Anime Death Note TV

[Sandy]

[quote name='miss april][COLOR=Blue][FONT=Comic Sans MS]That was a good anime show but it look like something offensive for some religions.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

You've got to be kidding. The series' mythology is based on old Japanese Death Gods, the Shinigamis, with a little bit of twist in them in the form of the Death Notes. I have yet to see anything even remotely offensive to any religion (unless you're offended that it shows another religious mythology instead of Christianity).

This series, like all anime and cartoon series, are works of [I]fiction[/I], where real laws of physics and real beliefs don't count. To understand that is absolutely fundamental for enjoying any type of fiction.

Trust me, the people burning Harry Potter books have not understood that simple difference.

[Raiyuu]

I'm forced to agree. Yes, Light declares himself a god, but to many fans, Light is the villain of the series. Half the beauty of Death Note is that it allows fans to pick a side - it explains both sides' philosophies and lets you make up your own mind. The other half is that it constantly questions both philosophies throughout, forcing fans to question their own concept of morality. Soul-searching is always a worthwhile pursuit, in my opinion.

[Dagger]

Holy crap, 2chan is [I]flipping the hell out[/I] over episode 25. The art and everything looks really really amazing. And is that seriously [spoiler]L washing Light's feet!?[/spoiler] A Biblical reference? A desperate play for BL fans? (Opinions seem to be split, but the commentary is hilarious--腐女子へのサービスｷﾀー！and ホモホモ and やらないか etc.)

Well, I hope the visuals hold up when I'm actually watching it (which will be this evening if I'm lucky).

~Dagger~

[Road Kamelot]

Among the fact that Im still new at this idea.But, I will say this, there is no religon declared that it is against. Id never think DeathNote as a religious show, so there.

[Dagger]

I would say that DN uses Judeo-Christian religious imagery--I mean, it'd be kind of hard to ignore it--but no more so, and no more significantly, than countless other anime and manga.

Anyway, I got bored and kept reading the 2chan thread (insofar as I'm capable of it) in lieu of watching the episode. Other interesting comments...

- Detailed drawings (even for Misa); almost theatrical quality
- The visuals seem more like Production IG's work, which I assume is a compliment (they're the ones who did Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex); the effects are also great
- It's as if the staff somehow woke up, heh
- Light is [spoiler]"so dark" and "too evil"; it's the "perfect checkmate"[/spoiler]
- It's Light's [spoiler]best evil smile ever[/spoiler]
- It's the climax of the first arc, so naturally they're putting more power/effort behind it
- Madhouse must have worked hard to put out this and the first episode of Claymore on the same day

~Dagger~

[Guest DarkPuka]

I'm a noob so bare with me cause I don't even know if I'm on the right page and all. Okay, so Death Note...I'm only reading the manga cause the anime hasn't come to U.S.A yet :catgirl: it's a very sad thing...any way...how is the anime and does any body know if there's a free web site where I can watch it with subtitles? please tell me if you do.


thanku! -Mimi

[Road Kamelot]

Thanks for pointing that out. I though about it and realized that some of Misa`s outfits did have a certain how should I say, essence of religon, then again most anime or manga do, i.e. DGM,FMA, and even Fruits Basket have comments on God, or religon in general. :P :animeswea

[Dagger]

Just saw episode 25 (for the first of what will be many, many times). It's one of the single best anime episodes I've ever watched--not because of the images, voice acting and visual direction (which are excellent in and of themselves), but because of the sound direction.

Seriously, the sound direction was outstanding. I want to go through and point out every part that made an impression on me, but the resulting post would be far too long. The rain; the use of silence; the bells... those aren't even the best examples. They're just what come to mind first. Red Garden could take a lesson or two from this episode on how to use an amateur-sounding (not an insult but a reflection of the intent) song to set the right mood.

Some of my favorite scenes were anime-only material, from [spoiler]Misa's song[/spoiler] and [spoiler]L and Light in the rain[/spoiler] to [spoiler]Wammy's House[/spoiler] and [spoiler]Watari with young L.[/spoiler] I actually think the best moment in the whole episode was not [spoiler]L's death,[/spoiler] as one might have expected, but the part in which he asks whether [spoiler]Light has ever said anything true in his life, and the whole scene goes quiet for a second.[/spoiler] Every change made was for the better. I loved the idea that [spoiler]L knew what was going down, and Light knew that he knew, but they proceeded down the paths they had laid for themselves anyway.[/spoiler]

Although I was very skeptical when I heard that they had cut out [spoiler]L's last line,[/spoiler] I absolutely agree with that decision now that I've seen it. It wouldn't have worked any other way.

