The death note series is hands down the best manga/comic i have ever read. If you are buying the first volume right now you may as well buy the second so that there's no wait in between readings while you wait for the next volume to arrive...you won't wanna put this down. Not only is it a GREAT concept and story, but the execution was flawless. Not once did I have any idea as to what the main characters were going to do. I was pleasantly surprised at each turn. The onyl problem with the book is that b/c its a manga title people won't take a serious look at it. If I have to tell my local comic shop owner to buy/read the book one more time i am going to scream!!lol

PS - The art is phenomenal as well.This book is as perfect as it gets.

I'm not a huge manga reader, mostly because the expense of buying volume after volume can add up pretty quickly. However, Deathnote is worth the money. The art is great and the story is like watching an intricate chess match between two brilliant opponents. I read these a bit more slowly than other manga novels because I have to stop and think about the logical twists and turns. I'm up to volume 5, and I haven't tired of this series yet!

This is a Manga thriller of a top notch high school student who finds a notebook called a Death Note. It belongs to a god who picks humans for death. The god is bored and wants to entertain himself with a human, the human thinks its a great idea to play god and kill criminals. Kind of a Manga Dexter, if you ask me. Pretty interesting and I was absorbed by the 1st issue. I will be reading more of it.

Unlike anime heavy weights such as; Bleach, Naruto, Inuyasha, and Full Metal Alchemist, Death Note brought something new to the table. Instead of big swords, too much hair gel, and busty women, Death Note has a entirely never done before story; which makes it so appealing. It has almost a Gothic feel to it that's addicting like chocolate.... (don't mind the bad comparison....!)

Death Note revolves around Seventeen year old Light Yagami; a genius, tennis star, and heartthrob. One fateful day, Light happens to pick up a black notebook off of the ground bearing the words; Death Note. Upon further inspection, Light learns that if you write a person's name in the Death Note while thinking of their face, you can kill them. Now Light, an aspiring Police/Detective officer puts away the Death Note and doesn't even think about it. Until he happens to witness a young girl being attacked by grimy men. He quickly writes the guys name, and sure enough he dies. Light is shocked, how could something like this really be true? It is true however, as Light gets an unexpected greeting by the owner of the Death Note, Ryuk, who happens to be a Shinigami. (Think something like a Grim Reaper.) Ryuk tells Light he can kill anyone, provided he follows the rules. So here history is made, as Light decides to kill of all criminals and 'evil.' He will become the God of the new world. Light dons the name 'Kira' (derived from Killer) and starts off killing criminals.

But all is not well in Light's world. The Police have noticed all of the mysterious deaths, and have now vowed to get this Kira; including the world's best detective, known simply as; L.
Will Light carry out his goal for complete dominance over the world? Or will the world's best detective, L, stop him? Your going to have to either A) Watch the Anime or B) Read the Manga.

Characterization has never been better in a Anime or Manga then it has been in Death Note. Light Yagami is characterized as an arrogant, greedy, devilishly intelligent young man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. You'll love to hate Light, and find later in the series how evil and maddening his character is.

L, the world's best detective, remains enigmatic for much of the first part of the series. But once his grand entrance is staged, you'll see truly grand character development.

Animation is certainly gorgeous, with a Gothic element that's hard to resist. You'll have a hard time not to drool over Light or even L later on. (Who doesn't love the fact they both don't wear hair gel....!) There's something about the stunning visuals that'll suck you right in, and certainly draw you into the world of Death Note.

So go ahead, try something new. There certainly aren't any; Big Swords, Hair Gel, Busty Women, or over the top Gore, but that makes Death Note even the more satisfying. It's new and fresh, and something that's never been done before. I'm glad I watched Death Note, (and I almost didn't!) and now I'm completely obsessed.

Didn't Parents always used to say, trying something new is good for you?

I just started reading Manga earlier this year,I've read Naruto,Mars and Death Note. This is the most amazing one I have read and the plot is mind-boggling.I love reading it everyday and enjoy the tv show also. In my opinion this is the best manga ever :)

I am not a rabid Japanophile. I like Japanese video games, sure, but manga and anime simply do not appeal to me; anime because I'm not a big fan of the style, and feel that many popular animes, both TV series and movies, get far more praise than they deserve; manga because I'm not a comic book person in general. A few months ago I got the first volume of Death Note from Netflix on a whim and I was instantly hooked. Seeing as how the anime was going to take me until spring of next year to watch on DVD, I decided to restart with the manga. I bought all twelve in quick succession and read them over a couple weeks. I'll try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, and only give the basics of the first arc and nothing from the second arc.

