[Manga] Death Note

[Imp[losion]]

Death Note

General:
Type: manga, 12 volumes
Genre: mystery, suspense, horror, drama, supernatural
Rating: M
Writer: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Takeshi Obata
Timeline: 2004-May 2006

Synopsis:

The life of Raito Yagami, eminent high-school student, makes an about-turn one day as he finds a notebook with the words "death note" written on the cover. The notebook used to belong to a shinigami (god of death) named Ryuuk. According to the instructions written inside, the owner of the notebook can use it to kill any person whose name is written inside, provided that the name is real and the writer has that person's face in mind. Skeptical at first, Raito eventually realizes the power of the Death Note is real, and decides to use it to cleanse the world of evil. However, in spite of the public's approval of the mysterious killer's acts, there are some who see this "cleansing" as a genocidal act, and the "redeemer" (whom the public refers to as "Kira") as nothing more than a serial killer. The worldwide-renowned detective L is hired to find and apprehend Kira, and thus begins a thrilling and eventful cat and mouse chase...

Art: 10/10

Tending for realism rather than the canonical anime-style, the art truly redefines "beautiful". It's probably teh only thing that catches one's attention and keeps the reader hooked until the action starts.

The characters' expressions are stunningly realistic, sometimes even frighteningly so, and the action flows smoothly from panel to panel. The timing of the action scenes borders on perfection; one can feel the intensity of that particular moment.

Story: 10/10

The quality of the artwork is met, if not surpassed by the quality of the storyline - a fast-paced, intricate plot, with twists and turns beyond a normal human's understanding, Death Note is bound to keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning 'till end. The leitmotif of the story is the difference (and sometimes striking similarity) between good and evil, and generally focuses on the nature of evil. It becomes obvious at a certain point that the criteria by which one is considered either good or evil is purely subjective, because man cannot rightly judge man.

Characters: 10/10

The characters's personalities are perfectly outlined; one can form a clear opinion on a certain character from his/her first appearance in the manga. As with the storyline, duality is the characters' main trait (the only one who seems not to abide by this is Soichiro Yagami, Raito's father). One could safely say that the main characters are both pawns and players; the relationship between Raito and L is probably the best example.

Overall: 10/10

Death Note is probably the best manga ever, from all points of view. It has gorgeous artwork, so detailed and realistic it makes your eyes water, a captivating storyline (though "captivating" is too weak a word to decribe it) and interesting characters... and it's the only manga I've read that both scared me half to death and made me laugh.

If you're looking for some good mystery/suspense story, I wholeheartedly reccomend reading Death Note. It's worth every single second of your time.

[Yugure's Goddess]

Alright. It's my first review and on probably one of my favorite mangas of all time.

Story (10/10)
Only the best. For starters, as the original poster stated, it is EXTREMELY intricate and VERY well thought out. I can only imagine how much time and thought, Tsugumi Ohba, must have put into the creation of this amazing story. Every minor plot is just- god- I can't even begin to convey the unbelievable grandieur of it all. One thing that is most obvious is the cat-and-mouse chase that erupts in the climax of the very first volume. While that may not strike one's interest, the way it is executed is quite simply and purely genius beyond anything that could be comperable to pretty much any other anime. This is NO exagerration. Every bit of the chase draws you into the manga more and more and more.

A good way to explain it would be to explain it like this. A lot of the intense scenes start with a task that must be accomplished that, when presented with all facts and details, seems literally completely and utterly impossible. And then it will snap to the perspective of some other person and when you return to the person who needed to accomplish that task it has been done and it leaves you hanging for a while thinking "how in the hell...?" And then some character will chime in something to the effect of "How did you do it?" or "That was simply amazing how you did that" and then it goes through a whole recounting of their steps with the person executing them explaining every detail (as it is usually EXTREMELY complicated) and by the end all you can do is sit and stare, mouth agape, and eyes stary (sometimes crossed) at the last few panels of the final page just drooling over the sheer genius of the execution. I often read them several times before attaining my satisfaction of just being in sheer amazment of it all and moving on in the story (note: I do this like never in any other manga or even most great mystery novels... the only standard comperable being good ol' Sherlock Holmes)