And they even let [spoiler]L be the Jesus figure[/spoiler] for once! Good Madhouse. *pats lovingly*

The preview has some people wondering whether the next episode might be a recap. I hope not... but if they're going to do [spoiler]an L-centric episode, they may as well throw fans a bone and make up some new Wammy's House scenes or something.[/spoiler]

This is one case in which a part is much, much stronger than the whole. While 25 will undoubtedly continue to be the best episode out of the show's entire run for weeks yet, I'm hoping that they'll be able to reach the same level for the episodes which animate chapters 104 and 107.

~Dagger~

[Ikillion]

[COLOR=#0e1030][SIZE=1][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Oh my god. (excuse the pun)

Wow, this episode was really wow.

The first thing that really got me in this episode were the character designs. I constantly found my self saying "Wow, L's eyes sure are pretty", among many other physical traits with other characters along the way.

I really could have done without the[spoiler] rain scene and the foot thing. Although L = Jesus was a win there[/spoiler]

What I [I]really[/I] loved though was after [spoiler]Rem made her attack runs. The way she hovered and disappeared into the darkness after writing down Watari's name. The sound of L's voice as he called out to him. It took a seemed to take a while for L to die though, which isn't a bad thing. [/spoiler]

I have a question though, now that [spoiler]Rem is dead, does that mean that the Death note that she gave Misa doesn't work anymore or something? Since she's dead and all.[/spoiler]

Thats all for now... I need to go and watch it again

EDIT: I was kinda surprised though at the fact that [spoiler]many of them were so surprised at the fact that Rem killed them. I mean she [I]IS[/I] a shinigami. Wouldn't a person expect one to do that?[/spoiler][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=Ikillion][COLOR=#0e1030][SIZE=1][FONT=Trebuchet MS]
What I [I]really[/I] loved though was after [spoiler]Rem made her attack runs. The way she hovered and disappeared into the darkness after writing down Watari's name. The sound of L's voice as he called out to him. It took a seemed to take a while for L to die though, which isn't a bad thing. [/spoiler][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Yeah, that was well done. In general, I think the creepy red or glowing eyes are much more effective with the shinigami than with people. I also liked how they worked in [spoiler]Rem dissolving as a part of the church bell montage;[/spoiler] that ended up being more poignant than if they had focused on it as a separate thing.

Yamaguchi's voice acting really shone in this episode.

[QUOTE][COLOR=#0e1030][SIZE=1][FONT=Trebuchet MS]I have a question though, now that [spoiler]Rem is dead, does that mean that the Death note that she gave Misa doesn't work anymore or something? Since she's dead and all.[/spoiler][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]
I might not be one hundred percent right about this--I'm awful at keeping it straight--but I think [spoiler]the notebook she originally gave Misa was the one that came from Jealous. The notebook she was writing in was her personal notebook. The one that Higuchi was using and that later entered L's possession was the one Ryuk dropped and Light picked up in episode 1. Since Jealous' notebook kept working, Rem's should as well. Basically this means Light now has three Death Notes to play with.[/spoiler]

[QUOTE][COLOR=#0e1030][SIZE=1][FONT=Trebuchet MS]EDIT: I was kinda surprised though at the fact that [spoiler]many of them were so surprised at the fact that Rem killed them. I mean she [I]IS[/I] a shinigami. Wouldn't a person expect one to do that?[/spoiler][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]
I guess they were surprised because [spoiler]they had already gotten over their dread and horror of her. If she were going to do anything to them, theoretically there'd be no reason for her to hesitate about doing it right away. So since they had been hanging around her safely for a while, they assumed there was no more risk. They also may not have been aware that she had her own notebook[/spoiler] (can someone correct me on this?).

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

Death Notes never 'stop working', regardless of ownership changes or whatever. Which means [spoiler]the Note Light took from Rem's remains is his now - actually fully owned by him, without attachment to any Shinigami. Also, if I remember the details of the swap in the woods, Higuchi had Jealous'/Misa's Note (so that's the one now in police custody) and Light's old Note - Shido's originally, though that's not relevant yet - is now with Misa, attached to Ryuk. All that shuffling had to take place so that Misa could make the eye deal again with Ryuk[/spoiler].

[Sandy]

What a strong, [I]strong[/I] episode. Too bad I couldn't enjoy it in it's full glory due to the sucky YouTube quality, but it still touched me quite deeply.

