Death Note - Volume 1 (Episodes 1-8)

Death Note is the Japanese supernatural thriller that has taken the world by storm, and rightly so, as this is one of the most engrossing and captivating television shows I have ever seen. It is adapted from the immensly popular manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The protagonist of this anime, Light Yagami happens to come across the death note which was dropped by a bored Shinigami or death God. He soon discovers that the note has the power to kill any person in the world if their name is written in it; so long as the victims face is in mind at the time. On top of that the death note allows the user to determine the cause of death and many other things. If the cause of death is not stated, the victim will just die of a heart attack. Light is accompanied by he creepy and mysterious Ryuk; the shinigami who dropped the death note. Only Light can see and hear Ryuk. He acts as a spectator to Lights' use of the death note Light, embracing the Death notes power, decides to use it to cleanse the world of all criminals in order to create a utopia that he himself will be God of. However, the morality of Lights' actions is a major theme for this anime. Astonished by the bizarre murders, the Japanese police aquire the help of the mysterious agent known as L (who has never failed to solve a case) in order to catch and bring Light to justice. What ensues is an epic thriller, full of unbelievable twists and turns, with L and Light locked in a deadly game of 'cat and mouse'. This is very enjoyable to watch as you are constantly guessing about who will win. These episodes seem timeless. I found myself watching all 8 episodes in a night because it was just so addictive to watch. This anime is also very interesting as a poses many questions about human morality and makes you wonder what you would do if you had a death note. The artwork in this anime is absolutely gorgeous. The characters and especially the backgrounds are all drawn with such attention to detail, serving us a very high quality anime. The music is pretty good in this anime too. I particularly love the opening and ending theme songs. They are from a Japenese band called 'nightmare'. The style and the feel of the music really compliments this anime well, and I've found myself humming these tunes many times.I only watch the English dub of animes and I must say that it is incredible. Brad Swaile, a veteran to voice acting, does the voice of Light brilliantly. You may recognise his voice from another Manga title Tokyo Underground, in which he plays the hero Rumina Asagi. Sci Fi fans may recognise the voice of L as Battlestar Gallactica's Allessandro Juliani I really like the fact that Manga Entertainment are releasing Death Note in 2 volume sets. This is one of the main reasons I bought this DVD. It is really annoying having to wait months for single volume releases of other animes. So I appreciate Manga doing this, and it probably works out cheaper too. Furthermore manga have put some nice special features in this set. The best ones being interviews with the voice actors for Light and L. If you enjoy this first helping of Death Note then you should check out the rest of the series, as well as the mangas and the motion pictures. There is also a Nintendo DS game, but it is only out in Japan. Death note absolutely rocks. If you have not seen Death note and you are looking for something new, check this out. It's really easy to get into and it is totally addictive. I can't wait for the next DVD releases now.

There's a reason why it's virtually impossible to find a bad review of this series. It's because it's just so good! I think it's one of the most original stories I've seen in ages, with some of the best animation in anime. The story truly is great. I won't bother going over it though, as its been spelled out a hundred times over. The animation is great, I loved the artwork in the manga (I'm a big fan of Takeshi Obata's style), and to see it put into animation is a real feast for the eyes. All the characters stay faithful to the manga designs (as does he story), and they're all very well voiced too. This is actually the first anime I've watched with subs and dubs (I ususally find the Japanese voices to grate a little), but the voices in both Japanese and English VO work were done brilliantly. The music is something I'm rarely keen on in anime, with tyical anime music being quite tacky and sometimes just unlistenable. But the music in Death Note is really good. There's one particular piece of music in the series that comes up often, that distinctly reminds me of The Exorcist theme! My favourite part of this volume is just seeing how Light gets more and more sinister with his finding of the Death Note, and to see him turn quite twisted at times, in his (usually successful) attempts to kil most people he considers a threat to his 'good' cause. Problems? Just one. Now I have to get through the unbearable wait until the next volume:( Incredible, must-buy anime. Most highly recommended.

Death Note has it all. It will get your blood pumping on so many levels and will leave you with many intriguing questions (don't worry, they will be answered). Animation: 9/10 That's just ONE of Death Note's strong sides. Fluid movements with exciting angles and editing. Sound fx: 10/10 Great, great & great. They really came through on this section! The whole series is packed with QUALITY. The voices are in my opinion perfectly cast. Music: 10/10 Some find it repetative, but I simply love it. It has some thrilling orchestral songs that will send chills running down your spine. Story: 9/10 I won't spoil that much of it. In short: It's a bout a young man named Yagami Light who finds a notebook called "the Death Note". A shinigami named Ryuk (death god) had dropped it intentionally from the realm of death gods simply because he was bored. Anyone who's name is written in the Death Note will die. Either by a heart attack within 40 seconds or by the cause written down if you choose to do so. The story follows Yagami Light and how he "might" choose to use the book. Yeah... Awesome... Death Note is an intelligent and amazing anime, and people who doesn't even like anime will enjoy it. (I showed it to my girlfriend and my brother who both liked it and found it very exciting) This DVD: 10/10 Great menus & awesome design. Buy it! It's totally worth it!

When people talk about Viz media and Shonen Jump you will find that Naruto and Bleach take up most of the attention and although these are two trully great series (naruto epescially) Death note is in fact far superior. The storyline, characters, animation and music are all truly superb and rarely falter from exceptional. Although for me personally the series does take a slight "dip" in the middle where the storyline becomes a little confusing and not as intense, this should not deter you from buying it. It is a real gem and both anime fans and new comers to the genre will really enjoy this. The only real problem i had was how short the series was. 37 episodes complete death note and for me this isnt enough when i really enjoy an anime series. However this does mean that there are no dreaded fillers and the action and tempo is constantly high paced. Death Note defintely deserves as much credit as other shonen jump titles.

Definately recommend, very good series so far, love the way it looks, also features orignal Japanese soundtrack/voices etc and quite good American dub too. They've put quite a lot of work into the dub, as you can see from the DVD extras. Good plot, and makes me want to buy the next one! Have heard in some recent reviews that Vol.5 (just released last month) is a bit tiring, but definatelty try this one, it's totally worth the price on here. Death Note!

I haven't seen many anime series but was intrigued by the storyline for this series and was not disappointed. The animation is quite simple but very effective and you do end up seeing these characters as real people. The writing is very strong and before I realised it, I found that I was rooting for someone who could only be regarded as a mass murderer! Within the overall storyline, there are also a number of moral and philosophical questions raised e.g. can the deaths of criminals be justified if it leads to a safer society. It also shows that power can corupt very quickly and easily as Light moves from killing criminals to those on the side of justice to protect his identity. Some of the killings are also pretty brutal and callous. It will be interesting to see how the story develops in future volumes.

Death Note series is an epic series. It kept me attached throughout the series. A well presented series.

This series is one of the most gripping Anime series ever! All reviews of this are highly rated. Don't take my word for it. Check it out. Brilliant!