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Death Note Box Set 1 |  | Director: Tetsuro Araki
Actors: Mamoru Miyano, Brad Swaile, Kappei Yamaguchi, Alessandro Juliani, Shidou Nakamura
Studio: VIZ VIDEO
Category: DVD
List Price: $69.97
Buy New: $46.49
as of 3/11/2010 21:22 CST details
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Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 8929
Format: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), Japanese (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 5
Running Time: 500 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.6 x 1.5
MPN: 01
UPC: 782009239215
EAN: 0782009239215
ASIN: B001CZJP0S
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Studio: Viz Media Llc Release Date: 11/18/2008
Amazon.com
Some teenagers walk around with a chip on their shoulder: Light Yagami, the alienated hero of the macabre fantasy-adventure Death Note (2006) has a Shinigami (god of death) named Ryuk hovering over his shoulder. Although he's one of the top-ranked high school students in Japan, Light is repulsed by the lack of justice he sees in the world--until he finds Ryuk's notebook, the Death Note. If anyone writes the name of a human in the book, that person dies minutes later. After testing the Death Note's powers, Light launches a grandiose vigilante campaign to rid the world of criminals to create his vision of a perfect society. But the baffling string of deaths inevitably attracts the attention of the police, who turn the case over to the secretive master crime solver known only as L. Although he's as brilliant as he is arrogant, Light finds himself hard-pressed by L in their deadly game of cat and mouse. He tries to use Misa, a teen idol who's acquired her own Death Note and Shinigami, to destroy L, but is outfoxed by his nemesis. To ensure Light does nothing without his knowledge, L has them handcuffed together. Although it begins slowly, Death Note gets better with each installment, as the stakes grow higher in the duel of wits between Light and L. Director Tetsuro Araki plays up their physical differences: Light is cool, handsome and well-groomed; slovenly L seems to think with his twitchy bare feet as well as his redoubtable brain. Neither character is particularly likeable initially, but they become intriguing as the viewer gets to know them. (Rated Teen+ Older Teen, suitable for ages 15 and older: grotesque imagery, violence, violence against women, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon (1. Rebirth, 2. Confrontation, 3. Dealings, 4. Pursuit, 5. Tactics, 6. Unraveling, 7. Overcast, 8. Glare, 9. Encounter, 10. Doubt, 11. Assault, 12. Love, 13. Confession, 14. Friend, 15. Wager, 16. Decision, 17. Execution, 18. Ally, 19. Matsuda, 20. Makeshift)
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| Customer Reviews:
An anime DVD Box Set worth owning! November 19, 2008
Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California)
40 out of 42 found this review helpful
I first caught "DEATH NOTE" on television. I've heard so many impressive things in regards to the storyline and also saw the series featured on NPR. To get the critical acclaim that it has worldwide, this series must be special.
And special is what "DEATH NOTE" truly is. From beginning to end, this series has just grabbed my attention because of its well-written cat vs. mouse storyline.
"DEATH NOTE" is a 37-episode TV series that was created by Studio Madhouse and featured on Japanese television in 2006-2007 and featured in the US in 2007-2008. The series has spawned a popular manga series, a novel, three live action films and has captured the attention of anime and non-anime fans worldwide.
The series focuses on the character of a very smart high school student named Light Yagami. Bored with his life, he comes across the "Death Note" that has special instructions that if one was to write their names on the Death Note, the person would die. They would die of a heart attack if there were no instructions on how the person is to die. Or die the way the person possesing the Death Note wrote down.
The Death Note is from a Shinigami (death god) named Ryuk who seems to be bored in his own world and thus starts to enjoy how a person like Light starts to use the Death Note.
For Light (who goes by the name Kira), starts out using the Death Note by writing the names of criminals. He starts to win supporters due to his ideology of creating a new world without these criminals. But with so many deaths occuring, the police and the International community begin to fear this serial killer. And along the way, Light is suspected by the police as a person of interest (a person who could be "Kira") and then Light starts to use his Death Note on those who are onto him.
Thus a mysterious detective named L is assigned to the case and the series becomes a compelling storyline of will L find a way to catch Light Yagami or will Light Yagami kill L first? Two geniuses trying to outwit the other in a thrilling storyline that is so unique, I'm confident in saying that it's one of the most original anime to come out in the last decade.