Most importantly, [spoiler]L's dead now, and Light can move over [I]that[/I] obsession. I'm eager to find out how Light will eventually fall to his own hubris, because I'm 90% sure that will happen (L's percent evaluation pun intended).[/spoiler]

I was actually surprised by the fact that [spoiler]L's death was so sudden - in the middle of a sentence - and that it was executed by Rem, and not Misa (the Goth Loli Angel of Death). But I'm glad he's gone, his continuous tests and theorizing started to irritate me, and Light ended up being smarter than him. Let's face it, L was too good for his own health.[/spoiler] >;P

All in all, I find Death Note suberb because it let's people deal and think about their dark side, one which is in all humans. Probably in any other circumstances I would've rooted for L, but with this show, I find all these new ways of thinking inside me, and it's both intriguing and frightening.

[Syk3]

Yeah. This episode was pretty badass. After reading the corresponding chapters in the manga, I definitely appreciated the addition of slower, emotional, and symbolic scenes that set the mood of the storyline, especially when the alternative was soliloquizing that was summed up quite nicely as usual. I had already been spoiled of [spoiler]L's death[/spoiler] about a month ago by someone in my dorm, and by the time it happened we were kind of expecting it, but.. [spoiler]it was still so sad.[/spoiler] lol

I agree with you Dagger that they really went all out on the production; I watched it again later that day just so I could appreciate more of what it had to offer.

[quote name='Dagger]Although I was very skeptical when I heard that they had cut out [spoiler]L's last line,[/spoiler'] I absolutely agree with that decision now that I've seen it. It wouldn't have worked any other way.[/quote] Indeed. My friend and I were talking about this earlier, and I came to the conclusion that it had already been illustrated so well with [spoiler]his eyes[/spoiler] (is there anyone who couldn't tell that he was thinking along the lines of [spoiler]"So.. I wasn't wrong... But.. I [lost]"[/spoiler]?). Plus it may have seemed somewhat distracting, since the anime didn't do as much inward thought for him as in the manga.

[quote name='Ikillion][color=#0e1030][size=1][font=Trebuchet MS][spoiler]The sound of L's voice as he called out to him.[/spoiler][/font][/size'][/color][/quote] *nod nod* That was a big one for me, for some reason.

[quote name='Dagger]I might not be one hundred percent right about this--I'm awful at keeping it straight--but I think [spoiler]the notebook she originally gave Misa was the one that came from Jealous. The notebook she was writing in was her personal notebook. The one that Higuchi was using and that later entered L's possession was the one Ryuk dropped and Light picked up in episode 1. Since Jealous' notebook kept working, Rem's should as well. Basically this means Light now has three Death Notes to play with.[/spoiler][/quote] [quote][spoiler]They also may not have been aware that she had her own notebook[/spoiler'] (can someone correct me on this?).[/quote] That all seems right to me.

[quote name='Raiyuu][spoiler]Also, if I remember the details of the swap in the woods, Higuchi had Jealous'/Misa's Note (so that's the one now in police custody) and Light's old Note - Shido's originally, though that's not relevant yet - is now with Misa, attached to Ryuk. All that shuffling had to take place so that Misa could make the eye deal again with Ryuk[/spoiler'].[/quote][spoiler]What Light essentially did in the woods with the swapping was switch the Death Notes of Ryuk and Rem. The one from Ryuk, on which he had the false rules written in addition to the previous ones in English, was given to Rem who would eventually pass it on to Higuchi. This was so that when Higuchi got it, and when the task force caught him, the rules would be understandable. The one from Rem, on the other hand, was buried so that Misa would retrieve her memories with her original notebook (I think that might be a requirement). As for why the shinigami were switched, it may simply be because Ryuk is an idiot and can't be trusted for Light's master plan. lol Oh wait, yeah, and Rem would be willing to kill L to save Misa.[/spoiler]

After that anime episode, I couldn't help but finish volume 7 of the manga. So I did, and I'm surprised they could fit all that in there. haha My predictions for how they'll animate that (FUTURE SPOILERS): [spoiler]most of the next episode will be a recap, but then at the end Light will be promoted and Mello and Near will be introduced, leaving it open for the next arc. The following episode, then, will have the time skip.[/spoiler] If they do that, the first 26 episodes will fit together rather nicely, and it will fit in with the episode titles. But damn, that leaves 10-11 episodes for 5 volumes. Good luck to them.

