“Just because I am alone, does not mean I am lonely. I am not you.”

I was 13 when I first saw the anime and I remember being entranced by the characters and story. Both the manga and anime are a complete masterpiece. It saddens me that the ID of the person who wrote this fantastical series is so heavily guarded. Nobody knows who they are, which makes the story all the more fascinating. It adds a mysterious undertone to the whole franchise.

Light Yagami is a prodigious high-school senior who comes across a Death Note . The Death Note has one purpose: if you write a person's name down while imagining their face, they will die. Yagami uses this power to get rid of villains in the world. Whether you agree or disagree with what Yagami is doing has to do with your stance on capital punishment. However, early on, Light shows that he is immature and prideful, which taints his plans to increase goodness in the world. In order to stop Light's destructive plan, L - perhaps one of the greatest fictional characters ever created - tries to stop him.

I think I loved this anime because it was so darn intelligent. The plot was incredible. I love deconstructing books and paying attention to small details. I can usually predict plot twists but in this manga there was so much that I never saw coming.

The allure of this book has to do with the two main characters - Light and L. They are both brilliant, intelligent, flawed, mysterious, and talented. They are similar, but their ideologies are different. The mind games they play with each other are interesting to watch. They are both some of the most intelligent and well-developed fictional characters that I have ever encountered.

I especially love L, and he was the main reason I fell in love with these books. In middle school, I was blown away by L's quirks, intelligence, and deduction. I thought I would find faults in him after re-reading the series as an adult, but no. I have had the opportunity to read a lot of wonderful books since then, but none of them had characters that were as introspective as Light and L. The mental battle between them is equivalent to watching an epic battle of chess.

Argh, this entire series is so darn addicting. Once you start watching the anime or reading the manga, it is almost impossible to stop. It also challenges deeper questions: What does it mean to be evil? Is capital punishment wrong? Is Light hungering for justice or power?

I gave this manga a perfect rating (which is quite rare) solely based on how well-developed Light and L are. I rarely read manga anymore, but I found myself thinking about this one even though it has been years since the last time I read it. The beginning of this manga is a freaking masterpiece; however, after  L dies the manga became boring for me. Part of what made this story so intriguing was the mind games Light and L play with each other. We get to hear and see their thought processes as they try to figure out the other player's next move. However, after L dies, his successors are not on par with L. Of course, I expected this. Who could top one of the greatest fictional characters ever created? But both Near and Mello were lacklustre. We never got to witness their train of thoughts, weird quirks, and humor like we did with L. Both Near and Mello were one-dimensional.

After a certain point, I did stop reading this manga. The ending came across as lazy wiring to me. Given the brilliance of Ohba, I know he or she could have done a better job with the ending. Nonetheless, the beginning of this manga is so good that I cannot give it lower than a 5-star rating.

When things like this become popular, it surprises me in the best way. Sometimes a story touches you so much that you want to keep it to yourself. I saw a lot of myself in both L and Light, and to recommend this story to others almost felt like sharing a part of myself, which sounds weird, but it is the truth. I am glad this book has received the recognition it has.

If you have not read Death Note or watched the anime, I highly recommend that you do. Even if you do not like crime, thriller, or mystery books, the characters in this story are so intelligent that I think everyone can read Death Note and be left in awe.

My very first read of Manga.. and it just blow my mind

I mean what if you have A Death Note...,A note that belong to one of the gods of Death..
Just write a name in it...with the person's face in your mind...and BAM .. Dies..

It's a 'hard to pick a side' story..
I mean, I would do just as Light did, try to get rid of those who make life hell...Killers, torturer, rapers, sadist and child abusers.
Damn them all ,you know , specially in here in Egypt...The law is way slow and ,mostly, not that fair...at the same time...is that would be fair?
Oh and I may go BIGGER but, not now, Let's back to the story..

Light, a prodigy student, as an answer to his prayer to get off his Boredom, finds a Black Note...A Death Note, complete with its instructions.
and as a Good person , he know how to use it as best as it gets -I feel I'm soooo agree , mostly, to his ideas, is that making me a bad person? , may be..

The Death Note originally belong to Ryuk a Shigami, a god of Death -may be in Japanese myth, I don't know.- He deliberately lost his Death Note into the human world ...ALSO because he felt a strong Boredom... he wanted to leave the Land where the gods of Death hanging around.

