Death Note (Written by Tsugumi Ohba; illustrated by Takeshi Obata)

Magic notebooks and serial killers
Jul 31, 2015
3 min read

Seventeen year-old Light Yagami has a bright future ahead of him. He has a loving family and is at the top of his classes, expected to go to an excellent university. There's only two problems: he's bored and unsatisfied with the world.

But things are looking up.

Light finds a mysterious notebook that has the power to kill - anyone whose name is written in the notebook, called a "Death Note", will die. Light decides to make good use of this notebook, but rather than killing anyone he pleases, he decides to use his new power for good. Light begins to kill criminals, believing that he can make the world a better place.

People begin to catch on, and it becomes public knowledge that a mysterious killer, called "Kira", is killing evildoers. Public opinion on Kira is mixed, with some praising him and other condemning the killings as horrific acts of murder. The police fall into the latter, and they are determined to catch the killer. Enlisting the help of a brilliant detective who goes only by the name L, the police set out to find Kira at all costs. Aware that he is a suspect in the investigation, Light becomes involved in the investigation, and he and L enter a deadly game: L needs to know if Light is Kira, and Light needs to shake off suspicion and kill L.

Loser dies.

Light was an extremely intriguing main character. He's very, very clever and always has a plan, careful not to take unnecessary risks. As L says, he has a childish sense of right and wrong and doesn't understand that what he's doing may not be right. While his idea of a perfect world is harmless enough, the way he goes about trying to achieve it is questionable. Light wholeheartedly believes in his plan. While he initially starts only killing criminals, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and as the series goes on, he begins to also kill those who get in his way or come too close to discovering Kira's identity. Light also develops more and more of a god complex, believing that he will become the god of his new, perfect world.

I couldn't help cheering Light on, even as he does unforgivable things and spirals further and further into corruption. As the main character, it's easy to sympathize with his views and understand his motives. I also admired his ingenuity as he continued to pull crazy, complex schemes to try to clear his name and work towards his goals.

Death Note was a recommendation from a friend, and I adored it! The series was a dark thrill ride with plenty of breakneck twists I never saw coming, stellar character development, and plenty of new additions to the cast to spice things up. Whether you think Light is good or bad - I'm not sure what to think! - he's a vibrant, disturbing character. The series's combination of supernatural saga and modern-day crime drama was intoxicating! I think the idea of a magic notebook like the Death Note is so creative and original. The series also explores difficult questions about justifying death and the power to kill that I was forced to contemplate. Overall, I loved this series to pieces! 5/5 stars!