Death Note

“Death Hype”

Okay, it’s finally here. This was the review I’ve been waiting for ever since I took up this job. There’s so much buzz and hype and overall fandom over this title that I’ve been kicking down the doors to add my merry little sentiment into the mix of the giant cash pot that is Death Note. Now there’s no arguing against this title’s popularity. You only have to go and look at the terrifying amounts of merchandise that’s been made from its image to know what the fans feel about this particular title. However I’m not interested in the commercial value. I’m interested in Death Note as a story. Does it really deliver? Or is the hype only fueled by the angst of preteen boys and girls who secretly want to off their friends? Is it really that good? Well…

…Yes and no.  I will admit, the character design is some of the best I’ve ever seen. You immediately become enraptured with the character of Kira and later on you also embrace L. The series has you swinging back and forth, cheering for both at the same time. I love that it has you rooting for the serial killer whether you realize it or not. The mental battles between the two make for fantastic story telling and even Misa, who could very easily have just been the cookie cutter goth lolita character in the story, turned out to be a major plot focus. Everything becomes important and no detail is overlooked in the writing. That’s the “yes” part. The “no”? Well I would hate to spoil anything. Let’s just say after the “L Arch” of the story, things start to go downhill. The story invested so much into the L character that when they stop using him, nothing seems quite as important any more. Sure there’s still tension and strategy involved in the plot, but you just don’t quit care as much. Kira versus L was the big draw. Everything in the middle just seemed to drag on until the end. The fantastic ending *nearly* makes up for the drull that is the middle arch of the story. You don’t care about the new “hero” the series gives you to defeat Kira. He just seems to be some punk who’s after L’s mantle. You don’t even want him to win. You end up cheering for the Kira, the bad guy, just because you don’t like the new character. And here’s the thing, people. It’s not that Mellow and Near are bad characters. They’re just not as good as L. When you’ve been spoiled with a fantastic spread of cake and cookies, you tend to turn your nose at stale bread. That’s what happens after the L Arch.

So in the end, is it worth the hype? Popular opinion points to yes. If you ignore half the story, Death Note is one fantastic manga. Chances are you will, whether you want to or not, forget half the story. No one ever mentions Mellow or Near. It’s all about Kira and L. And that my friends is how I believe it will stay. The series effectively ends half way through. The “ending” is only a gift. A wrap up of the events of the first half of the story. (Spoiler Alert. Seriously, don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’ve got plenty of time to exit your browser now. But seriously, who doesn’t know what happens in Death Note at this point? If you’re reading this blog, you should already have read this series twice and then argued over it in an internet forum. Nerd.) The story actually dies with L. 

More Death Note from Manga Books