Forum - View topicWhy is Death Note so popular?
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Voradors
Posts: 7 |
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I watched Death Note when it was on Adult Swim (english dub), and i must say that i really disliked this anime.
When the show first started it wasnt alright....but it continuously became more and more ridiculous spoiler[and, IMO, once L died the show lost alot of appeal ]. Hell, Kira even ended up becoming my most disliked anime character of all time. I mean the show just felt like 1 person playing a game of chess against himself. He knew what he was about to do, and tried to mask it anyway, just to ultimately show that he knew all along. i dont know.....there is just so much about this show that i really dont like. Could anyone explain why its so well rated/liked? EDIT: also, is there a big difference in eng sub vs eng dubbed as far as the story line goes? |
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Mr Adventure
 Posts: 1598 |
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Hated it. I can't understand the appeal either.
I like your 'one sided chess game' description, its very apt. |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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Death Note is popular because fangirls fantasize about L and Light getting it on. On top of that, they look effiminate enough where girls can get away with cosplaying as the two and getting attention for it. Death Note is popular because fanboys fantasize about Amane Misa. She is voiced by Hirano Aya who voiced Haruhi, so they fantasize about her even more! Death Note is popular because it has "Shinigamis" in it. What more could you add to a formula that brings in the detective genre, fangirl/fanboy fantasies, and Ryuk?
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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Why is Cowboy Bebop so popular? Or Inuyasha? Or Dragonball Z? Or, for that matter, Naruto?
I don't understand this thread when you seem to be ranting about the hate for the show. No offense, but who cares what you think about it? If you don't like it, find something you do like, then become a statistic in that series' "popularity". To each our own, but certainly don't want to read the hate. Just my 2 ¥. |
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Voradors
Posts: 7 |
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please read the entire post next time............ i never said anyone should care about what i think about it......instead i asked why its so popular and asked for someone to explain to me what they got out of it. i also asked if there is a significant difference between sub vs dub (since the series is so story driven, i was wondering if something was lost in translation when it was subbed) |
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JacobC
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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Of course it's popular. It has all the ingredients of a popular title.
1. Shonen Jump. Need I say more? All the "I'm gonna be the best!" elements are there, the melodramatic angst engines are running full-steam, it's a plot-driven behemoth aimed at and squarely hitting the tween demographic...for good or for ill, since the subject matter is so dark. 2. Bishounen/Bishoujo. Pretty boys. Cute girls. Gotta have that. 3. It was on TV. [adultswim], with few exceptions (Moribito and the Case of the Crappy Timeslot!) is going to garner more viewers. 4. Gothic appeal. So many anime fans I know are into Hot Topic chic or some other vein of classic or musical darkness (Phantom of the Opera-ilia, something...) Just the way it is. Death Note exploits that in its art style, characters' fashion, music, EVERYTHING. I like dark melodrama too, but I prefer it to have more depth. So I'd be more of a Les Miserables-iliac...I still browse Hot Topic, but rarely buy. 5. Yaoi jokes. Fangirls will sadly attach yaoi to ANY and ALL franchises...but Death Note might deserve it. Anyone with half a brain knows there's not REALLY any canonical yaoi in the show, but unlike FMA, Naruto, etc., there is a lot of "that doesn't sound right" material to have fun with. I find it funny how much questionable interaction there is between those two, and I hate yaoi. Death Note really does deserve some big "wink wink nudge nudge" jokes. 6. Novelty. Formulas are great for attracting fans, I guess, but everyone abhors cliche. People, believe it or not, do want something different now and again. Give a one sentence synopsis of Death Note: "A bored prodigy stumbles across a notebook that will kill anyone whose name is written in it, and decides he's going to revolutionize the world." ...and heads immediately turn. That's a good thing. There are dozens more reasons, honestly, but all it really comes down to is that Death Note clinched the formula of looking "dark and mature," but really being "sophomoric and melodramatic." That's the chief formula for success anywhere, just flip on network TV, but with anime fans and the success of the Shonen Jump formula, it's a win-win combination. Personally, I really enjoy the show. I think it's a well-done show, but I do have to roll my eyes waaaaay back into the back of my head to watch it sometimes. Doesn't mean it isn't a LOT of fun if you're a little twisted, like many anime fans are. The production values are high, the dub is really great, I can watch it on TV, hey, what's not to like? That and, well, I honestly don't like any of the other characters much, but L is one of my all-time favorite anime characters. Heck, give the creators one thing: L is one of the most unique and fascinating characters to come out of a popular series in a while. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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I personally liked the show, although I can see why other people would hate it and I'm still willing to call it overrated myself (but not bad by any means)
