Death Note

Who’d have thought I’d watch a full serial of Anime? Well I did, one full season of 25 episodes. I’m sure Diksha manipulated me into the first episode, but ten minutes in and I was pretty hooked, and I must admit it did make for some very interesting watching.

For those not familiar, Anime is a different genre of animation, essentially an exclusively Japanese art form with drawing and computer animations.

                           

Death Note, the serial itself is brilliant in plot; it’s dark and complex, more philosophical than mysterious, though it does have a mystery element to it. Highly logical, analytical and almost intellectual in approach, with two genius minds pitched against each other… but also working together.  A moral conundrum in terms of good bad, just unjust, friend enemy, love hate….lots of lines get blurred there.

The thinking and conceptualization is at times so complex that I had to pause and get Diksha to explain. It makes me feel these kids get to some very complex, nebulous and convoluted areas way quicker than we can, atleast I can. :)

Death note is a notebook that’s used by Shenigamis, the death gods; the name of the human written in this notebook shall die. 

The protagonist, Yagami Light is as perfect a hero as you could imagine--perfect grades, perfect record, perfect looks--in every facet, his image is squeaky clean.

This all ends one fateful day when the Shinigami known as Ryuk (very likeable monster) drops his Death Note out of the realm of the afterlife, into Light's schoolyard and Light stumbles across it. Thinking it a stupid prank initially, Light puts it to the test when saving an innocent woman from being assaulted. To his horror, it works. Could ridding the world of criminals be this easy? And there starts his journey to make the world a better place......get rid of all the bad guys.

Accompanying the Death Note is its original owner, the Shinigami Ryuk. Rather than being morally bound to Light or serving as a conscience or guide, Ryuk hangs around simply to be a spectator--proclaiming humans to be "interesting."

Pitched against Light, is L, a really interesting and alluring character, super intelligent, very insightful, who figures that Light is Kira, the killer using the book, but can't prove it and then chooses to work with him to find Kira. Ingenious stuff. A worthy watch if you’re game to try new genres.