Yeah... the ending's really hangin' out! And Near sucks! Personally I would agree on the Sound Rating, they really did a great job on that... and on the plot as well! Straight to the point, no more fooling around like the other series'.
Death Note tv Review
Story by Ooba Tsugumi; art by Obata Takeshi (The mangaka of Hikaru no Go).
The human world is rotting. The gods of death are bored.
Death Note begins when the shinigami Ryuk 'accidentally' drops his death note in the human world. It is discovered by 17-year-old academic genius Light Yagami, who decides that he wishes to create a world free of evil. To what extremes will he go, only needing a name and a face to kill? Or rather...how will he be stopped?
Story & Characters
Death Note's story is one of shear suspense and thrill... what would happen next? That what usually goes through the mind of its viewers, with most even guessing along. Its creative approach to plot detail is so amazing one has to wonder what kind of person writes this stuff. Add to that the fact that the majority of the characters are very deep and interesting which makes us like them more and more... you can't even decide who's good or evil.
Death Note has a lot of strong points when it comes to story but personally, the later half disappointed me and the ending left too much to be desired. I'm not sure if everyone agrees, but after giving a closer look at the story and the events that transpire during the later half makes me feel that those parts were too scripted, if you know what I mean.
But overall, it is one of the most powerful titles recently created and has become a very recognized name in the anime culture.
With all my gripe about the story (which are very personal and more like fanboy ranting), I'd still give story a very high rating because of its pure complexity and entertainment factor.
The Death Note anime series was pretty incredible... but it fell apart soon after one of the main character dies. In the early part of the show, there were plenty of character development and details about the plot, all of that went to a grinding halt when we reached the later half of the series.
I just had to get that off my chest...
Rating:
Art
The series' art is fairly modern and so, I can't say much since its like every other titles I've seen. Most of the background art is CG so its very fluid and detailed.
One thing I'm gonna focus on though is character design.
Death Note's character design is very good. Lots of diversity goin' on and it really makes you feel like they're alive. There isn't too much detail on character models but you can really love the way they were drawn although there are times that the faces get a bit overboard and become rather "melty-face". Or is that just for the psychological-thriller part? I really don't know.
But Death Note scores high on animation... fluid, vivid and surreal. The series' animation scenes are spectacular. Just the opening video alone proves this point.
All in all, Death Note scores rather fairly in this category with excellent animations and decent character design putting it up there.
Rating:
Sound
Death Note's sound department is one to be admired. If it weren't for the excellent voice acting and BG scores, the animation just won't hold up.
Death Note utilizes, eerie, spine-chilling music to fully convey that sense of surrealism and suspense. From soft piano themes to orchestraic sounds, you'll be pushed to the edge of your seats.
Voice acting is good. The VA did a good job portraying their characters and there isn't much to complain about.
The supporting OST is quite definitive of the Death Note franchise. The first batch of OP-ED songs are from Nightmare titled The WORLD and Alumina, respectively. This was then followed by What's Up PEOPLE and Zetsubou Billy by Maximum the Hormone. The first batch are somewhat more easier to listen to than the second batch but not in any sense worse or better than it. This title has one of the strongest OST I've ever came across and that's a statement.
So for Sound, Death Note scores high with every sound factor inching it more further up top.
Rating:
Presentation
So to wrap things up, I can honestly say watching Death Note was quite an experience. The overall packaging of the series was something I'd miss and makes me want to watch some more.
Its definitely a title that's fun to watch over and over again especially if you like serious thrillers which is quite a rarity in anime genres. But although serious, there are plenty of humorous scenes to at least lighten up the mood. Add to that the enjoyability of the anime as a whole and you've got yourself a great series.
I recommend this series to everyone who really likes serious titles that tackle real life issues, morality in this case.
But still, I can't help but state that the later arc is really disappointing for me, and I bet the same goes to some who have watched it, too.
So to finish things up, Death Note gets a good mark on presentation with its creative bundling of suprises and mind-numbing enjoyment and that makes Death Note a classic in my book.
Go out there and grab a DVD!
Rating:
Final Verdict
8.1667 (good)
Reviewed by BossMac, Nov 28, 2007
Comments
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Akaiken Nov 28, 2007
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BossMac Nov 28, 2007
Yeah, Near sucks... he should go to hell... his way of thinking is too scripted...
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angelxxuan Banned Member Dec 01, 2007
I rather enjoyed the anime but I wished they did a bit more for the ending as well...I loved the way that Light thought...an actual Death Note in my hands I would do exactly what Light did ^_^ probably even more so...I'm so more sadistic then Light hehe
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alvarado453 Dec 03, 2007
I agree.I would do exactly what Light did.The anime was great and the endng was somewhat suckish.:(
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ealpha-scorpio Dec 06, 2007
You pretty much said whatever I thought of the anime :) I agree with depth of this animes concept and story-line. Also with characters design and Art. In fact before I began watching this anime, I got attracted to it's dark, gloomy and a bit freaky design. Something chilly hangs in the air throughout the entire series. I love that though ^_^'
Thanks for the review :)
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ShinigamiGirl1021 Dec 14, 2007
i love death note!
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shoujoboy Dec 19, 2007
Holy crap! It's a Jak review. Savor this people, they happen at about the frequency of February 29th. Aside of that I have to say one side of me loves your reviews while the other hates them. On one hand I just laugh at how informal your reviews are. Your written reviews remind me of when you are just conversing with someone and they start to talk about a show they watched. Almost like a mini-rant that takes place between school classes or something. It's short and sweet and gets the major points across. On the other hand it really doesn't seem to translate all that well to written word. It comes off a bit disjoined and short of detail. Instead of making decisions based on your objective review, it feels a lot like a "you had to have been there" type. Like unless I saw it all through your eyes, I don't really know what the hell you're talking about.
Me and my conflicted self are going to go now.
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inutai Dec 23, 2007
I really liked the way that DN brought a really dark and thoughtful storyline to the mainstream. You're right that they sort of copped out in the last part and the ending was disappointing.
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puchy Feb 22, 2008
que asco
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Lollie04 Dec 03, 2008
I loved this in both the anime and manga. It was very psychological, and raised many interesting points. It also, however, intriduced the typical anime girl as Misa; who was infact my favourite character (-_-')
I really enjoyed it, but will admit that I preferred L to Near! -
neonstegosaurus Jan 27, 2009
I completely agree that the later half and ending were disappointing. The first half, however, was very good.
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narunarunarunaru Feb 28, 2009
add some more expressive words ... may be a little help>>>
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ryanwho Mar 29, 2009
Good rev.
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pmgbapm Jun 24, 2009
comic is better than anime...
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Fanatik007 Jul 12, 2009
very good,thanks
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ResonantSoul Jul 23, 2009
good, thanks
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lordryo Jul 28, 2009
Good review. Death Note was great!
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SchRita Aug 24, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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nainoi Sep 12, 2009
I really like the manga.
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Sanisa Sep 21, 2009
Cool review
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Warpten29 Oct 13, 2009
this anime is great!
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SchRita Oct 31, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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rukasu04 Mute Member Dec 31, 2009
Nice Review
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angelxxuan Banned Member May 23, 2012
nicely structured review, there is no doubt that you didn't put some effort into this one. death note is a legendary series, at least, in my opinion anyways.
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