Death Note

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

With its heady plot, complex characters, and the moral issues surrounding the story, Death Note is an anime worth watching seriously. Reminiscent of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, the anime series deals with social and moral issues not unlike those in the classic novel. The series is dark, albeit the brief instances of humor typical of Japanese anime, and delves into the deep recesses of the human psyche.

Death Note is originally a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The manga was serialized in Shonen Jump, its first issue appearing on December 2003. The anime series aired in Japan from October 3, 2006 to June 26, 2007. The manga was adapted into two live-action films which were released in Japan on June 17, 2006 and November 3, 2006, respectively.

Death Note begins with a Shinigami (God of Death) named Ryuk dropping a death note, resembling an ordinary notebook, to the human world. The notebook is picked up by 17 year-old high school student Light Yagami, an academic wonder who, despite his genius and popularity, is extremely bored at the present state of his life. He first hesitates at picking up the death note, believing it to be a fake, but his curiosity got the better of him.

Examining the notebook, Light reads a set of instructions on how the death note works, one of which claims that the human whose name is written in the death note shall die. Skeptical of the results, he tries to verify its authenticity. Upon learning the powers of the death note, he resolves to use it to pass judgment to criminals, believing that he alone can perform a justifiable deed. Acting with a strong sense of justice, he decides to create a world where only good people exist and make himself a God of this new world.

In the process, he earns himself both admirers and enemies, the most noteworthy and resolute of the latter is the world’s top detective known by the police force as L. As the death of criminals begins to be noticed by the world, the international police force starts to brand him as a mass murderer and serial killer. A psychological cat and mouse chase ensues between Light and L as the former tries desperately to hide his identity as the perpetrator of the deaths while the latter uses all his influence to profile the killer and uncover his method of killing.

The anime is laced with moral dilemmas especially on the actions of the central character Light. With the belief that ridding the world of evil through the use of the death note is a just act, Light has effectively justified his actions and cleansed his conscience of guilt. His self-righteous attitude which surfaced upon acquiring the power of the death note all the more contributes to his conviction. However, despite the elevated status he has accorded himself, he is still fearful of being publicly linked with the killer whom the world branded as Kira, thus his motivation in conjuring elaborate plans to confuse his pursuers.

The series examines the human condition which Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment also tackled, but less the suffering and guilt. The similarity between the classic novel and this anime is also noticeable on the main characters. Light Yagami calls to mind Dostoevsky’s Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov—both of them are ambitious, proud, and intellectually gifted. They also share the view that they are both super-humans (in Raskolnikov’s term), or gods (in Light’s vocabulary) and therefore above social conventions.

Despite this resemblance, Death Note is worth watching, all 37 episodes of it. Each episode leaves you wanting to watch the next one, not only to see what happens next, but also to find out if your speculations are right or if you’ve been outwitted again by the plot. Not your typical anime, this series is dark, intelligent and mature (much like the kind of man I want, hehehe). Definitely not for kids but highly recommended for those looking for something out of the ordinary.

Watching the series, I cannot help recalling this line from a well-known film, “Do not be so eager to deal out death as judgment. Many who live deserve death, and many who die deserve life. Can you give it to them?” One wise wizard once said, “Even the wisest cannot see all ends.” Indeed. And in the end, it is still the Death Gods’ call.