I'd also like to comment on the good/evil thing. I really like the idea. While the story at first just more or less appears, to the average reader, as just a cat and mouse game, there is also a deeper plot that develops along the way. The subplot saying a lot about good and evil and, again as stated before, demonstrates how truly subjective the matter is. It elaborates in a very cool and interesting way the idea that good and evil are abstract and open to complex interpretation only by those who truly understand, the ones commiting the good/evil, and not some one who stands and watches. Issues arise and one of the most interesting things said is something to the effect of

 

the true evil is the ability to kill rather than the actual killing

 

also as it goes, you begin to see a drastic change within just a few chapters or so in Raito's persona as he becomes less goody-goody and more sadistic. From the start he was into the killing thing only as a way to add an element of excitement to his own life but only knocks off people who do evil. As his footsteps are followed more and more closely by his persuers he begins killing innocents that are a threat to his existence rather than those who truly deserve it.

Most of the mini-plots/plans are Raito's (Light in the english version) and even though that's what gets you hung up on the manga, L's genius (which matches, if not excedes Raito's) just basically leaves the reader star-struck and grasping for their sanity.

Characters (10/10)
All of the characters are very satisfying and not as 2-D as most characters are in other animes. While characters in animes like DBZ, Naruto, etc. are still enjoyable, and well rounded and thought out, again nothing can really be said when compared to Death Note. In most other animes/mangas it just seems that the characters seem too easy to consider, so to speak. They always seem to be a perfect persona, not necessarily by any specific person's standards but more or less by the standard of the events that transpire in that anime. Vegeta will always be a snob and Naruto and Goku (and many other main anime guys) will always have a bright confident view of the world. They always seem so static and never really contradict any part of their own persona. The characters(usually the main character) usually retains some part of them that is static and, though it fits, is just unrealistic when presented with the real world- they would not stay so much the same for such a long time under the given circumstances. They always appear to be almost, fairytale (and often cliché) personalities to me or just have a flat appearence. And while normal humans can easily contradict themselves, anime characters usually don't. In the D&D players manual it states that the majority of humans are generally neutral. This is rather true but a lot of anime characters tend to be extreme in one direction or another and while each carries some contradictions, they never really seem to matter very much by the end of the series, cause they haven't really changed. Death Note does not do this.

The characters go through many changes and contradict themselves often. And going back to the subjective view of good and evil The characters are often contradicted in this way or in my favorite way, in Raito's character.

You see he is a genius from the start, a high-grade honor student that could easily outmatch pretty much everyone on this message board, in the world and most great figures in history in wit but he is also a teenager. As a teenager he carries a sense of ignorance of various details of the world including certain things that cannot be understood by reading a book which he discovers throughout the development of the manga. Also another thing that contradicts is his sense of honor and goodness that pretty much shatters for the reader very quickly but he seems to remain ignorant to. This is interesting concidering he is an honor student with the highest marks at his grade level and is basically considered the goody-goody two shoes kid that's gonna graduate and be some high-class super famous rich science kid when he gets older then - WHAM! into his lap falls the Death Note and that is turned around completely.

....eep! I'm ranting a bit too much! umm... anyway. To put it a bit more shortly (if that's a word, if not then shorter... no that doesn't quite sound right either... grrr...) What I mean to say is the characters were an amazingly well thought out aspect of this manga (like every other freakin' aspect). Throughout the manga, your feelings towards each character fluctuate a lot and as it all progresses you both love and hate nearly every character for different reasons at different times.

Art/animation (10/10)
Simply breathtaking. Want a manga? Tired of the manga art style a bit though? Read Death Note... even if you love manga style this manga truly is gorgeous. The art is a treat in it of itself. It's almost worth the read just for the amazing artwork. It's that good. My hat's off to the artist, Obata. Truly wonderful.