The first main arc, which starts here and concludes in Volume 7, begins with Light Yagami, a Japanese genius high school student with an enormous god complex just waiting to come out, finding the Death Note, a notebook with the ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages; the notebook having been dropped by the bored Shinigami (read: Grim Reaper) Ryuk. Light begins killing all of the world's major criminals and becomes known as Kira, obviously Engrish for "killer." This draws the attention of INTERPOL, who puts the world's greatest detective, a man known simply as L, on the case. What follows for the next few volumes before a dramatic plot twist is a game of cat and mouse between Light/Kira and L, all with Ryuk snickering in the background. It's a very compelling story that is told extremely well, and I thoroughly enjoyed it to its conclusion. I won't go into any more details here, as I don't want to spoil the series for the reader. If you're looking to get a good start, buy Vols. 1-4; they comprise around half of the first main arc and all but the very end of the first sub-arc. Vols. 5-7 go into the second sub-arc of the first main arc, and conclude Death Note's first act in an extremely compelling manner.

The best thing about Death Note is its characters, particularly Light and L. It's interesting to see how quickly Light snaps and goes from merely wanting to have justice in the world to creating a plan for a new world where he acts as God. L is, well, L. I don't want to spoil that for you, either.

The second arc of the series, which I won't go into here, is very good, but not quite as compelling as the first. It, too, is broken into two sub-arcs, with sub-arc 1 in Vols. 8-9 and sub-arc 2, which leads the series to a generally satisfying conclusion, in Vols. 10-12.

As far as the art goes, I was surprised. As I said, I am not a fan of the anime/manga style, but I found Obata's art to be almost as captivating as Ohba's plot. There are unfortunately a couple of characters who look exactly like Light, but with glasses, but unlike many series, where if everyone was given the same hair and coloring, they'd look exactly alike, Death Note's characters are all unique-looking and interesting in their own way, and until the extremely feminine young man Mello and white-haired 19-year-old Near are introduced, believable in appearance. The Shinigami are even better than the human characters, with quite a number of odd designs in use.

I highly recommend purchasing all twelve volumes; you won't regret it. All 12 main volumes of the series are on sale at Amazon for $8 each with every fourth book free, so you could get all 12 220-page books for $72. It's well worth it. Though not the best story ever written by any means, Death Note takes Sleuth's cat-and-mouse game, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's supernatural elements and focus on the psychological (though Death Note's psychological issues are mostly different from Buffy's, and far less hidden), and CSI's, well, investigation, and wraps them up into a great story that will leave you breathless, from Chapter 1: Boredom to Chapter 108: Finis. Five stars.

And a note to parents: the series contains many dark themes, far less on-screen graphic violence than a series intended at younger viewers like Dragon Ball Z, and a bit of non-explicit cartoon nudity, as one of the female characters is viewed nude from behind in a foggy room in one panel of Vol. 9. The series also states as fact things in its universe that go outright against Christianity, Islam, and many other religions. In short, it's not for the closed-minded. Take it as it is, as a piece of fiction, and enjoy it with an open mind. Granted, these are fictional, not intended to be fact, but some may still find it offensive. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone younger than 13, and they should be a mature 13-year-old at that, not like the 12-year-olds in Alabama who were suspended from their school for writing other students' names in their fake Death Notes.

When I first received a copy of volume 1 from the library (after reading reviews on [...]), I was hesitant to read it, because I thought Ryuku (on cover) looked so disturbing. I flipped through and thought, 'no way will I enjoy this -- he's too creepy and the art is not he typical "anime style" that I am used to.' So I decided to give it 3 chapters -- could not put it down. Was so engrossed I just kept going. Bypassed the library entirely and ordered the first four volumes on amazon.com.

I have been trying for years to get my husband as into anime as I am. I'm an old-school anime/manga fan, and am now absolutely thrilled to pass my love for it onto my kids. Anyway, I told him, "Honey, you HAVE to read this." He looked at it, thought it looked bizarre and started to hand it back to me. "No, you HAVE to read it. Just give it 3 chapters, and I guarantee you'll be hooked." He was. We're now toting the tankoban all over with us...while we're waiting during kids' dance or martial arts lessons. I am a firm believer in: if you love something as a kid (manga, video games, whatever), there's absolutely no reason you should give it up as an adult.

I am amazed at the unique quality of both the story and the illustrations. It is such a thrilling book of cat and mouse and one-upmanship. I have rarely been so engrossed. The Shinigami are a tad disturbing-looking, but they have a friendly sort of quality about them that makes them almost sweet.

I am actually going to pass these books onto my parents and let them read. I've let my father-in-law read "Maus" and he really enjoyed it...so now I think the family is ready for manga. Back in the early 90s, there was so little translated manga/anime out there. Today, there is just a plethora of titles available, and I'm thrilled.

If you have any doubts, or you're curious, give this title a read. It's really stellar.

In one word, Death Note is "beautiful." It keeps you thinking and waiting in anticipation for the next volume, not to mention obsess over at least one of the characters, if not the Death Note series itself...

Light Yagami is bored out of his mind with everyday high-school life. Luckily (or should that be unluckily?)for him, he finds the Death Note, a supernatural notebook that kills the human whose name is written down in it. After a few tests, Light discovers that the deaths caused by the notebook are real, and he decides to help his fellow humans by killing off criminals of every kind, leaving hard-working, kind people to populate the world with him as their God of Justice.