The first half was almost certainly stronger than the second half. In the first half, we still weren't sure what exactly was going to happen as new developments unfolded and I don't think most of us were expecting spoiler[Light to actually win against L like that]. I personally think the show should have just stopped there, even if it left the spoiler["how Light dies"] plot end loose. It was a classic genius vs genius show except the main character was "the evil" side and the antagonist was technically "the good guy". I honestly hadn't seen anything else quite like it before, part of the appeal was certainly just being something new. It was the sort of show that did make you keep going "one more episode!", at least up until spoiler[Light's stay in prison, which I think they just spent way too much time on], but the first half was pretty rewarding when it came down to it. The second half was a downer for me, average at best. The rules had already been established in the first half of the series and we already knew what part of Light's strategy would be. The introduction of characters that I didn't much care for didn't help either and the sheer incompetence of Light's subordinates only infuriated me more so. And then based on the first episode, you could pretty much already guess how it would end. In the first half of the series, I got most of their explanations for why they did something and how it worked, but I didn't get that feeling whatsoever in the second half, I couldn't exactly see where all of these plot points were coming from. I generally assume that when someone says that they like Death Note that they meant the first half, I've only ever met one person who thought that Near was cooler than L, and I immediately had to question if their brain was working properly (although I didn't do that to their face, that would've rude). If I were to rewatch the show (which I probably won't do since I read the manga), I'd only rewatch the first half, because I wouldn't be able to sit through the second half again without falling asleep. But simply due to the first half being incredibly well liked, it is also incredibly well talked about. It certainly has all the right cards in place for it to be popular, it's an engaging series (at least in the first half for most people), it tries something new and succeeds for the most part, and everyone else is watching it and it is far easier to jump in on conversations if you've seen the series (I've been running into trouble with NGE for a few years because of this, and I'm finally watching the thing). I do think that Takeshi Obata's character designs come into play here, although this only questions why no one cares about Hikaru no Go (which they should based on the first 12 volumes that I've read). Part of this is clearly that the Death Note characters are older and will either appeal as being cool to younger teens or perhaps relatable to older teens or just cool. I think it's difficult to describe why they're so appealing to look at, I think you'll either like them or not like them. I think that they're easy to look at without overly large eyes or super spiky hair being distracting. Sure, Naoki Urasawa also goes for more realistic-not stereotypical anime style character designs, but most of his noses aren't exactly "appealing" to the eyes. I do like the character designs, but they're not my favorite ever, I prefer a more old-school style found in things like Kaiba, Fantastic Children, and Astro Boy. Death Note definitely has a good soundtrack though, and during the series, this only helped to set the mood of mind-lock tension even more so for me. The music probably helped make the show extremely engaging for some people as a result. So basically: character designs and music, everyone else is watching it, everyone else is talking about it because they are watching it, the show is engaging and keeps you wondering (at least for the first half). Tell if this helped at all or only served to perplex more, there are a few shows/movies that I can't personally understand anyone adoring either (although everyone seems to adore them). |
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I like Death Note because it's interesting main players and their cat-and-mouse games of logic, which, while over the top, are extremely entertaining. The clever Light and L, the honorable Soichiro, the cold but child-like Near, the ambitious Mello, the bubbly but sometimes surpisingly sharp Misa, the struggling Aizawa. Just so many interesting people in over-the-top, yet (other than the superwordly element) believable scenarios.