The volume 1 box set features on the first half of the series (twenty episodes, five DVDs, four episodes per disc) as Light Yagami (Kira) moves forward to create his new world, while L and the Kira Task Force try to stop him. Also, that there may be another person in the world who may possess a second Death Note as well.
AUDIO & VIDEO:
"Death Note" was a TV series and I found the animation to be quite cool as it showcased a dark, stylish feel to it. Featuring a good dose of J-rock and style to it's overall presentation, Studio Madhouse did a wonderful job in this series and bringing out the illustrations of Takeshi Obata and the storyline of Tsugumi Ohba to television. The dark atmosphere really is well displayed in this anime series.
But the most appealing part of this series is the awesome voice acting. Being the Japanese language purist that I am, I watched the series with Japanese voice acting and it was done very well. But I have to admit that I was really impressed by the English dub voice acting.
Brad Swaile as Light Yagami, Battlestar Galactica actor (Felix Gaeta) Alesandro Juliani, Brian Drummond as Ryuk and Shannon Chan-Kent as Misa did a tremendous job. As did the other English voice actors. A job well done!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Personally, I wasn't sure what kind of "special features" would be included on the DVD box set but you do get a really awesome behind-the-scenes interview with the English voice dub talent. Here are the special features featured on the Volume 1 Box Set:
* Disc 1 - Behind the Scenes with Brad Swaile "Light", Clean Opening and Ending
* Disc 2 - Behind the Scenes with Alessandro Juliani "L", Japanese Director and Character Designer Interviewer
* Disc 3 - Behind the Scenes with Brian Drummond "Ryuk"
* Disc 4 - Behind the Scenes with Shannon Chan-Kent "Misa"
* Disc 5 - Behind the Scenes with Chris Britton, Vincent Tong and Trevor Devall "The Kira Task Force"
And on each disc, production art and trailers are featured on each disc. What I enjoyed about the behind-the-scenes footage is that they were lengthy and not super short. You really get a good insight on the actor's take (from the beginning of the series) of their character, the challenges they faced in doing the vocal work and much more. So, it was very cool to have these extras included on each disc.
I can't tell you how awesome this TV series is. "Death Note" is truly special as it really show how power can corrupt but taking that cat versus mouse type of storyline of two geniuses trying to outwit each other.
There are literally so many twists and turns in this anime series that it really captures your attention and has you on the edge of your seat.
As for the DVD box set, I think it's just great that Viz Media chose to feature 20 episodes of the series and sell the box set for a great price! I definitely like Viz Media/Shonen Jump Home Video really doing anime fans a great service by following a US TV Season Box Set style of pricing instead of selling the episodes as separate volumes. You're definitely getting your bang for the buck.
Overall, a well-acted anime series (on both the Japanese and English side of things), cool characters, well-written episodes, stylish animation and a unique, compelling anime series that I highly recommend! A+
One of the best animes out there November 4, 2008
Blitz Patel (Napa, CA, USA)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
The hugely popular anime from Japan comes to the U.S. in this season 1 set. I started watching this show when it replaced Bleach in the Saturday night line-up last year and I was really surprised. I can confidently say that this show has the best story of any anime I have ever seen (and will be within the top few of any anime-fan's list). When buying seasons of shows I'm kind of cheap so I try to go by the rule of (at most) $1 per episode. Animes are a little more expensive so I go by $2 per episode. Amazon has lowered their price to allow for it to fall into my range so I was quick to pre-order it; that's just how good it is. The whole series is pretty short, probably 3 or 4 seasons but it definitely ranks within my top three animes (and I'm not a huge fan of anime so even people who aren't will enjoy this series; an awesome story about doing the right thing and stretching its limits to the point that it becomes a threat to the world).
Really well done drama November 24, 2008
K. Coover
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This show is a must see not just for anime fans but for anyone who enjoys well written and well thought out drama. The story follows the young and brilliant Light who happens upon a notebook with the power to kill people. With the best of intentions at heart he sets out to use this new power to create a better, safer world. Unfortunately for him not everyone agrees with his methods and Light soon finds himself under investigation lead by the world's premier super detective know only as "L".
