From a logistical standpoint, ranking an entire television series is insane. You have to watch the whole show while making constant notes. Then you have to sort them into some kind of list while providing commentary for each one. And no matter what you do, you’re bound to piss off some ardent fan when you don’t put their favourite episode as #1. Series rankings should be left alone. It’s a fruitless endeavor. You’d have to be a lunatic to even try it. I mean, you’d have to be a real glutton for punishment, a top-notch fool, a grade-A moron, a buffoonish, uh, buffoon.
Anyway, here’s my list ranking every episode of Death Note. Enjoy!
*SPOILERS*
37. Renewal (Episode 26)
The Plot: A full recap of the series up to this point. Light becomes the new L while Mello and Near learn their mentor has died. Not a lot of story stretched out to thirty minutes.
Best Part: The Kira murder montage, while a bit tired at this point for the series, is nicely animated and paced.
Bottom Line: A glorified clip show masquerading as a real episode. In the Internet age, where you can instantly catch up on a series, this episode sticks out like a sore thumb. Completely useless and skippable.
36. Overcast (Episode 7)
The Plot: Light meets Naomi Misora, the fiance of the FBI agent he murdered. He writes her name in the Death Note but since she gave him a fake name, she doesn’t die. Light finally tricks her into giving him her name, forcing her to commit suicide before she can talk to L’s team.
Best Part: The shot of Misora walking up a set of stairs to a noose is haunting and iconic. One of the best shots of the series.
Bottom Line: This is the first episode where Light’s inner monologue became overbearing. He just goes on and on, and by the end you just want him to shut up. The episode drags until it reaches a good final two minutes. This episode leans into all of Death Note’s weaknesses while avoiding its strengths. A dud.
35. Unraveling (Episode 6)
The Plot: L finally meets the Japanese police force face-to-face, showing of his Johnny Deep-esque personality ticks. Light bumps into Naomi Misora, who’s looking for L so she can share her information about Kira. Light, being Light, immediately decides to kill her.
Best Part: Uhh, seeing L interacting with people was neat, I guess.
Bottom Line: A desert of an episode. L’s meeting with the police shows promise, but Light’s scenes are slow-moving and tedious. It’s an obvious set up episode and since it’s setting up an even worse episode, it only looks bad. Total snoozefest.
34. Dealings (Episode 3)
The Plot: L figures out that Kira is a high-school student, because L is a genius who serves as an insta-fix when the plot needs to move along. Light’s father is revealed to the police chief tracking Kira (dun, dun, DUN!). Light finds out that he’s being followed and Ryuk offers him Shinigami eyes (basically spoiler vision with one hell of a down payment).
Best Part: Ryuk’s deal with Light strikes the right balance between humourous and ominous. Impressive, since he’s just spouting exposition.
Bottom Line: The first real stumble of the series. After the rocket propulsion of the first two episodes, the show screeches to a halt with this episode. Light and L continue to make moves, but more deliberately (and therefor less fun to watch). Also, Ryuk’s deal is treated as an threatening cliffhanger, which is instantly resolved in the next episode. A lightweight viewing experience, but not without its strengths.
33. Scorn (Episode 33)
The Plot: Near moves to Japan (it’s like a whacky sitcom spinoff!). Takada (the character charisma forgot) starts writing names in the Death Note for Light (who she loves for some reason). Takada runs into Misa Misa and they argue over Light for, roughly, all of eternity. Oh, and the SPK discover Mikami is Kira.
Best Part: Mikami killing a harasser on a subway, while nothing new, is entertaining in its immediacy.
Bottom Line: It’s weird to have a filler episode this close to the series finale. Everyone rags on Misa for dragging down the show, but she’s got nothing on the personality vacuum that is Takada. No episode should spend this much time with her, especially if it’s focusing on a love triangle. A minor trip as the series races to the finish line.
