Some may consider this review to be one of the more intimidating for any reviewer. With the professed love of thousands of fans across the globe, most of them in the outspoken, teens to mid-twenties demographic; It would seem foolhardy to label the show as anything but the prodigal, second-coming in anime form that so many hold it to be.
With this in mind, it is perhaps a good thing that I rather enjoyed Death Note.
The visuals of the series are of particular merit. The dark, brooding tones carry the sombre nature of the anime well, while still remaining diverse enough to keep us from thinking we've stepped back in time to some sepia toned murder-mystery. Single vivid colours are mainly used to indicate a state of inner conflict or exposition on the part of the characters, an effect which, as a film director, I found particularly striking. The art in Death Note is of a high-standard; something, I feel, which has come to be expected by today's anime fan but an element which I no more take for granted than good voice-acting or plot development. The visual character designs are well thought out, with no overt wackiness or exaggeration, except on the part of the shinigami, which, as mythical beings, act as a good visual counterpoint to the ordinary-looking humans.
The audio is well recorded and appropriate to the series. Low, conspiratorial voices are present throughout, heightening the sense of mystery. This review is based on the English dub, while this may not win me many friends among the fansub hardcore, it did leave me open to appreciate the visuals and subtleties of movement, such as when L's reflection in his coffee cup is talking but his actual mouth is not, a key part of the action when seen in context, I assure you.
The English dub team have done a good job representing the characters, none of them are grating in an out-of-character sense; The sole annoying character of the cast being the voice of Misa Amane. While her voice may have the squeaky-clean, Mickey Mouse tones of a high-school prom-queen and the abrasive qualities of sandpaper, it fits her surprisingly well. The self-centred narcissism of the character is not belied by the actor's voice-over; while you may find yourself developing a dislike for Miss Amane, it won't be because she doesn't fit with her seiyu.
The plot in Death Note is a well placed and seemingly original piece of storytelling. Light Yagami plays both the role of protagonist and antagonist in that he is clearly an excellent student with some rather deranged and derailed feelings about justice. This juxtaposition in traits builds a love-hate relationship with the audience; his methods are abhorrent but you can't help but like him.
The antithesis to Light's deranged, new-world order outlook is the shut-in, calculating brilliance of 'L', who's character appears to develop the most throughout the series. From a cold, logical standpoint of unfathomable complexity comes a certain innocence and humanity. However, with the twists and turns of the main characters' thoughts this innocence can never truly be regarded at face value; there is bound to be more than meets the eye. Alas, I wouldn't want to spoil it for you.
Death Note builds upon it's complex, interleaved plot with poise, grace, violence, mystery and whole raft of other intriguing plot devices; the art is beautiful, the animation clean and sophisticated and the series is well paced in terms of its storytelling.
Despite these good points, it does have its flaws. The one particular fly in my ointment was the amount of exposition provided by the characters. This may have been necessary as the plot is so complicated but I find it rather jarring to have Light or L explain every plot point in their thoughts with what amounts to an awful lot of monologuing. Points which may have been grasped through interpretation of the facts by the viewer are explained by the characters to keep everyone at the same level of understanding; this detracts from the intrigue somewhat as we know what both sides are thinking. It's as if the producers didn't trust the audience to think and come to their own conclusions, a point which I find rather patronising.
With that being said, Death Note is a worthwhile distraction and will most likely be placed on a pedestal as a great number of peoples' favourite anime. Anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery could do much worse than Death Note.
