Anime REVIEW: The King of Braves GaoGaiGar

The last of Sunrise’s Yuusha (or Brave) metaseries (funded by toy company Takara who moved onto Brave once Transformers had become non-profitable), GaoGaiGar is the story of a young alien boy named Mamoru – brought down to Earth by a mysterious mechanical lion. When Mamoru is eight years old, the invasion of an alien species known as the Zonderians begins. Using Zonder metal to turn humanity into machine creatures known as Zonders, the Zondarians lay waste to Japan. But the world is defended by GGG (Gutsy Geoid Guard) and Guy Shishiō – a cyborg with the ability to combine with the very same lion that brought Mamoru to Earth (named Galeon) into the mecha warrior GaiGar. Using further GaoMachines – DrillGao, GaoLiner and Stealth Gao, GaiGar can perform final fusion to become the super robot and King of Braves GaoGaiGar! As it is soon revealed that only Mamoru can purify Zonder cores back into their human state, Mamoru joins GGG in secret and slowly comes to terms not only with his new found powers – but his reason for coming to Earth and his place as the legacy of Cain.

Of course the title mech isn’t the only robot in the series – there’s a whole bunch of GGG robots defending the planet. These include the rescue vehicles HoRyu and Enryu – two brothers able to combine symmetrically into the warrior ChoRyuJin, intelligence and stealth officer Volfogg – a police car ninja who can also combine into a larger form, Mic Sounders the 13^th – an American built robot who holds a lot more than his initial ‘comic relief’ persona suggests and later FuRyu and RaiRyu – the rescue brothers’ Chinese built brothers with the ability to combine into GekiRyuJin. So as you can see there’s not only human-piloted robots on offer in GaoGaiGar – and fans of Western series such as Transformers will feel right at home here. In fact, the style of many would go on to be emulated in later Transformers series.

One thing that does need saying about GaoGaiGar is that it is a series you have to stick with to enjoy. The first story arc is comprised of almost entirely one-shot monster of the week episodes with thin strands of a continuing story-arc compiling. While these kind of episodes are expected from a robot series such as this, the sheer amount of them in succession can seem a bit much at times. But get towards the end of the arc and beyond and you really have a treat in store – the series becomes a lot more continuous, with most episodes ending on a cliffhanger and plot development and action piling on non-stop. Once this series gets truly going, you won’t want to put it down.

Speaking of action – GaoGaiGar has it in spades. Even the monster of the week episodes contain some spectacular fight sequences and has everything a hot-blooded mecha action series requires. Combining? Check. Lots of shouting and over the top attack names? Check. Great robot designs? Check. Oh, and perhaps the greatest weapon of all robot/mecha series – the Goldion hammer.

And if you think things can’t get any more ridiculous and hot blooded after that – think again, because the 8 episode sequel OVA GaoGaiGar FINAL takes what the series did and ups it yet again. It does however suffer from the inclusion of uninteresting new protagonists – who for the most part add little to the story and seem to just take away screen time from the rest of the GGG team. The new villains – the 11 soul masters, also suffer from a severe case of “godhax”, remaining nigh unbeatable (even unhurt) until the very last few minutes of FINAL. Nevertheless, in return this gives the battles to stand out even more than they did in the series, with every robot getting an excellent fight sequence in FINAL’s climax. GaoGaiGar’s ending is truly one that will make you weep manly tears and will stay with me for a long time – even Gurren Lagann could learn from this level of epic-ness.

While not perfect, GaoGaiGar is a rollercoaster of a ride that has everything anyone could ever want from a mecha/super robot series. It is essential viewing for every robot fan and highly recommendable to those who merely dabble or are looking to get into the genre. If you don’t come out of the series singing the theme tune loudly or shouting some of the more over the top phrases you can find in it – then you didn’t watch it properly.

FINAL FUSION APPROVED!