32. Love (Episode 12)
The Plot: L tests Light’s deductive skills to prove he is Kira, or isn’t Kira, or some shit. I won’t pretend to understand all of the L schemes. I just roll with it. Elsewhere, Misa learns how to kill a Shinigami (it’s the Huey Lewis special) and demands to meet the real Kira face-to-face.
Best Part: Rem’s tale about how a shinigami died is an important plot point and a haunting mini-story.
Bottom Line: Just because I said Misa’s better than Takada doesn’t mean I don’t see her faults. Her comedic, bubbly personality often clashes with the series’ tone. This episode spends a bit too much time with her, but the power play between Light and L, while not as good as it would get, is solid. A decent, if unremarkable episode.
31. Friend (Episode 14)
The Plot: Light and Misa talk shop about the Death Note. Light plans to kill Misa, but Rem shuts his butt down by threatening to kill him if he touches Misa. L keeps doing his investigation thing, but his time might be running short as Rem agrees to kill him.
Best Part: Light’s elated, slightly melancholic realization that L is going to die adds a lot of depth in a few seconds.
Bottom Line: As before, Misa is the main drag on this episode. She annoys Light and the audience. But Light’s manipulation of her, along with the closing cliff hanger, is solid gold. This episode hammers home how Light is the biggest prick on the planet and he’ll use any trick to get his way. A great showcase for the character in a middling episode.
30. Confession (Episode 13)
The Plot: Light and the police force try to find out who’s the second Kira. Unfortunately, Misa finds out Light is Kira because of her plot-convenient shinigami eyes. Fortunately, she’s obsessed with Light. She tracks him down and asks to join him.
Best Part: Light’s creepy hug to Misa is 24-karat gold.
Bottom Line: Of this trilogy of Misa episodes, “Confession” is the best. It strikes a right balance of Light and L scenes while limiting Misa’s screentime. Light and Misa’s conversation does a good job of establishing their relationship, which is a crucial plot point going forward. Good table-setting.
29. Performance (Episode 21)
The Plot: Misa meets with Yotsuba group and reconnects with Rem, her former shinigami. Kyosuke Higuchi, a member of Yotsuba and the third Kira (and doing a terrible job of hiding it), starts hitting on Misa. Rem helps Misa convince Higuchi she’s the second Kira and he confesses his murderous ways because he’s an idiot. Light and L sit on the sidelines eating desserts.
Best Part: Rem reintroducing herself to Misa is actually sweet and kind of touching. Shut up, I can have feelings sometimes.
Bottom Line: I didn’t set out to put Misa-centric episodes on the bottom end; it just turned out that way, honest. Again, too much time with Misa hurts this episode, but the presence of Rem and Higuchi (not to mention his delightfully deranged inner monologue) boosts it up.
28. Vigilance (Episode 34)
The Plot: A lot of setup in this episode. Near has Mikami followed, studying his notebook while he works out in the gym. Seriously. Misa is arrested by the SPK because the show writers need her out of the way for the finale…I mean, she’s a possible suspect. Meanwhile, Light manipulates the terminally bland Takada.
Best Part: Near playing with his stupid action figures that represent the main characters always makes me laugh for some reason.
Bottom Line: There are too many plot mechanics in this episode for it to be a classic, but it’s solid throughout. The presence of the dull Takada drags things down, but everything else is fine. It’s a good recovery from “Scorn” and it builds up nicely to the final leg of the series.
27. Selection (Episode 32)
The Plot: We learn all about Mikami, the latest Kira. Basically, he never grew out of his childhood definition of justice, leading him to worship Kira. Light saw him on TV and knew he was the man he was looking for. I’m not kidding. Mikami chooses Takada as Kira’s new spokeswoman. Light meets with Takada and, through her, Mikami. Mello shows up to remind the audience he exists.
Best Part: Mikami’s excitement when he meets Light. Holy shit, what a glorious lunatic.
