Mary's Review: Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata

Everyone and their grandmother has heard of Death Note as of this review. The live action movie was recently released in theaters, the anime is a runaway hit on Adult Swim, US distributors are planning a remake, and there is enough fanfic on the internet to drown us all. But what about the thing that started it all? The original manga is in its sixth printing here in the US, and for good reason. Death Note is a very intelligent series, full of thought on the nature of right and wrong and whether the ends justify the means. Light Yagami finds the titular Death Note, the rules of which state that 'whoever's name is written in the note shall die'. Light, idealist that he is, decides that he'll utilize this tool to rid the world of criminals. Of course, he will also become the god of said new world. So he goes to work, and pretty soon people start noticing the mysterious deaths (the DN kills by heart attack unless other means are specified). People start calling the phenomenon 'Kira' (Japanese derivative of the English 'killer'), and Light garners the attention of the super detective L. From there its a spiral into traps and countertraps ('if I were in this situation I would do this, but that's what he'd expect me to do, but he KNOWS that I would know he knows' and the like) as the two genius young men face off. There's a lot to love here: Obata's art is of an unusually realistic style, resulting in a nice change of pace from your average manga; Light and L's mind games are compelling, as are their characters-you have to give credit to a series that makes you at least occasionally (and grudgingly) cheer for the manipulative sociopath; and best of all the series is a mere twelve volumes (plus a side novel and encyclopedia), a miraculously short length for a Shonen Jump title. The series has its downsides as well though, which bear mentioning in any recommendation: its wordy, enough that the thick volumes take approximately twice as long to read as the average manga. This is more apparant in the manga than the anime, and more than a few people have been scared off because of it. The series also takes a turn in its second half, introducing new characters and switching gears plot-wise, that is not popular with all of the fans. This part ultimately comes down to personal preference, though it is something for the prospective reader to keep in mind. And finally let us not forget that the characters have some crippling weaknesses along with their compelling strengths. Sure, Light is a fascinating protagonist, but he's also a sociopath who manipulates and lies to all of the people close to him. The female characters of DN are weak across the board, rarely rising above the position of killed/manipulated/totally useless. And though the focus on L and Light drives the plot, it leaves some of the secondary characters woefully underdeveloped (and never is this more clear than in the second half). By and large, however, this series deserves all of the high praise heaped upon it. It has drama, a strong plot, an attractive lead (for the shallow person in us all), a moral quandry, and (gasp) a strong stock of intelligence. A series like this does not come about every day.

Final verdict: 5Q, 4P