Game REVIEW: Sonic Colours (Wii)

Another year, another 3D Sonic the Hedgehog games. After so many years of disappointment (although I'll admit despite its flaws I enjoyed Sonic Heroes a lot more than I probably should have) it's a wonder I still keep coming back to Sega. But in the end, Sonic isn't just one of the great gaming icons, he's my great gaming icon - so I'll always be watching to see if he one day reclaim his former glory on home consoles (handheld is a different matter entirely - the Sonic Rush series has been nothing short of fantastic).

And if any game since Sonic & Knuckles is going to do it, it's this one.

The premise is simple - Dr Eggman/Robotnik/whatever you call him these days seemingly turned over a new leaf has opened a huge intergalactic theme park made up of several different worlds, and Sonic and Tails being, well, Sonic and Tails don't trust him and discover a plot to take over the world using a mind control beam powered by a race of aliens known as Wisps. Cue the robot smashing, ring collecting and general speediness.

So that's your plot - no additional characters, no mythical all powerful creatures and (much to my surprise and joy) no final battle involving Super Sonic. Being written by the odd combination of the writers for TV series LazyTown and Happy Tree Friends, the story gives off a feeling reminiscent to the slapstick style humour of the 90s cartoon The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and this is the style perfect for a Sonic game (about time they cracked it). This is reinforced by the addition of new voicing for the entire cast (except Dr Eggman, but then Mike Pollock has more than proven himself to be the perfect man for the job) who fit into their roles already far more comfortably than the 4kids cast ever did.

But what about the gimmick? Every 3D Sonic game has a gimmick! Well, this is true, but in this case its far less scary than its predecessors. Sonic can utilise various different wisps in order to give him different powers e.g. a yellow wisp will turn Sonic into a drill capable of burrowing underground, green wisps give him the ability to hover, cyan wisps turn him into a laser beam etc. While initially this is a bit eyebrow raising, the wisps have far less impact on the game then you'd think. While admittedly there are several occasions where they're required (especially if you want to 100% the game) and some feel like a bit out of place (hover) or more like they belong in a Mario game (cube), it is still very possible to enjoy the game solely on the merit of being Sonic. And to those of you thinking "Sonic, as a drill? Really?" is it that much of a stretch to imagine him spinning so far he can make himself into a drill on his own? He did it in the cartoon, I don't see why he can do it here. The game play is very similar to that of the daytime levels of Sonic Unleashed, improving upon them and creating a smooth blend of both 2D and 3D level sections. The controls are slightly more than 'run and jump' but still as simple as a Sonic game should be. And not a fan of motion controls? Well this game supports wiimote, nunchuck, classic controller and gamecube controller options, so there's something there to suit everyone's tastes.

At times some levels might feel short, but with 180 red rings to find this game offers quite a bit of replay value - and some of those rings are really well hidden. Upon collecting those and getting the chaos emeralds from the subsequent unlocked Sonic Simulator mini games, you are treated with the ability to play through levels as Super Sonic - a first for a 3D Sonic game. If that isn't a damn good bonus, I don't know what is.

Sega have given us so many duds in the past they were due for a winner sooner or later, and Sonic Colours is that winner. If Sonic Team continue to improve upon what they've done with this game, we could be seeing a true hedgehog revival coming our way sooner than later, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Toybox REVIEW: Revoltech SFX Rodan

....or Radon if you'd prefer. Yes, the latest in Kaiyodo's SFX (or if you're like me, Kaiju excellence) line is the star of his own 1956 movie and all around Godzilla chum. After my review of Revoltech's Mothra figure, I had to wonder what the super-articulate line could do with a giant pteranodon. I mean, much like Mothra surely the articulation would amount to head, legs and flappy wings?

Well to start I have to say this guy is a lot bigger than I was expecting. What he doesn't have in height he sure makes up for in wingspan (I didn't take a picture, but I'm looking at him now and his wingspan is just over 18 DVD cases in length....note to self: adopt that as a unit of measurement). The wings are also made out of rubbery plastic, making them a lot more light and flexible while attempting to recreate that wing-like feel. Each wing has a tiny hand attached, which is also articulated. For the rest of the body there is articulation in the feet, legs, knees, waist, neck, head and jaw.