A mere five days after he starts his mission, Ryuk, the Death God ("shinigami") who dropped the notebook onto Earth out of sheer boredom, visits Light and explains that he has to follow Light around until either Light or the Death Note is destroyed. Soon after Ryuk's appearance (Ryuk DID say that Death Gods bring bad luck and sorrow to the owner of a Death Note), the world's police forces send a mysterious detective by the name of "L" to begin tracking down the serial killer responsible for the many recent deaths of criminals. Light, now nicknamed "Kira" on the internet by the public, is now, in turn, tracking down L to accomplish his goal of becoming the God of the new world.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend this series for ANY anime/manga fan out there. I watched the whole series, both movies, and read the entire manga series, and every one of them is amazing. There is no other series that compares to it! It's simply...

Beautiful...

Have you ever watched TV and wanted or wished to be able to just end the terror of people like Osama bin Laden? Ever wonder what it would be like to control the life or death of the people who needlessly kill and fill our world with such smut and destruction? Most people have wondered and daydreamed about this; others daydream about being those despicable people that we see in society today.

People discuss whether these actions would be right or wrong on college campuses, in churches, and in smaller social groups or even just among friends. The question has permeated for years and has dominated the minds and imaginations of hundreds or even thousands of youth in all societies and in all ages. Cops and Robbers anyone?

Well Deathnote puts a new spin on these ideals and these thought processes that we so commonly pass through. The story starts out simply enough following the life of a top student in Japan, Light Yagami. He is a brilliant student, number one in the country in fact, but he is bored and thinks the world needs a `cleansing' of all the filth in the world.

While returning from school one afternoon he finds a small black notebook on the ground that seems to have fallen from the sky and out of curiosity he examines it. After seeing the title of "Deathnote" and looking inside and seeing it written in English he makes some remarks about the sick people of the world and stuffs it into his backpack. He is later almost compelled to read the deathnote and thus begins his journey.

The Deathnote is a book that gives the previous mentioned power to the owner thereof. The possessor of the book can write any person's name in the world while, thinking of their face, and said person will die in the prescribed way, or if no way is prescribed the person will die of a heart attack. This book is everything that Light could want and he decides to begin his quest to rid the world of its filth.

Through the course of the book, Light meets Ryuk, the former owner of the Deathnote. Ryuk, a Shinigami (a Death God, to Americans Grim Reaper might be easier to understand), explains the mere basics to Light and observes Light's quest, never helping nor hindering. He explains to Light early on that he is just bored, nothing more, nothing less.

As Light kills more and more big name criminals he catches the eye of Interpol, who assign the case to the `fabled' "L," the world's greatest detective. Thus begins the battle of wits with many people being caught in the crossfire of their battle. L is trying to stop Light, while Light is killing all the criminals he can in different and unique ways, while at the same time trying to kill the FBI agents who have since been assigned to follow him.

As I said, the book is an interesting read that offers more than a few questions regarding right and wrong, moral and immoral. I highly recommend this series.

This series is the best manga I have ever read and maybe the best book that I have read. So far I have read the first four volums and yes it is dark but thers no nudity so if your 13 or so you should really enjoy this book because it not just your usual action manga its a deep story line with lots of twists.And instid of being able to finish it in a half hour like your usual action manga it accually takes a while to read and you will find yourself reading it a seacond time just to see if you can get more out of it. Botom line is if your over 13 and like manga your should definitely read it.

An interesting premise, with non cheesy artwork, which was very pleasing. Supernaturally enabled wunderkind becomes sociopathic vigilante vs possibly also socipathic shut-in young Nero Wolfe type (in habit, not size), at the core. Well worth a look, even if you couldn't care for manga at all.

In Book one, Light Yagami is bored of the world and is disgusted at what he sees, until he finds the Death Note that seemed to have fallen from the sky. At first, he picks it up and scoffs at the idea that the Note is all too real and pockets it for later. Soon, his curiosity is aroused and he tries the Death Note out. After the death of two men, he is convinced that the Death Note really works, and he plans to use it to clean out the earth. Of course, after a visit from the Shinigami Rem, who is the owner of the Note, Light is still convinced that he can come up on top, despite Rem's pessimistic and clever comments. Rem is on neither side of the battle between Light, and super sleuth detective known as 'L', who is slowly catching onto Light's heels. Rem is more of the innocent standby who casually watches the battle to the bitter end.

This manga does get a lot of publicity now, and a lot of negative comments since in every volume it's packed with the same senario: Light is being probed at and he finds a clever way to escape, repeat, repeat. While it seems tedious, it never actually makes you want to simply put the book down. You have to keep reading, if only to see how this sucker ends. And it's off to a good start, and hopefully, to a good finish.

