Death Note

Writer: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Shueisha
English Publisher: Viz Media
Review Type: Manga
Status: Completed
Genre: Shounen, Mystery, Supernatural Thriller
Volumes: 12
Vintage: Dec 2003-May 2006


* The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

* This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject’s face in their mind when writing his or her name. Therefore, the people sharing the same name will not be affected.

* If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject’s name, it will happen.

* If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack.

* After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.


Synopsis

Death Note is essentially a story about Light Yagami, an extremely intelligent young man who resents the growing corruption and crime rate in the world today. One day he came across a mysterious notebook with 'Death Note' written on the cover, and his life took a drastic turn as a result. Inside of the Death Note are instructions, and it claims that if a person's name is written on it, he or she will die. Naturally Light was skeptical of the Death Note's authenticity, and he subsequently proceeds to experiment with it, and it turns out that the Death Note is for real. After encountering the previous owner of said Death Note, a shinigami (death god for u noobs) named Ryuk, Light seeks to become 'the God of the New World', embarking on a mission to eradicate crime and evil, by passing his judgment on those he deems to be just that.

Soon, the increasing number in deaths of reported criminals catches the eye of the International Police Organization (IPO), and garnered interest from a mysterious detective known only as 'L'. After doing a little investigating L discovers that the person responsible for the deaths, known to the public as Kira (which is really what killer sounds like if a Japanese dude said it, honestly), is located in Japan, also concluding that Kira does not physically commit the murders, rather he has an ability to murder them without even being in their vicinity. Light quickly recognizes the huge threat L poses toward his plans, and thus a psychological game of cat and mouse begins.


Chibi's Kira Comments

It was about the time when I just returned from a long time staying away from all things otaku that the Death Note phenomenon had begun. I was certainly curious on what the hubbub is really about, since there was a movie out, a manga series, and everyone sported black notebooks with 'Death Note' on them everywhere I went. So I picked up a couple of volumes on my manga run to find out.

What can I say? Death Note is one right riveting read, indeed. The suspenseful moments coupled with the convoluted reasonings and heart pounding action is enough to tire me out after just two volumes, yet the manga is so compelling that after a short breather I was back for more. With each chapter finished I was compelled to read on to uncover the answers to the questions that just kept coming at me; will Light get caught this time? Who was that guy? How's Light gonna get out of this one? What's L gonna do next? With each pressing question comes the frantic reading to find out what had transpired.


The 12 volumes compiling the Death Note saga are split into two main story arcs. Within those arcs are minor story arcs that lasts about a volume to complete, making it relatively easy to jump in at any point of the series (although I never do this). The first main arc is essentially about the battle between Light and L, and as the IPO closes in on Light, he must find a way to use the notebook to steer attention away from him and eliminate L. In the second arc, Light is now a high ranking government officer locked in a battle with L's predecessor, threatening to expose him and his involvement with Kira.


It's the incredible art that won me over with this series. Obata-san's beautiful character designs to the beautifully detailed covers are what makes this such an enjoyable read, and coupled with Ohba-san's amazingly well written plot the combination is just too good to ignore. Light himself is not actually your typical shounen protagonist, but instead more of an evil sociopath with fascism running rampant in his mind, and despite all this he is so collected in his demeanor that rooting for him is almost second nature. L is an equally obsessive uber-nerd with a holier than thou attitude similar to Light, and they are essentially mirror images of one another except for the sides they are on. As the story moves along we are introduced to a few new characters, later on playing important roles in Light's quest.


Morality is the big issue in this series. There are instances when Light (at one point suffering from amnesia) comes off as a genuine good guy, refusing to succumb to L's methods of willing to let others die in order to obtain evidence, but resumes his role as 'the God of the New World' as his memories return. As Light's futile attempts to subvert the IPO are further exposed, it becomes obvious that Light is a pathetic Angel of Death whose mission on cleansing the world of evil is too often distracted by his megalomania.

In conclusion, Death Note in my opinion is one of the most original mangas released in recent years, and I do recommend it to anyone looking for a surprisingly fresh manga to read. An amazing thriller with an intriguing plot, coupled with the beautiful art, makes this series a must read for any otaku.



Chibi's Review



Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 5/5