Death Note

(The following video is a fanmade meant to represent an older part of Cartoon Network known as Toonami. Note that it did not air on TV.)



I finally gave in. After months of pressure, after weeks of hearing about how good this show was, I watched the popular show “Death Note” for the first time. This thirty-seven episode series focuses on the concept that one person can kill any whose name are recorded into a Shinigami, or death god’s, notebook.

(And boy, are there a ton of rules for this death book!)

One of my friends has voiced a complaint that this dark show is called “cool” in the nerd's pop culture, and I actually have to agree that she has the right to be pessimistic about this label.

The show is hardly cool or hip, unless cool and hip in mainstream suddenly means questioning ones own ethics and morals to the point of becoming a serial murderer. The idea that one person who originally claimed to be pure and unable to murder suddenly goes on a rampage to cleanse the world is hardly what constitutes “cool”.

I won’t lie, the representation of a caving media is also offensive, given my experience with jobs under newspapers thus far. Now, I am willing to say that given the disturbing nature of the show, this could naturally represent the collapse of society without being offensive. However, this stereotype of the media not having their own ethics and codes of honor is growing old, and I wish another branch of Japanese society caved in before they did in "Death Note".

Another disturbing aspect I saw: the idea of followers – followers who were willing to kill and pay to help “God” on his own path. I as a Christian myself will never preach the idea of losing one’s religion. I will argue this disturbing aspect is a possibility in real life, and that we as humans ought to be alert about this possibility.

I was also a little bothered by the fact that the main character, the one we as viewers are meant to see and support as the most important figure, was also the killer – the one manipulating society and judging who would live and who would die.

This is not to say "Death Note" is not a good series. It is. However, it is important to remember the above factors and others I have forgotten while watching this dark anime, and to question ourselves rather than just passively hitch a ride on the pop culture bandwagon. While I admit this work of fiction is not to be taken seriously, I advise that we as viewers keep our eyes open to the ideas presented within this fiction.

(The following comes from the last episode - so while it only focuses on the maniacal life of a murderer, it might slip a few things about the ending. MIGHT. But it might not. It depends on how quick viewers are and how well they'll remember this scene if they begin the entire series.)