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Rating: Ryuk, a God of Death (otherwise known as "Shinigami"), is bored in his barren and oppressive realm. To entertain himself a little, he decides to drop the Death Note into the human world, a notebook with special powers whereby if the name of a person is written inside, that person dies. Fate has it that the one to pick it up is the genius and cynical Japanese high school student Light Yagami who, thrilled by the discovery, decides to use the notebook to eliminate all evil people from the face of the earth, thus becoming the God of a "New World."
This is how Death Note begins, a 12-volume manga (plus a thirteenth special edition) created by screenwriter Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by master Takeshi Obata, which has now become a cult, from which an animated series of 37 episodes and 3 live-action movies have also been made. The storyline appears original from the very beginning, indeed, I don't think it's too bold to call it brilliant. As you proceed with reading the manga, you'll realize that this adjective will need to be used many more times.
Now let's move on to the second part of the plot.
The criminals whose existence has been made public begin to die one after another from heart attacks.
No one, neither the police nor the mass media can provide an explanation for the strange phenomenon, but rumors on the internet suggest that it is all the work of a new messiah, a holy avenger who has taken control of the world, nicknamed Kira (a Japanese transliteration of the word "killer").
Interpol is groping in the dark and calls for the help of L, a mysterious detective that no one has ever seen in person but who seems to have abilities far superior to the norm.
From this point on, it becomes a challenge, an exciting chess game between two individuals with extraordinary intelligence, each intent on uncovering the other's identity. On one side is L, on the other Light/Kira.
"The notebook that this God of Death has lost in the human world will give rise to a glorious duel between two men chosen by fate." As written in the first chapter.
And whose side is the reader on? Does he believe that Kira is a serious threat to humanity or that he is a Savior?
Here, consequently, there are no protagonists or antagonists, heroes or antiheroes. It's all subjective. However, one will notice that Light will be dominated by the deadly power of the notebook, a power greater than him, leading him to kill anyone who stands in his way, criminals or not. Thus becoming truly evil but always with the fixed intent of saving humanity from decay (or with the intent of being worshiped as God?).
What truly leaves readers in awe in this manga are the tricks, the brilliantly conceived strategies that L and Light implement to unmask each other. Tricks so absurd (enough to bring a smile, as in the case of Light's thought-out hiding place for the Death Note) that they become the main characteristic of the manga, along with such unique and interesting characters (in Japan L is considered the best character ever appearing in a manga).
The graphic part is on par, if not superior to the script. The drawings are clean, well-defined and smooth. Every detail, both in the objects and expressions, is rendered best without the slightest flaw.
Interesting are the changes of expression in Light. In public, a smart and kind boy, when alone the ruthless and cunning Kira. Obata himself will say that these personality changes have been among the most challenging things to realize.
A flaw. The lack of sufficient psychological introspection of the characters which, besides making the character of the work more interesting, would also have broken the excessive tension permeating everything. For this, one less point.
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