Lately I’ve been addicted to manga, as you may have seen in another post. I decided I would start reviewing some of the manga series’ that I’ve read; starting with my favourite one so far… Death Note.
Death Note is a psychological-thriller written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The premise of the story is that a shinigami named Ryuk from the other realm becomes bored and decides to pay a visit to Earth realm and drop a Death Note there to see what will happen, strictly out of amusement.
Protagonist, Light Yagami finds the Death Note at school and begins reading its rules. The Death Note is a tool of the shinigami to take human life and extend their own. When a human touches the Death Note, they’re granted the ability to write other human names in it and take their life. They’re also able to see the shinigami who owns it.
Ryuk makes himself known to Light Yagami, and makes it clear that he is simply there to monitor Light, and that Light may use the Death Note as he sees fit, and he could even discard it if he wishes.
Light, who is the son of a detective, has been studying hard in school solely for the purpose of bringing justice to the world like his father. So with the new found power of the Death Note, Light’s morality begins to shift into a gray area, as he starts using it to kill only criminals. But later in the series, an independent taskforce, led by a mastermind known simply as L, begins to notice the patterns of these criminal deaths, and therefore an investigation begins to threaten Light’s plans for justice. At this point, the public and the investigators begin to refer to the one behind the killings as Kira.
On the surface, Death Note comes across as a series grounded in fantasy. But although there are shinigami, this story feels more grounded in reality as it questions what justice really is and whether evil criminals deserve to die. And as the series continues, with Light (Kira) and L outwitting each other back and forth, we begin to see Light’s character and morals change significantly.
Throughout the series, more and more characters are introduced that take the story into new directions; such as my favourite, Misa Amane. Misa is introduced when another shinigami enters Earth, bringing another Death Note. I won’t spoil what happens when she’s introduced, but her arrival is a huge turning point in the mental battle between Light and L.
One of the elements of Death Note that makes it so engrossing is the chess-like battle of wits between Light Yagami and L (who goes by a few names). You can compare this psychological battle to Sherlock Holmes and his rival Moriarty. Both characters are thinking ten steps ahead on how to outsmart one another, and even when you think one of them is in the position of power, the other finds a way to pull the wool over the eyes of the reader.
If you haven’t read the series, you’re probably thinking “why doesn’t Light just use the Death Note to kill L then.” But that’s the beauty of the story, as the Death Note’s rules create restrictions on how Light can act. For instance, Light must know his victims real name as well as have a visual of what they look like. Luckily for L, he tells no one his real name.
There is a major turning point in the Death Note series, and after this point the story and tone changes significantly. Some say this is when the story falls off. Personally, I wouldn’t say it falls off, but it’s definitely loses some of its edge after this turning point.
What’s also great about Death Note, is that it will question your own morality. Because the protagonist, Light Yagami is essentially the bad guy in this story (or is he?). But like me, many readers are rooting for Light to always come out victorious in the various mental battles. But that desire to see Light win, may also come from not wanting the story to end.
When the end finally does come, it hits hard in a shockwave of events. But the way in which the story ends feels less plausible than some of the earlier moments in the story, and that’s as much as I can say without giving it away.
I read Death Note Black Edition, which is probably the best way to read the series as it comes in 6 thick volumes that you can buy singular or in a collection.
The Death Note manga had me so hooked that I was often staying up way too late to read the series. It’s the most hooked I’ve been on a series for a long time and it was refreshing to read something so dark and morally gray.
I’ve been reading a ton of manga since Death Note, trying to find something with the same flavour. But it’s such a unique story that you’ll be looking for a long time to find anything that makes you feel the same as when you read Death Note for the first time.
I also watched the anime after reading the manga, but as I’m more of a reader by nature, I enjoyed the manga much more. The anime is still worth it though and has a slightly altered ending.
Whatever you do, just don’t watch the Netflix movie.