Like Mothra, Rodan comes with a stand that's a cut above the basic clear/black ones that come with the Yamaguchi line - this time is a building (that can be transformed into a crumbling building by twisting it in the centre). Rodan can stand atop the building via inserting a rod where no rod has gone before, or the giant monster can be posed stomping through the roof (this pose involves removing the foot and pushing it into a peg hole inside the building - something that is extremely fiddly and I've not managed to actually do yet). An additional extra is a mini mid-flight Rodan, which can be attached to the mini-stand provided.

With HobbyLinkJapan's prices on Revoltech's getting cheaper, fans are starting to get a lot more for their money - and while much like Mothra I wouldn't call Rodan an essential purchase, he's certainly got a lot of character in him. He's poseable, makes a great display piece and is great for any kaiju/giant dinosaur fan. Revoltech have made great figures of the flying Kaiju, so it'll be interesting how they handle biped monsters Anguirus and Gigan - both of whom have figures due out in the coming months.

Anime REVIEW: Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

When the team behind Gurren Lagann first announced that this would be the name of their next project, along with this trailer, I'd be lying if I didn't wonder what the hell they were thinking. Gainax have always been known for taking things to the extreme, but this looked like it was that little bit too far. Nevertheless, because of the quality of Gurren Lagann and other Gainax works I planned to give this a go.

And I am so glad I did.

The plot is simple. It revolves around two angels by the names of Panty and Stocking, who were kicked out of heaven due to their behaviour and have been assigned with ridding Daten City of demonic creatures known as ghosts. They are guided by black-afro priest Garterbelt and aided by their pet/chewtoy Chuck (who is a homage to the disguised Gir from Invader Zim) and ghost hunter/geek boy Brief. Panty and Stocking's powers are as their name suggests - Panty has the ability to turn underwear into pistols (and various other weapons) while Stocking's stockings can be transformed into a pair of swords. While early episodes are mostly one-off shorts, recurring rivals soon appear in the form of demon girls Scanty and Kneesocks, and their master - the bondage loving Corset, and the bare bones of a story are revealed.

Its colourful, it's crude and it's genius. Panty & Stocking blends the art style of western cartoons such as Dexter's Lab and The Powerpuff Girls with crude humour and over the top action sequences. Ghosts range from excrement monsters to sperm monsters and the girls power up via a (tradionally styled anime) pole dancing sequence. Ghost deaths are provided by the detonation of papier mache and Gainax take a pop at Catholic priests in ways that have to be seen to believed. A kid's show this ain't.

Every episode title is a direct reference to something else - Excretion without Honour or Humanity (Battle without Honour or Humanity), Bitch Girls I & II (Bad Boys 1 & 2) but one episode takes it a lot further than that. Episode 7 part 1, entitled Transho'mers, is a fully fledged Transformers parody - completely with G1 inspired designs for the two lead characters, a whole heap of blink-or-you'll-miss-it references and a few pop shots at the live action movies. It's this kind of attention to detail that makes you wonder what a Transformers series would be like in Gainax's more than capable hands.

With a great cast of characters, fantastic (adult humour), a killer soundtrack and a cliffhanger ending that will leave you laughing, confused and eager for more , Panty & Stocking is everything you'd want from a comedy anime that differs from that norm. Gainax, you've done it again.

Anime of 2010? I'd like to think so.

Game REVIEW: Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth (DS)

Ever wondered what you get when you cross Doctor Who with a cheap imitation of Professor Layton? The answer is, unsurprisingly, an appalling game.