Writer Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, the artist of the award-winning manga series "Hikaru No Go," have teamed up to bring something radically different to both the "Shonen Jump" manga anthology and the reading table: "Death Note." Ryuk, a Shinigami death god, is bored. To shake things up, he drops his notebook in the human world for someone to find. Light Yagami, a straight-A student, is bored. He finds Ryuk's notebook and discovers its secret-the person whose name is written in the book dies. With this newfound power in hand, Light takes it upon himself to rid the world of evil. And the world comes to know this modern-day angel of death as "Kira." Baffled by the rising death toll, the authorities enlist the help of L, a reclusive super-sleuth who's already hot on Kira's trail. And Ryuk, bound to the human world and linked to Light by the Death Note, gets a front-row seat to an all-out battle of wits in which the first guy to be exposed dies.

Truly an original concept, "Death Note" manages to captivate its audience by adding a mythological element to the real world, as opposed to the stereotypical superheroes and cataclysmic battles of other manga. For lovers of thought-provoking stories, Ohba's story not only raises many moral and ethical questions (e.g.: Is it always wrong to kill someone? Can good truly exist without evil?), but he gives his characters, particularly Light, their own answers rather than color everything in black and white-the way Obata does! Speaking of whom, his use of realistic imagery and detail, blended with his take on Japanese mythology, remains a head above the rest.

The one problem with this title, however, is its tendency to recite the rules of the Death Note throughout the book, which is more than enough for anyone to memorize. Also, between each chapter is a summary of new rules Light discovers while testing the limits of the Death Note. While VIZ Media's translation of the original dialogue is a job well done, there are fansubbed versions that are more dramatic and to the point. Yet another setback is how much of the dialogue is squeezed into word bubbles, literally leaving room for improvement. But these issues are not of serious consequence to the reader's experience, which depends more on his/her liking of suspense and the supernatural. So if you're feeling bored, go read a book-this book.

This comic is rated T+ for Older Teen: Adult Situations.

this was the first graphic navel i read and i absolutltly loved it.
light is a a's high school student and find the death note a meet ryuk and he plan to make the world a better place by killing off all the people who have killed injurd or did something wrong.
im a 14 year old girl and im more of a death person.
would not recomend for kids under 13. but if you like death this is a great book for you.

Not good, made a mistake getting anything Shonen Jump. Learning is a process.

This is the BEST manga EVER no kid. But if you're under the age of 13 ask your parents to read it. THIS MANGA IS FREAKEN AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Death Note" gets five stars, but maybe not for the reasons you think. It is a remarkably popular manga and anime, stylish, carefully plotted, elegantly composed, and very skillful. I imagine that by now most readers know that Light Yagami, the brilliant but bored young hero, finds a "Death Note," a notebook deliberately dropped on Earth by Ryuk, a Shinigami (literally, "god of death"), that gives Light the ability to kill anyone he wants. Light's murderous escapades - he kills criminals to make the Earth a better place - are opposed by the equally brilliant young detective L. Light and L play a long-lasting and very elaborate game of hide-and-seek, each trying to out-think and out-plot the other as L closes in on Kira, the name the media has given to the killer.

The conflict between Light and L is highly stylized, even to the point of being quite unrealistic. For example, it is hard to imagine that any government would let a 20-something detective like L alone handle a case of such national and international significance; the death notebook provides its possessor with power beyond a flotilla of nuclear missiles, but the military is never interested and mounts no investigations of Kira. Well, not likely. Instead, L and Light play a game reminiscent of Go, the Japanese board game ("Death Note" illustrator Takeshi Obata also illustrated "Hikaru no Go," about an immortal Go player). So the reader observes not for moments of truth, but in a nearly abstract appreciation of strategy of the two players. Enjoying "Death Note" therefore means a hefty dose of willing suspension of disbelief.

In parallel to Light and L's intricate competition is the story of Light and Misa, a young woman who has her own death notebook and protective shinigami. Misa too is a killer, but her relationship to Light is far from simple. Here we reach one of the most striking features of the story.

I've read many comments about "Death Note," and most merely say that Misa is madly in love with Light and virtually worships and obeys him, while he uses her with cold-blooded calculation. This view reminds me of L's thinking as he tries to evaluate Light's relationship to Misa: he believes (although without legally acceptable proof) that Light is Kira, and therefore treats Misa as a mere auxiliary or tool of Light/Kira's Machiavellian schemes. But, of the two, Misa is far deadlier and far more dangerous than Light: to underestimate HER is a fatal mistake. Nonetheless, to young male readers, Misa is what she pretends to be - a pretty girl in love, an empty-headed doormat for the real players. Yet, in the first story-arc, it will be *Misa's* plans and hopes that come to fruition, and Light will do what *she* wants.

Thus, two games are being played in "Death Note." One, between Light and L, seems to be the main game, of whether or not L can prove that Light is the killer. The intricacy of this "police procedural" story is surely impressive. But the second game is more interesting. It is between the reader and Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, writer and artist respectively. In the first game, we the readers know from the very first episode that Light is the killer, allowing us the deluding luxury of thinking that we can sit back and watch a game we know the answer to. But the second game involves Misa. In that game, Ohba and Obata are at pains to provide very few clues to us, the readers, about Misa and her personality, and *especially* about her relationship to her own shinigami, Remu. If you can read through Volume 7 (the denouement of the L-versus-Light game) and honestly say you knew all along what Misa's role was - well, then you have penetrated into the inner workings of the first story-arc of "Death Note."

