BACKGROUND: High school prodigy, Light Yagami, believes that the world is a rotten mess and needs a change. Perchance, he finds a black notebook with the words Death Note on the cover. Reading the instructions, the Death Note states that "The human whose name is written in this book shall die." Light soon discovers that it is a book belonging to a Shinigami named Ryuk and that he now has the power to kill people without even touching them.
CHARACTERS:
Light Yagami: 17 year old, genusis who discovers the Death Note and decides he will use it to "clease" the world of evil by killing off criminals and will regin over the new world order. On the surface, Light appears to be just like every other teenager ready to graduate but as he uses the powers of the Death Note, Light's pysche seems to swiftly disovle into his own madness and delusions of granduer. He also gains the nickname "Kira" derived from the world "Killer".
"L": A mysterious super-sleuth who is dedicated to finding "Kira". Nothing is really know about him, not even his real name. He is a genusis that mirrors Light's detemination and powers of deducation. Uses the name "Ryuzaki" when he does work with people.
Misa Amane: A model, TV star and singer, Misa is obessed with Light and will do anything for him. She also has a Death Note and has the "Shinigami Eyes" which allow her to see a person's true name.
Souichirou Yagami: Light's father, a decorated decetive and member of ICPO (International Crime Police Organization.
Ryuk: The Shinigami who owned the Death Note before Light had it. He plays the role of the observer in the manga not getting directly involved with anything and is content on watching what unfolds. He has an obsession with apples.
Watari: L's right hand man. He usually serves as L's proxy when meeting people.
Siza, Usata, Aizawa & Matsuda: The dectives who work under Souichirou. (I can't remember anything in particular about them except for Matsuda; the rookie cop who is a complete airhead)
PROS:
Amazing character development and design, they are all genuine Wonderful art work, especially on the full page spread panels Unique storyline that provokes thought and reflection The pacing of events is spaced out neatly Interseting tidbits about the Death Note before and after each chapter, Omake at the end of Vol. 1
CONS:
Dialouge can get confusing at times and at some points, there is so much, it overwhelms the art You may have to go back and read parts again just to make sure nothing gets missed The extent of Light's genusis is sometimes exaggrated at certain points making him seem omni-potent (Especailly in Volume 7)
Conclusion: A must read series. Smart and sophisticated with great plot and characters. Yes, it does get wordy but it's requried to keep you informed so hang in there.
Final Grdae: A
Artwork by:Takeshi Obata (The artist of Hikaru no Go) Story by: Tsugumi Ooba Published by: Viz Media Genre: Action, Mystery Total Volumes: 12
-- Edited by Lady Bowen at 14:52, 2006-11-11
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Like cigarettes, working with others is hazardous to your health.
I love this series because it has everything I like to stimulate my mind. Plus I'm aiming at becoming an investigator so kudos to that. So far the anime has been up to the point following the manga (although Light's writing in the Death Note in the first episode was so action packed it was hilarious). Also there are 13 volumes, the 13th being something of an explainer.
The death note anime begins airing on adult swim October 20th~ I have trouble believing any dubbed voice could pull the awsomeness of Raito's super maniacle laugh thoughXD Only Mamoru could pull off his voice~ The same genius behind me Tamaki from OuranXD