[Dagger]

[quote name='Syk3]My predictions for how they'll animate that (FUTURE SPOILERS): [spoiler]most of the next episode will be a recap, but then at the end Light will be promoted and Mello and Near will be introduced, leaving it open for the next arc. The following episode, then, will have the time skip.[/spoiler'] If they do that, the first 26 episodes will fit together rather nicely, and it will fit in with the episode titles. But damn, that leaves 10-11 episodes for 5 volumes. Good luck to them.[/quote]
Good luck indeed. I just really hope they don't half-*** the second arc because it was more controversial than the first; there are still a lot of people out there (myself included) who like it as much as, if not more than, the first part of the manga.

Still, I think the compression will be doable. It'll certainly keep things eventful and exciting throughout the remaining episodes. I have my fingers crossed for the next episode not being a recap--maybe they didn't want to show new scenes in the preview for whatever reason. (Haha, wishful thinking).

~Dagger~

[inactive]

Wow... Episode 25 was incredible. Visually stunning and just amazing in every way.

I can't say I was completely surprised by [spoiler]L's death[/spoiler], but I wasn't really expecting it either... It was done so incredibly well.

The whole [spoiler]rain/feet washing scene[/spoiler] just made me roll my eyes at first, but I did end up appriciating it, as it ended up having more meaning to it than I expected it to have.

Meh. Recap episodes are such a pain. I guess they're just an unfortunate reality. :animeswea

It'll be really interesting to see where the series goes from here. I'm really impressed right now. :D

[Dagger]

Apparently Near's seiyuu has been confirmed as [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=282][u]Noriko Hidaka[/u][/url] (Kikyo in Inuyasha, Jean in Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water). I haven't heard much by her recently, although it's amusing to know that she was Akane in Ranma 1/2, given that L's seiyuu was Ranma. But I have total confidence in her because of one past role: Seta Soujirou in Rurouni Kenshin. I will be delighted if she plays Near the same way. :catgirl:

People at 2chan are saying that Mello is [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=1012][u]Nozomu Sasaki[/u][/url], which would be unbelievably awesome. He's played Johan in Monster, Eriol in Cardcaptor Sakura and Yuusuke in Yu Yu Hakusho.

(Take this with a grain of salt until episode 26 has been seen more widely, though.)

ETA: Okay, the A Part is an impressively rapid recap. New material starts in the B Part, just like Syk predicted. We don't see Near and Mello's faces until the preview.

ETA 2: HAHA! The sparkles are back!

~Dagger~

[inactive]

Best recap episode I've ever seen.

Well, I guess it was only half recap, but usually they make it the whole episode, so it was nice that they only made us sit through half the time. And I actually appriciated this recap, because it reminded me of stuff I had forgotten, and helped me organize my thoughts. Which, I guess, is the point of recap episodes. Plus, it was well done (for a recap).

The new material was what was really amazing though. Very dramatic, and just the right amount of information to drive me crazy. :animeangr Now I'm going to be waiting for the next episode very impatiently.

I'm very curious about those new (mildly creepy) characters. The story has taken quite a turn, and it's going to be very interesting to see events unfold...

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=medafunk]
I'm very curious about those new (mildly creepy) characters. The story has taken quite a turn, and it's going to be very interesting to see events unfold...[/QUOTE]
Kukuku. "Mildly creepy" doesn't even begin to describe them. :toothy: I'm really pleased with Noriko Hidaka as Near. I feel more neutral about Nozomu Sasaki's Mello, but I don't think any seiyuu could have been as totally insane as I had been hoping.

I think the anime staff must like Near quite a bit. They lavished a lot of attention on his drawings in an episode that was overall quite poor in terms of budget. Mello didn't get as much love, but they did fast forward through a lot of material in order to play up his crazy side, which was enough to pacify me. He's my favorite character in DN. That younger photo of him... crazy jailbait. And I'll stop now before I start really weirding someone out. :animenose

On a side note, Masaya Matsukaze is going to be in the series and will probably voice Mikami. He also played Kyouya in Ouran High School Host Club, in which Mamoru Miyano--aka Light--starred as Tamaki. It'll be like an Ouran reunion! :animeswea

~Dagger~

[Sandy]

I'm a bit baffled about episode 27. The shift of focus, the introduction of the new characters and the fast speed of events made it hard for me to get into it. It felt too crammed with stuff for my taste.

Judging from their first appearance in the episode, I don't think I like neither Mello or Near anymore than I liked L. They're both too similar to L (being his type of savant kids), and they both seem quite one-sided as characters (N good, M bad). I hope their personalities will develop more in the future.

