Death Note

Reading Death Note was a pivotal moment in my manga journey. Before that, I had only read shounen manga, which can be fantastic in its own right. However, Death Note was the first series that introduced me to more mature themes like life, death, morality, and one's role in society. The storytelling was incredibly suspenseful and masterful, unlike anything I had ever read before.

The premise of the series is nothing short of amazing. Our hero—or antihero—is given the power over life and death through a mysterious notebook. The two main characters are unforgettable, and the story unfolds as a battle between two sides of the law, two worldviews, and two brilliant minds. The art perfectly complemented the narrative, which is all I could ask for. While the first half of the series was stronger than the latter, for me, Death Note truly ends with the resolution of the conflict between L and Light.

Death Note will always have a special place in my manga history and in my heart.

*contains spoilers*

Death Note was one of my first anime experiences, and the core dynamic between Light and L had me completely hooked throughout. However, I found the second half severely lacking to the point where I genuinely disliked it. About eight months ago, after a four-year gap since watching the anime, I decided to read the manga and re-evaluate my thoughts on Light's journey towards creating an "ideal" world. Now, having finished the series, my opinions have evolved into something much more complex than I could have imagined.

To explain my thoughts, I need to view Parts 1 and 2 as separate entities. Despite my evolving opinion, there is still a clear difference between the two for me.

Light Yagami is one of the most intriguing protagonists I've encountered in anime and manga. From the start, Light remains consistent in his ideals, philosophical viewpoints, and methods of action. By positioning himself as the God of the "New World," he establishes a level of consistency that serves as a strong foundation for the moral conflicts central to the series. Yet, his actions are never predictable, striking a perfect balance. This balance is only possible thanks to his rival, L, who is equally fascinating with his own questionable morals and drive for justice. Both characters' battle is essentially a game, leaving readers to interpret what true justice means. The ambiguity here is Death Note's specialty and what I value most from the experience.

The manga's art deserves praise too. It's hard to believe this is a product of a weekly Shounen Jump series. The Western noir/crime comic art style blends perfectly with Japanese-inspired character designs, allowing for visually expressive and unique emotional delivery. The use of shading brilliantly shows which side of Light we're seeing at any moment. The biblical imagery adds depth, making it a shame that the anime didn't emphasize it more, as it's crucial to Death Note's identity.

However, the series' ideal image becomes problematic in its execution. With heavy dialogue, the plot can feel bogged down, especially during moments like Light's memory loss period, which became tedious. This is also where cracks in L and Light's dynamic began to show.

What makes their dynamic compelling? Similar morals, lack of right/wrong answers, and a "game-like" structure. But these aspects rely heavily on conceptual understanding rather than actual story beats. While profound themes are explored, the dialogue often feels repetitive, with both characters always thinking on the same wavelength. This can make scenes feel less clever and more predictable. For instance, scenes like their tennis match initially thrilled me, but upon deeper reflection, they felt formulaic: "One character presents a challenge, and the other thinks the exact opposite." This repetition makes the writing feel unrealistic and even lazy at times.

In conclusion, while I liked Part 2 overall, it suffered from more boring segments and failed plot progressions compared to Part 1. The downfall of Light felt realistic and well-capped off, but one thing hasn't changed since my first viewing: I believe the series would have been better if it ended with L's death and Light winning. This boils down to Near and Mello's existence.

Near and Mello aren't bad characters, but they dilute the stakes established in Part 1. The battle between Light and L was epic because it was between two god-like figures. When one wins, introducing a school designed to create the next Ls undermines those stakes. Does it ruin the plot? No, but it significantly diminishes the anticipation and high stakes that made Death Note so captivating in the first place.

There's much more to discuss about Death Note, and despite my critiques, I can't deny the enjoyment I got from the series. Some critiques might change in the future, but I'm disappointed by the lost potential due to Near and Mello's inclusion. At least Ryuk remains a pretty cool character.

I still haven't finished Death Note, but from what I've read so far, I'm enjoying it! The characters are very interesting, though the constant battle of wits can sometimes get a bit monotonous. If you enjoy crime mysteries and occasionally dabble in the fantasy genre, I'm sure you'll appreciate this manga. As far as I know, the fandom isn't as intense as some others. If you're looking for a manga and anime with an active and bustling community, Death Note might not be the best choice, as it ended almost 20 years ago and most of its fandom has since dispersed.

As a modern classic that also helped me get into the medium of manga and anime, I hold Death Note in warm regard. This naturally led to me deciding to reread the entire manga when I got back into said mediums two or so years ago by purchasing the Black Editions. While I still enjoyed myself, I found myself developing new opinions and feelings regarding this title.

[Story - 7]

In case you don't know what this manga is about, here's the elevator pitch: A high-school kid finds a notebook that can kill people, and decides to become a god with it. From there, he is drawn into a world of psychological games and plans upon plans.

