(Editor's Note) Hey guys, Zach here. Murphy and I had a tough time rating this show overall. As I'm sure many of you fans out there can attest; there is a general break around halfway through the show where our impressions of it ultimately shifted. We obviously don't want to get into spoilers, but the decision was to break up Death Note into a two-part review so we don't give the show unfair judgement when there is a clear division.
By: Robert Murphy
We start this story with Light Yagami, an intelligent student,
who has an extremely bright future ahead of him, along with this, Light has
strong feelings on what is right and wrong in this world; and how all the evil
and crime in this world needs to be stomped out. One day, his life undergoes a
drastic change as he witnesses a notebook fall from nowhere, this notebook was
dropped by a Shinigami (God of Death) named Ryuk who is extremely bored in the
realm of the afterlife and drops his “Death Note” into the human world for a
bit of fun. Light proceeds to later go
after the notebook and reads the directions inside. The notebook states that
who should ever write the name of the person you want dead in the “Death
Note”--with their image in your mind--and they will die in the manner you have
specified in this supernatural journal, otherwise, if the circumstance is not
specified in writing, the victim will, within minutes, suffer a fatal heart
attack. Thinking it a stupid prank initially, Light puts it to the test when
saving an innocent woman from being assaulted and finds that the notebook
actually works. From here Light proceeds to self righteously divulge himself
into doling out what he believes is justice, writing criminal after criminal's
name in the notebook; creating a new world.
(Above: Light and Ryuk)
Light, who at the start seems like he would be the last
person that you would ever think to start dealing out death left and right, but
like any human being he is subject to the basic human faults that plagues all
who gain power: it corrupts. At first, his intentions do seem
quite noble as he dishes out justice to criminals, rapists, child molesters, and
the like; but despite everything power of
a “God” like that in the hands of a
mortal, you’ll begin to get quite a complex about yourself. Alongside Light, we
also have Ryuk, the snarky original owner of the notebook, who really is only
around for a good time, he finds human beings interesting, especially Light as
he is the first human to have done so much with the notebook without worrying
too much about the consequences. And while the two make things quite
interesting, much of the show gets appeal from those who wish to stop Light
from ridding the world of “evil”. Yes, fans of the show, I am referring to L, the
mysterious, eccentric (I use that term as a tentative way to describe him), and
genius detective who is brought in to solve all the deaths Light has piled up.
L is the only one who has a mind that can match the schemes of Light and the
two lock in a cat and mouse game through much of the show on par with a
Sherlock Holmes stile affair. Then there is the beautiful, yet tragic, Misa
Amane, who also has a death note and who is incredibly infatuated with Light in
a Justine Beiber style affair. She does everything and anything to please Light
but at the same time she threatens to reveal who he is to the task force that
is after him if he doesn’t keep her happy.
(Above: L munching on some sweets,
what else is new)
And this all happens within the first few episodes; the show
offers a smooth dialogue that is easy to follow and moves along at a good pace
as well as offering up well-developed characters on both sides of the spectrum
of what you would call good and evil. The show, while easy to follow, is very in-depth and clever for those of you who are looking for something that you can
get into and enjoy again and again. Also there is a moral question that is put
to the test for those of you who watch the show and that is, "what would you do
if you had a real Death Note? And what side of the line do you fall on, do you
feel what Light is doing is right and the world is better without these
criminals or are you on the side of L and think that despite killing these
“bad” people it’s still wrong?"
In closing, Death Note (Part One) is an amazing show that offers well-developed
characters that work well against each other; especially in the instance of
Light and L, who even when they aren’t fighting to beat the other have much in
common, and go back and forth with one another in the best way. For those of you
who have heard the hype about the show, it is every bit the hype its built up
to be, the show is all around intellectually stimulating with a degree of
humor. This is a series that will make you think. It's more than just passive
entertainment, though it is just what you make of it and therein lies the
beauty of “Death Note”.
Good:
-Great and equally developed characters
-Incredible story that tests your morals
-A show that makes you think and is easy to watch
Bad:
-A dark tone that isn’t for everyone
Scully Rating: 9.5 out of 10