BUT as hundreds of criminal and convicted murderers, The Police of Japan "NPA" start searching for who is reasonable for this weird phenomenon..and for this mystery they can't look without a genius detective ..
And here's L , a anonymous detective who's super smart and really effective in solving mysterious cases...
Now they together will do all their best to catch this one they call "Murderer" ,But will they?

*************************
The first Vol. , Boredom , has 7 chapters.
Boredom ( 5 Stars)
L (4 Stars)
Family (5 Stars)
Current (5 Stars - really smart)
Eyeballs (4 Stars)
Manipulation (5 Stars - full of anticipations)
Target ( 5 Stars - WHAT A PLAN!)

The chapters are really amazing and fast.. and it caught my attention with even before I finish the first chapter.. with Light magnificent discovery, and the fun of the neutral companion , the Shigami ,god of Death with his super cute features ...and the surprise in chapter 3, family - I won't spoil for you now.-
then L came and it's Cat and Mouse....both super smart , both righteous... Both think they represent JUSTICE..


So , pick a side... I know it's Hard..

A truly nice comic, Manga ..and it's a great start to me into this world..

Mohammed Arabey
from 9 February 2016
to 11 February 2016

PS : This is half the review of the edition I read, The Black Edition.. since the review there will be in Arabic when I finish Vol. 2 too..

TW// murder

This was a really solid volume to start off this series. It posed a lot of moral questions that were really interesting to ponder. It also did a great job of introducing the rules of the world while keeping up a really fast pace. I’m really intrigued by this series and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next volume.

If you had the power to kill anyone, without any encounter with them or evidence that could lead to you, just by writing their names on a notebook, how would you use it? Would you take revenge, get rid of your obstacles, or simply experience the thrill of killing?

Contrary to these common paths, the protagonist and also the villain of this story, Light Yagami, chooses to serve a higher purpose - to punish those whose crimes were despicable but escaped the law, by connections, money or simply using loopholes in the legal system. By making them all die from heart attacks, he wants to send the world a message, “Crime cannot be escaped”, those who commit crimes or do evil deeds will eventually be exposed and punished. I do think Light’s method of choosing the criminals to be killed is flawed since he still relies on the media and the existing legal system, but he was at a very young age when he became Kira, so that would make sense.

The main appeal of Death Note is the intellectual battle between Light and L, who are both brilliant and charismatic characters. The reader is constantly kept in suspense as they witness the twists and turns of their strategies and plans. The manga also raises many ethical and philosophical questions, such as what is the definition of justice, who has the right to judge others, and what are the consequences of playing god. There are no clear answers in the book, you would have to form your own opinions and perspectives.

“There is the terror and torment that only humans who’ve used it will experience. When you die, I’ll be the one writing your name down, but don’t think any human who’s used the Death Note can go to heaven or hell.”

It soon became a cat and mouse game between him and L, a genius detective who collaborates with the police force, the “evil” versus the “good”, as they try to outsmart each other and prove their ideals. You get to see how having the Death Note changes Light, from a moral and rational person with a righteous mission to a power-hungry psychopath who kills anyone who dares to oppose him. It’s sad, but it’s the reality. I often read comments online blaming people from the upper class for making the world rotten, and saying that if they all helped, the world would become a utopia. However, in many cases, including the one I’ve witnessed with my own eyes, when the ones blaming get what they have always craved, they become exactly like those who they blame and despise, and the vicious cycle continues.

The world wouldn’t get better with another Kira, but is the world without Kira a great world?

ΩΡΑΙΑΑΑΑ ...πού ειναι το επομενο????

fuck yeah

I don't read very much manga. But I picked the first few books of this series up on a whim, then quickly bought all the rest so I could finish the series.

Short version? I really enjoyed it.

Longer version: Here's some thoughts in no particular order....

~ Great example of how you don't need a bunch of crazy fantastic things happening to make something a gripping piece of Speculative Fiction. In this series, you've got a notebook, and if someone writes your name in it, you die. It doesn't seem like that should be enough to carry twelve graphic novels worth of story, but it absolutely does.

~ These books break a lot of my rules-of-thumb in terms of what makes a good story. The vast majority of the action is people thinking about things. That's a definite "no" in terms of storytelling, and I'd think it would be a double "no" in a visual medium like this. But it works. You can't argue with that.

~ I think the series took a definite dip 2/3rds of the way through. It felt to me like the story reached a natural ending point, then just kept on bulling ahead, ignoring it.