Now, if that doesn't quite hook you in... that's okay! I now understand why it might not appeal to some people: whether it reeks of pretension (to a point), seems to prioritize plot over character (which can be argued both for and against), or any other reason. However, I feel that its core being the 'games' that Light, our protagonist, both initiates and participates in is a huge strength for the title. Even if it does come at the cost of some characterization, it's still riveting to read along and try to anticipate (or foresee, if it's a reread) how these events will play out.

Because of this focus on thriller elements, Death Note has pretty good pacing. For Part I (L), it's all tightly woven together to build towards that shockingly divisive climax we all know. Even the 'breather' scenes serve to build, as they are either ruminations on the themes or developing the relationships between everyone involved. Part II (Near/Mello) is a bit weaker than I would have liked to remember; It has a tendency to get wrapped up in the inner workings of characters' minds, along with the plans these characters develop and partake in, but it still succeeds in developing the tension towards that epic finale despite said deviations.

Thematically, Death Note is actually holding up pretty well. As someone who is going through a coming-of-age phase, it was interesting to see an extremely warped version of this appear in the title through Light, Near, and Mello. I don't mean that in a literal sense (though a corruption of one can be seen), but in a sense of one's moral compass and definitions of what 'justice' & 'crimes' are. While it's a bit heavy-handed at times, the discussions of how morality is perceived by society, both at large and by certain factions within it such as the media and law enforcement, held in these 108 chapters are worth reading. Outside of the core theme of 'moral relativity', I believe there isn't a lot to be said in Death Note. Any other themes people may find, such as mob mentalities or the ethics about the death penalty, ultimately tie back into this one.

[Art - 10]

I'm gonna be honest, I still love Obata as a mangaka. I just can't bring myself to nitpick on his work, which is OH so beautifully rendered in a 'gothic urban fantasy' art style. His choice in wardrobe for every human (Light's honor student apparel, L's slob savant look), the gorgeous otherworldly designs of the Shinigami, the tantalizing realism of the settings, the simplicity & clarity in the action, and even the very faces + bodies of the characters all tie together to perfectly portray just what is going on. It gets even better when Ohba crosses over into the mental ruminations and monologues of certain characters, with brilliant symbolism and an even more distant feeling in how it's rendered.

TL;DR If you're going to read it for one reason, read it for the art.

[Character - 7]

This is probably the one aspect of the manga that I have the most different emotions about compared to my first foray. It's still pretty solid, but I can see some of the cracks start to show.

I'll try to keep the positives short since everybody and their mother has sung praises about it: Light Yagami's transformation from a diligent, yet bored, student to the maniacal, yet arrogant, Kira is so fascinating to see no matter how many times you go through it. It's especially helpful that you're shown every step he takes towards reaching this persona, and the steps he takes following this apex. L is the perfect foil for Light: While he's quite the match for him, and possibly the only person who could be, he's outright ambiguous about what he has in store. This moral ambiguity in our designated antagonist greatly helps depict the core theme of Grey vs. Gray Morality. While a lot of people might not like them, Near, Mello, Misa, and Mikami serve as both great foils for L/Light AND as people who genuinely contribute to the themes and plot occurring. Near, in particular, is somebody I adore; In my honest opinion, he's not just an 'L expy', as some may decry, but a deconstruction of what L WAS when it came to certain traits such as his ambivalence towards people and general moral ambiguity (shared with Mello). Couple this with sprinklings of originality such as an absurd fixation with toys reflecting a state of boredom (and innate youth) and a similarly disheveled appearance, and you have one of my favorite characters in the whole medium.

However, with these positives, I've found that I have certain issues with how people are written here. For starters: While I don't quite demand that EVERYBODY be reasonably fleshed out, I would have liked to see more development for supporting characters that AREN'T Soichiro or Matsuda. I do recall a few minor characters receiving some, such as Aizawa and certain Yotsuba members, but they usually don't get a lot. I attribute this to the focus on our core cast and the games they play, but I would have liked to see some peripheral development to see how the plot and themes might impact people outside of this inner circle of sorts.

Another issue I have is rather spoilery, so I'll have to be rather vague: Light's actions in the endgame. It just seems odd that he wouldn't have accounted for such twists to have occurred, even if he was enveloped in the hubris he would have inevitably developed. Speaking with the perspective of Matsuda’s theory in the final chapter to be at least partially true, it's especially baffling when you consider that he was able to still contact Mikami preceding the series of events that kickstart the endgame. I'm still okay with how the finale turned out in terms of dramatic appeal, but it gets frustrating to dwell on when you start to think about the logic behind how it arrived at that point.

