a preliminary note on Death Note

i'm barely halfway through Death Note, and since it's still ongoing, i'm not even sure if posting this note would do any good, but… bear with me alright?

this highly gripping series centers on a notebook (Death Note), owned by a shinigami (a death god), which confers to the holder the power to kill anyone as long as all conditions are fulfilled. it is picked up by Light Yagami, a young, exemplary overachiever who then secretly begins to wield its power on crooks and criminals. this, naturally, catches the attention of the media and police authorities. before long, people begin to call this unknown executioner "Kira".

Death Note is basically a high-stakes battle of wits between Light and L, who is essentially Light's equal (age, brains, powers of deception, tennis skills) on the other side of the fence. they match wits, setting traps (both obvious and concealed) to flush each other out — leaving the viewers hanging in breathless anticipation as the situation veers from one cliffhanger to another.

despite his formidable intellectual gifts and iron-cast nerves, there is something repulsive and creepy about Light (a classic hero/anti-hero duality). his towering ego is matched by his lack of compassion. he manipulates people without compunction and he doesn't hesitate to kill when he feels threatened. the only code (and it's a very thin line, mind you) that he has adhered to so far is his reluctance to kill innocent lives — at least those that he doesn't see as a threat.

the story gets more complicated when it becomes obvious that a second "Kira" is on the loose…