Evacuation Earth begins with a fairly interesting plot - The Doctor and Amy arrive in the Lake District in the far future, where the last remnants of humanity are preparing the leave the planet due to the incoming solar flares (the same ones mentioned in the season 5 episode The Beast Below) and get caught up in the evacuation due to the TARDIS going missing on-board the ship. Meanwhile the Silurians also have plans to evacuate the Earth and later some Daleks (who seem to be from the games Wii-counterpart Return to Earth) who are also in need of the Doctor's help/have their own dastardly plans. It'd be a plot that could carry an episode of the series - if it wasn't so damn short. The game is made up of a measly four chapters - the Daleks are beaten almost as soon as they turn up and the game can easily be completed in three hours (well, that's the time it took me, and I was playing it at a rather leisurely pace).

The gameplay, as I mentioned earlier, is nothing more than a cheap imitation of Level-5's Professor Layton series - so much it almost feels like plagiarism. You walk around areas, solving puzzles with give a set amount of points (which decrease every time you get the puzzle wrong). These puzzles are have three hints you can unlock spending these points and the answer is accompanied by a little 3-step animation (but instead of Layton or Luke, it's a materialising TARDIS). Of course these puzzles aren't half as engaging as the ones present in Layton - most of the time they amount to spot the difference or put some puzzle pieces back together. The only difficult puzzles are four sliding tile type ones - and they aren't even compulsory ones! Half the time the puzzles have little to do with the plot (picking out a fish for a crew member, rearranging a work rota etc.) and are really jarring to the story. Sometimes there'll be a few puzzles that feel like they belong in a Doctor Who game, such as charting a spaceship course or avoiding some patrolling Daleks, but its rather scarce. The game's main problem isn't how easy it is though, it's how poorly made it is. Controls are glitchy (things flash onto screen without pressing them, you'll press one side of the screen with the stylus and it'll select the other which makes the Sonic Screwdriver steady hand games really frustrating) and the puzzles are poorly worded (there's at least one instance where the answer doesn't match the question, therefore completely wrong, and that is downright unacceptable for a mass produced game).

To be honest I shouldn't have expected much from a game by Asylum Entertainment (responsible for games starring the likes of Peppa Pig and the Teletubbies) but I expected something at least relatively professional. Other sites have said that this game is great for younger children, but to be honest unless I was about 5 I'd feel exactly the same about this game as I do now. The only thing is game has going for it is a semi decent plot (and the cutscenes are probably up on youtube by now anyway) and some good 11th Doctor-esque dialogue. If this is this bad, I hate to see what Return to Earth is like, because apparently Evacuation Earth is a masterpiece by comparison...

My wait for a decent Doctor Who game continues.

Anime REVIEW: Dragon Ball GT

First off, I'd like to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to every reader of this blog. Hope Santa brought you everything you want and you have a great rest of the year.

Next, here I decided to review something that I'd never seen but was already close to my heart. I'm a long time fan of Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z - DBZ was pretty much what INTRODUCED me to anime. But Dragon Ball GT (which after much searching the internet I found stands for Grand Tour) was something I had never watched. I don't know whether it was because of the debated canonicity or the fact most fanboys seem to hate the series, but it had always escaped me. So now after playing Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi 2 on the wii (whose story mode featured the sagas from GT) I decided it was finally time to give this series a go. Set 5-10 years (depending on the version) after DBZ, GT sees Goku returning to life as a child after an accidental wish is made on the Black Star Dragon Balls, which are then scattered across the galaxy and must be returned in a year otherwise the Earth will explode.

Surely it couldn't be that bad could it?

Well sadly the answer was pretty much yes. However it did have a few redeeming points, so those are what I'll look at first (don't hold your breath, there really aren't many). First off I have to give my praise to the people who designed Super Saiyan 4 - it looks magnificent. I've never been the biggest fan of Super Saiyan 3, and so this feels like a vast improvement. The initial sinister edge Goku has in that form is also interesting, and would have been quite good to see played further (to make him almost power mad of sorts). Uub (who was briefly seen at the end of DBZ) is also a great character who I was happy to see developed further - it's nice to see a character who can hold their own in a fight that isn't a Saiyan. As far as villains (and the odd anti-hero) go - Nuova, Eis and Syn/Omega Shenron are also great characters.

