Death note was one of the first manga I ever read, and I can say for sure it is one of the best manga I have read so far. Story is breath taking and exciting, art work is very good. The only downside is the large amount of text, sometimes it feels more like your reading a good novel then a good manga.

Definitely worth reading!

Edit: Removed and rewritten to a higher standard of quality!

If you’re looking to read a pulp-like detective thriller that’s only charm is that it will make you feel smarter by the end of it, look no further than Death Note. But if you're expecting a vivid social commentary with a complex plot and characters, then you'll be sorely disappointed.

I read the entire manga (a painstaking effort on my part), watched the anime, and even saw the three live action movies (the first two of which are, admittedly, the best this franchise has to offer). Still, I was unable to relieve the sensation of crushing disappointment this series left me with. The premise is great: Protagonist Light Yagami finds the eponymous Death Note, a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill any individual simply by picturing their face and writing their name within its pages. With this veritable artifact of doom, ol' Light intends to kill criminals and create a "perfect" world, and this inevitably leads to the start of a long game of cat-and-mouse with the mysterious detective known only by the letter L (for some reason). That all seems to check out for a great psych-thriller, right?

Well, maybe it would have been if the characters weren’t so utterly, detestably flat.

So our golden boy Light is introduced to us as a bored genius who really has no passion for life or anything in it. And… that’s it. This is honestly the only look at his initial personality we get before he discovers the Death Note about two pages in. I mention this because this kid legitimately does not receive any further development as a character beyond becoming (within chapters) a flat, black-and-white villain. No, that is not an exaggeration. He tests the Death Note because he’s bored, freaks out for about two panels when he realizes that it works and that he’s now effectively a murderer… and then he’s pretty okay with the whole "axing random criminals because screw the legal system" thing. (And yeah, I'd understand more if it were America, but this is coming out of Japan, which already has the notoriously high ~90% conviction rate and a history of prosecuting and punishing the innocent.)

Okay, so, Light’s a sociopath. It happens. Big whoop, right? But no, that’s not even the problem. The problem here isn’t that he’s a sociopath -- it’s that he’s not even a particularly interesting one. Light kills criminals because he thinks it’s the “just” thing to do. That’s basically all there is to that – the morality, or lack thereof, of his mindset and actions is never discussed, questioned, explored, or otherwise ruminated upon, much to the series’ detriment. The movie at least made him an aspiring LEO, disillusioned with his chosen field of study when he realizes that many criminals escape the law. But in the manga, his remains a very base, very static motive up until the stakes are raised for him – when he starts targeting innocents who threaten his security (which he readily and remorselessly does). This is the singular aforementioned development his character undergoes – and it’s passed over without so much as a, “Gee, I wonder if killing that innocent FBI agent who was just trying to do his job constitutes crossing a moral boundary or two.”

Light’s evilness grows as the series progresses, yet his dimensionality as a character, as a villain, remains grounded in the 2D. Nothing changes in him from then on out, good or bad. He doesn’t descend further into madness, he doesn’t struggle with the shattered remains of what was once a conscience. He just continues on as a pretty-faced force of evil and deceit. And it’s boring. With no redeeming traits at all and no bigger way to crash and burn than to climax the series, he does absolutely nothing for the reader as a character.

And then there’s L – the detective, the rival, the enemy, what-have-you. I can think of quite a few things to say about him, but in the interest of keeping this review as succinct as possible, let me just say this: He’s basically a carbon-copy of Light, only instead of working for Evil, he works for Good. Both boys are petty, childish, and self-righteous. They’re concerned with “winning” their (pardon the crudeness) grand-scale penis-measuring contest for the sole purpose of validating their egos and asserting themselves as the embodiments of the abstract principle of justice. Neither cares about what he has to do or who he has to step on in order to get his way because to them, the end justifies the means. Honestly, they’re like overgrown toddlers holding a turf war on the playground, but instead of throwing sand, they’re throwing around people’s lives. And neither one changes. Aside from a few (albeit rather refreshing and endearing) gimmicks on L’s part, I’m prepared and willing to argue that they’re exactly the same character, only opposite. Suffice to say, L’s quirkiness may hold your interest for a couple of chapters, but his flatness, coupled with Light’s, very soon wears thin.

I really could go on for quite some time about this manga, but there’s no point in beating a dead horse. For what it’s worth, this series really will mess with your head and strain your capacity for logical reasoning, at least until it pushes into the absurd. For example, a lot of the key points in the plot rely on L knowing that Light knows that L found out that Light discovered that L has knowledge of Light’s knowledge that L is fully aware that Light is Kira.

