Death Note Vol. 2

Rating NR Formats DVD Genre anime Starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama Directed by Shusuke Kaneko Publisher VIZ Media External Links Official Death Note Website

I had been meaning to get into Death Note for a while. I had heard really good things about it and the plot sounds like something I would be interested in. Volume Two continues the story of Light Yagami, a teenager who's come into the possession of the Death Note, a mythical note book with the power to kill any person he chooses. A god of death presides over the Death Note and follows Light wherever he goes now that he's the one in possession.

Volume Two opens up in the middle of an FBI investigation in Japan where agents are tracking a murderer named Kira. With the help of a man named L, the FBI is narrowed down to a team of five agents who are willing to risk their lives to bring Kira to justice. One of those agents is Light's own father. But what he doesn't know is that Kira, the bloodthirsty serial killer that he's tracking, is his own son, Light.

In a brilliant scheme to eliminate all of the FBI agents in Japan, Light tricks one of the members of the investigation into writing down all the names of the agents in the Death note, simultaneously killing them. The rules of the Death note are simple. You need a face and a name to kill; you write down the date, time and cause of death, and sign their name. Light thinks he's out of the water, but he then crosses paths with a woman named Naomi Misora who turns out to be the fiance of one of the dead FBI agents. After discovering that she has a lot of evidence that could potentially put him in danger, Light decides that it is time to take her out of the picture. Once he learns her real name, he signs her name on the Death note and as a result, he's secured his identity for a little while longer.

With the disappearance of Naomi Misora, L determines that all those who came in contact with her husband are to be suspected. Since her fiance, Raye Penber was keeping a close eye on the Yagami household, wiretaps and cameras were placed all over the house, making it more difficult for Light to kill. He's more cunning than any seventeen year old I know, though, as he manages to continue and write names in the Death note while making it look like he's studying for his entrance exams. While this takes some attention of the Yagami home, L is still convinced that their family seems "too innocent."

This is the first of the Death Note series I have seen, and I think it is one of those anime where if you come in at the middle, you're potentially lost for the rest of the series. For example, I have no idea why Light is killing all these people. I think it has to do with the God of Death, Ryuk. In order for him to stay alive, people need to die. But, don't quote me on that.

The DVD's special features include behind the scenes recording sessions from the English voice actors, interviews with the cast and Japanese animation director, production art and commentaries.

The soundtrack for Death note is right on target. The eerie music brings color to the series. I'm not a big fan of the opening song; however, the ending song is just the right mix of soft and rock, which I enjoy.

If you were to watch this volume on its own, not having seen episodes one through four, there's a chance you won't quite understand what is going on. Nevertheless, Death note Volume Two is packed full of mystery and suspense and I would recommend it to anime fans who are into darker series.