But the biggest triumph of GT and possibly the sole reason anyone should watch it other than because of curiosity is Vegeta. GT continues the massive character development that began in DBZ and amplifies is greatly, which is surprising given that he's actually hardly in the series. His growth from the evil Saiyan prince to father and husband to eventual protector of the Earth is possibly the best writing Dragon Ball has period. Its just a shame that the majority of this development (and the most character development in the entire series) comes in a clip episode no less.

And now its time for its flaws, and there's more than a few. For a series only 64 episodes long (and seems to pride itself on having no filler) there are far too many episodes that feel like filler. Its no wonder FUNimation decided not to initially air the Black Star Dragon Ball Saga, because its horrible. Full of forgettable sagas and boring mini quests. The next saga (The Baby Saga) was the first to have a super powerful big-bad and was a step up, but despite having some good episodes it seemed to take the drawn-out fights-where-little-happen-for-episode-after-episode DBZ is infamous for to new heights. Which is hardly fair given that this saga is 23 episodes long (longer if you consider that the first saga ties into it) and the following Super 17 saga, the one with perhaps the most potential, is a mere seven episodes long.

Despite this potential though, all it really amounts to is a rushed train wreck with far too many inconsistencies (why suddenly use 17 again? Where has 17 been all this time? How did Gero/Myuu regain control?). Not only that, but it managed to turn my two favourite villains from Z, Frieza and Cell, into nothing but comic relief. On that topic, comic relief villains is something that GT really suffers from, as is further emphasised by the first 4 dragons in the final saga of the series - The Shadow Dragon Saga. The whole concept of the saga is fantastic - 7 evil dragons created through the over use of the Dragon Balls, but the whole thing felt it should have been a bit more apocalyptic given the power of the 7 dragons. Again fight sequences are drawn out where very little happens (Vegeta ascends to Super Saiyan 4 and literally does nothing, Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta is reduced to nothing but comic relief despite the epic fight sequences he potentially could have had).

But without a doubt my biggest complaint of the series is Goku. Every character is portrayed as a weakling compared to him, and the only thing Gohan, Goten and Trunks seem to be are walking batteries for him when he runs out of power. Vegeta doesn't have one fight sequence where he isn't completely trounced and nobody gets any decent fight time apart from Goku. Piccolo is brought back for the sole purpose of being killed off. I understand that Goku is the main character of the series, but with the diverse and interesting cast Dragon Ball has far more could have been done. There was also no need for Goku to remain a child for the entirety of the series, GT would have been exactly the same (arguably better) if his ascension to SS4 had broken the spell cast on him by Black Star Shenron.

But the worst thing of all is the ending. After Shenron decides to leave Earth due to overuse of the Dragon Balls, Goku decides to go with him when the possibility of training in a new place is offered. Goku leaves without a second though, giving his family a 2-second goodbye and leaving his responsibilities in the hands of others. The moral of the story - Goku may be the strongest fighter in the world, but he's a selfish person and a terrible father/husband who doesn't deserve the supportive family he has. All those family values in DBZ amount to nothing.

Ultimately, GT attempts to blend the light-hearted comedy side of Dragon Ball with the epic quests/fights of Dragon Ball Z and fails at it miserably. I'm surprised the makers of Budokai Tenkaichi 2 were able to make it look so good. If you don't like Vegeta, this isn't for you because your opinion of every other character will only be lowered.

Anime REVIEW: K-On!

Admittedly I'm writing this one a little later than I should be since I finished the series (both seasons) two weeks ago, but admittedly I've been a little busy of late and better late than never I guess.