So beware. The first game - between Light and L - is placed before us in obvious procedural clarity. The second game - between the authors and us about Misa - is played without the authors ever tipping their hand to us. So read it and fall for all the misleading clues Ohba and Obata have provided about Misa. Then you can say, "You know, that was *very* clever. I really didn't guess how it would end." And that's why it gets five stars. 'Fraid I can't be more explicit than that, fellas; otherwise, it'd spoil all your fun!

And if you like Misa, you'll enjoy "Anne Freaks," "Lady Snowblood," "Murder Princess," and the anime "Noir."

It all begins here, in the first volume of one of the most fantastic manga stories I have ever read. Light Yagami, bored genius gets ahold of a notebook belonging to a god of death. With it, he has the power to kill simply by writing someone's name. With such an item at his disposal, what is a bored genius to do but try to change the world.

But it is not so easy.

Beyond the already cool idea of the death notebook the real substance of this manga is the battle of wills that develops between Light and those who would stand against him. If you can keep up with the intricate and complex plot within you will be treated to an experience like none other. I was hooked right from this first volume. So do yourself a favor and read this manga. Then get the second volume. Then the third. Then...well you get the idea. At the time of this writing, eleven volumes have been published in the US. Volume twelve, to the best of my knowledge will be the conclusion to this saga.

Being a fan of paranormal/horror/mystery/suspense works, I was drawn to this via an internet recommendation. And it works. The suspense as Light tries to find L is quite good. As someone who is only just starting to read manga, this one is good for people who enjoy suspense novels. It's not exactly the light reading that people usually associate from manga.

Light Yagami is a high school student and essentially a genius when it comes to anything and everything. Though, at the start of the story, it seems that Light isn't as thrilled with how his life as his parents are. One day, while exiting school, light stubbles across and notebook left in the street. At first glance, Light thinks that it's just a regular notebook, with the odd name "Death Note" inscribed on the front of the book. Once Light has returned home, he begins to read the writings in the notebook which appear to be instructions on how to use the notebook. The day after Light receives the Death Note, he is visited by a Shinigami (or Death God) named Ryuk whom only Light can see (unless someone else touches the Death Note).

As Light is skeptical about the actual power of the Death Note, he begins to look for a way to test out the power of the notebook to see if it is genuine. Upon turning on the news, Light learns of a hostage situation and uses the notebook, following its instructions to see if it is the real deal. After the cops go into the building, it appears that the criminal actually died the way that the book says he would. But still Light is skeptical of the books power and again tests its power on another person. Once he is sure of the book's power, he has a revelation, that he is the key to ridding the world of evil by killing off the biggest criminals all over the world. The only catch to the book is that he must know the person's name and what they look like in order for that person to die. After scores of criminals are killed, the NPA in Japan (America's equivalent of the FBI) starts an investigative team to find out who's been killing these criminals all over the world.

In comes a mysterious crime solver, L, who has helped with hard cases all over the world. L is a genius detective and has set his eyes on the serial killer that comes to be known as "Kira" (Light). Now, Light must continue his cause while avoiding capture by the NPA and the mysterious L while trying to void drawing suspicion, this coming as the FBI is brought in to "spy" on the members of the NPA division to solve this mass murder spree and their families.

This is a very interesting Manga, at first I was bored, I mean, there wasn't really anything all that exciting but as the volume progresses, it gets more and more intriguing as it's a very dangerous of cat and mouse. Anyone who gets in Light's way can and will be killed, but Light is dedicated to his cause to ridding the world of evil. This book is some 200 pages long, has a total of 7 Chapters with an extra 4-Panel Comic Strip at the end of the book (which is actually funnier than most of these comics in Manga books). As I said, it does start of slow, but it's worth the wait as it's a very exciting read once the story has really picked up.

Tsugumi Ohba, Death Note: Boredom (Viz, 2004)

Boredom kicks off Death Note, an interesting-looking manga whose promise, at least in the first volume, seems fulfilled. Ryuk is a Shinigami, a Lord of the Dead. The Shinigami have gotten incredibly bored over the years-- with humans killing one another off in record numbers, they don't have much of a job to do. So Ryuk leaves his death note-- a notebook in which he can write the name and details of death for any human he wants to kill-- in the human world. The note is found by Light Yagami, a high-school student, who decides, after reading some of the rules and conversing with Ryuk about its uses, to clean up society. He starts killing off criminals, but without writing details-- which leads to a sharp increase in the number of heart attacks in the prison population. The police force, suspecting foul play, begins to investigate, and are approached by internationally-renowned detective L, who's also interested in apprehending the killer. The FBI sends a detachment in, as well, since most of the dying prisoners are American. Thus, Light has to go about his business of killing criminals while avoiding the police-- of whom his father is the chief-- and L, as well as figuring out the rules of the death note which he doesn't know yet and study for exams. What's a boy to do?

