In an effort to pass judgment and bring kindness to the world Light takes on the task of god. Quickly adding up in numbers he chooses to kill off every one of these “evil people” with a heart attack. After learning there name and face, he can enter in the notebook the name of the offender and 40 seconds later their death will be carried out. Police begin to notice the uncanny number of heart attacks and having no evidence to connect the killer to the crime they find themselves in a desperate position. Detectives and agencies from all around the world, baffled, decide to call upon “L” the best detective on earth with an unknown name and location. Light becomes known as Kira, (the katakana from the English word killer), and a battle for justice ensues. “L”, looking for Kira, and Light racing to find L. Kira, having used the death note knows that he is no longer permitted to heaven or hell, but right now the only thing that strikes fear into him is being discovered by “L’ and sentenced to death. Cleverly pitting the police against L, suspicion allows for discordance between both of Kira’s foes. The chase is on between both opponents in this chess like battle of predicting moves, who’s identity will be uncovered first? So much happens with in the first couple of episodes, this series is a rich treat after seeing so many similar plot lines.
PRESENTATION
This piece balances color in an intriguing manner. Using a mostly monochromatic scheme for an ominous mood, the artist carefully chooses to highlight certain things with flashes of brilliant color. Aesthetically surprising, I was really impressed with this new series.
EXTRAS
The typical information booklet has been cleverly designed to includes a small poster on the back when opened up. This is a nice added touch, as the artwork really is stellar.
OVERALL
This surprisingly unique story may be the next big hit here in the states. Similar to the attempt made at Hell Girl I originally thought this would be a bogus plot, entirely too predictable and repetitive. However as it turns out the situation gets very involved and the ending to the first series really grasps the viewer and doesn’t let go, even with the end of the last episode my mind eagerly needs to know the outcome of this battle for justice.
Overall: 9.0