The intellectual struggle between Light and L is nothing less than riveting. I was stuck helplessly watching episode after episode because I couldn't wait to see what these two boys were going to come up with next. I also found that Light's decent from good natured student to sociopathic mass murder was really well done and an interesting look at how power corrupts.
I'm always reading these reviews to see what people think before I buy stuff but this is the first time I've ever bothered writing one myself. I was just that impressed with this one. Warning though, it is pretty dark and somewhat depressing so if you're looking for happy,happy,feelgood this is probably not your cup of tea. But, if you're looking for a great original storyline that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish then I highly recommend you give this one a try. It's one of the best shows I've seen.
Unexpected and awesome September 9, 2009
Timothy B. Kemash
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Death note was kind of those everyones into it so I think I'll stay away for a bit......boy was I stupid haha
I would recommend this series to anyone who sits at the edge of their seats during suspenseful parts in movies. If you are a person like this then you fall off the edge of your seat about 5 times an episode. Though this might be an exaggeration this series is really good.
At first I watched it and to not make spoilers its a great series that uses a lot of good techniques to trap the audience with good cliff hangers, a unique story, and character developement that is pretty good along side this all. They do awesome camera angles only found in better animes and have fun twisting things around making it confusing but very entertaining.
In the end you have death note, a good series and if you have people who aren't familiar with anime this is one that could get them hooked...
CORRUPTION OF THE SOUL July 28, 2009
Mike S. (Milford, MA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Death Note is unusual for a series structured on supernatural elements. I can only recommend this series if you are prepared to concentrate and think about what is happening in the storyline, which often takes devious detours that at first don't make sense but later become key in the telling of the tale. This is not a drama that you can relax and just watch, you have to be engaged in understanding the thinking of the characters or you will lose sight of what is happening. The plot is magnificent in how it dives very very deep into the mind of the main character to expose the weakness of his soul, hidden behind the cool calm exterior of a young man who "seems" to always be in control of his life. Light Yagami ( also referred to as Kira in the story ... a cover name under which he commits his crimes ...)is a brilliant but bored, distracted, dissatisfied student ( though it's not really clear... he appears to be a high school senior... ) who longs for something to make his life interesting, and to give him control over his destiny. He has a random encounter one day with a supernatural artifact called The Death Note, a rather ordinary looking notebook that seems to have simply fallen from the sky to land in the school courtyard. He picks it up, reads the instructions inside the cover that explain how the power of the Death Note is activated, and from that point on the story becomes one of Light grappling with himself over how to use the Power over life and death that has been placed in his hands. Initially he tests it, and is shocked to see that it actually works as the instructions describe, and he is startled and a little shaken at the fact that he has so easily committed murder without anyone having the slightest suspicion. From that point on this becomes a study in how absolute power can thoroughly corrupt the human soul. The message seems to be that no person was ever meant to have this sort of power and that there is no way to avoid innocent deaths in its exercise. Light grows increasingly frantic during the episodes as he tries to cover his trail and at the same time carry out the murders which, in his own mind, he has convinced himself are warranted. He becomes judge, jury and executioner of any and all who stand in his way. The introduction of "L" , the mysterious young detective who is expertly hunting "Kira" ( Light's cover name )... serves well as a foil to push Light further and further to the edge of mental breakdown. This is a sad story in many ways, watching the self destruction of a young man as he tortures himself mentally into believing that he is a God and that his sweeping murders are ordained by heaven. The climax and ending of the series is as painful and disturbing as the story buildup itself, though probably not completely unexpected. Yes, there is a definite ending to the tale, and you will know it when you see it. It involves a final heart rending and devastating confrontation between Light and "L". The series "tries" to continue on after that climax, but fails to be inspirational any further. It is very worthwhile watching the first 25 episodes, but again, be prepared to be engaged in the plot, or don't bother at all. The rewards are great if you pay attention and follow all the details of the story, you simply can not view this series in a casual manner and enjoy it very much. As for the production quality, the animation is very detailed and fluid, putting a lot of focus on the facial expressions and eyes of the characters as they go through a range of emotions, the artwork is very expressive and draws you into the perspective of the series. The opening theme music is exciting and powerful and fits the mood and pace of the series. The disks themselves functioned perfectly, I encountered no problems with the performance of the media.
- Mike S.
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