The beginning of the episode confused me [spoiler]with the sudden leap in time that wasn't mentioned at all (where was the "x years later" text?). I'm still not sure if it's been 1,5 years or 4 years since L's death, because both numbers were tossed in the air.[/spoiler]

Ugh, then Yagami Sayu... [spoiler]What a pathetic plot device. The innocent yet attractive sister of the protagonist who gets kidnapped- I think I've seen that in like a cazillion places. And talking about growth-spurts! I do like the fact that Light has to make the ultimate moral choice - will he have it in him to kill a loved one to reach his goal?[/spoiler]

I also like the tension that builds up with [spoiler]three opposing sides instead of the common two. There's bound to be some interesting episodes ahead...[/spoiler]

[Dagger]

Chronology for 26 and 27: [spoiler]The "four years later" material came at the end of episode 26. It was a little odd, because they showed Light four years later, then went back in time to show Near and Mello at the orphanage as the final scene, and then zipped forward again for the beginning of 27.[/spoiler]

One of the reasons I like Mello is because, in a twisted way, he's the most honest person in the main cast. Light, L and Near all profess to pursue justice but are driven by selfish motives. Near and L chase Light through the justice system, although the restrictions it places on them are ultimately as artificial to them as the rules of a game. Mello wants to win the game by breaking out of it. He acknowledges that the law means nothing to him, compared to winning, and he refuses to hold himself to it. It doesn't make him admirable, but it's nice to have a character who refuses to inhibit himself like L or Near.

L is a slightly darker character in the manga than in the anime... but even in the manga, Near is a much darker character than L (or so I believe). It's not something that's presented in an obvious way, like Mello's theatrics, and there are probably a number of ways to read him. Maybe it's that soulless quality he has, anyway, but Near kind of terrifies me. Mello is entertaining; Light is despicable; L is endearing. Near is a black hole.

~Dagger~

[Raiyuu]

[quote name='Sandy][spoiler'](where was the "x years later" text?)[/spoiler][/quote]The conversation at the beginning ([spoiler]Near, Mello and Roger[/spoiler]) was 2007 - tagged on the end of the first arc chronology. Then the very next scene ([spoiler]Near in the President's office[/spoiler]) was 2012. I don't think any of the sub groups translated the date - in fact, I think one of them pasted their speech subtitles right over the date, which could be what's confusing - but 2007年12月 is pretty clearly December 2007.

[inactive]

Wow, Mello is a freak! :animeswea

Anyway, it was interesting to see everyone [spoiler]change a bit in the four years since L's death[/spoiler]. Most noticeably Sayu, of course.

Near seems a LOT like L, which is a bit tired, I think. Mello not so much. Except for the chocolate eating, I guess. That could be comparable to L. I find Near's hair twirling kind of weird and very distracting... They're both interesting new characters, though, and it's going to be interesting seeing this [spoiler]three-sided battle[/spoiler] they've got going on.

The [spoiler]kidnapping Mayu[/spoiler] thing is sure pretty low. Can't wait to see what decision Light is going to make in this dilemma. Will be very interesting, I think.

A new crop of eccentric characters this week. I wonder what other oddities are in store...? :p

[Dagger]

Episode 28 was good stuff. [spoiler]Missiles! A new shinigami! More of Noriko Hidaka's fabulous voice acting![/spoiler] The scene in which [spoiler]the SPK members were killed[/spoiler] was especially well conceived, with all the falling dice.

Episode 29 is tellingly titled [spoiler]"Father."[/spoiler] From the way Mello's face was drawn in the preview, I'm going to hazard a guess that it'll be done by the same animation team as [url=http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/death_note_ep14.html][u]episode 14[/u][/url], which a lot of people disliked but I felt was better than par for the course visually. I didn't think the character designs were off-model--the lighting and shading were just treated differently.

~Dagger~

[inactive]

Episode 28 was quite good. Difficult decisions, all round. For Light and his father. ([spoiler]Poor Mayu...[/spoiler] :animedepr ) Light was showing signs of stress in this episode. And he's getting [I]pretty[/I] tetchy. I'm just waiting to see his hair go grey. :animeswea I find the fact that he was actually considering [spoiler]killing his sister[/spoiler] quite dispicable. Well, this IS Light we're talking about. :animeswea

Ha ha, new hair for Aizawa this week. Very dapper looking, I must say.

I agree about the [spoiler]SPK-member-killing, dice-falling[/spoiler] scene. Very well done. I quite liked it.

Hmmm... And a [spoiler]new shinigami[/spoiler]... very interesting...

[Dagger]

Haha! Check out [url=http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=233][u]this VG Cats strip[/u][/url]. Priceless.

~Dagger~