More issues that I have, but are more nitpicky, are: Misa's apparent lack of growth even taking her comedic value into account + her actions in the endgame, Mello somehow not predicting how /THAT/ would have happened, and a lack of insight save for one great chapter into Mikami’s POV.

[Enjoyment/Overall - 8]

To restate the opening lines, it was still enjoyable to go through this modern manga classic again after so many years of not engaging with it and having matured a bit more. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone, whether they be a newbie to animanga, an experienced consumer who hasn't touched it somehow, or even a veteran who has gone through it once or twice. I guarantee you'll find something new to think about because of it, whether or not you like it all that much.

Hauntingly intricate and beautifully suspenseful.

I absolutely loved this manga. From the quirky characters to the terrifying Shinigami, every moment was captivating. The part where (SPOILERS!) L died was so shocking yet melancholic that I had to stand up and take a break to breathe.

In my mind, I wondered, "Maybe if the circumstances were different, L and Light would have been good friends." That thought lingered throughout my reading, making me sadder the more I pondered it. Perhaps Light considered being friends with L for just a fleeting moment, but clearly, that never happened.

The ending of Death Note was gut-wrenching. When Ryuk wrote Light's name—or should I say, Kira's name—in the Death Note, it was another shocking moment. It felt like a punch to the face; Kira was really going to die. I refer to him as Kira because there was no redemption for Light; he became a victim to the Death Note and had to pay the price. Light had his entire future ahead of him, but this one thing ruined it all.

No matter how smart you think you are, you can never escape your sins—the result of that is death.

Usually, I tend to give 10s in the enjoyment category, but even I must admit that after volume 7, I didn't enjoy Death Note as much. Volumes 1-7 are a masterpiece of clever, engaging, and intense writing. After that, the story starts to falter. However, it's worth noting that the ending is actually quite solid. While it may remain divisive, it provided closure for the characters and didn't leave a bitter taste in my mouth, which I appreciate.

Another strong point of Death Note is its excellent character development. Yes, some characters are not as well-developed as others, but they all feel somewhat realistic and believable. The strong characterization makes the characters seem like real people. As for the art, I have to admit it wasn't bad. It was as good as it needed to be. While the art may never blow your mind with intricate details, it looks very clean and serves its purpose well as a backdrop. There isn't a single panel that I would personally complain about being poorly drawn.

If I have to talk about the story, it's really good; however, the part of the story with the tightest writing remains volumes 1-7. Beyond that, you can start to notice plot holes. Overall, I'd give this series an 8, but that doesn't mean I don't love it. Even with its flaws, I will stand by it being easily one of the best Shonen series out there, one that I do come back to from time to time.

This manga caters to edgelords. Although it starts off strong, which I genuinely appreciate, the rest of the story becomes quite predictable. It feels like reading a high school essay that has a great hook but then falls apart into nonsense. I'm embarrassed to recommend it because of its misanthropic tone. Sure, it's better than watching TV, but that's not exactly a high standard.

The main character often comes off as weak and cornered whenever he interacts with the police, making him appear pathetic. There's a scene where the hero says he was "never so embarrassed in his life" after the school graduation, which perfectly encapsulates my feelings about him.

Without a doubt, this is the best anime I've ever watched. Its art style surpasses that of Code Geass, and its story is equally impressive, making it my favorite anime. I highly recommend it as it remains captivating even today. However, be aware that the second season slows down a bit, though the manga doesn't suffer from the same issue. I haven't been this captivated by an anime in years, and nothing in the past three years has come close, not even Attack on Titan. I still rewatch it occasionally and must say that the show holds up remarkably well.

Death Note begins with an ordinary but brilliant student, Light Yagami, who often sits in class staring out the window. One day, he notices something falling and decides to investigate after class. To his surprise, it's the Death Note! This is essentially a tool used by Shinigami (death reapers) to kill anyone whose name is written in it. At first, Light thinks it's just a prank or joke, as anyone would. However, he soon tests it out and starts getting ideas. He decides to use the notebook to eliminate more and more people, aiming to become the world's justice, making it a better place for good people.

As expected, the authorities don't see eye to eye with Light's methods and deploy all their resources to catch him. Throughout the series, there's always this intense feeling of "Oh my god, how is this going to end?" Light constantly surprises you with his clever tactics, creating a thrilling roller coaster ride from start to finish. It's one of the most popular series of all time, and for good reason.

What can I say? The immense popularity of Death Note is completely justified. Its story is magnificent, filled with twists and turns that leave you speechless. The brilliance on display is unparalleled, and the characters feel real, each with their own unique traits that make them easily distinguishable by the end. The art style is excellent, and the pacing of the story is superb, delivering one surprising plot twist after another. Death Note is a timeless manga, truly outstanding.

I highly recommend this manga, as you can tell from my review. However, it still doesn't quite reach the level of Nozoki Ana, which will always hold a special place in my heart.