Monday 5 July 2010

Death Note (part one) - Book Review


Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

What is it about:
Shinigami own notebooks called “Death Notes” which are used as killing devices. Whoever’s name they write down in a death note will die within 40 seconds. Shinigami Ryuk dropped his Death Note in the human world where it’s found by honor high school student Light. With the death note actually having directions in it for its use, Light discovers he now has the power to discreetly kill people, and with this new power he plans to change the world in his ideal world by killing off criminals. Eventually the governments of the countries around the world notice the unusual amounts of deaths of their criminals, and figure out someone is behind them, but they have no way of discovering it themselves. That’s when they hire L, a master detective, to find out who is behind the murders.

What did I think of it:
The story is quite interesting and I loved Ryuk, he was both cool in appearance and how he acted. I didn't like Light, who acts like he's better than others. The drawings were really well done, but they did look like lots of other manga. I'd have loved it if the artist had tried to give it something special, but apart from Ryuk it's all standard drawing, looking good, but not special. All in all it's an enjoyable read and I might try another book in this series if I come across it.

Why should you read it:
It's a well drawn manga with an interesting story.

8 comments:

Alayna Williams said...

I've seen the anime late at night on the Cartoon Network, but haven't seen the book yet. I thought it was an interesting premise, but didn't get to see enough of the episodes to see how it worked out. Darn having to get up early in the morning - it really cuts into my anime viewing time! ;-)

Nina said...

I never tried to read Manga before, but a friend of mine keeps telling me I should. But it's just irritating to read from left to right. :P

Beanie Mouse said...

It's quite a good read, isn't it?! Glad you enjoyed - if I come across more manga/zombie books, I'll let you know!

Deepali said...

The tv series is also good! I get the feeling it is better to watch than read - for Deathnote. Let me know once you watch an episode :) They are widely available online, even on youtube and sidereel.com

Beanie Mouse said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
vvb32 reads said...

i've been meaning to try this one and the movie versions too. interesting premise.

Sullivan McPig said...

I didn't know there was also an anime. I'll check it out.

Nastassia said...

This sounds like a good read, although I find that I rather watch anime than read manga.