I <3 Apples - Death Note

Yeh, so I haven't really discussed one of my other passions. It's the world of anime. Every person at one point of their life has seen this stuff, Dragonball & Co. is just the tip of the iceberg, an introduction to the vast scope of the Japanese Animation industry. From the cult classics (Akira, Ghost in the Shell) to the beautifully crafted pieces of art (5cm Per Second, The Girl That Leapt Through Time) it's capable of shocking you, moving you. Of course in any industry there are it's shit stuff, I won't bother mentioning them. So we have decided to give you a few suggestions of some that are up there at the top.

Death Note, created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata, is for you. It's the anime I reccommend to fanatics and non-fanatics alike. Why? Because every episode will leave you asking yourself moral questions. It's not your typical anime, it hooks you on the ingeniuty of the complex storyline. A quick sypnosis: Our insanely bright anti-hero, Light, finds a strange notebook, it allows the user to kill off anyone he sees fit. Calmly, he decides he will create a utopia where there is no evil in the world and he will be praised as a God. Of course, it isn't that simple, there are rules to follow and one huge barrier blocking off Light to his ultimate goal. An equally bright detective known only as L. As the plot unfolds you can only marvel at it's brilliance. Tsugumi Ohba's debut and it's intricacy is unbelievable.

So the plot is amazing, but without it's visuals an anime is can fall immediately. Well Takeshi Obata does to the animation what Tsugumi Ohba does to the plot. The realism & crispness gives it an edge which engraves itself in your mind. The perspective is used excellently, at times the 'camera' shakes to display the depravity of our anti-hero.

And I end this post on talk of the anime's soundtrack. Minimal & progressive. I just convinced myself to watch this anime again!

Yoshihisa Hirano and Hideki Taniuchi - Light's Theme



Yoshihisa Hirano and Hideki Taniuchi - L's Theme



Click Here to get started on this masterpiece. (To get full screen click on the player and you'll get sent to myspace.com where you can get the full screen option)

-T7E