...On second thought, you might benefit more from playing a Phoenix Wright game. (And for an added bonus, Dahlia Hawthorne and Kristoph Gavin are actually interesting and multifaceted sociopaths.)

In the series’ favor, I will say that the art is pleasant and smoothly improves in quality over time, and some of Light’s and L’s schemes really are fun and clever. Still, pretty pictures and a couple of parlor tricks aren’t nearly enough to carry the sheer dead weight of this dismal manga, especially with the inclusion of the entire second half, which tanks even worse than the first, making it a particularly tedious chore to get through. (Thank god the director had the good sense to cut and speed through it in the anime, and the movies don't come near it with a ten-foot pole.) The ending isn’t exactly a reward for all that hard work, either, and it’s so humorlessly nihilistic that it actually made me a little sick to read. There’s no hope, no redemption, and no heart to be found at any point in this series, and because of its promising premise, it really does end up being quite the disappointing read. If you’re insatiably curious, then try the live action movies. Otherwise, leave this one on the shelves because there are so many better crafted shounen series out there that this one really doesn’t deserve the time of day.

... Last updated on April 10th, 2015, 5:40pm

What can I say? I had mixed feelings for this series which would often alter as I read on, and still I cannot put it into words. Perhaps 'Wow!' is the best way to describe it.

When I started this series, I thought it was going to seriously suck big time like some story about a Ninja in an orange suit. The first chapter proved me wrong. It was insanely awesome!

The plot was very gripping, kept you at the edge of your seats. It was exciting seeing how L and Light constantly tried to outwit each other.



The characters...

Light, more or less represents human's greed and desires. I'm not sure what to think about him, though. Indeed, I got rather pissed off at him in Chapter 58 but I couldn't help not hating him... and yet I disliked him, perhaps of his personality and him being a jerk. I mean, sure he's clever and well... good-looking (not my taste though), but in my eyes, he's just a psyco, traitor and *Coughs*womanizer*Coughs*.

L, however is freakin' awesome. He has this charm which Near and Mellow phails. I can't quite understand why I'm attracted to him since I'm not so fond of 'Clever, Cute, Quiet' goody-goody guys. I guess I love his laid-back attitude and those little habits he has. I also felt extremely touched by the fact that he seems socially awkward.

As I have said Near and Mellow don't have the charm L posesses. Sure they managed to crack the case but honestly, I don't see much character developement though I understand why the author would want to 'develope their personality through action'. I guess it's because Near is a phailed clone of L... and Mellow just phails... =__=

Misa... one of the most annoying girls in the whole of Manga history. 'Nuff said.

As for the ending, I'm fine with it. It was obvious what was going to happen to him, since there was a huge clue on the first chapter. Also Light deserved what he got and... well it was amusing in some ways seeing him begging. Couldn't have ended any better. "^^

I am, however thankful that there were some unexpected turn of events. It must have been very risky for OHBA Tsugumi having to lose fans. Nevertheless, Death Note is manages to remain popular nowadays.

I forgot to mention, a huge thanks to OBATA Takeshi... Absolutely amazing artwork... ;D

... Last updated on August 26th, 2009, 5:57am

Pretty intense story. It was a really good read. Artwork was great, and the depth and detail going into explaining Light's motives, movements, and the such was amazing. It just kept going strong, though I felt it lost a lot of momentum about halfway through. The second half of the story had a few flaws that I didn't like. It seemed Light lost a lot of his touch, eh? And Mellow and Near just... I disliked them a lot. It was still a great read, and L is a great character. So much mystery surrounds him and the rivalry between him and Light/Kira is monumental.
A must read. Top of the notch for Mystery manga. I'd recommend Spiral too if the Mystery part specifically intrigues you.

The premise was very unique and original to me. Never would have I imagined such a plot. As opposed to some other mangas that claim to be intelligent but weren't really, this manga is actually intelligent and amazingly so. I was completely taken away by the suspense and the mind games. Stayed up till 6 am to read it lol.

In the last chapter where the manga raises the point that though Light's actions were evil crimes, he was somewhat likable. It was so interesting to me that this manga picked an anti-hero as its protagonist. In any other manga, the hero(s) would be L or N; you know, the good guys. So when some readers, including me, didn't want Light to lose even though his actions were so evil, it's a fascinating thing.

Yeah, Light was definitely an unfeeling jerk and villainous, but since he was the protagonist, I couldn't help but rooted for him, or at least didn't want him to lose. If I were put off by Light, I would have quit by the time L died if not before that. No way would I read a story where the guy I hate wins in the end. But when Light looked at the dying L with an evil face, even though I was creeped out and a little big disgusted too, I actually let out a sigh of relief because that meant Light didn't lose. Yeah, I was a little bit to frightened to realize I was on Light's side in the story. I applaud the author to be able to so successfully create an oxymoronic anti-hero with ideas that repulse me but I wanted him to succeed, had a nasty personality with a likable charm, which made me guilty for rooting for him secretly.