And I felt like even though the second "part" of the series lost some of the focus the first had, by the end it had completely redeemed itself. Near even became my favorite character, (people are so wrong when they say he's a weak L clone, he's so much different). It's not the greatest manga/anime ever, but it's probably somewhere within my top 10 or so. |
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Voradors
Posts: 7 |
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Thanks.
I have a friend who loves the show but cant really tell my much to defend his point of view other than "its cool and the twists are awesome". so i was just wondering what others thought. and i do agree that the 1st half of the series was much better than the 2nd. i was still really surprised to see Death Note on this sites top 10, and thats what basically made me curious enough to post. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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The genres and themes involved aren't seemingly what I'd typically enjoy, and I've got things to be watching elsewhere. As annoying as it may sound to admit this, the large popularity of the show deters me if anything. It's one of those titles which, prima facie, ceases to be as novel as its premise would allow it to be, in virtue of the fact that every Tom, Dick and Harry is obsessed with it. This isn't to say that I know I wouldn't enjoy the work in question, but there are other things which I have more reason to assume I'd like from plot synopsis alone. I'd have to deplete all titles with such inherent appeal before I'd wish to join all the DN fans out there. |
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-Wang-
Posts: 29 |
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Wow, way to slap down someone else's opinions. Jeez, we are on this forum to share our opinions, the OP hasn't been disrespectful and this is an interesting topic to consider. What does make something popular and mainstream? In any case, one of the obvious characteristics is the extremely good suspense and the pace of the plot-- I mean it's damn well done even with some logical inconsistencies and over the top fomat at times. But then again, there are also other forms of fiction which are comparable in this regard and aren't quite as popular. So I'd say there are several other things which add appeal: One, the set up of the plot-- killing someone else by writing in a book? It also adds to the edge of "what would you do if you had this book" and some minor ethics/morals to consider. And for those looking for less derivative forms of entertainment there is the broader and more subtle theme of how power can corrupt. I don't really buy the "looks" argument of it, any two piece anime looks like a sparkling glitter nowdays-- I would say it just adds the cherry on top. |
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MironBiron
 Posts: 39 |
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Death Note is thrilling, smart and original; mix this with 'cool' characters, nice art and a good soundtrack and you have a very entertaining anime. But Death Note lacks in character development, logic and moral aspects which makes it a pretty overrated title IMO.
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DomFortress
 Posts: 751 Location: Richmond BC, Canada |
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Personally, I find the whole story aspect to be rather shallow because it lacks character development, logic and moral aspects. And to be honest, the most critical aspect that Death Note lacks is well, critical thinking. The plot twists felt rather forceful, and it lacked a theme to really drive the story itself to the point. Kinda like the rest of the Death Note characters, for what's the purpose for their individual existences besides from using the Death Note to fulfill their individual desires? They're just nobodies with out it, because they don't have a life outside of their desires with death itself. Death Note made death cheap by cheapen life itself, and that's as far as I can come up with a theme for the highly overrated yet commercialized story that's Death Note. |
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Ausdoerrt
 Posts: 481 |
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With all honesty, DeathNote is a decent anime. But like someone mentioned, there are very few titles that truly deserve their hype, anime or otherwise.
What I do dislike about DN is the effect on popular culture, those silly kids who dress at Hot Topic and think they look cool are just annoying as hell. |
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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My real big gripe with Death Note is the attitude people give when all the prisoners die. Maybe it's just a Japanese way of thinking, but if 1200 prisoners suddenly died of heart attacks in America, I'm fairly certain the overwhelming response would be "Good, saves money on the electric bill." Probably that's due to us having the death sentence, so it's an entirely different perspective. The other point of contention is how ridiculously easy it was for L to find Kira and for people to believe any normal human could be doing this. Even I told you had a notebook that killed people, you'd still laugh and walk away. In reality, you could kill, kill, kill, kill to your hearts content and no one would ever suspect a thing.
Though real arguments aside, people love L to much. He's a disgusting shut-in with Aspergers. So this leads to a case where wild fangirlism can ruin a show because it then makes any kind of decent conversation into an annoying lovefest. I like Death Note, I hate fangirls, and the show and manga are pointless and redundant afterspoiler[ L dies]. |
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