Overall *manages to maintain some self-control* (15/10)
If you have not gotten your hands on this manga get it NOW! It is worth it much more so than you think, my friends. (even after reading my wall of text) It truly is a fantastic read. If nothing else, you'll know how to read faster afterwards. The only drawback is the shear amount of text, when compared to most other mangas, but that is just a little overdone and all in good taste and always for a reason so it's easily ignorable since it doesn't impede the slightest on the pleasure of the entire thing. This manga is beyond perfection.

God I wrote too much...

love
dani
dude

[paige_]

ok here i go..

DEATH NOTE
manga, 12 volumes, 108 chapters

Plot/ Scenario: 9.8/10
It contains a very clever scenario, very interesting. It focuses on how the killing was done, the notebook's ability rather than the killing itself.

Art: 9.5/10
The art was very realistic. You could feel the intensity of the plot through the art itself. You could even see the change of a character's personality by just looking at the art.. You would notice he would look somewhat different than before.

Characters: 9.91/10
Each character aims for perfection, but without the other casts, perfection cannot be achieved. You'll notice that as the story goes, each character has to be really careful, one mistake and its all over.

Over-all: 9.94/10
I recommend this to anyone who loves puzzles (seriously!), any anime fan, those who loves mysteries and such. Obata would keep you on the edge of your seat with this. I know, because I sat on the edge with mine. If you don't believe me, read it for yourself.

**as you see, I made it as short as possible, because people doesn't want to read really long stuff. Tell them it's good, it's worth reading, tell them why to assure them and that's it. If it's really good, writing long stuff isn't really neccessary.

[Sakura-Kinomoto]

Plot/ Scenario: 8/10
I believe the plot is really good. it focuses on death and well it tends to be very interesting. How a book can have all the power to kill someone that was written.

Art: 7/10
very realistic and i would prefer better animation of the art

Characters: 9.1/10
the characters of the story are very good. The names and the personality of each character are so unique

Over-all: 9.5/10
Anyone will love this anime/manga. if u have seen the manga the anime is just as great.

[iloveyoux]

DEATH NOTE
manga, 12 volumes, 108 chapters

Plot/ Scenario: 10/10
Cleverly done. the plot was really good, it thickens as the story goes on.

Art: 10/10
One word ; WOW, <-- all described in this word!! : D

Characters: 9.5/10
i LOVE L so im giving a 9.5 for characters. pity *SPOILERS* not telling : D.

Over-all: 9.5/10
everything is good, music, plot, characters.. <3 watch this if you are BORED.

[Tschita]

Death Note
Plot/Scenario: 10++++/10
Best story I have ever seen!The plot of this manga is really unique.
It is very well thought out and is very exciting.
Also people who don't like animes & mangas should try this
I enjoyed every episode espaccally the last one =)

Art: 8,5/10
Actually well drawn but there are some decefits.For example sometimes Misa is pretty drawn and other times I feel the other way.
I like it when the Hair of the main charakters change color just for exemplifications

Character:8/10
There are some characters in Death Note that are a bit strange.For example Misa or Takada that are really unrealistic.
Althought L and Near are also pretty strange they are in my opion well done.
Very good characters are imo Matsuda and the police who suspected Light for being Kira the whole time Near was investigating.

Overall:10/10 Since Death Note ist without doubt the best anime I've ever seen and since the plot is the most important to me I'll give it 10 points.

[angel_of_purity]

Plot/Scenario: 10/10: I think the plot for this manga/anime is a work of genius. This is the first manga/anime that has really enthralled; i luv everything about it. Wouldn't change a thing.

Art: 8, 9: I like the art for this manga/anime. Of course some things in the series change a little, like the color of the air or even the way they look. But everyone knows that nothing is perfect. All in all the art was great.

