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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5952
EAN num: 9781421501680
ISBN number: 1421501686
Label: VIZ Media LLC
Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 200
Printing Date: October 10, 2005
Publishing house: VIZ Media LLC
Sale Popularity Level: 20078
Studio: VIZ Media LLC
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Product Description:
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?
Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With acess to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?
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Rated by buyers 
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Light Yagami is a straight-A student with the best college prospects in the entire country of Japan...and he's bored out of his mind. One day, Light finds a mysterious notebook with the words "Death Note" written on the cover. It turns out that the notebook was dropped into the human world by an equally boredShinigami (death god) who wants to see what would happen if he introduced the Death Note to humans.
Light quickly learns that the notebook is more than it seems. Its owner can kill anyone by writing their name in the notebook while picturing their face. After realizing his new power, Light decides to use the Death Note to rid the world of evil by passing judgment on criminals and, ultimately, killing them. Despite the irony of murdering murderers, Light feels that this is the best way to create autopian society free of evil. The police quickly pick up on the killings and investigate. The unknown killer is dubbed "Kira" by "fans" on the Internet. "Kira" is considered a savior by some, and a murderer by others.
"Kira" becomes the obsession of L, a world renowned master detective known for cracking difficult cases through logic. L believes that Kira's should be punished for his actions, even though he's ridding the world of criminals and lowering crime rates worldwide. L quickly becomes a rival to Light/Kira, and the pair square off in a battle of wit.
I picked up this graphic novel after watching the 26-episode anime, and I was amazed at how closely the anime followed the manga. However, each version had a different balance between the two major elements of the plot: the detective story and the exploration of justice. While theanime preferred to follow the detective story, the manga focused more on the moral implications of the story and the meaning of justice.
Light's character was more human in the manga than in the anime. Inside of simply excepting the Death Note's power, he takes the time to question the mortality of his intentions, but puts the argument aside for the sake of what he believes to be a better world. Light genuinely wants to make the world a better place, even if it is by killing people. While in theanime, Light seems to be purely obsessed with power.
I was surprised at the relatively sparse nature of the artwork in this manga. The characters were fairly detailed, but the environments were very generic and empty. It seemed like the artist didn't want to take the time to draw in backgrounds in many of the panels. There are a few points in the story where the reader loses a sense of place because of this, but I think this has to do with the writer's intent.
This manga is also very text-heavy. In fact, I think it's the most text-heavy manga I've ever read. This only helps to add depth to the plot and to keep the reader constantly engaged. I think it also shows that the author thought out his concept thoroughly before writing the story. This is also evidenced by the vast amount of rules and limitations surrounding the Death Note.
Character is somewhat sacrificed, however, in the process. The author rests on fairly flat characters who have little past, singular goals, and little personal complexity. Yet, the plot is so intelligent and engrossing that this failure is easily forgiven. Just keep in mind that if you are a fan of character development, thismanga may not be for you. The complete focus of this manga is the story: the meaning of justice, the rivalry between Kira/Light and L, the intricate games that Kira plays to stay hidden, and the logic that leads L through his investigation.
Dark and thought-provoking, Death Note Volume 1 will engross the reader in a world of moral questions and old-school detective mystery. Not for the faint of heart, Death Note is a landmark in storytelling and a beacon of hope within the increasingly mediocremanga/anime coming out of Japan today.
Rated by buyers -
The death note series is hands down the best manga/comic i have ever read. If you are buying the very first volume right now you may as well buy the second so that there's no wait in between readings while you wait for the subsequent volume to arrive...you won't wanna put this down. Not only is it a GREAT concept and story, but the execution was flawless. Not once did I have any idea as to what the main characters were going to do. I was pleasantly surprised at each turn. The onyl problem with the book is that b/c its a manga title people won't take a serious look at it. If I have to tell my local comic shop owner to buy/read the book one more time i am going to scream!!lol
PS - The art is phenomenal as well.This book is as perfect as it gets.
Rated by buyers -
I'm not a huge manga reader, mostly because the expense of buying volume after volume can add up pretty quickly. However, Deathnote is worth the money. The art is great and the story is like watching an intricate chess match between two brilliant opponents. I read these a bit more slowly than other manga novels because I have to stop and think about the logical twists and turns. I'm up to volume 5, and I haven't tired of this series yet!
Rated by buyers -
This is a Manga thriller of a top notch high school student who finds a notebook called a Death Note. It belongs to a god who picks humans for death. The god is bored and wants to entertain himself with a human, the human thinks its a great idea to play god and kill criminals. Kind of a Manga Dexter, if you ask me. Pretty interesting and I was absorbed by the 1st issue. I will be reading more of it.
Rated by buyers -
Unlike anime heavy weights such as; Bleach, Naruto, Inuyasha, and Full Metal Alchemist, Death Note brought something new to the table. Instead of big swords, too much hair gel, and busty women, Death Note has a entirely never done before story; which makes it so appealing. It has almost a Gothic feel to it that's addicting like chocolate.... (don't mind the bad comparison....!)
Death Note revolves around Seventeen year old Light Yagami; a genius, tennis star, and heartthrob. One fateful day, Light happens to pick up a grey notebook off of the ground bearing the words; Death Note. Upon further inspection, Light learns that if you write a person's name in the Death Note while thinking of their face, you can kill them. Now Light, an aspiring Police/Detective officer puts away the Death Note and doesn't even think about it. Until he happens to witness a young girl being attacked by grimy men. He quickly writes the guys name, and sure enough he dies. Light is shocked, how could something like this really be true? It is true however, as Light gets an unexpected greeting by the owner of the Death Note, Ryuk, who happens to be a Shinigami. (Think something like a Grim Reaper.) Ryuk tells Light he can kill anyone, provided he follows the rules. So here history is made, as Light decides to kill of all criminals and 'evil.' He will become the God of the new world. Light dons the name 'Kira' (derived from Killer) and starts off killing criminals.
But all is not well in Light's world. The Police have noticed all of the mysterious deaths, and have now vowed to get this Kira; including the world's best detective, known simply as; L.
Will Light carry out his goal for complete dominance over the world? Or will the world's best detective, L, stop him? Your going to have to either A) Watch the Anime or B) Read the Manga.
Characterization has never been better in a Anime or Manga then it has been in Death Note. Light Yagami is characterized as an arrogant, greedy, devilishly intelligent young man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. You'll love to hate Light, and find later in the series how evil and maddening his character is.
L, the world's best detective, remains enigmatic for much of the very first part of the series. But once his grand entrance is staged, you'll see truly grand character development.
Animation is certainly gorgeous, with a Gothic element that's hard to resist. You'll have a hard time not to drool over Light or even L later on. (Who doesn't love the fact they both don't wear hair gel....!) There's something about the stunning visuals that'll suck you right in, and certainly draw you into the world of Death Note.
So go ahead, try something new. There certainly aren't any; Big Swords, Hair Gel, Busty Women, or over the top Gore, but that makes Death Note even the more satisfying. It's new and fresh, and something that's never been done before. I'm glad I watched Death Note, (and I almost didn't!) and now I'm completely obsessed.
Didn't Parents always used to say, trying something new is good for you?
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