Death Note Summary and why you should watch it?

Death Note Introduction

Death Note is a famous Japanese cosmic series produced by Madhouse in 2006 and directed by Tetsuro Araki. The series is a gripping mystery, psychology, thriller, and supernatural thriller drama. The story revolves around a genius high school student, ‘Light Yagami,’ who discovers a mysterious notebook called ‘Death Note’ that belongs to the ‘Shinigami Ryuk’ (Gods of Death). It grants him the ability to kill anybody by writing their name on the notebook pages. Light attempts to use the notebook to create a crime-free society under the alias ‘Kira.’ The Interpol of Tokyo assigns a genius detective named L to arrest him.

Death Note Information

• Total Episodes: 37
• Release date: October 4, 2006, to June 27, 2007.
• Original Network: Nippon TV.
• Where to watch: Netflix; you can watch Death Note on Netflix in Japanese, with English subtitles available.

Death Note Summary

Ryuk, the Shinigami, throws his notebook “Death Note” into the human world out of boredom. The high school genius student Light Yagami picks up the notebook and reads the instructions:

1. The name written in the notebook will die.
2. When writing the name, the person’s face should be kept in mind to avoid confusion with common names.
3. The cause of death must be written within 40 seconds of writing the name.
4. If the cause of death is not written, the person will die of a heart attack.
5. Details of death should be written within 6 minutes and 40 seconds after the name.

Light tests the notebook by writing the name of a harassing boy, and after witnessing the boy’s death, he becomes sure of the notebook’s power. Ryuk appears to Light, making him the owner of the Death Note and providing instructions:

• Ryuk will only be visible and audible to Light.
• If Light wants to pass the notebook to someone else, he will forget everything about the notebook.
• Users of the Death Note neither go to Heaven nor Hell.

Now, Light begins writing the names of criminals, aiming to create a crime-free society. Interpol gets involved, and Detective L is assigned to capture Kira. The story becomes more intriguing as Light’s father, Soichiro Yagami, becomes part of the Anti-Kira task force led by L.

As the mind games between Light and L intensify, Light, now a college student, joins Anti-Kira to discover L’s full name and eliminate him. The series becomes more adventurous as they engage in a battle of wits, with L suspecting Light.

Light Yagami becomes nervous when he learns about another Kira, Misa Amane, who also possesses a Death Note, accompanied by the Shinigami Rem. Misa, an orphan whose parents were murdered, has more power than Light because she obtained Shinigami eyes from Rem, allowing her to know the names and death dates of people she sees. Misa respects Light and develops feelings for him.

Misa gets caught by the police, and to protect her, Light instructs Rem to tell her to pass the Death Note to someone else, removing her knowledge of it. Misa agrees, and Light hides a piece of paper, passing the notebook to a selfish person who, in turn, gives it to a businessman. Though Light surrenders, they are set free as Misa no longer has knowledge of the Death Note; she forgets everything about it but remains under police surveillance.

Despite this, killings continue as the businessman misuses the Death Note. Light, Misa, and L become allies, and Light assists L in capturing the businessman. In the end, Light writes L’s name in the notebook, killing him. Light also tricks Rem into helping Misa, leading to Rem’s death, as Shinigami perish if they kill others to aid someone.

Light assumes L’s position, becoming the head of Anti-Kira and the owner of the Death Note without anyone’s knowledge.

This concludes the first part of Death Note.

Why should you watch Death Note?

Well, why not? “Death Note” is a thought-provoking anime that will elevate your rationale to new horizons. Unlike other anime where heroes are labeled as geniuses, here you will witness the opposite. The genius of the Death Note is a villain. Not to spoil your fun, but I highly recommend watching it.

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