Given that, I was a bit sad at the ending because I honestly wanted Light to win, even though his ideal world was crazy. I think Light, L, N, and Mello were all intelligent, especially Light and L. L lost to Light didn't mean he was inferior in brain power. He started the case with nothing but rumors, fighting against the supernatural and blocked by a major lack of information. By the time N and Mello were on stage, Light's wits were already a little bit wore down by over-confidence and his victory over L; his actions were restricted by his lies and double life. So I wouldn't say N and Mello took down Light alone. The web that would eventually kill Light had to be begun with L and took 3 guys, and 2 deaths of them, to complete. Not to mention he scared the whole world and almost had everyone on earth under his palm. I would say that Light did pretty well, not that I'm advocating his ideas.

Overall, a heart-jumping and mind-gripping ride. I almost had a heart attack myself 2/3 of the way because of the intense suspense.

... Last updated on December 27th, 2013, 12:22am

Death Note is one of the most original manga I've ever read. I think it's unique, and maybe it's also for this that it's so popular and known all over the world. Well... let's see its strong points! :3

1) First of all, the art style. It's particular, charming and captivating. It's the perfect art for this manga. Not shojo nor shonen... I would say no manga-like at all. Every detail is precise as it's real. That's what makes this art so beautiful.

2) Second: the plot. I bet you've never heard such a strange, original and interesting plot. Like I said, Death Note is unique! And its plot is strange and interesting, it arouses your curiosity and makes you want to read more and more. That's what I call a good plot.

3) Third, the detective style. Yeah, Death Note has got it! Together with the plot, the story goes on with a good detective style. It's like Death Note is a detective novel, but it's even more interesting, because it has drawings! Understand what I'm trying to say? ;D

4) Fourth... characters! I read that some people didn't like Light. But... wait! I think that a BAD main character is just too cool! Don't you agree with me? It's something that manga or normal stories don't have, and it gives you a different point of view. Plus, I think Light is a good character, well developed and interesting. Like L and Misa, they're all good characters. Only one thing: I would have liked it more if they elaborated more Mello's and Mat's stories. However, the characters are wonderful, talking both of personality and design.

So... why did I rate this wonderful manga 8? Why didn't I give it a 9 or a 10? It's because... this manga is too long. It should have finished in... 7 or 8 volumes. The plot is good, like I said, but they spin it out too much. For example...


That's what is not good in Death Note. Well, it's not perfect, but you really should read it. It's worth it!

... Last updated on March 24th, 2014, 9:20am

I considered this series one of the best I had read until I had the "misfortune" of read the last chapters. Seriously, the ending was so full of flaws, errors and inconsistencies that completely ruined the whole manga for me. And I still haven't mentioned one of the biggest issues in all this: the ultimate destiny of the protagonist at the end of the story. I don’t know why, but even though I didn’t liked that character very much I totally and absolutely disliked the way the authors portrayed him at the end. Still, I'd give it an eight out of ten since even though it had such a horrible, inferior, deficient, defective and pathetic ending it’s still a good series.

first part awesome but second part?
worst ending ever
i cant give 10 cos second part sucks.

I read it all when I was in middle school and back then I thought it was the greatest manga of all time. I rewatched the anime a few weeks ago and then went back to the manga and man... I've grown up and changed so much. The pacing is still suspenseful. The premise is still awesome. I will still think L is one of the coolest manga and anime characters. And I still love the art. But it's not as smart as I remember which of course was the main appeal. The thing is other than Light and L and later Mello and Near all the other characters were just there. Now, in 8th grade I thought that was part of the appeal, it was like L and Light playing chess with the people around them. But since then I've read plenty of stories where all the background characters have their own dreams and aspirations and Death Note just simply doesn't make sense in comparison.

I actually loved the ending though. Maybe not everything leading up to it, although I don't mind the end of the the first half as much as everyone else seems to mind it. I still think Mello and Near are cute although the reinforcements on Light's side seemed a bit more hackish. But I thought the last chapter was one of the best. The artwork was great too


... Last updated on September 3rd, 2016, 2:46am

Excellent first third. Good middle third. Disappointing final third.
When I started my mind was blown. Great artwork, awesome leads and a riveting plot. The first few volumes are seriously good material. But close to the middle of the story the plot started to plod around a bit and then the final third made things even worse. I guess you could say the final act was good but the series had lost its charm by then. I'd rate it higher but the loss of potential that this series goes through really disappointed me.