Death Note is a supernatural thriller anime based on a manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The animated series is produced by the Japanese animation studio Madhouse.

Light Yagami (Brad Swaile) is an intelligent Japanese student who receives a book labeled Death Note from a Grim Reaper-type creature called a shinigami. The being introduces himself as Ryuk (Brian Drummond) and says the book has the power to kill anyone whose name is written in it. Light decides to take on the identity of Kira and uses the book to exact vigilante justice. He is soon targeted by L (Alessandro Juliani), a master detective who is in command of the task force meant to bring Kira down. To Light’s surprise, his father police detective Soichiro Yagami (Chris Britton) joins the task force. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman named Misa (Shannon Chan-Kent) arrives with another shinigami Rem (Colleen Wheeler). As tensions build, the competition between L and Light soon reaches a breaking point.

This is one of the most brilliant animated series I have ever seen. Let’s start with the animation. Madhouse has brought us some excellent anime, but I truly think this is the masterpiece. The way they do the character illustrations, draw emotions, and develop these “highlight” scenes where you see things from a certain character’s perspective is pretty amazing. They did not hold back and truly bring it home.

As for the story, it grabs you by the arm and pulls you into it. You are pulled completely into the world of Light. At first, he has good intentions but he soon lets his pride and arrogance guide him. Enter L. He is odd but incredibly intelligent. He only cares about justice and will stop at nothing to catch Kira.

Their battle of wits makes the show incredible and you are hooked from beginning to end. You are on this rollercoaster and you cannot wait for it to come to a close, but in many ways, you do not want them to.

The show touches on many subjects like justice, revenge, love, and what it means to do good. It shows these themes in such subtle ways as we watch Light descend into villainy despite his early good intentions. It is a shocking development and the character arc, along with the battle of wills with L make this a top-notch anime.

Check out the trailer below:

This review is based on the dub produced by Ocean Productions.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Violence, Some foul language, Suggestive themes, Crude humor, Frightening elements

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This article has been updated from a previous version.