Characters: 10/10: I love all the characters especially L. He's a very intelligent and is quick to suspect someone. He's also hilarious whenever he eats his sweets. Light Yagami to me is just a bored teenager who needed something to do, so when he found the Death Note, it was a way for him to excite himself from the every day routine. All the characters played an important role in the show, and they're all very unique.

Overall: 10/10: of course its the most intriguing manga/anime out there.

[MissChelly]

Story: 10/10 It's a very interesting thought as to if a Death Note book fell into someone's hands in reality, what would they decide to do with it and how would they overcome the challenges that go along with that new control? I also really like how it brings to surface the differing opinions between what's right and what's wrong. This series has a very awesome ability of making episodes seem like pieces of an overall, huge puzzle.

Art: 8/10 It has it's gorgeous parts, but then there's times where it looks like well, any other anime's art, really.

Characters: 11/10 haha. I find them fantastic, each one's personality shines pretty much completely through. L is intriguing with his words AND mannerisms, while Light has a personality that even though what he's doing can be seen as wrong- he's still a character you end up rooting for in some warped way. Even the lesser characters' personalities are displayed nicely for the viewer.

Overall: 10/10 It's intriguing and original. A relief from all the animes dealing with magical people being "The One" and such. This was just some ordinary guy (well, highly intellectual ordinary guy, lol) who saw the Death Note book fall onto earth.

[Minaide]

Plot/ Scenario: 7/10
The plot is good, but sometimes it's a bit lengthy..
First L, then Mello and Near..
Misa gives her Death note up, then she gets the note back, then she gives it up again and so on..
That's really frustrating.

Art: 9/10
I'm impressed about the mangaka's art. It's really good.

Characters: 9/10
Light, L, Near and Mello are really smart. It's unbelievable!
Matsuda and Misa are very funny and they make the manga nice to read.

Over-all: 8/10
It's a wonderful manga and it was a good Manga to start with (if you haven't read another one), but it's a bit lenghty and it is most of the time so serious..

[STEAMedtodeath]

Would you guys recommend the manga or anime more? Or are they pretty close to the same?

[Epitaph]

Story: 9/10
Death Note has a great, really great story up to Episode 25 or Page...57 I guess.

 

So L's death

I really liked it a lot up to that point. The idea was just...great and so totally true about humanity.
But after that episode / page (chapter). I just found it boring. That's mostly because of the characters but also because of the story which just gets...yeah, boring xD Light sitting around doing almost nothing and Near at the other hand sitting around and playing with toys. Great.
Death Note still has a lot of potential and I just tend to ignore the episodes 25 to 35 xD

Art: 9/10
Great art, really, I love it, but it's just 9/10 because many characters just look TOO similar to me (Light, Mikami, Matt, that one young Yotsuba guy...THEY LOOK THE FREAKING SAME!)

Characters: 5/10
Haha, I hate everyone except L and Ryuk (but I like these two a LOT). Well, Light is okay, although he's just that much of an example of "humanity" it hurts...like staring down at L grinning and laughing about killing Idontknowhowmany people. That's just gross, but so damn true; I bet a hell of a lot of people would be like that after about six years of killing to become a god. But I like him when he doesn't know about the DN. Mello and Near...nyaaaa, the rest I dislike. Why? They bore me, they annoy me, they pretty much anger me. Yeah, that must be it.
Mikami and Amane are the worst >>
Near is a copycat, Mello and Matt are somewhat boring and barely even have a story (especially the last), the same is with Mikami.
And characters like Matsuda who only appear to be stupid. Although what he did in the end was really great and cool ^-^

Overall: 9/10
I really liked it up to Episode 25 and it has a lot of potential for the fans to interpret whatever they want. It's one of my favorite anime/manga so far :3 It's sad that so many like Misora or Penber have to die and it's partially somewhat sad, but also really funny from time to time (maybe that's why it got a little boring after chapter 57...L was soo funny sometimes...).

To answer the question which I prefer...I think I'd choose the anime for L's german dub voice, because I love that guy for his voice acting.

[Itachi.Byakuya]

This is one of the shortest and best anime...!!