by torrentchan on March 27th, 2007, 11:33am

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User rating of this review - 3.9 out of 5
Story/Plot - 4 out of 5
Characters - 4 out of 5
Drawing Style - 5 out of 5
Enjoyment - 4 out of 5
Overall - 4.2 out of 5

Click here for series information

Plot/Story
I am sure by now this manga have become a well known manga that made itself a name in history. If you like mind playing stories, suspense, thriller, time killer, a challenge, or simply a good read, then let me tell you Death Note is the one you should get your hands on.

It is about what happens when a teenage boy with his own strong sense of justice do when he picks up a black notebook one day at school. This notebook belongs to a shinigami whom had dropped the deathnote in the human world. Ratio, with his strong sense of justice and strong belief that the humans now are rotting and he, genius boy and first son of the police chief, can change it all, by threatening everyone with terror, that is.

This is how the deathnote go, write someone's name in the book, if you don't write how the person will die then after 40 seconds when the name was written, he or she will have a heart attack and die. Now that's something. With such powers comes a great responsibility, and Ratio knows just how to use the deathnote to his advantage. For a teenage boy who not freak out when faced with the owner of the deathnote, the shinigami who went in search for the deathnote, he really means something.

Too bad the elite "L" is out to get him with his own "Justice"

Characters
Ratio is an elite high school boy. He is smart, handsome, good with girls and very reliable. If someone or some people around him just open their eyes they should be able to see that Ratio is not really deep with them. He have his own way of thinking things, things that are too deeply some times too. Because of his not-a-care-in-the-world attitude, it is not a surprise to see him using the deathnote so ruefully while calling it "Justice". And in some weird sense, his justice really seem...well..."justice-ly". His personality darkens a few volumes into the series that make you shudder with horror to read of such a main character. Ratio uses anyone he can to get this ways. A true hero who fights for his justice. Ratio is also a true painful main character that captures you heart while at the same time twisting it into knots of pain.

Misha, a character many learn to hate, is not really that hateful when you think about it. She do anything for the one she loves, even if he is insane *cough* Just like how Ratio is right in his weird way about killing to open a path ofr this justice, Misha will kill for the path of love. Though her personality really gets on your nerves from time to time.

The shinigami is just scary, creepy looking, personality really scary and creepy, but hey, we all love him.

Drawing Style
From the same artist who did the infamous "Hikaru no Go", you really can't say anything bay about the drawing style. The characters are well draw with a sense of "seriousness". There are many cute scenes that lightens the mood of the manga a few times. The shinigami looks scary enough, with this i really give a 5!

Enjoyment and Overall
I really enjoyed this manga and believe anyone who have yet to get their hands on this really is missing out! This isn't really a long serie, the plot and art are all good. If you are in need of a suspense manga then check Death note out! I really enjoyed this manga and know that it will be sometime for me to forget about this manga and how it ended. Really now, can you imagine a perfect ending for the main character when he is good and evil at the same time? From the beginning you can see he will not be able to change into a good person. A twist is waiting and the suspense are calling out!

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