Bottom Line: I love Mikami. He’s a late addition to the cast, but a welcome one. He’s basically Light without the ruthless cunning. He’s backstory makes the episode strong and his deranged energy carries it. As always, Takada sucks the life out of the plot, but she can’t completely derail the episode.
26. Doubt (Episode 10)
The Plot: L and Light engage in the most epic tennis match ever animated. They size each other up as their dueling inner monologues clash. Then Light’s father has a heart attack, because this episode wasn’t exciting enough. The new Kira also makes their presence known by sending a tape to the unscrupulous Sakura TV.
Best Part: The tennis match is over-the-top, stupid, and tonally at odds with the series. I love every second of it.
Bottom Line: L vs. Light is always good and this episode is no difference. The heart attack subplot slightly derails the duo’s fun dynamic, but it’s a minor hiccup. We’re moving past the mediocre Death Note episodes.
25. Makeshift (Episode 20)
The Plot: After Matsuda’s sojourn into the Yotsuba Group, the police team install wiretaps and cameras into their meeting room. The team blackmails a member of the group, Reiji Namikawa, into helping them. They also decide to send Misa into Yotsuba to gather information because why not?
Best Part: The debut of the sweet new intro song and animation. It’s brutal, memorable, and fits the show to a T. Much better than the first intro.
Bottom Line: I’ll be honest: This episode is ranked so high mainly for the new intro. It’s so damn good it elevates an anonymous episode. It’s not bad, it’s just not great. Everything that happens feels like it’ll be important in five episodes, not right now. But that intro rules, so the ranking stands.
24. Ally (Episode 18)
The Plot: L and Light get handcuffed together, to the delight of ‘shippers everywhere. A rash of Kira killings leads the team to the Yotsuba Group. Politicians kowtow to Kira and the team is forced to work independently. This causes Aizawa to quit and cry in the park.
Best Part: L and Light’s fist fight, much like the tennis match, is an absurd indulgence that injects vital energy to the episode. Plus, L’s spinning kick is totally sick, bro.
Bottom Line: This episode, to me, marks the beginning of the second act of the series. By that measure, it’s a very good outing. The new plot is established, characters adjust to their different situation, and the momentum from the last episode (mostly) feels intact. Quite enjoyable.
23. Justice (Episode 30)
The Plot: The President of the USA says America won’t interfere with Kira, because as history has shown, the States deplores intervention. Mello meets with Near and they swap secrets, but really angst-ily. Kira demands the President gives up the SPK. Sakura TV, which now worships Kira, reveals the location of Near’s team and encourages an angry mob ( is there any other kind?) to storm the building.
Best Part: The ending scene is one of the biggest cliffhangers in the entire series and the large scale makes it even more exciting. Light’s evil glee only makes the scene better.
Bottom Line: Good all around. Mello and Near’s dynamic, while brief, is fun to watch and, as I said, the ending scene is perfect. A great late-period episode.
22. Encounter (Episode 9)
The Plot: The first meeting of L and Light. L goes to the college entrance exams(now that’s a sitcom spinoff) and somehow become co-valedictorian with Light. He then tells Light he’s L, which sends Light’s inner monologue into overdrive. Light decides to get close to L so he can stick the knife in deep.
Best Part: L and Light frozen in time at the college ceremony is one of the best uses of the series’ trope.
Bottom Line: There’s good stuff here, but it’s stretched out. The pacing is slow and things take a bit too long to get going. But the highs are worth it and the L&L Connection’s first encounter doesn’t disappoint.
21. Matsuda (Episode 19)
The Plot: Matsuda feels useless (because he is) and decides to make a difference. He sneaks around the Yotsuba Group building and immediately gets caught. He acts like an idiot (not a stretch) and manages to fake his death with help from L so the Group doesn’t kill him.
Best Part: Matsuda pretending to be drunk and falling off the balcony onto a mattress is the right level of ridiculous and entertaining.
