Death Note

What would you do if you suddenly came to possess a book that could allow you to change the world, for the better? Would you use it, even if it meant giving up your soul?

Okay, this might sound like the movie, The Devil's Diary, that I reviewed in 2010, but no, this anime is sooo much better than that. While the movie was about something that corrupted whoever used it, and they would hurt people that pissed them off, or people they hated, this takes it much further.

How so, you may be wondering.

Well, those of you who appreciate Dexter because he's a serial killer who kills bad guys - this anime is one you'll appreciate.

Light Yagami is an extremely intelligent student (basically a genius). However, the violence and evil that surrounds him takes the fun out of the world. For a long time, he believed that it needed to be cleaned up, rid of all the evil.

Well, a Shinigami - or Death God - named Ryuk feels the same about his own world. He had two notebooks, and dropped them both - on purpose - into the human realm because he was bored with how things were going in his own world, and uses tracking down the lost notebooks to enter the human world.

After meeting with Light, he decides that humans are more interesting than he first thought.

Okay, so how do the The Devil's Diary and Dexter have anything in common with Death Note?

Well, it just so happens that each notebook came with instructions. The "owner" of the notebook can write the name of a specif person, but must picture the human in question (to make sure the right person dies, and not someone who just happens to share the same name), and within 40 seconds of having written the name, that person will die.

Now, there are also stipulations about how a person can die too. If nothing is written, the person will die of a heart attack. But, if you write down what you wish to happen, it will.

Light discovers the book, but doesn't believe it at first, so he decides to test it. While he is agonizing over whether to test it on someone or not, he learns of a wanted murderer who takes children and adults hostage in a daycare.

Figuring that nothing would happen, Light writes down the guy's name as he pictures him in his head (a news reports so kindly provided all the info he needed). He waited, and waited. Nothing appeared to have happened. He began to suspect the notebook to be a fraud and before he could shut off his TV, he heard a report that the man holding everyone hostage just collapsed. However, this didn't convince him, so he decided to test it again.

Realizing what he possessed, he began going after criminals. Rapists, murderers - anyone that didn't really deserve to live.

That's how the anime starts.

As with anything of this nature, though, can Light avoid being found out, and can he avoid falling into the dark pit of power, or will he be able to remain on his quest to rid the world of evil? Or, will his desire to be a god twist his goals towards evil ends?

As the world calls him "Kira" and encourages him to continue what he's doing through online sites dedicated to Kira, the police are at odds - do they let it go because most of the criminals killed were on death row or sure to be executed at some point, or do they stand for what justice is supposed to be, even though the acts of Kira are saving the economy the money from having to house these criminals?

Of course, no story would be complete without a nemesis. The mysterious, but equally (possibly more) intelligent "L" steps up to help the police answer this question. By turning the investigation over to "L", the police and Interpol kind of get absolved from having to do anything.

L vs Kira - who will win?

You'll have to watch the anime series (or read the manga) for that one because that's the fun of watching! :)