ANIME REVIEW-THE DEATH NOTE.

                                                              

So, how would you define “good” and “evil”? The good guys try to make the world a better
place. The evil guys, to quote Alfred Pennyworth, just want to watch the world burn. It’s pretty
simple, isn’t it? Maybe not. Often, the line between good and evil is a thin one. The two are even
interchangeable at times. This is pretty much the main theme of Death Note.
                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                              It follows a teenage genius, Light Yagami, who finds a book called a Death Note. Under certain rules and conditions, whenever a person’s name is written in the book, that person dies. It maysound corny and childish, but trust me. This is one series you don’t want to miss. It starts out simple enough. Light wants to make the world a better place by killing off all criminals in the world. But soon, he starts to get carried away. Enter L, the most brilliant detective in the world. No that wasn’t a typo. His name is L. He’s portrayed as being some kind of modern day Sherlock Holmes, and soon starts hunting down Light, or “Kira” as he starts being called. The ensuing battle of wits builds up one of the greatest rivalries across fiction. A psychological game of cat-and-mouse between two brilliant minds that is just addictive to watch. Trust me, once you start, you’ll want to see it through to the end. 


 
                                          Death Note is possibly one of the most popular anime today. It may not be as well-known as say, DBZ or Pokemon, but its gaining a lot of popularity. Both the protagonists are eccentric geniuses, and watching them fight it out is very interesting. A unique theme , no doubt, but the trait that differentiates it from other anime is its incredibly intense narration. The story progresses very quickly (the entire series has only 37 episodes) but it doesn’t feel rushed in any way.  The main characters, L and Light, are wonderfully complex and easy to connect to. L,particularly, adds a senseof comical lightness, even in the most serious situations.

The series explores ideas of philosophy, psychology and , most significantly, moral righteousness.
About 10 episodes in, you’ll start wondering who the hero and villain are and questioning your ideas
of right and wrong. I’d strongly recommend Death Note to anyone, even people who don’t usually
watch anime. Be warned though; people have been known to complete the entire series in a couple
of days, so I’d suggest you start it when you have some time off J
                                                                                                     contributed by- Deepak Dilipkumar