Bottom Line: I’m not a big fan of Matsuda. He’s supposed to be endearingly useless, but the series never entirely achieved that goal. But this episode almost gets there. Matsuda is never more driven and capable than he is here (except the finale) and he makes the episode surprisingly fun. It’s breezy and light (for this series) and provides a good break from the serious dealings of previous episodes. An unexpected delight.
20. Transfer (Episode 31)
The Plot: Demegawa, the host of Sakura TV and Kira booster, urges the mob from the end of the “Justice” episode to drag the SPK members outside so Kira can kill them. Light can barely contain his glee, but Near manages to escape and accuses Light of being Kira. Aizawa has suspicions himself, so Light passes the death note to Mikami, who immediately kills Demegawa while turning himself into an Internet meme.
Best Part: Mikami’s infamous “delete” scene is so stupid it actually becomes brilliant. His way of writing reaches Dragonball levels of ridiculous.
Bottom Line: A great opening and a great ending lift this episode high. Once Near escapes, things slow down a bit too much, but Mikami brings everything to an excellent close. Plot points are advanced without sacrificing excitement.
19. Decision (Episode 16)
The Plot: Light “admits” he might subconsciously be Kira and agrees to be confined and monitored. His father joins him because he’s the most loyal father in anime history. Light surrenders his death note and consequently loses all his memory of being Kira. L is befuddled, especially when the Kira killings start again.
Best Part: Watching Light change from calculating sociopath to confused animal is genuinely surprising and adds an extra layer of intrigue.
Bottom Line: Light’s transformation is one of the most interesting developments in the series. His change in demeanor raises questions about how the death note might have corrupted him, what his morality is, and other delightful philosophical ideas. These questions make the episode consistently engaging.
18. Malice (Episode 35)
The Plot: Mello kidnaps Takada, because he is the most proactive supergenius in the series. This development throws a monkey wrench in the SPK and the Japanese police’s plan to meet up. Lucky for them, Takada has a scrap of the death note and kills Mello (he’s off to that chocolate bar in the sky). Sadly for Takada, she’s outlived her usefulness to Light, so he uses his death note to make her burn herself alive, destroying evidence of her death note. Damn.
Best Part: The moment Takada realizes she is about to die is the only time the character is sympathetic or interesting. A great way to bow out.
Bottom Line: Rewatching this series, I was surprised how much I liked Mello. He’s a lot more empathetic and enjoyable than Light or Near, and his willingness to get his hands dirty made him stand out. This episode is his swan song and while it’s not his strongest outing, it’s a good way to go out. A solid final pit stop before the last two episodes.
17. Abduction (Episode 27)
The Plot: Mello and Near, L’s proteges, hit the scene. Mello makes an instant impact by kidnapping the NPA director. When Kira kills him, Mello simply kidnaps Light’s sister and demands to trade her for the death note. Near, with the backing of the USA, forms the SPK (Special Provision for Kira) and introduces himself to Light.
Best Part: The shot of Light being covered in the chains controlled by L’s ghost is striking (in a non-fetish way).
Bottom Line: For an episode that introduces a bunch of new characters, the plot moves along at a good clip. We don’t get bogged down with exposition or Light’s inner monologue. It’s just a steady stream of twists and turns. I know a lot of people dislike this episode because it introduced Near, and everyone hates him because he’s a rehash of L. I understand that, but, for me, this episode does enough to keep things fresh.
16. Glare (Episode 8)
The Plot: L installs surveillance devices in Light’s house, suspecting him to be Kira. Light knows he’s being followed and has Ryuk find all the devices in exchange for apples (that classic Biblical reference). Light somehow gets a TV in a bag of potato chips and watches the news so he can kill criminals. No, I still don’t know how he got the TV in the bag.
Best Part: Eating potato chips. ‘Nuff said.
