Death Note is a Japanese manga and anime series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. Eighteen year old college student, Light Yagami, finds a notebook that has seemingly fallen from the sky, and discovers that upon touching the book, he can see a Shinigami, or grim reaper. Not only can he see the Shinigami, but Light also learns that if someone writes another person's name in the book, the person will die. The reader follows Light's usage of the "Death Note" to create a world cleansed of evil, while he is tracked down by the Japanese police, notably the detective "L". The image shown is a promotional poster for the anime series produced in 2006. It displays Light, L, and the Shinigami. Through this image, Takeshi Obata uses color, contrast, symbolism, and shadows to depict the theme of judgement and its division of good and evil.

The color scheme of this photo is one of the first things that the viewer recognizes. Obata uses color in order to set the tone of the series, as well as create the contrast between the two stars of the illustration. The picture is not in black in white, but almost all of the colors are dark with the exception of a few splashes of red or blue. Other than the title written in red and white, one of the first things that the eye is drawn to is the apple to the left. The apple is red, commonly associated with anger, aggression and violence. Since he is holding a fruit, the boy on the left is essentially feeding these emotions. He is grasping the apple, meaning that he is reluctant to let go of these emotions as well. He is wearing a black shirt, which is a common color associated with darkness and evil, while the boy on the right is wearing white, commonly associated with goodness. The chair on the left is grey, while the chair on the right is red. Since the boy on the right is sitting on the chair, this can be interpreted as him overpowering his own aggression and violence, while the boy on the left could be using his anger and aggression to accomplish his goals. The shnigami's glowing yellow eyes and smiling face in the middle give an eerie feeling of being watched, which is foreshadowing for what is to come. The boy on the left has brown hair while the other has black hair. On the right, his hair is sleek and styled, while the other's hair is wilder and messier, which perhaps could be attributed to their personalities and a contrast between the two main characters. Lastly, the cross in the middle is gold. Not only is the cross a symbol of Christianity, but the color gold is associated with superiority, wisdom and wealth.  Each element to the boy's sides point to good versus evil. The viewer sees this and through the cross in the middle, can effectively judge the two as good or evil as well.

Contrast is most prominent through the placement of the two boys, directly across and upside down from one another. This implies that the two are at odds with one another. An important indicator that the juxtaposition of the two is important is the gold cross in the middle of the image dividing them. The boy on the left is wearing a dress shirt, which can insinuate that he is well put together, wealthy, or rigid. The boy on the right wears a wrinkled shirt, as well as jeans, which can give the viewer the impression that he is lazy, relaxed, or childish. Their respective postures can also contribute to this impression. On the left, the boy is sitting upright, slightly tilted to the side in his chair, almost as if he is a king on his throne, while to the right, the boy is hunched over with his legs up to his chest, which can cause the viewer to believe that he is introverted yet comfortable. Their facial expressions are important to note in analyzing the contrast. For instance, the boy on the left has an agitated and irritated expression on his face with squinted eyes. In contrast, the boy on the right has a more relaxed, yet determined expression. The two figure's eyes give one an insight to their personalities and their roles within the storyline. Their faces are alike, which can signify that perhaps the two are similar in ways other than their moral judgements. However, the relaxed expression on the boy on right's face versus the agitation on the left may mean that the boy on the right frustrates the boy on the left. The viewer can interpret this as Obata and Ohba attempting to show these two character's personalities from the expression. The contrast between the two give a similar effect as color, in that it pins the two characters against one another, therefore judging one as the good character, and the other the bad.

The image also shows symbolism most notably through the boy on the right holding an apple. This can allude to a Biblical reference of Adam and Eve's apple, which symbolizes sin. In seeing this, the viewer can interpret this as the boy on the left being tempted to sin. The cross in the middle of the picture has light surrounding it, also alluding to Christianity and the presence of God. This symbolizes God, as well as reflecting the theme of judgement, which separates good from evil. The positioning of the cross in the middle means that that morals, principles that encourage one to follow God, are what divide the two.  Additionally, the placement of the Shinigami's face behind the cross symbolizes the presence of God as well. The Shinigami is placed in the middle, shrouded by white light in an almost angelic fashion. His face does not show favor to either boy, and gives a clown-like, comical, yet unsettling expression, which gives the viewer the perception that he is mischievous and a dark figure to be feared. This can be interpreted further, the viewer coming to the conclusion that the Shinigami in the middle is toying with the two boys, and that watching them from above is a game to them. The skulls in the background are a common symbol of death, and can also symbolize the physical skulls of people, implying that many people will die during the series. The skulls are most prominently seen behind the boy on the right, which could also foreshadow death, even though he is the morally right character. This could foreshadow some event where the bad guy actually wins, which is ironic because in most instances, good trumps evil. 

Shadows are an important component in analyzing the image. Overall, the image has a shadowed quality to it, giving it a mysterious and dark vibe.  Both of the boys have shadows across their faces. This can be interpreted as both the boy on the right and left having dark sides. The amount of shadow they are given is just about equal, meaning that while they are contrasted in many ways, they are also similar. This point is also relevant in that the two share the same skin tone, have similar face shapes, and have their collarbones exposed. Shadows are perceived as boding evil, therefore it can be hypocritical to have a clear distinction of good or evil because no person can be completely good. Through the shadows, the viewer can see that the boy on the left's internal evil causes him to act out of self-interest, and while he may have good intentions, he is selfish and narcissistic at the core with a twisted moral compass, being that no man has the right to play God. The boy on the right doesn't do this, therefore allowing the deity and the viewer to judge him as the good one. 

Obata's image hardly gives any details away to the plot of the story. However, it does show a definite division between three figures through the use of colors, contrast, symbolism, and shadows that give the viewer a hint to who the protagonist and antagonist are. From this image, one can thus see Ohba and Obata's intended themes of judgement through the separation of morality and immorality. 

