Well, I'm going to ignore some of the comments here that say DN is unnecessarily complex or emo or whatever. Death Note is one of the best shounen manga I've ever read. I even bought the box set for it (truth be told, I only buy manga that I really, REALLY like).

Why is it so good, then? (If you don't agree, fair enough. These are my opinion.)

1) The main characters are very intelligent and their ways of executing their plans are amazingly neat.
2) Storyline is consistent.
3) Supernatural plays a big role in this, yet it doesn't completely take over and makes everything magical. (Does that even make sense? o.O)
4) The ending is perfect (I'm talking about the manga, not the anime). Enough said.

Cons:

1) Minor characters are too stupid and one dimensional.
2) Intelligent characters are killed too easily by Light (SPOILER example: Naomi).
3) The story drags on for a little bit after a certain character's death, but it picks up the pace quickly enough that I didn't lose interest.

Art style: I love the art. The characters body and facial features are very proportional. You can easily tell the character's age by looking at them (in some manga, especially shoujo, everyone looks the same, even if they're supposed to be mature/old). You can even tell their race by their facial features, which I think is remarkable. Also, as far as I noticed, there are no two characters that share the same style of eyes (besides Mello and Near, I think).

Anyway, enough of me rambling.

If anyone is looking for a good manga with a dark, intriguing story with awesome (for the lack of a better word ) main characters, Death Note is the way to go.

... Last updated on April 18th, 2011, 10:44pm

I've devoured this manga and, to say the truth, I found it very good initially. But after I calmed down my enthusiasm, I started to acknowledge its many flaws. Besides Light and L (and L sucessors) everyone else are very stupid characters, mainly the women. Even the most intelligent ones are nothing but toys in the hand of Yagami Light. The ex FBI female agent (killed very easily when I was expecting she would have a main role to disclose and arrest Kira) and the Light's university ex colleague (later his lover and Kira supporter). Useless to mention Misa, Light's play thing, and the most stupid character in the whole manga. Now I think the author, Ohba Tsugumi, must have a personal grudge against all women. Perhaps his mother was bad to him, or he was rejected by every girl he confessed to, or his school female colleagues bullied him or everything of that at the same time.

... Last updated on April 1st, 2011, 4:55pm

I read this quite a long time ago (a couple years) but I still remember how much I loved it. I'm not really into shounen manga, however this manga kept me hooked. I especially like how it attacks one of the biggest and most common philosophical questions around. I recommend this manga to everyone!

I would have to say the manga is better than the anime, way better, but the manga is also a pile of shit, it shouldn't even be read, it's emo, boring, and the same plot over and over, I'd really recommend that any body willing to save their brain to stay away from this manga, especially the anime, glad i could help u poor souls

Not being a fan of shounen, my brother gradually persuaded me to watch the anime (after telling him time n time again its not my thing, but he is never one to listen to anything i say) liked it that much I just had to get a hold of his manga version of it too, Really enjoyed this series and all the twists it had to offer, As a female I highly reccomened this to just about anyone who's into a good read!!

I've heard some people say the completely hate the main character, oddly though I actually root for him. True he's twisted, but there's something that even his battle with L/N never destroys.
Yeah you know the end was coming, but I'm left with a question There's a lot contained in the end of this series, as well as many loose ends. It stays with you after you finish.

... Last updated on March 7th, 2011, 10:35am

I love this manga.
It was the first one that I ever read, (on a recommendation, an offhand comment, and a whim) and I was very quickly dragged so far into the story that it took me a full year to regain a sense of normality.
I love everything about it... I love the otherworldliness of the story and the reality of it, the megalomania and the mind games, the manipulative bastards... Even the fandom, between the argumentative bastards (...sorry?) who understood the story and the sqee-ing fanbrats (also sorry) who reinforce that understanding, makes me love the manga more.
The only negative thing I have to say is about the spinoff novel. It was poorly thought-out, to say the least.

... Last updated on October 21st, 2010, 11:19am

This is one of my favorite mangas, actually my second favorite. I love the suspense, the main character Light, L, Near, Mello, Matt, Misa...everyone and everything, really! The idea is so original and the story is really interesting. And the ending was quick, but very fitting.



So all in all, it's a good read and worth your time.