▪	RELEASED BY:		MANGA ENTERTAINMENT UK
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		200
		▪	RATING:		15
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		04/28/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		04/12/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		SANDRA SCHOLES

"The human whose name is written in this note shall die."

Exceptional high school student Light Yagami sees the same news on the TV every day. Someone is stabbed to death, someone else is murdered another way and justice is not done to the perpetrators. What Light does not know is that his thoughts are being monitored by rogue Shinigami, Ryuk who by accident loses his black book called Death Note where it falls outside the classroom window as Light watches from his school.

Curious, he picks it up after class taking it home with him, he opens it to find instructions for its use, though he thinks it is a prank, like a chain-letter or something similar until he thinks about it and tests the book out by writing the name of a hostage taker who he hears about on the news. After a while he thinks the book is utter nonsense until what Light wishes for comes horribly true.

As the shock of what he has done fades, Light starts to think of all the evil people in the world he would like to see die, and fills to Death Note with them, bringing attention to himself as Ryuk shows himself, and gives him further instructions.

Yet he also comes under the watchful eye of a man known only as L who is investigating the one who has committed all these murders who calls himself Kira, and has a great following from the users on the internet as a result. And as L follows what Light does every step of the way, it becomes a dangerous battle of wits between the two of them and there can be only one loser. Will Light war with L at the cost of his very life?

Death Note is based on Tsugumi Ohba's original manga, Takeshi Obata of Hikari-No-Go, debuts in the UK on DVD for the first time and not surprisingly is considered as an anime classic. The first eight episodes will be released as a two disc set, and will be sure to become a hit on these shores too.

The concept of the Death Note is a modern day worked version of the Necronomicon idea, the only difference being that the names of the dead are not already written down. The person who retrieves the Death Note has that privilege. Light's relationship with the Shinigami (death god) is a comical one at best, as Ryuk who observes what goes on as every name is written down and he is not concerned about what might happen around him as Light embarks on his bloodthirsty campaign. The supernatural cat and mouse played out by Light and L becomes more compelling as there is always the feeling Light with get caught at some point, then Light tips the balance by tricking L again, leaving the chase still on for another episode. This is gripping stuff.

There are a few clues left out of the anime that were in the manga series that clarify a lot about Light and the Shinigami, and also about the Death Note book itself. So more is gained by also reading the novels too as they offer a different insight.

EXTRAS:
English Voice Actor Behind the Scenes Feature, Production Art Gallery, Clean Opening and Closing animations plus Bleach Trailer and DVD Credits.

IN SUMMARY:
Superb anime suspense - you wouldn't want your name in a Death Note. This is clearly set to be a UK classic!

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