Title: Death Note – Black Edition – Volume 1
Author: Story by Tsugumi Ohba and Art by Takeshi Ohbata
Publisher: Viz Media
ISBN: 9781421539645
Genre: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novel
Pages: 400
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5/5
I had heard a lot about “Death Note” from a lot of people and how utterly irresistible this graphic novel is. I waited for a while before picking it up. I also tried to not be too interested in it, given it is a series and once I am hooked, I am so hooked that I would not read anything else. Well I don’t know if I will read the rest of the series, but volume 1 and 2 sure did make an impact on me.
So “Death Note” is written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. “Death Note” is unique. It has the edge of a comic series that makes you want to turn the pages, and before you know it, you are done with one book and another and the entire series.
“Death Note” is about a death notebook that accidentally (or not) falls from the hands of a rogue Shinigami death god, only to be picked up by someone on Earth. Light Yagami is an ace student with a lot of prospects. He chances upon the Death Note, picks it up and it now belongs to him. The thing with the Death Note is that it works like a charm – you write a name in it, along with the cause of death, and the exact time the person is supposed to die and he or she does die, at the very same appointed hour.
Light wants to change the world to make it a better place. The Death God is there with him constantly (as per the condition of who the Death Note belongs to), and he takes no sides. On the other hand, criminals are falling like dead flies. The National Police Agency of Japan and the FBI, including an unknown name L wants to know who is behind the murders. Light is known as Kira. The battle of wits between L and Kira has begun. There is of course a lot more to this book, which I cannot give away but this will suffice for now.
The book is racy for sure. I took some time with it because I loved the art and wanted to soak it all in. Manga has after all always been a weak spot of mine when it comes to graphic novels and comics. The art by Ohbata is stunning in most places. The story was sometimes a drag but when you see it in its entirety then maybe it is well worth the drag. “Death Note” is nothing like what you have read before, simply because of the way the author describes the world we live in. It is bleak and depressing and yet somehow quite hopeful in most parts. A good heady mix to keep the reader going and engaged, for both the literary and not-so literary readers. “Death Note” is sure worth spending your time and brains on. It is different and I know that I will continue with this series and see it through to the end.
Here’s the first episode of the Death Note Anime. I would any day prefer the books.
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