Anime Club has just finished watching their first anime — Death Note. This intriguing story revolves around a notebook that is dropped on Earth by the god of death, Ryuk. As genius student Light Yagami picks the notebook up, he learns from Ryuk that the notebook will kill anyone whose name is written in it, provided with the person’s face. Light decides to take on the role of a justice-doer, killing the world’s criminals and thereby establishing an utopian society.  

The anime, with its overly exaggerated graphics and highly intense plot, is actually a dystopian TV show. Although at first glance the anime may seem to contain dark themes and border creepiness, it really draws a parallel with the society today. Light Yagami, the main character of the anime, aims to create a perfect new world. This trait is reflected upon many political leaders, who promise to make their countries a better place for living. However, some leaders tend to go too far and slip into extremities. By portraying this phenomena through a fantasy twist, the anime warns the audience against the potential danger of vision, dictatorship, and violence.

As depressing as the anime may sound, it is, surprisingly, filled with little sparks of warmth every here and there. Light, once in the show, states his moral code, saying- “the thing I hate the most is to trample on other people’s good will”. An ambitious and arrogant young adult, Light has a caring and humane side as well. Here, he is claiming that he by no means wants to hurt anyone; he simply wants the world to be deprived of evilness and sin. His soft side is also shown when his sister asks him for help on math, in which Light immediately puts away his schemes and starts to help her. The many small scenes are what made this anime both dark- and light-hearted.

“In my opinion, Death Note is such an incredible series, that when I rank my favorite shows from one to ten, Death Note isn’t even on the list. [It’s] in a category all on its own.”, said freshman Brenna Drabik, a member of the anime club, who recommends this anime. Indeed, it is a thought-provoking and well-written series, playing with the audience’s intelligence and emotion.