[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Death Note episode 1: Rebirth
Initially I wasn’t sure whether there would be any point in covering this - I’ve been reviewing the manga for months now and it’s had plenty of hype already. Since this blog is my personal space to rave about something that impresses me though, I might as well rave about it.
Hearing about the animated version of the Death Note story was good news: the atmospheric, dialogue-driven tale that’s filled with suspense and thought-provoking moral questioning was always going to be a winner and the fact that my beloved Studio Madhouse were at the helm was the icing on the cake. Maybe I should have exercised caution at being disappointed but as it turns out such misgivings would have been unfounded.
So, how exactly does it compare in my mind with the original? For one thing, it’s darker from a visual standpoint. Perhaps because of the black and white line drawings of the manga, I’d imagined Light and his world to be, well, lighter. Here though the backgrounds, especially of the scenes that feature the Shinigami Ryuuku, are dark and gloomy - it’s an approach that works well: the realm of the shinigami exceeded even my high expectations and Ryuuku looks great - mocking, menacing with a bulging-eyed smirk that only a mother could love.
Light is more self-rightous and confident than I remember him but after going back to the source material I realised he was in fact like that to begin with: showing good intentions at first but very much aware of his intelligence and strong morals that will soon go to his head, with deadly consequences. His sentiment of making the world a better place is commendable but he is using a death note to achieve that end and is turning himself into judge, jury and executioner simultaneously. His readiness to put the notebook to its deadly use is chilling, especially with the demonically grinning Ryuuku looking on with morbid fascination.
The music (from Otogi Zoshi’s Hideaki Taniuchi) is a highlight too, having a dramatic, gothic vibe that really appeals to me. Combined with the polished presentation of the visuals and ethical dilemmas the end result promises much but already shows every sign of delivering on those promises. Great stuff. ^_^
We haven’t even seen L yet but Death Note is already taking its place as the highlight of this fansub season. I’m also expecting Western distributors to be falling over each other to get hold of the licencing rights so enjoy the early screenings while you can!
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