Bottom Line: This episode is infamous for its potato chip meme, but beyond that, it’s not bad. It definitely pales in comparison to later episodes and in the grand scheme nothing major is accomplished. But on its own merits, it succeeds. It also has to be commended for finding so many different camera angles to show Light writing in a book.
15. Impatience (Episode 28)
The Plot: Light is in full-on panic mode as he’s forced to trade the death note for his sister. He communicates with Near as they help and hinder each other in equal measure. Light’s father gives the death note to Mello and rescues Light’s sister. Mello sends out a missile and a helicopter, leaving Light confused as to which one is carrying the death note, ultimately losing it. Mello kills most of Near’s team while munching on his chocolate bar. In the shinigami realm, Sidoh finds out Ryuk stole his death note and descends to the human world.
Best Part: Light scrambling to keep track of the missile and helicopter shows rare vulnerability for the character, as he’s helpless to do anything.
Bottom Line: Mello is the star here. He’s a complete badass, scoring the notebook while outsmarting Light and Near. He would go downhill from here, but this action-packed episode is a monument to his character’s strengths.
14. Father (Episode 29)
The Plot: Sidoh makes himself known to Mello, sharing a few secrets about the death note. Light finds out where Mello’s team is hiding and makes Misa give her notebook to the Japanese police team. Light’s father gets shinigami eyes and storms into Mello’s hideout. He finds out Mello’s real name, but he’s blown away by a grenade, killing him and leaving Mello with a wicked burn. Sidoh gets his death note back and leaves the series. We hardly knew ya.
Best Part: Sidoh’s weird interactions with Mello provide some of the best comedy of the series. I want them to have a spin-off show where they run a startup business or something.
Bottom Line: Damn, this episode is stuffed to the brim. It almost threatens to overwhelm the story, but everything stays on track. Sidoh and Mello are definite highlights, while Light’s father goes out with a bang. Nothing feels out of place or underdeveloped. It’s the kind of propulsive episode the series excels at.
13. Guidance (Episode 22)
The Plot: The police squad know Higuchi is the new Kira, but much like a Ken Burns documentary, they don’t want to rush. They want to learn how the death note works, so they set up a fake show on Sakura TV that claims it will uncover who is Kira, in the hope it will make Higuchi reveal his hand. Higuchi races to the TV studio, ready to kill everyone there to keep his secret.
Best Part: Higuchi’s deranged inner monologue is refreshingly blunt and unhinged.
Bottom Line: Higuchi is the perfect scumbag for the police team to corner. His ramping paranoia will be fully exploited in the next episode, but the creeping dread is nicely portrayed here. It’s a setup episode, but a very good one.
12. Pursuit (Episode 4)
The Plot: Light rejects Ryuk’s offer of shinigami eyes from the “Dealings” episode. He forces a criminal to hijack a bus he rides so the FBI agent who’s following him reveals his name. Short and simple.
Best Part: When the criminal sees Ryuk, his reaction is priceless. His ensuing death is the cherry on top of a great scene.
Bottom Line: This episode is incredibly straightforward (for this series), which frees it from a lot of flab. Light has a plan, he executes it, he gloats, cut to credits. Its simplicity is its strength. It features one of Light’s best scenes and establishes him as L’s equal. A real gem.
11. Tactics (Episode 5)
The Plot: Light, armed with the FBI agent’s name (Raye Penber), sneaks up behind him and forces him to reveal all the identities of his fellow agents. Light then kills Penber, just in case you didn’t know he was cold-blooded. Light also sends a coded message to L, mocking him.
Best Part: Penber reaching for the train door as he dies while Light smiles down at him is gloriously chilling.
Bottom Line: Light is in top form here. Episodes like this are what make him such an entertaining character. He’s an unstoppable force, driving through Penber and running circles around him. A small-scale episode, but an essential one.
