Death Note is something I’ve not witnessed before in animation. It has flair to attract adults let alone teenagers. It is highly stylized and brilliantly animated- with the characters showing incredibly diabolical expressions with eyes turning red and the hair color becoming more distinct. Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon do not compare to this level of artistry. Boy is it great to see how much animation has evolved over the years.
Anyways, it starts out with seventeen-year-old Light Yagami, a brilliant kid who finds a “death note” that can kill anyone whose name is written in it. At first, when Light flips to the first page stating a few ominous rules, he’s quite skeptical. He tosses it to the ground, and keeps walking: just like any other person would. Then with a breeze, he flips his head and looks at the book, eyes filled with a sudden mischievous curiosity. From that moment on, we instantly assume that Light’s not the good guy of this series. And indeed, he is not. Death Note involves interesting people, like the world’s greatest detective “L” who constantly feeds on sweet cakes and sugary tea. He suspects Light from the very beginning to be the guy who’s been causing all the murders. And indeed he comes very close. But the story is more complex than a simple cat-rat chase. There are Death Gods, twists, turns, and miscalculations by both Light and the other geniuses trying to nail him and the death note. It’s a hodgepodge of style and action. It’s a must-see.
Avatar has SPECTACULAR special effects- and if you don't watch it in 3D, then you are missing out. As the screen showed the surrealistic world of Pandora, I felt as though I was in some sort of utopia, with exotic plants and pretty skies (you can practically see planets caving in). To fill you in on what I'm talking about, let me give you the gist of the story:
There's basically this planet called "Pandora" that is home to a group of graceful blue natives. The humans, with all their robotic machinery and ambition to gain this special "rock" from their world, send Sam Worthington- in a native's body, to pretend to be one of their kind and influence from within. This is when the plot transforms into a Pocahantas adaptation with Worthington meeting a woman native, learning the ways of her tribe, then falling in love with her. The main difference here is the interesting fact that Worthington has two separate bodies.
Avatar is a breath of fresh air. It's nice to experience the change from a boring human platform to the gorgeous world of the natives.
The technology is AMAZING and the final battle involves not only the bows and arrows of the dexterous natives, but also the animal, the wildlife, and the network of energy surrounds all. I’ve observed through my movie viewings, the general idea of a force connecting all. In Star Wars you succinctly have, “the force” and in Avatar, you get a willow tree of some sort with branches extending everywhere… an interesting development.
Anyways, Avatar truly engages its audience in a battle between Nature and Mankind of which we can only hope that the former wins.
