Death Note

Title:  Death Note
Mangaka:  Tsugumi Ohba (author), Takeshi Obata (artist)
Length:  12 Volumes (Completed)
English Translation?  Yes, all have been released by Viz Media.
Demo/Genre:  Shounen/Fantasy/Thriller

How did I find out about it?  It was recommended by an otaku friend.

The deaths of everyone in the world are carried out by shinigami.  Ryuk, one of said shinigami, is bored with his life.  To entertain himself, he decides to leave his Death Note on Earth for a human to find.  The one who happens to pick up Ryuk's Death Note is 17-year-old genius, Light Yagami.  When Light learns that anyone whose name is written in the Death Note dies, he decides to pick up the slack where the law fails and execute criminals in order to build a better, more peaceful world.  However, the suspicious heart attacks of criminals catches the eye of L, a computer genius who is convinced that someone is behind all the murders.  A game of cat and mouse begins between the two of them.

As usual, I'll start with a comment on the artwork.  It's great.  Obata has a very clean style that is more realistic than is typical for manga.  DN was very pleasing to look at.  And so was Light. ;)

While I really liked this series, and the plot as a whole, I have to admit that it could get a little tedious at times.  I loved that Light and L were always trying to stay three moves ahead of each other.   It's almost ridiculous the lengths Light goes to in order to conceal his identity.  Even without much action, this series was still exciting.  I loved how you're always kept on your toes.  Once it seems Light or L is backed into a corner, they've thought up a way out, and most interestingly, they thought up this backdoor plan long before the situation itself actually played out.  While this was great, it did have its pitfalls.  There were times when it reminded me of the battle of wits in The Princess Bride ("so I clearly can't choose the wine in front of me!").  If you haven't seen the movie and don't know what I'm talking about...go see it!  It's an 80s classic!  Back to the point, it was during these times that their logic seemed to travel in circles and never actually lead anywhere.  It's like Light would examine all of his available choices, determine what actions L would take to counter, then go through what he could do to counter the counter, and then 15 minutes later, he's still thinking and hasn't found a suitable course of action.  Don't let that bog you down though.  Those slower periods really were few and far between.  For the most part, it was a really great ride.

I loved both Light and L.  Light walks the thin line between good and evil.  He truly believes that what he is doing will make the world a better place, but at the same time, he's willing to spend a few lives if it means covering for himself and keeping L at bay.  One minute, he'll have the countenance of a perfect, well-mannered student, then when no one's looking, he's the cold-blooded "Kira" (what the media has named the mysterious serial killer).  Light's two-facedness (is that a word?) was very fun to watch.  L was simply great.  He was a very eccentric individual.  Everything about him, from the way he sits, the way he eats, his manner of speech, was unique.  I loved his speech style.  It was always as if he was talking to himself, half in a daze, even if the room was filled with people listening to his every word.  I loved L.

The best thing about the two of them for me wasn't even the real life game of chess they were playing, but the actual relationship between the two.  When Light becomes involved in the investigation to hunt for...well, himself..., he actually gets to meet L, spend time with him, and form a strange friendship with him.  L is almost positive that Light is Kira, but that tiniest bit of doubt allows him to entertain the possibility that he is wrong and that Light is the first friend he's ever had (I think the page I selected for this post even references that very notion).  On Light's side of things, even though he's desperately trying to find a way to kill L, you can sense that he almost needs L.  Somehow, this frustrating game and strange new "friend" has given him new zeal in life.  I loved the interaction between the two of them.

If I have to mention something bad about this manga, it would be one thing:  Misa effin' Amane.  She easily wins the award for "Most Annoying Character Ever Created."  I'll spare you the details, but she's an idiot.  An immature, childish twit that Light probably should have killed from the get-go.  Yeah...not a fan.

This is a great manga.  I'm gonna bump its stars down though, mostly because there is an event that happens that changed the pacing of the story a bit.  If I did half-stars, then it would probably land a four-and-a-half.  This is well-worth the read, and I wouldn't mind collecting it someday, although it will probably be a while before I get around to it.  I do own the two live-action films (I passed on the third film, which had nothing to do with the manga).  They're pretty good.  The shinigami were added in exactly as they were in the manga, which I loved.  The actor who portrays L nails his mannerisms PERFECTLY.  I don't think I would mind having the anime either.  I've heard that the English voice-acting received a lot of praise.  They used the same VAs for the dub of the films, so I watched a few scenes in English to hear what all the fuss was about.  Excellent.  Very impressed.  It made me really want to try out the anime.