you can't decide whether to root for the hero or not. And very soon its the protagonist's name you would most want to write in your death note.
• The Rivalry- Its Kira v/s L. The mind games these two play will make you feel astonished. At each point they are trying to outsmart the other, trying to think what the other is thinking and then think of a way to out-think him.
• The Twists- The story in general is so tight and unpredictable. Personally, while watching anything, I always had this problem of thinking too hard about the next twists in story and eventually ruining the surprise. Here though, there was no way I could have guessed the twists.
• Length- Thankfully unlike many other anime this one did not try to stretch beyond its limit. 37 episodes each episode of about 20 mins . My personal favorite anime have been AOT and Naruto but both of them were stretched so much.

Cons

• Teenage Obsession- The makers of all the anime are for some reason totally infatuated with the concept of teenage characters and Death note too is a prey of this psychology. Somehow all the characters that matter in this world apparently happen to fall in the age group of 15-18.Light, L, Misa-Misa, Alas, sometimes its just too annoying.
  
• The post Interval low- Somewhere in between, an awesome twist comes and an awesome character disappears in an awesome manner. The episodes that follow are not so awesome anymore.

The Verdict
I personally advice that you must watch this anime. It's the perfect diet for your brain.