Death Note Author’s New Anime is a Problematic FAILURE

Recap

Leo Hashi delivers a spoiler-heavy takedown of Platinum End, arguing that the series borrows the dark themes and elaborate moral conflicts associated with Death Note but handles them with muddled writing, thin characters, and an ending that makes the whole story feel pointless. He also warns that the show deals extensively with depression and suicide.

The story follows Mirai Kakehashi, a teenager who has endured abuse and loss and has lost his will to live. An angel, Nasse, saves him and gives him supernatural powers: wings, arrows that make people fall in love with him, and a lethal white arrow. Mirai learns that he is one of 13 candidates competing to become the next god before the current one retires. The contest quickly turns deadly, especially once the murderous candidate Metropoliman begins hunting the others.

Hashi’s central criticism is that the show raises serious questions about happiness, morality, mental health, and whether it is ever right to kill—but presents them in simplistic, black-and-white terms. Mirai’s refusal to take a life repeatedly stalls the action and, in Hashi’s view, puts other people at risk. The review also criticizes the series for treating suicidal despair as a reason someone might be chosen to govern humanity, and for giving several characters tragic backstories without developing much personality beyond their trauma.

The recap’s most frequent target is Metropoliman, whom Hashi finds cartoonishly evil and increasingly disturbing. He mocks the superhero-style names and costumes, including the prospect of a whole “Metro” team, and ridicules the story’s convenient power discoveries—such as characters apparently being the first to think of blocking one arrow with another. The show’s repeated emphasis on “happiness” becomes another running joke: Hashi says the word comes up so often it could fuel a dangerous drinking game.

One character gets much warmer treatment: terminally ill candidate Mukaido, whom Hashi calls the “goat” of the series. He has a family he wants to protect and a clear personal motivation, making him feel more nuanced than the other characters. His death is the review’s most emotionally effective moment—and, according to Hashi, the point after which the show’s writing gets even worse. He also criticizes Saki for being written largely as Mirai’s love interest, and Hajime’s abrupt devotion to her after being struck by a red arrow.

The finale is Hashi’s biggest objection. The candidates choose the suicidal teenager Shuji Nakaumi to become god. After ascending, Nakaumi sees suffering throughout the world and kills himself; as a result, god and the celestial realm disappear, and all life on Earth vanishes. Mirai and Saki die together, having found happiness as a couple. Hashi argues that this ending undermines the series’ earlier focus on protecting life and helping people find hope—and renders the entire 24-episode story pointless.

To underline the frustration, Hashi calculates that the episodes cost him roughly 8.4 hours of viewing time. His overall verdict: Platinum End tries to tackle weighty ideas but, in his view, fails to give them nuance, compelling characters, or a satisfying payoff.

Personalities Featured

• Leo Hashi — The video’s narrator and reviewer.
• Mirai Kakehashi — The main character and a god candidate.
• Nasse — Mirai’s angel.
• Saki Hanakago — Mirai’s childhood friend and fellow candidate.
• Kanade Uryu / Metropoliman — The principal antagonist.
• Nanato Mukaido — The candidate Hashi particularly praises.
• Hajime Sokotani — A candidate who becomes Metropoliman’s follower.
• Shuji Nakaumi — The teenager ultimately chosen as god.
• Gaku Yoneda — The professor who challenges the idea of a god.