My good friend John gave me and the hubby the full collection of the excellent Japanese anime, Death Note, in Japanese with English subtitles. I haven't read the manga, but the anime is so well-done -- I'm addicted! These little gems are beautifully rendered, classic cat and mouse game vignettes, punctuated with the Japanese obsession with oddball, preternaturally intelligent, ennui-inflicted teenagers and crazy ancient gods.












And of course, there are the requisite ubiquitous J-pop anthems by bands with names like Maximum the Hormone. Righteous!

Check out the trailers on the official website, see some bits of English dubbed episodes on Adult Swim, or you know, get it how you can. Highly recommended!