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yasmin09

  • Joined Jun 1, 2010
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Death Note

Aug 16, 2010

Story: Death Note had an interesting and unique enough premise. A highly intelligent but bored teenager finds a notebook that can kill anyone who's name is written into it as long as the owner knows the name and face of who he wants dead. There are plenty more rules involved with using the notebook but that's the main one to know. The teen, nicknamed Kira, uses the notebook to kill criminals causing the police to get involved to stop him. The rest involves basically a cat-and-mouse chase to see whether Kira or L, a mastermind detective, and the police force will win out. The story started off refreshingly witty with cynical and dark but humorous dialogue and plot and I was hooked immediately. It had suspense, sharp wit, plenty of humor and twists to keep it going for about 7 volumes and then it crashes and burns. While the first half seemed planned and had a clear sense of direction that made me feel like it was heading towards an epic finish, the second half just seemed to meander along into a convuluted mess with characters added that lacked substance and 'twists' used to just keep the plot dragging on till the end. Though the last half wasn't all that great, the last volume somewhat made up for it. It was very fitting though extremely wordy but I liked the way the characters reacted to the events that unfolded. It had built up plenty of suspense that kept me going till the very last chapter. Though the rest of volume was well done, the very last chapter did not add much and should have been left off but I suppose it provided some closure so it wasn't too awful but it was rather bland and predictable.

Art: Visually stunning. It was dark so it fit the style and mood of the plot. The characters all looked distinctly different which was a plus and their expressions were extremely well done. I could see the suspicion, shock, subtle annoyance, confusion, or even utter frustration perfectly portrayed in the faces. The subtle changes that Light goes through from innocent teen to one with a murderous god complex is shown exquisitely. The wear and fatigue of working on the Kira case is shown wonderfully on the police cast. Some of the art annoyed me though. I wasn't a fan of how Near and Mello were portrayed. Mello looked utterly incompetent until he got a scar on his face and then somehow, he didn't look like an idiot anymore. Near, on the other hand, just had such ridiculous expressions, even when he was dicussing heavy and grim matters, and I could never take him seriously. The way the characters were designed coincided with their personalities. Ryuk added comedy and so had a humorous appearance, Misa was an airhead which is conveyed through her empty and confused expressions, Sayu was sweet and bubbly portrayed through her lively visage, and the list goes on.

Characters: Ah, the characters. Light is quite the fellow who you like at first but then just can't stand. He went from being likable and reasonable and slowly becomes enveloped with a lust for power from the notewook. What started out as a somewhat noble cause of killing criminals for a better world morphs into a selfish power-driven desire for becoming ruler of the world. He will kill anyone who gets in the way and manipulate those who can help him rise to the top without hesitation. If killing family and friends and even those who helped him is what it takes to become the next ruler, then he will do it as long as their deaths don't cast suspicion on himself. That was the only reason he would have for not immediately killing off certain people. Since he is so highly intelligent, he could configure plenty of decisions and their effects and decide what would best benefit him while keeping him out of the radar of the police as Kira. It was quite interesting and disturbing to see how drastically he was affected by the notebook and the responsibility and curse that comes from owning such a weapon.

L is the brilliant detective who sees Light for what he is, a mass murderer, regardless of what his intentions are for who he kills. He is serious in his intention to beat out Kira and has unorthodox methods for trying to capture him. Though he is a recluse, he exudes personality with humor, wit, and a knack for fighting. The police will usually try to convince him of not going through with some of his plans but on the whole L will do what is necessary to convict Kira, short of killing. If there is anyone who will find Kira, it's L, with his brilliant sense of deduction and observation making him a unique and entertaining mastermind that adds substance to the cat-and-mouse chase.

Some of the other characters are fleshed out while some are left as stereotypes. The police cast and Light's family along with the Shinigami have refreshingly realistic personalities and unique traits so they each have their own purpose to add to the story but are still somewhat unpredictable in their actions. The characters in the latter half were more generic. Near seemed to me like an L knockoff but with less wit and seriousness as a detective. Mello was simply a crazed young man who wanted to beat Near any way he could even resorting to kidnapping and shooting and being involved with a gang. Misa was a bimbo who did Light's bidding without hesitation despite the way Light treated her though she did add plenty of refreshing humor. Takada seemed like she'd have some backbone but that though flew out my mind when she swooned over Light and sucuumbed to his charm the way Misa did. Some were really well done, while others had merely cookie-cutter personalities. It was basically a hit-or-miss.

Overall: On the whole the first half was amazing and I absolutely loved it but the second half was purely mediocre and really brought down the overall quality of the manga. Had it ended halfway through rather than being dragged out or had consistent quality all throughout, I would rate this a 9 or actually a 9.5 and it would've have been one of my favorite mangas. Sadly, that is not the case. The second half somewhat nullifies the brilliance of the first half though the ending was just right and the only part of the second half that truly had merit. It is definitely a manga worth reading but though it is tempting to quit after the first half, I recommend finishing it till the end since the ending was done quite well. At least, read the first half of the series. That in itself is wholly satisfying.

7.5/10 story
8.5/10 art
8.5/10 characters
7.5/10 overall

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