It's a fun book, but what really sends it above the mass is Ryuk, who's one of the more interesting characters I've come across recently. As the series' only real non-human at this point (we meet a few of his fellow Shinigami early on, but they never make another appearance in this volume), Ohba is able to go in any direction he wants with Ryuk's character, and he chooses to make Ryuk something of an enigma. He's got his own moral code, but he only reveals what he wants to Light, who's currently the only human who can see him. Ryuk also, it seems, has a weakness for Mario Golf, but hey, no character's perfect.

A promising start to the series. *** ½

I wouldn't have picked up this Series if a friend hadn't suggested it to me. And I was extremely happy with the content of what I read.

Light is a straight A-student who is trying to fix the world (yes, the world not just Japan) of its major criminals after finding the Death Note, a Notebook used by the Shinigami (Guardian's of Death) who in particular belonged to Ryuk.

Now let me say this, Shinigami aren't what you've seen in Descendants of Darkness, as in sexy Bishonen Yaoi Boys, they are actually undead demons that look a lot like the Tengu or something similar in Japanese folk law.

Overall, I recommend this to anyone (Slash fans too!) because it's one of those Manga's that stand out for the rest.

Tsugumi Ohba, Death Note: Boredom (Viz, 2004)

Boredom kicks off Death Note, an interesting-looking manga whose promise, at least in the first volume, seems fulfilled. Ryuk is a Shinigami, a Lord of the Dead. The Shinigami have gotten incredibly bored over the years-- with humans killing one another off in record numbers, they don't have much of a job to do. So Ryuk leaves his death note-- a notebook in which he can write the name and details of death for any human he wants to kill-- in the human world. The note is found by Light Yagami, a high-school student, who decides, after reading some of the rules and conversing with Ryuk about its uses, to clean up society. He starts killing off criminals, but without writing details-- which leads to a sharp increase in the number of heart attacks in the prison population. The police force, suspecting foul play, begins to investigate, and are approached by internationally-renowned detective L, who's also interested in apprehending the killer. The FBI sends a detachment in, as well, since most of the dying prisoners are American. Thus, Light has to go about his business of killing criminals while avoiding the police-- of whom his father is the chief-- and L, as well as figuring out the rules of the death note which he doesn't know yet and study for exams. What's a boy to do?

It's a fun book, but what really sends it above the mass is Ryuk, who's one of the more interesting characters I've come across recently. As the series' only real non-human at this point (we meet a few of his fellow Shinigami early on, but they never make another appearance in this volume), Ohba is able to go in any direction he wants with Ryuk's character, and he chooses to make Ryuk something of an enigma. He's got his own moral code, but he only reveals what he wants to Light, who's currently the only human who can see him. Ryuk also, it seems, has a weakness for Mario Golf, but hey, no character's perfect.

A promising start to the series. *** ½

I wouldn't have picked up this Series if a friend hadn't suggested it to me. And I was extremely happy with the content of what I read.

Light is a straight A-student who is trying to fix the world (yes, the world not just Japan) of its major criminals after finding the Death Note, a Notebook used by the Shinigami (Guardian's of Death) who in particular belonged to Ryuk.

Now let me say this, Shinigami aren't what you've seen in Descendants of Darkness, as in sexy Bishonen Yaoi Boys, they are actually undead demons that look a lot like the Tengu or something similar in Japanese folk law.

Overall, I recommend this to anyone (Slash fans too!) because it's one of those Manga's that stand out for the rest.

As far as this series goes, early on it's at its most riveting. Light, a self righteous teenager gets his hand on a Death Note, a special item from the world of the Death Gods. With it, he can kill anyone, at any time, of any cause, by writing this in the book. He decides with amazing speed to use it to kill all criminals to make an ideal world. Essentially this means Light is now a serial killer using supernatural means, and fairly quickly he becomes someone incapable of tolerating anyone who might turn him into the police or wreck his plan. This means he's not just killing criminals, but innocent people involved in investigating him as well.

Light being essentially evil is one of the guilty pleasures of Death Note. How often do we watch a sociopath again and again outwit his opponents and crush them with his amazing skills of deception and reasoning? Light is in that sense, a genius, and it's fun to watch him succeed while at the same time aggravating your socks off as he grows in his power and invincibility.

Unfortunately, to be honest the series turns right away into a formula, and a cast of one-dimensional characters that sometimes drag all the fun down. The formula is every chapter involves Light trying not be discovered, and someone trying to discover him. There's nothing in terms of depth, it is a cat and mouse game that goes on perhaps much longer than necessary to get the point across. The whole story, by manga/anime standards can it times said to be all filler, because no character has any depth elaborated on, ever.