Anyway, moving away from the usual mecha, murderous notebooks, space bounty hunters and more mecha for a while, K-ON! is a heart-warming slice of life anime revolving around the lives of a group of school girls who are members of their school's light music club. The story takes us through the girls' three years of high school, starting with the beginnings of their friendship and their attempts to stop the club being abolished (due to a lack of members), to their first live performance and the arrival of a new member and more. In some ways, think Lucky Star but swap out the geek references for musical ones - from Black Sabbath to The Who and more (and for those with a keen eye, even Krauser from Detroit Metal City pops up from time to time). Don't think the rest of the series is filled with band practice though - in fact After School Tea Time (or Houkago Tea Time if you prefer) spend more time doing what their band name suggests - which can sometimes cause quite a problem when it comes to concert time!

The first season is compromised of 13 episodes and an OVA, while the second season (entitled K-On!!) is 26 episodes long. While I felt the second season suffered slightly by containing more of the conventions and cliches of high school student animes (festivals, school trips, exam study - you know the sort), it didn't ruin it, but rather made it (much to my surprise) a far fuller experience. With personalties ranging from joker to airheaded to dedicated, the band members are all so different to each other that its sometimes hard to pick a favourite (although mine ended up being Mio if you're interested). Meanwhile the supporting cast (while small) is sometimes as strong as the lead cast itself and the music is both catchy and an enjoyable listen in and outside the series.

For those fans of school girl/high school animes and/or music, this is definitely one I recommend to check it. I almost guarantee it'll have a) melted your heart b) had you singing along c) laughing d) crying or e) doing all of the above by the end of it. The news of a movie next year is definitely one thing I was happy to hear, as this is one series that could do a follow up nicely without ruining the story (although I imagine it'll be set somewhere within the series like the last few episodes were....never mind, the more K-On! the better!)

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who New Paradigm Supreme, Eternal and Scientist Daleks

The Drone and Strategist each got their own review, but with the release of the Dalek Supreme, Eternal and Scientist happening at once (in a Dalek-only wave nonetheless) it's time to wrap up the Dalek Paradigm review in one more post. There's not a lot left to say about the figure itself, so I'll let the pictures do the talking. What I DO have to say though is that despite my reservations about the new Dalek design and claims that it was missing something both on screen and in toy form, bringing them together is what truly makes them shine. I'm guessing this is what the designers were going for when presenting them in a myriad of colours, but having a complete collection in this case really pays off. The Daleks have officially been brought into 2010, and I can't wait to see these Daleks in action in the future. Victory of the Daleks was just a teaser, I'm ready for the main event.

Oh, and about this being a wrap up? Scrap that, expect to see the stone Dalek on here sooner or later.

Game REVIEW: Epic Mickey (Wii)

Games reviews aren't something I do often. In fact, I'd go as far as saying I don't buy games very often, and when I do they're usually big franchise games like Pokemon, Zelda and Sonic. But while the game I'm about to review stars the biggest franchise character in the world, he's hardly a gaming icon. But from a mere glance at the concept art, Warren Spector's Epic Mickey became my most anticipated game in a long long time. Not even Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver were this anticipated. When you look forward to a game that much, how often does the real thing match up to expectations? Well, this game sure does.

Epic Mickey follows the adventures of Mickey Mouse as he is sucked into a world now known as the wasteland - a land for forgotten Disney characters which has now been taken over by the combined forces of Mickey villains the Phantom Blot and the Mad Doctor. Using a magic paintbrush capable to both painting and thinning people and the land around him, Mickey must team up with the wasteland's first resident Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in order to stop the Blot, save the wasteland and get home.

Before we even get to the game play, what I love about Epic Mickey the most is that is was blatantly created by huge retro-Disney fans. This game feels many ways like a sequel to the Mega Drive game Mickey Mania, in which Mickey travelled through selected cartoons from his history. Some of the characters in this game are really really really old/obscure, and that just goes to show how much effort was put into creating the game, and really captures the games themes. Running through classics like Steamboat Willy and Mickey's Mechanical Man really make me want to sit down and watch old Disney cartoons. But its not just old cartoons that are referenced here. No, the entire wasteland is based upon the Disneyland theme parks, so there's even more to enjoy. Why the other day I fought Pete dressed as a character from TRON on top of Space Mountain - and you don't think that's fantastic, then we have nothing in common.

