Death Note

In the messed-up world of humans, there's no shortage of brutal murders, petty thefts, and just plain senseless violence. Meanwhile, the death gods have their own dull realm - a never-changing gambling den. Life is, therefore, pretty boring - or at least, that's what the genius 17-year-old Japanese student Light Yagami and the twisted death god Ryuk both think.

To spice things up, Ryuk decides to drop his Death Note right into the human world, just for kicks. And Light stumbles upon this deadly notebook, with a real doozy rule: write someone's name in the note, and they're as good as gone. While that sounds crazy, temptation gets the better of Light, and he tries it out on a criminal. In a second, the dude's gone in a flash.

Now, with this godlike power of Death Note in his hands, Light takes on the name "Kira" to turn himself into a judge, jury, and executioner. He's all about cleansing the world of evil-doers, believing he's the hero the world needs.

But soon, the super-smart detective L is hot on Kira's trail. It's like a wild game of cat and mouse, where each move is a battle of wits between the two. The stakes are high, and there can only be one winner: dead or alive.

Release: 2006

MyAnimeList Score: 8.62/10