That gets to the other point, the characters are VERY one-dimensional. As soon as you see a character's personality for the first time, you'll know: that's all they are ever going to act like again, and that you will learn essentially nothing about their backstory, their feelings, their motivations... the WHOLE dialogue of the series is about the Light "Case". Everything everyone says is about hiding or uncovering Light's identity. That can get very boring and dry, and frankly, is not impressive writing. Also, there's the startling fact that no one is intelligent in the story at all besides Light and his main adversary "L". When I mean not intelligent, I mean they literally have to be told something by Light to think a thought. It's silly.

So I would have to say this series is a mixed bag. The Death God ideas in the story are barely explored since the Death Gods also fall under the "we're not Light or L so we're total idiots" rule. The art is interesting, the idea is interesting. If you're really bored, you could do far, far worse than to read the whole thing. I'm just overall sad that the writing level doesn't match some of the cooler themes and ideas in potential.

For those of you who have never heard of Death Note before, prepare to be amazed. Death Note was a collaborative project between two professional manga writers, Takeshi Obata (Hikaru no Go) and Tsugumi Ohba (currently unreckognized otherwise. Wikipedia speculates that Ohba may be only a pen name for a much more esteemed writer.)
Words do this series no justice. Light Yagami (whose first name is 'Raito' in Japanese, rather than having been translated from 'Hikaru'), a brilliant aspiring college student, discovers a small, leather-bound notebook in the street labeled 'Death Note.' Written in gothic lettering inside the front cover are instructions on how to kill using its powers. Light, very much skeptical, tests the book's powers on a criminal he sees on television... and is shocked with the results.
Following his discovery, Light decides to use the notebook for the greater good of the world - but, rather than killing quietly and in secrecy, he gives his victims heart attacks. The power of Kira ('Killer' in the Japanese tongue) mostly relies on criminals' fear of death to persuade them otherwise.
This novel, or its sequels, is by no means juvenile fiction. Besides 'adult references' and a seemingly morbid fixation, it features an extremely intricate and well-developed plot and impossibly realistic characters. While I would not necessarily suggest this book to young children, it's a shame that the series is not better known. Five stars is by far an understatement.

I had heard all the hype about this manga on the internet, in the magazines etc. so I just picked it up in Barnes and Noble one night.
I was completely blown away in just the first chapter!!
A very gothic and intelligently written story from the first panel. There is little humor, but the artwork is great and the dialouge is fantastic. This book left me begging for the next.

You've all probably read already from other reviews the main story line, so i won't bore you with that. but i just want to say that i'm HOOKED on this manga! me, all my friends, and even one of my cousins who doesn't like manga is hooked on this thing! even a 28 and fifty-something-year-old in my family got hooked on it. but the question is: who do you morally agree with: Light Yagami, the handsome, straight-A genious student bent on ridding the world of evil by means of murdering; or L, the strange but interesting (also a genius) person who's trying to catch "Kira".

personally, i'm rooting for L. GO L!!!! and so are my friends. i think Light is evil, and that the manga should indeed go on for many more volumes. as long as Light dies guilty of the crime in the end then that's a happy ending for me! if you're still wondering who to root for, then think of this: Light is a murderer, for pete's sake!

this manga is VERY good, Ohba must be some sort of genius himself to create such a complex manga series AND have it go on for...9 volumes i think? and i promise you will be hooked on this by vol.1! PLUS!!!:amazingly detailed art! GO L! L IS MY FAVORITE!

I read the desrciption for Death Note in the october copy of Newtype and I thought it looked interesting. Then, I decided to pick it up for myself and I really enjoyed the first copy. It kind of reminds me of the Nightmare Before Christmas, in that Light wants to make a crime-free world, but is committing a horrible crime in doing so. Basically, he wants something good, but goes about it the wrong way. What would YOU do if you were given the power to kill as many people in the world as you wanted with nobody ever finding you out?

I love death note it's one of the best manga's I've ever read and I think that only mature people should read Death Note since its a very deep story involving the game of cat and mouse that goes on throughout the story and the close calls of getting caught keeps readers on the edge of their seat yearning to read more and demanding when the next volume will come out.

I read the first chapter of this in shonen jump and ho-ho-holllllly crap it sucks!!!!! there is barely any plot! all light does is go around killing people! this is probably written by some person who is really into morbid stuff! I mean I am kinda into doing stuff where I pretend in a game where people die, but writing an entire manga about it? I mean come on! get a hold of your self!!!!! go buy some other shonen jump manga.Like I don't know....maybe Naruto or Dragon ball z or one piece. It really really sucks. Don't buy it. It is a waste of eight bucks. really,really sucks. it's just sad..

We've all heard stories and myths of Death, the Grim Reaper, or, as in the case of Death Note, the Shinigami. We know that, at will, these creatures can bring death. We know that Death and the Grim Reaper are particularly fond of huge scythes. But what a lot of us don't know (mainly because it's an added fictional element presented in Death Note) is that Shinigami prefer to use note books, or death notes. And occasionally, they lose their notebooks accidentally-on-purpose so that a human can find it. That is the beginning of Death Note, a story of a genius student named Light who finds this strange notebook and decides he wants to change the world into a utopia by killing all of the world's most horrible criminals without any suspicion to him. All he does is write their name in the death note and they're dead.

