It is not often that a sticker on a DVD package makes this reviewer excited. But somehow when I read, “Featuring ‘Chairman’ Takeshi Kaga of Iron Chef” on there made me want to review Death Note so badly. Lucid images filled my mind of a bloody cooking battle where a challenger does his or her best at killing the judges with their culinary skills. I am somewhat saddened to inform you that there will be no such cooking battles in Death Note. Instead today we will be looking at the live action variation of the Death Note franchise.

I have to be honest; I have not seen many live action adaptations that I have liked more than the anime. But the difference here is that I have not seen any of the Death Note anime series, so one could say I am working from a clean slate here. The plot of Death Note is intriguing and deep and the first movie follows the first nine episodes of the anime. University student Light Yagami despises the crime-ridden world that he lives in. But everything changes for Light when he discovers the mysterious notebook called Death Note. The instructions are clear. Write someone’s name in the notebook and in 40 seconds they will die of a heart attack. Soon Light uses the Death Note to deal out his own brand of justice on criminals and people he deems worthy of dying. The public dubs the murderer as ‘Kira’ and great debates rage about who is behind them. The police do not sit idly on their hands. They spring into action and are also hot on Light’s trail after asking the equally mysterious detective ‘L’, who communicates via a high-pitched computer voice to help with investigations.

The plot is somewhat complex but it is laid out nice and slowly and rewards the viewer with some interesting scenes later in the film. Performances are all of high standards here, although some characters like Light’s girlfriend Shiori Akino slightly frustrate with their mundane screen presence. Direction by Shūsuke Kaneko is solid but lacks the zest of a real Hollywood blockbuster. But one might consider larger production values detraction to the overall story. While I have tried my best to summarize Death Note in this short review there are things I have missed. As far as this particular movie goes there is no question that fans of the anime will love it. Newcomers such as myself will also find much to like about this film as the tug of war between Light and L begins. Sadly there will be no biting into capsicums here. Move along…Four Death Notes!