I've seen this happen before with a fair number of successful US comics (And a few series of novels). And while it's nice to see that this isn't not a problem unique to US publishing, I still have a severe distaste for stories that don't end properly. Doubly so if they feel like they're being infinitely extended just because the author won't let go, or because the publisher wants to keep selling more books.

sjajno!!

Trah la la, I have me a manga that I'm in love with and I need the rest of them now and I might have to get them because I want them now and I pre-ordered the freaking funko of L because I'm in love with L and unfortunately I didn't like the Funko's of Ryuk or Light. I was really hoping for Ryuk but he doesn't look cool at all, and I'm babbling!





Thank you to all of my GR friends that pushed me onto this manga!!!!!!! Actually it was sweet Ashley my hufflepuff that sold me on it first. =) ♥

This is so freaking cool. So, Ryuk is a Shinigani <-- did I spell that right? which means he's A Death God. He just happened to drop his Death Notebook in the human world because he was bored. Ha

Then this smart as a whiz kid named Light finds it and takes it home. Then Ryuk shows up. Apparently whoever possesses the notebook can write in the names of people that they want to die and they can see Ryuk when no one else can. Oh happy day!

Light decides to do the good think and kill off evil people, mostly the ones that are already in jail. I don't see anything wrong with that but the cops think it's murder even though he's doing it for the greater good. Although, he wants to be on top of the world and be his own god so yeah...

Then the cops call in L <---screee . . . and he is going to hunt Light down and put a stop to it.

I can't even imagine what is going to happen in the next several books! I hope nothing bad happens to L and no one better tell me. I like Ryuk too. Anyway, I can't wait to read them all!

First review:
My first manga! And it was strange to read it from right to left :) But the idea and the storyline are quite interesting. Going to read more))
Final review :
3.83☆
So, great manga ended... I loved ending, though so many people despised it. It was logical and Light deserved it.  (I am only sad that one of the best and cleverest villain in the world died like that.. it was pathetic)
And Matsuda! You kicked ass in this one)) So being angry can make even the sweetest guy that dangerous ...
I still miss L)) I wish he was the one who won over Kira... But his predecessors Near and Mello did great too ))
Now lets write what I liked and disliked in this manga series));
1. I liked the concept and the fine line between good and evil... I liked the way it shows how power can make the good evil..
2. I liked the battle of wits between L&Kira and Near&Kira)) I felt so stupid))
I didn't like;
1.I didn't like the portrayal of women in here.. They were mostly stupid and annoying. As I said before, this manga was sexist...
2. I didn't like the plot holes and unfinished aspects... Like what happened to Yagami family?
So I am grateful to my friends Salima Badalova and then my goodreads friend Argona for this recommendation)) I am so happy for reading it!

“Start looking around you... and all you see are people the world would be better off without.”

“This world is rotten. The rotten should die.”

“In my hands the means... In my heart the will.”

2nd read- Had read this on iPad a couple of years ago..and stopped the series somewhere one fourth through. Recently happened to purchase the beautiful box set for my son, who has read it already 4 or 5 times on iPad and wanted to own the physical copy. He was highly impressed by the books and urged me ( nay, compelled me) to attempt it again.
I agree reading the physical book is a higher level of experience. The slightly rough and gritty feel, the faint smell of raw paper and ink, the physical pleasure of turning through pages.
Thoroughly loving the story of a highly intelligent 17 year old, named Light Yagami, who happens upon the Death Note and via it, acquaintances himself with Ryuk, one of the numerous shinigamis ( Japanese death gods).



Don't know when I finished reading it. I had a massive ebook of 109 chapters of 27 pages each, and was of the impression that the whole mamoth constituted Boredom [Death Note 01]. Only today did I realize that I am reading all the volumes in continuum. SO assuming that I finished this book, am rating it 4 plus. Loved reading it. And If I am correct, I have finished Volume 2 also.

Light suddenly is in possession of Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami, a death god who was bored and randomly left it with him. The notebook has rules, chief among them that if you write down the name of someone in it, that person dies. So, it's a revenge tale, in part, and then, broadening things a bit, asks the question about whether the world might not be better without certain people or certain kinds of people. But kill them? And what if you make a mistake? Should anyone have this power? Does power corrupt? This is one of the most popular manga series of all time, and I am reading it with my graphic novels class with the continuing series Ohba did, Bakuman, which is about two manga-ka who create a series like Death Note… If you were going to check out manga, these two series would be a good place to start.