It was a rainy Friday night. I’d had one of those long, exhausting weeks, too much thinking, too many emotions and I just wanted to lose myself in something… different.
A friend had once told me, “Watch Death Note” but I didn’t quite get it at the time. But scrolling through my watchlist, I saw the title again. This time I tried reading meaning to the title “Death note? 🤔 Does it mean a written note at the point of death? Well, I don't really know at that point. It was just my mind making assumptions 😁.
So I clicked “Play.”
Right from the first episode, I knew this wasn’t your typical anime.
The atmosphere? Dark. Tense. Mysterious.
The characters? Complex and unpredictable.
The questions it raised? Haunting.
Death Note is a story of a high school genius, Light Yagami, who gets a hold of a mysterious notebook that a death god (shinigami) Ryuk dropped. It is not a regular notebook but the Death Note, and there is one frightening commandment with it:
The name of the person who is written in this note will die.
Light is skeptical at the beginning. However, when he attempts to do it and finds out that the power is real, his world and mine as a watcher become totally different.
He starts murdering criminals, each at a time, thinking that he could clean the world of evil and establish a new society in which he will be the god. He introduces himself as Kira and ends up being a hero and a criminal, depending on the subject.
However, things do not work out according to the plan. The world takes notice. So does police. And that is when we encounter L- an eccentric, genius detective who goes on to become the biggest competitor of Light. It is not only a fight of the good and the evil, but also a war of mind, intellect and will.
I even supported Light even though I knew that he was wrong in what he was doing. He was composed, self-assured and smart. It was exciting to see how he schemed and gamed.
But then… I would change and start rooting L. He was weird- barefooted and sitting on chairs, munching on sweets all the time- but he was somehow so weirdly brilliant you wanted him to be the winner.
That is what made Death Note so strong.
It did not say who to cheer for. It puts you in two minds. It caused you to think. It put you to wondering:
If you had the power to kill evil people and no one could stop you… would you?
This anime is not only about a magical notebook. It is a story of good and evil, of power, justice, and the thin border of the hero and the villain.
Light thinks he is doing good, killing criminals to make the world a peaceful place. However, we later realize that he becomes proud. He begins to kill individuals that come on his path. He is a liar, a manipulator and even plays with people who are closest to him.
So… does he remain a savior? Or a mere murderer, Power-drunk?
On the one hand, L is a fighter of truth, even though he is allowed to violate a number of rules. He is not perfect as well.
And as a viewer I was always divided between them. At one point I wanted Light to win. The one after that, I was scared of what the world would be like in case he did so.
The show revolves around their psychological battle. It reminds me of chess players, of silent chess masters, reading the minds of the other, attempting to outsmart one another with holding their cards close to their chests.
There were so many scenes that I was holding my breath. Each word, each glance there was stratagem.
It was not only that their competition was exciting but also tearful. This was because they were lonely. Both brilliant. Both misunderstood. In some curious sense they were more alike than not.
When it came, as you will know when you see it, I was heartbroken. Not that somebody was dead but that something pure and intense had ended. That was one of the most touching moments that I ever experienced with anime.
I even felt chills at some point.
Moments that I found myself guilty of liking the bad guy.
There were the moments I burst in laughter as Ryuk could say something so dark and yet so casual.
and I stopped the screen, seconds to breathe.
Death Note did not only entertain me. It was a challenge to me. It caused me to see the world in a different way.
I considered justice. About power. Regarding the duty of deciding who will live and who will die.
And I also reflected upon loneliness. Light and L were both lonely in spite of all their power and fame. They were different sides of the same coin; both of them prisoners of their own thoughts, both attempting to conquer a game that perhaps neither of them was all that keen to be a part of.
One of my favourite quotes states;
“You can’t ever win if you’re always on the defensive. To win, you have to attack!”
Light’s mindset in one line—bold, ruthless, and unapologetic.
“There are… many types of monsters in this world: monsters who will not show themselves and who cause trouble. Monsters who abduct children. Monsters who devour nightmares. And then, monsters who suck blood. And then, there are people who are more terrifying than monsters.”
This quote by L stayed with me. Because sometimes, the most dangerous monsters are not creatures—they’re people.
Thumbnail is designed by me on pixelLab and other images are screenshot from the movie