DEATH NOTE... One of my co-workers burnt me a copy of this Japanese anime series on DVD, and I just finished watching the last of its 37 episodes today. Interesting series. Basically, the story is about a high school student who gets hold of a supernatural notebook after it was accidentally dropped into the human world by a Shinigami (Japanese for "death god"). What makes this notebook supernatural is that when you write down the name of a person on one of its pages, he or she will die 40 seconds later. This student, Light Yagami, wants to rid the world of evil and corruption, and create a utopian society in the process. So needless to say, he uses the ‘Death Note’ as a way to take out criminals and other wrongdoers everywhere. Light thinks that by doing this, he’s bringing justice to the world. But to other people (namely, the police), he is seen as nothing more than a mass murderer who obviously needs to be stopped.
There are many things that happen throughout the series... Light becomes admired by certain folks in society and is given the nickname ‘Kira’ (which is the Japanese pronunciation of "killer"). A special detective, known as ‘L’, is summoned by an international police organization (Interpol) to find Kira. A second Kira, named Misa Amane, emerges and wreaks havoc of her own after obtaining a Death Note by another Shinigami, named Rem (the Shinigami whose notebook Light took possession of is named Ryuk). And Misa and Light eventually meet each other...with Misa falling in love with him in the process. Oh, and did I mention the police chief who’s working with L to identify and capture Kira happens to be Light’s father? Pretend I didn't type that if you were planning to watch this anime. Which you should. If you're an anime fan.
I could mention other plot points from this series, but I won’t. This series is actually like the FOX TV show 24, where people who you think is gonna die lives toward the very end, and those who you think survive— Well, you can finish the sentence.
The premise of Death Note is very intriguing, and also very demented. Imagine having the power to literally wipe out someone with the simple stroke of a pen, without anyone ever finding out (Light was a bit careless in the selection of criminals to target when he first started using the Death Note)? I can think of a couple of people in real life whose names could be jotted down in a notebook... Bin Laden. Kim Jung Il. That Mugabe fella in Zimbabwe. George W— Nevermind. This journal entry can quickly go from a review of some Japanese cartoon to the ramblings of a mad...blogger. Heheh.
The gist of Death Note: Don’t play God. And the source that brought you such unfathomable power can also take it from you in an instant. And no matter how you put it, killing is killing. And the sky is blue on a clear day. Unless you’re on Mars. I think you know what I’m trying to get at here. ‘Nuff said.
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