Death Note Review

Death Note, Death Note, Death Note.
The SECOND show I decided to tackle was Death Note. Now to be honest...I was not sure what to expect with Death Note. I had previously read the manga and I decided that I had to check out the show. Death Note is infamously known for it's wonderful English dub which includes lines such as:

"Then I'll TAKE a chip and EAT IT!" Ohhhh Boy.

Though as bad as I was expecting the dub and the show itself to be, I actually ended up enjoying it. There were some amazing scenes and great dubbing moments especially by VA Brad Swaile (Light Yagami), there are some amazing crazy screams and maniacal laughter that Swaile delivers so well.

There are things about this anime that are well done and there are things about this anime that are not so great. (Like for instance the horrible opening and ending themes...seriously everything music related in this show...sucked. ) Major Spoilers from here on out. If you have not seen or read death note...avert thine eyes.

Well Done: Animation... Sort of...I had some moments where I really loved the animation. (Even though the animation when they were writing was extremely over dramatic... cue the lulz)Anyhow...my favorite animation/overall moment in this show in general was at the very end...(and no it wasn't because I wanted the show to be over) While Light is running to his death he runs by a fence and the image of him walking by a fence with the Death Note for the first time flashes by and I found this image to be quite haunting and beautiful. Absolutely stunning.

To be honest, I'm really happy I read the manga of this particular series first before the show because the manga was so well done and kept me on my toes constantly that I found the show more bearable because I knew what was going on and I cared about the characters from a manga fan's perspective... but tp continue briefly discussing the ending... Everyone was outraged when L died and in the manga...I have to agree, in the manga when L died, it was sudden and definitely too soon! The introduction of Mello and Near took way too long and wasn't very believable. Yet, in the anime, I felt that L's presence was absolutely perfect. They brought Mello and Near in with just enough episodes to switch it up and keep the viewer engaged, though I do believe the manga had more character development with Mello and Near which I felt the show was GREATLY lacking in. Honestly, I know most people hate them, but I love Mello and Near. I LOVE L too, do not get me wrong, I just also liked the addition of these two characters as well. See the pretty manga picture: (Mello reminds me of Yzak, one of my favorite characters from Gundam SEED)
In touching on the manga v.s anime battle, one could not forget to mention the difference in the endings. In the manga, Ryuk kills light in the warehouse, instead of letting him run away for a bit. I have to say I enjoyed the anime ending a tad bit more, because it had more of a "dramatic theatrical" feel which I highly enjoyed. In general some people I know were disappointed that Light died, but I can't see it being any other way. He had too much power and too much knowledge, it was obvious that Light's character had to and deserved to break down. Also Brad Swaile's amazing laughs were epic. Great job Swaile.

It's about that time again for a...

SIDE NOTE: Alright something that has been bothering me about Death Note for a long time is the character of Matt and the pairing MattxMello. After reading the manga and STILL not knowing really who Matt's character was, I assumed that possibly his character was explained more in the anime...and that was where all this hype came from. Yet after all my watching...I STILL don't know who he is...who is this mysterious Matt person?!?!? And HOW did he get so popular!

Anyway... In conclusion, I didn't particularly like this show, I didn't particularly hate this show. I was happy I watched it, to compare it to the manga, but overall the manga was better (especially the art!! Light looks so much better in the manga ;) ) I definitely stayed interested throughout the show, but it's not my favorite. Though I do understand why the fandom is so big. My advice...pick up a manga and read that instead of watching.

Sorry this review was so short, I just didn't have much to say about this particular show! Hopefully I gave some insight, though it was shorter. Promise to do better for other things! Overall I give the Death Note Anime (note: anime...not manga) 3/6 Appa paws, because it held me interest, but was not the best show.

Upcoming reviews will include Special A, which I finished recently, as well as pre-reviews and thoughts on the Summer 2010 season. I am currently watching Wolf's Rain and To Aru Majustsu no Index, so expect reviews for those in the near future (hahah Near)!!

Sokka says: So a show about Death and killing people...that definitely doesn't happen on my show...

Answer: No shit...I'm into the big stuff now.

Peace~