It’s the weekend, and we all have a little more time on our hands! If you’re looking for a good show to binge watch, we strongly recommend Death Note!

If you’re fairly new to the world of anime, I suggest you start with Death Note because it goes above and beyond your typical action based anime and relies on the plot instead.

The Plot 

The shinigami (god of death), Ryuk.
The shinigami (god of death), Ryuk.

Death Note is a japanese manga series about a shinigami named Ryuk. As a god of death, he has the power to kill anyone using his death note. The series starts with a restless and bored Ryuk who is losing interest in the shinigami lifestyle and wants excitement. Therefore, he drops his Death Note into the human realm and waits for a human to pick it up to see how they’d use it. Light Yagami, a high school student who deplores the state the world is in, stumbles upon the notebook and after reading the instructions, tests its deadly powers by killing off a criminal. Upon discovering that the Death Note is not fake, he goes on a mission to obliterate the world of criminals, thus creating a utopian future with him being its new God. But what Light fails to remember is that with great power comes great responsibility.

The Plot Thickens 

death-note-0-0After Light proceeds with his intention of ridding the world of evil, the police quickly discover that a serial killer is targeting criminals and they try to apprehend the culprit. The best detective in the world, a young and quirky man only known as L, jumps the wagon of finding the serial killer. The series has a way of keeping ahead of you, so predicting what’s going to happen is out of the question.

It Raises Moral Questions 

Death Note Messa

The series will challenge you to stretch your beliefs in a similar way like Dexter. Could it really be that bad if a serial killer was only targeting other serial killers? So, in a similar way like Dexter, the series will restore your faith in humanity and simultaneously make you lose it. I guarantee that your level of interest will continue to ramp up with every successive episode.

Interesting, Cute, Smart and Funny Characters

Death Note Cast

The series is, without a question, dark and grim. But it also has a lot of light (pun intended), fun moments and characters. The series is slick, witty and full of intelligent people who are good at deducting conclusions and are great at making hard decisions. The two brilliant minds of the show are the eccentric L and the protagonist/villian Light and they are constantly outwitting each other. Death Note is an intellectual thriller, so if you appreciate the mental challenge of following along with a suspensful battle of wits between giants (picture Moriarity and Sherlock), you’re in for a real treat.

The Death Note Instructions 

Death Note Instructions

If you plan on having a quiet weekend, you’re in luck. The series is only 37 episodes long and you can easily finish it over the course of a single relaxing day in bed. I gotta ask though; as an Egyptian, what would you do if the Death Note fell into your hands? 

Details:

Death Note 

  • Seasons: 1 season (37 episodes)
  • The show ended (2006-2007) 
  • Genre: Animation, Crime, Drama
  • Running Time: 24min