10. Confrontation (Episode 2)
The Plot: We meet L, Light’s ultimate foil. The public has become aware of Light’s killings, labeling the murderer as “Kira.” L appears on television to reveal his name and admonish Kira. Light get annoyed and kills him. But oh no! That guy wasn’t actually L; he was a criminal sentenced to die. And the broadcast was only shown in Light’s neighbourhood, meaning L knows where to start his investigation. L is close to finding Kira after only ten minutes of screen time.
Best Part: The splitscreen shot of Light and L declaring they are justice, while a bit cheesy, is undeniably iconic.
Bottom Line: A great followup to the pilot, this episode throws a monkey wrench in Light’s plan in the form of L. The character, while not my favourite in the series, brings a nice blend of unpredictability and intelligence. The show clearly establishes how Light and L are two sides of the same coin, an idea it will explore for the next 20 episodes.
9. Revival (Episode 24)
The Plot: The police squad arrest Higuchi and they touch his death note, causing them to see Rem. Light touches the notebook and all his wicked memories come rushing back to him. Light kills Higuchi with the death note and reunites with Misa, plotting how to finally kill L.
Best Part: When Light touches the notebook, his eyes glow as a montage of past clips flash over the screen. A thrilling way to bring back the real Light.
Bottom Line: After the adrenaline rush of “Frenzy,” this episode lets it foot off the gas, but only slightly. Light’s resurrection is glorious to behold and his newfound viciousness makes it clear L’s days are numbered. Awesome stuff.
8. 1.28 (Episode 36)
Light and Near meet face-to-face at an abandoned warehouse (aren’t they all?), each determined to destroy the other. Mikami is positioned outside, writing everyone’s names (except Light’s) in the death note. Near is confident the pages are fake. Light then stops time as his inner monologue explains how he knew Near switched Mikami’s pages and he’s certain Mikami is using the real notebook now. As the seconds tick down, Light gloats over his victory. Always a bad sign.
Best Part: The colour scheme in this episode is off the chain. Serious props to the art design team.
Bottom Line: This episode is an exposition extravaganza, but the dialogue is so good it doesn’t matter. The tension is palpable as Near and Light lay out their plans for success. Light’s glee only heightens the suspense, building everything to a fever pitch for the finale.
7. Wager (Episode 15)
The Plot: L tells everyone that if he dies in the next few days, it means Light is Kira. L and Light meet on campus (ooh, I beat these lovable scamps could get into all kinds of “Animal House” type high jinks), where they run into Misa. Light’s delighted, because Misa’s shinigami eyes can see L’s true name. Before she can kill him, though, L has her arrested and tortured on suspicion of being the second Kira. Light mopes and L gloats.
Best Part: The imagery of Light and L battling on rooftops heightens the drama without descending into parody.
Bottom Line: This episode might be L’s greatest victory over Light. Everything’s going great for Light until L snatches it all away. The constant back-and-forth makes the episode electric. Even Misa’s on top form. A stellar episode.
6. Rebirth (Episode 1)
The Plot: The episode that started in all. Light Yagami, bored high school student, finds the death note, a book that lets him kill whoever he wants. Light meets Ryuk, a shinigami who will follow him until he dies. Light tests the book and after a moment of doubt, decides to murder criminals and become the god of the new world (as you do).
Best Part: Light’s monologue that lays out his plan for the new world in chilling detail is the perfect introduction for the character.
Bottom Line: This isn’t the most exciting or complicated episode of the series. But it is the best possible introduction to this anime. It deliberately brings all the pieces into play, pushing Light from bored teenager to cold-blooded sociopath. The perfect start for an imperfect show.
5. Assault (Episode 11)
The Plot: Sakura TV broadcasts a tape from the second Kira. L demands the broadcast be shut down, but Kira is watching the front door of the studio, killing anyone who goes near it. Light’s father bursts into the studio with a truck and shuts the show down. Light, who’s been mostly absent from the episode, decides to join the investigation team to learn more about the second Kira. Oh, and Hirokazu Ukita dies. What a shame.
