a preliminary note on Death Note

i’m barely halfway through Death Note, and since it’s still ongoing, i’m not even sure if posting this note would do any good, but… bear with me alright?

this highly gripping series centers on a notebook (Death Note), owned by a shinigami (a death god), which confers to the holder the power to kill anyone as long as all conditions are fulfilled. it is picked up by Light Yagami, a young, exemplary overachiever who then secretly begins to wield its power on crooks and criminals. this, naturally, catches the attention of the media and police authorities. before long, people begin to call this unknown executioner “Kira”.

Death Note is basically a high-stakes, suspense-filled battle of wits between Light and L, who is essentially Light’s equal (age, brains, powers of deception, tennis skills) on the other side of the fence. they match wits, setting traps (both obvious and concealed) to flush each other out — leaving the viewers hanging in breathless anticipation as the situation veers from one cliffhanger to another.

despite his formidable intellectual gifts and iron-cast nerves, there is something repulsive and creepy about Light (a classic hero/anti-hero duality). his towering ego is matched by his lack of compassion. he manipulates people without compunction and he doesn’t hesitate to kill when he feels threatened. the only code (and it’s a very thin line, mind you) that he has adhered to so far is his reluctance to kill innocent lives — at least those that he doesn’t see as a threat.

the story gets more complicated when it becomes obvious that a second “Kira” is on the loose.

my note ends here because i’m still on episode 12. from the look of things, it looks like this story is only to going to get darker. hmmm…

File update: Azumanga Daioh, Princess Tutu, Erementar Gerad

i had been plowing deeply into my pile of must-see anime DVDs these past weeks. and among those i browsed were Azumanga Daioh (i can’t believe it took me this long to finally watch this), Erementar Gerad, Princess Tutu, and a few Death Note episodes.

Azumanga Daioh is one of those well-loved, slice-of-life comedies that stick in your mind long after you’d seen them. it’s basically a series of funny and quirky vignettes involving 6 high school students and a couple of teachers. since this is a highly popular show, i doubt if anything i say would add to its luster. i think it would suffice to state that the show’s strength lies on its set of endearingly eccentric characters and good background music (both opening and closing themes). A timeless classic.

for those who love ballet, classical music, and fairy tale stories sprinkled with a few literary references, Princess Tutu is definitely a good choice. it is essentially a retelling of Swan Lake with a few twists here and there. i won’t exactly label this series as personal favorite, but i liked it.

by necessity i had to race through some episodes but when i slowed down enough to digest the details, i was surprised at how much i enjoyed it. i wish the ending could have been happier, but in retrospect i realized it was logical for things to get resolved that way.