Review by Morgan Radlein

13 Reasons Why is based on the New York Times #1 Best Selling book written by Jay Asher. The novel was turned into a Netflix Original Series and was released March 31. The series had over 3.5 million social media posts the first weekend it was out.  

I personally binge watched the entire season in one day. The show is about 13 hours long, each episode lasting at least an hour. The show and book are both about a teenage girl named Hannah Baker who committed suicide but left behind 13 tapes that she recorded detailing the 13 reasons she says led her to killing herself.

The show starts with the main character, Clay Jensen, receiving the tapes on his front doorstep in an old shoe box. Throughout the entire show, Clay listens to the tapes and he finds out about Hannah Baker that he did not know before. While listening to the tapes, he realizes each tape is about one person in Hannah’s life who made her depressed and suicidal. When listening to the tapes, Clay finds a friend named Tony, who Clay later finds out, is the one who has been passing around the tapes to each person. Clay also sees how the tapes are affecting each person after he or she listened to them.

This show has become a huge hit for Netflix and has led the directors and writers of the show to making a second season that will be original since the book ends a different way than the show did. The meaning and purpose of the show has affected millions of people who are or who have gone through similar things like Hannah. Professional reviewers and mental health professionals have questioned whether or not the should not have been released to the public. Some mental health professions have speculated that those who suffer from mental illnesses could be triggered by watching this show. But the show has earned 4 ½ stars on Rotten Tomatoes and also has had a lot of positive response by the public, including mental health professionals who support the need for shows like 13 Reasons Why.

When I binge watched this show the day after it was released on Netflix, I loved the entire show. The message of the show and meaning really touched me, I heard things about the show maybe being too much for the public when it was released. I think that the actors in the show did an amazing job at capturing the feelings that this show gives out, and the directors and producers did a great job at taking the book and turning this into a hit show. Personally I thought the show was great. 13 Reasons Why can be labeled a big success, seeing all of the love the show has gotten on social media. I highly recommend watching the show and telling your friends about it as well, it has a good meaning and theme to the story that can affect anybody.