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Book Review of Death Note, Vol 1

Death Note, Vol 1
Death Note, Vol 1
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Book Type: Paperback
sec avatar reviewed on + 31 more book reviews


An ace student finds a notebook with the power to kill anyone whose name is written in it. That is the basic premise of the story here; however, the plot is so, so much more than that. I fully expected this to be somewhat of a "morality play", and the story does touch on aspects of morality and ethics, but it's much more a story about the (as other reviewers have put it) "cat and mouse" game between Light (the boy who found the notebook) and L (the mysterious "detective" hot on his trail).

The story is so engaging and intelligent, it is comparable to the intellectual duels between Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty. The artwork is very good (and mature... no chibi stuff here) and melds perfectly with the story.

Ryuk the shinigami is absolutely brilliant. So far, he seems to be a secondary character, but the comic relief he provides is top-notch! (Ryuk is my favorite character.) I've only recently started reading manga, but this is definitely my favorite so far. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!