The game also has tons of replay value - there's a mountain of side quests and of course, most importantly, the ability to play the game with different morals. You have the option to paint (befriend) or thin (destroy) your adversaries, and this affects the paths you take in the game and who'll give you quests. From what I've seen so far, being good might be the right thing to do, but being bad seems to wield a lot more hidden items....

My only gripe with the game other than dropping Mickey's 'scrapper' form (in the original concept - using too much thinner would change Mickey to look more like his very early appearances) is the dubious camera angles in some of the sequences. It's not so bad that you'll die because of them, and the game play is fluid enough to override it in most cases, but there will be moments when you just can't see what the hell is going on and have to just take a stab at it. It's not like this game has a limited amount of lives anyway.

All in all I really can't praise this game enough, it's definitely one of, if not the, best Wii game I've ever played. I can fully see why it won the best Wii game at E3 2010 (and as far as I'm concerned it beat off some stiff competition there. Disney finally has a great game again that isn't a Kingdom Hearts title. Long may it continue.

Anime REVIEW: Death Note

Death Note is undoubtedly one of the biggest animes names in the world right now. Somehow it manages to stand alongside big names such as Bleach, Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist despite being in most cases less than half the length of them. And until now I hadn't even sat down and watched it in its entirety (well, the anime anyway - I saw the two live action films a few years back). It was about time to rectify this....

Most people have heard about or watched Death Note by now so I won't go into any great detail with the plot - high school student Light Yagami finds a mysterious note book called the 'Death Note' which has the power to kill people and even manipulate the events leading up to said death. One large ego trip later and Yagami attempts to become god of a new world by killing all the people he deems 'evil' in the world. The world dubs him 'Kira' and it is soon up to the police and the mysterious L - the greatest detective in the world, to stop him. A battle of wits unfolds over 37 episodes with murder, mystery, and shinigami.

Its rare to see a series use the villain as the main protagonist (Code Geass is the only other example I can really think of) and so it certainly stands out immediately before its content is put under further scrutiny. Light is a great character, and watching his progression throughout the series up to him getting what he deserves at the end is brilliant. L is good too, however I believe that his failure to prove Light as Kira makes him not as good as his movie counterpart (comparing this is the movies isn't the best way to go as it's almost a totally different animal, but if you have watched them you'd know what I mean). Other characters such as Misa Amane and Teru Mikimi are more irritating (and in the latter's case, seemingly pulled out of the writer's hat at the last minute), but at the end of the day they're just there for Light to manipulate. And that he does well. Very well.

One of my main concerns about Death Note is its length - a 37 episodes it's a bit of a double edged sword. Events really drag on episode through episode but this is balanced out by the pay off at the end of it being so good. I understand that this is perhaps poorly worded, so I'll illustrate it a bit more. For example - once Light has relinquished his memories of the Death Note for the first time and a new Kira is discovered working for the Yotsuba company the episodes really begin to droll on with Light and L working together to catch the new Kira. However the instant Light retouches the Death Note and all his memories return it all seems worth it again. The same applies later in the series following the time-skip at a certain point in the series, however the final episodes of the series are arguably among the best. It is this problem that makes Death Note feel like a chore to watch in its entirety at times - but you carry on because you know that the pay off will always be worth it. And as my viewing of the first ReLight OVA (a shortened version of the first section of the series) proved, this isn't a series that CAN be shortened without skipping something important. I know it all needs to be there, but that doesn't make it any less boring at times.

I can't honestly say this is my favourite iteration of Death Note, I still vastly prefer the live action movies. However, this series is definitely worth the praise it gets (some may overrate it a tad, but its still a top notch series) and a great example of leading anime of our generation. Endearing characters and psychological thrills make this one that will remain a classic.