The description above sounds dark, and this story is very dark. The lead character seems to have little care for those he kills and in fact finds some enjoyment in the unique ways he can bring about their death. His Shinigami shadow, Ryuk, bound to him because Light now owns the death note, guides him only to the point just beyond complete ignorance but otherwise lets Light do as he wishes. Thus, even despite the fact that it's nearly impossible to trace the murderer, suspicion does rise. This is when the true horror starts, as we begin to see what Light is willing to do to get himself free of suspicion.

Anyone familiar with Shonen Jump's Hikaru No Go will recognize the artwork here. They won't recognize, however, the deep themes of morality VS. immorality. While reading, you have to decide, based on your own personal beliefs, what side Light is actually on, moral or immoral, good or evil. Certainly, at face value, Light is a decent human being, studying hard to become a top student, helping his sister with her homework, talking cop-business with his father, but it's in those moments of inspiration that Light has when you'll begin to wonder. And yet, it's his anti-hero love-ability that makes you keep reading, know matter what your beliefs are. You want him to avoid suspicion, to do away with the criminals, and to get rid of the cops tailing him.

In volume one, it details Light's first moments with the death note and Ryuk. It also begins his battle with Interpol and their top agent, the secretive L. In between, we learn the main rules of the death note as well as the side-effects it has on humans and on Shinigami. It's haunting the way some of these rules are relayed, as if they were natural things to be considered in our minds.

Death Note is one of those few mangas that captured me from the beginning (I read the first chapter in Shonen Jump). I knew after I read it that I would buy the graphic novels. As someone very selective of manga this was something special. I highly recommend this to fans of manga or to horror/thriller fans. This is a well-written, artistic manga indeed. I'd give it more stars if I could.

Death Note is a very different manga from the others Viz Media has begun to release here in the U.S. It is thanks to them, however, that I learned of this brilliant series.

The story follows a teenager, Light, who is bored with his life and sick of the monotonous cycle. He stumbles upon a Shingami's (Death God's) notebook, or Death Note. The notebook has a dark power: a brief way to put it would be to say when you write down a person's name and have the image of them in your mind, they will die of a heart-attack in forty seconds. There is much more to it than that, however. Details can be added as to how and when they die, but they must be physically possible.

Ryuk, the Death God whose notebook Light has found, was also bored. He deliberately left the notebook there for a human to find. He is a very strange character with a very strange appearance. Nevertheless, he does play an important role.

Light's name seems almost contradictory. He says he is killing off violent criminals to make the world a better place. He claims that he is righteous. But is murder the righteous thing to do? Interpol begins to move and is forced to play it's trump card: L, a person whose face and full name are not even known to the NPA.

L and Light are both brilliant. Their plans, deductions, and observations never cease to amaze. Their battle and search continues as it evolves into a race to discover who the other is. Ultimately, you don't know who to cheer on. The protagonist is a bit crazy and is continously commiting murder and playing with peoples lives. Yet you find yourself still reading. The plot is engrossing; it is rare for me to find a manga that keeps me glued to the pages without frequent action scenes.

Dark, mysterious, and decidedly different, Death Note is a level above.

As can be seen in the other reviews for this volume, the general consensus amoung many manga readers (and many publications) is that Death Note is a breath of fresh air to the US market. People have praised for it's originality and maturity compared with other titles, calling it one of, if not the, the most mature and thought-provoking manga available.

To be blunt, Death Note is overrated. It's not the ground-breaking masterpiece some claim, or the single most mature manga available in english. Right now the market is geared towards titles aimed at younger audiences, and when something mature becomes popular people tend to hype it up. Compared with titles like Nausicaa, Planetes or Vagabond (to name a few), it isn't the best example of a manga for adults.

That aside, Death Note still a good thriller. Smart writing, intriguing concepts about justice and superb art are just a few of the great aspects of this title. As a psychological thriller, its well above average. Especially notable is the fact that the writer didn't go for the standard shonen hero, instead choosing a boarderline fascist with sociopathic tendencies, and you still root for him. So while the title is overhyped by many, it's still worth your money if your looking for a good thriller.

Death Note is probably one of the best mangas I have read in a long, long time.

It centers around a teenaged genius, Light, who finds a Death Note -a notebook with the power to kill anybody whose name is written in it. Armed with this Death Note, Light goes about trying to rid the world of criminals. Enter the mysterious L, an intelligent detective intent on stopping him.

I've explained the plot pretty poorly and it may seem a little corny, but rest assured it is anything but. It's a fantastic story, full of shocking twists and brilliant artwork.

Unlike other mangas I have read, Death Note is not crammed full of fighting scenes. Rather, it is a battle of wits between Light and L.

I couldn't put it down. And neither will you.