The Death Note Anime Review For Those On the Fence

Don’t think twice about watching Death Note. If you’re on the fence about it or haven’t even seen a single anime before then you have even more reason to stop wasting your precious braincells thinking about it and just do it (insert cringey Nike pun). At the end of this review of the ever so popular anime, Death Note, you should end up off the fence and on one side of the fence. Which side you find yourself on is up to you, well, I guess it’s up to me too, and how well I’m able to brainwash you into watching it!

I’ll place this article into recommendations as well as reviews, it seems I’ll be heavily breathing Death Note down your neck today. It’s simply just a great anime, subbed, only if you watch it SUBBED. There’s no other option for which language to watch Death Note in. I’ve seen it three times at this point and it doesn’t really get old. I rated it an 8 on myanimelist when I first watched it but bumped it up to a 9 out of pure enjoyment after watching it again years later. Some of you might look down on me for speaking so highly of such a mainstream anime, but honestly there’s nothing wrong with liking Death Note; in my humble weeb opinion.

It’s the perfect series with which to slither yourself into the world of anime if you’ve been sheepish or unwilling to do so in the past. If you’re a first-timer, the thrilling, suspenseful, and teeth-clenching plot is going to keep you wanting to watch episode after episode. Even if you’ve seen anime before, Death Note will likely reel you into its story of low morals and quick witted real life chess board antics. If you’re on the fence about it because it’s too mainstream or someone told you the general plot and you think it’s stupid, please try to throw away those pre-conceived biases.

I will admit that the motivation behind the main character Light’s ultimate goal is a bit immature and short-sighted. I mean, he’s trying to become god of a new world devoid of criminals. It sounds nice and all, but everyone’s just going to be scared to death about dying for the smallest of things. Further than that, I don’t think that one single person should have that kind of power over the whole human race. I also heavily question Light’s true intentions and honesty with himself. I think he’s just a plain psychopath, to tell you the truth. I don’t want to spoil too much here. But could one truly want to make a safe and kind world that is “perfect” for everyone if they’re a mass murderer who enjoys killing other humans so much?

The beginning of Death Note starts off at a very good pace and it sucks you into it straight away, it really does. It’s a show where things just keep escalating every single episode and you’re all tense because deep down you know that something just has to break. You have to see the conclusion of the great battle between the main character and his most cunning enemy. It’s one of those big-brain showdowns, where each of the characters have an enormous brain and keep setting up traps and deducing what the other guy is up to.

There is a point in Death Note at episode 26 where you may become greatly disappointed and be tempted to drop it; you might’ve heard other people crying about it before. This sour event doesn’t make the show unwatchable nor does it ruin the ending; in my opinion. Death Note still has a pretty strong finish despite many other people having loud qualms with it.

What makes Death Note really worth watching is the plot and the two main characters. There aren’t any other anime with a similar plot to it and Tsugumi Ohba, the guy who thought of it, must’ve been having a really good day (or a really bad one). If you are somewhat of an intelligent person, you might find yourself heavily annoyed with Light’s actions throughout the show. Death Note might be the first time where you despise the main character of a show but must see it to the end anyways. It’s said that it isn’t the show’s intention for us to question Light’s consequences and actions as much as it is for it to be a fast-paced thriller that takes you for a curvy drive up and down the mountain.

L is supposed to be the bad guy in Death Note; in the sense that he is the opponent of our main character. You’ll probably see him as the good guy as L is the one trying to stop a genocide at the hands of an above average intellect high schooler who found a deadly magical book in the grass. He is extremely likeable and some might even say cute in personality. Not sure if it’s just me but I find myself wanting to feed the guy ice cream and ask him sincerely if he likes it. Light is great as a character but not so much as a human being. If heaven exists then Light has no chance in hell in the admins accepting him even after attending a thousand confessions.

All in all, I would recommend Death Note to just about anyone, except children and young teens. Some of the content is mildly disturbing for anime and you probably don’t want your twelve year old introduced to things like manipulating people into offing themselves. Thank you for taking the time to read about my Death Note experience and thoughts on this particular anime and I hope you were able to take away even one shred of interesting information from it. See ya on the next one ^_^/

~ Overall rating: 8.73 ~

-Cross