2007.04.09
Death Note
I’ve finally gotten around to watching the first few episodes of the anime デスノート(Death Note). Based on the manga series of the same name, Death Note tells the story of a bored high school student named 夜神 月 (Light Yagami) who happens upon a rather unusual notebook. The notebook bears the words “Death Note” on its cover, and inside the first page are written instructions on how the notebook is used.
The rather disturbing premise behind the notebook is that you can kill someone simply by writing their name in the notebook. It is also possible to dictate details such as the time and manner of their death. It sounds rather grisly, but the presentation isn’t especially gory.
Though I’m not very far into the series (and so it’s not spoiling much to discuss this), things have already gotten interesting. Light initially uses the notebook to kill many well-known violent criminals, some of whom are already scheduled for execution. Light feels he is justified in killing these criminals, in order to make the world a safer place in which to live. The police take the view that what Light is doing is murder, plain and simple, and begin trying to figure out who he is in order to capture him.
Despite its somewhat gruesome premise, I’ll likely continue to watch the series. When it was first described to me, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy the series, but it’s surprisingly well done. If you can stomach manga like I luv Halloween, then you certainly won’t have any issues with this.
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