Best Part: Light’s father smashing into the studio is the most chest-thumping awesome moment in the series. Pure adrenaline.
Bottom Line: This episode is all killer and no filler. Light is sidelined, but you hardly miss him. The team’s desperate scramble to stop the broadcast injects a nice energy boost to the series and shows new dimensions to L. Kickass stuff.
4. Execution (Episode 17)
The Plot: After a long period of captivity, L decides to let Light and Misa go…to Hell! He forces Light’s father to execute Light and Misa, gangland style. But it was all a classic prank. L was testing to see if Light or Misa was Kira, since Kira would kill Light’s father if he tried to shoot them. L isn’t fully convinced and asks Light to join the investigation in their super-modern headquarters so he can keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, Yotsuba Group realize one of their members is Kira.
Best Part: That execution scene is nail-bitingly tense. A series highlight.
Bottom Line: This episode is superb. One of the best thrillers the series has ever pulled off. The ramping tension builds to a gorgeously animated release. The realignment of Light and L’s relationship and the establishment of Yotsuba Group as the new villains is icing on a delicious cake.
3. Frenzy (Episode 23)
The Plot: Higuchi is losing his mind trying to get to Sakura TV to stop Matsuda from revealing his identity. He rants at Rem, who L and Light can’t see, baffling them. He reaches the station, but is ambushed by the police. He engages in a high-speed chase with the cops, ultimately crashing into a guardrail. L seems to have won, but of course, it’s never that simple.
Best Part: Hard to pick, but Higuchi’s road rage is one for the record books.
Bottom Line: An amazing thrill ride. Higuchi is one of the great minor characters of the series and he shines in this episode. The animation for his face is top-tier and his unhinged inner monologue is awesome. The episode starts at 100mph and never slows down. Nothing drags and it all builds to a stellar climax. The best pure action episode the series ever pulled off.
2. Silence (Episode 25)
The Plot: Light’s got his memories back and he’s ready to resume his murderous side-project. But first he needs to get rid of L. He convinces Rem that L will imprison Misa. Since Rem is fond of Misa, she kills L, which also results in her death (it’s complicated). Light gloats over L’s corpse in the most morbid ending in the series.
Best Part: I’m going to split this category in two. L and Light’s final conversation is oddly affecting for such a dark series. On the other hand, the shot of Light smiling as L dies is…damn.
Bottom Line: L is one of the best characters in the series, primarily for his unwillingness to compromise. This episode is no exception, as he marches forward while suspecting his days are numbered. The animation is gorgeous and the sudden reveal of L’s backstory makes his death all the more devastating. A melancholic, reflective episode, one that achieves a sort of poetry. Judged objectively, it’s probably the best episode in the series. But I ain’t objective, so…
- New World (Episode 37)
The Plot: Picking up right after the last episode, everyone in the warehouse is waiting to die. But no one does. Near reveals Mikami’s death note is a fake. He lays out how he outsmarted Light as the SPK detain Mikami. Light tries to weasel out of it, but slowly realizes there is no escape this time. He rants and raves and tries to kill Near, but Matsuda of all people shoots him to stop him. Light manages to sneak away, but Ryuk, finally bored with his “friend,” writes Light’s name in the death note, killing him. Fade to black.
Best Part: Almost impossible to pick one, but Light’s creepy laugh, followed by his doomy monologue, firmly etched this series in anime history.
Bottom Line: Yeah, yeah, you saw this one coming. Sorry to be predictable. This episode isn’t the smartest or most pulse-pounding offering from the series. But it represents everything that makes the show great. The striking animation, the clever writing, the endless twists, and lingering questions all merge together in a perfect storm. The best ending possible.
And that’s Death Note. Looking over all these episode, I don’t think it’s a perfect show. But it’s a good one, and a solid introduction into anime. Something to wet your beak, let’s say. Take a potato chip (or show) and eat it (or watch it).