Manga So. Death Note.

[bellpickle]

[SIZE=1]I have the Death Note itch, and I feel that I must drop everything I'm doing, and ramble about this manga.

I'm a new fan, only a few weeks old, and I've been kicking myself over not having read this manga sooner. (I was aware of Death Note for ages, but didn't bother to read it until recently.) I've been really enjoying it so far. The concept alone is intriguing enough. Throw in the psychological mindgames, and you have a winner in my book.

What I find most impressive is how complex the characters are. The writer knows her characters [I]very[/I] well; considering how wordy Death Note is, character personalities play a pivotal role in plot progression, and personality is usually most fleshed out in dialogue and thoughts. The author does a great job of subtlely portraying the characters' personalities, sometimes through very careful wording or small quirks. (Such as L's habit of explaining everything in specific percentages, which is actually something I often do as well.)

I also find the ambiguity and irony of Death Note fascinating. It's ambiguous in that there is no clear-cut hero or villain in this story, and ironic in that the characters fail to realize that. Or, they refuse to admit it, which seems to be the case with Light and L. In essence, both characters have similar shortcomings. By the end of the first volume, Light doesn't see his victims as humans anymore, just chess pieces. Same with L.

Well, enough of my rambling! Just wondering what other fans think, both of what's been said on this post and general thoughts of the manga.

(Note: Does anyone else find it amusing, how divided the fandom is over Light and L? I'm an L fan, by the way. ;))[/SIZE]

[AngryBarista]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]I myself just began to read this, having bought the first manga here in Japan.
...
It's in English though...thank God. I would seriously try to read the Japanese version of it - and I'm sure that it would be funnier/more interesting since things almost always get lost in translation - but the Kanji get me every time >.<
Anyway, back to the point, I found the first book extremely intriguing. I love the way Light is constantly being followed by the Shinigami [forgive the shocking spelling there, I bought it the first day I was here, read it, and now it's been over a month and a half. Remembering of the top of my head], and how he doesn't realise how evil he's actually become.
Eliminating criminals for the greater good? Ruling over a perfect world? Does this remind anyone else of a certain Dictator or two?
The connection is probably unintentional though heh *shifty eyes*
I love the way things have turned out so far, by the end of the first book. Will update once I find and grab the next...however many English copies I can get my grubby hands on.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[bellpickle]

[QUOTE=Satori][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]
Eliminating criminals for the greater good? Ruling over a perfect world? Does this remind anyone else of a certain Dictator or two?[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]
[SIZE=1]Actually, I was thinking of how much of a fascist Light is just prior to posting this thread. XD

Though, as L comments in the third volume, Light is different in that he slowly manipulates the public into agreeing with his cause, instead of using fear to force everyone to.

Anyway, volumes 2 & 3 are really worth buying. After reading the first volume, I was afraid that the story might get old quick, but the writer has managed to keep it surprisingly fresh so far.[/SIZE]

[Dagger]

[quote name='bellpickle][SIZE=1'](I'm an L fan, by the way. ;))[/SIZE][/quote]
Good. L fans unite! :animesmil

And I congratulate anyone who manages to follow Viz's release and not get spoiled. You've gotta be exceedingly careful about that kind of thing--for some reason, DN seems to be one of those series that people love to carelessly ruin for others.

At the moment, I'm up to chapter 92 (which will be somewhere in volume 11, when the tankoubon comes out). Some spoiler-packed thoughts on the latest developments:

[spoiler]Near is ridiculously impressive. Much as I want to favor Mello, I have to concede that Near has the edge on him, intellectually speaking. Not to mention the fact that Mello has essentially disappeared from recent chapters. I think L would have done equally well in Near's situation, however. Speaking of the successors, I had originally suspected (okay, hoped) that the author might kill off Light and have Mikami take over for him, but it's patently clear that Mikami couldn't handle being Kira on his own. He's making mistakes far worse than any Light ever made, even back in the first few volumes.[/spoiler]

Right now, what I'm wondering is who [spoiler]will go down first. I would have pegged Near vs. Light and Mello vs. Mikami as being the coming match-ups, but I'm starting to think that perhaps it'll be the other way around. I would have given Mello higher death odds than Near, too, but with all the recent focus on Near, I'm starting to worry about him more.[/spoiler]

Light's manipulation of [spoiler]Misa & Takada[/spoiler] is going to come back to haunt him. But I guess it's still too early to rule out a [spoiler]simple catfight... it's amazing how much the addition of a few new characters has made the series infinitely more complicated.[/spoiler]

As for the story getting old... there was a certain point during its serialization when the English-speaking fandom went through a schism, with a good number complaining that it had jumped the shark. It'll be interesting to see what newcomers to the series think once they get there...

~Dagger~

[bellpickle]

[quote name='Dagger']And I congratulate anyone who manages to follow Viz's release and not get spoiled.[/quote]

[SIZE=1]Thankfully, most Death Note fans on Livejournal know when to mark for spoilers. Though, I [I]do[/I] know of THE spoiler from chapter 58. That one seems kind of unavoidable. :/

I also know of [spoiler]Mello and Near, and that, at first at least, Near comes off as a fun-sized version of L.[/spoiler] Though, I've managed to avoid spoilers pertaining to anything else that might've happened.

I plan on reading only the Viz releases, though who knows how long that will last. I mean, two months is a long time to wait. *fidgets*[/SIZE]

[Magus]

I just heard about this recently from a friend. I was wondering if I could get a brief summary of what this is about? (He told me it was better than Bleach and so..... I'm curious now.)

[bellpickle]

[quote name='Byakuya']I was wondering if I could get a brief summary of what this is about?[/quote]

[SIZE=1]Viz says it best:

"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."

Basically, it's about killing criminals, and using intellect to get away with killing criminals.[/SIZE]

[Lindus]

[quote name='Dagger][QUOTE=bellpickle'](I'm an L fan, by the way. ;) [/quote]
Good. L fans unite! :animesmil
[/QUOTE]
D: Oh no...I'm surrounded (I'm a Light fan). Actually, scratch that. I'm a Matsuda fan. XD

I was unfortunate enough to be surrounded by talkative DN fans while I was still early into the manga and so learned the big spoiler without meaning to. I can't say that it made the manga any less enjoyable though. I really sped through the chapters when I got a hold of them about a year and a half ago, and I really loved the little twists and turns that were strewn about.

Another part of Death Note that I really like are the characters. I found myself interested in everyone's role, including Misa (what can I say? She grew on me.) I'm still unsure as to whether I like the newer characters/plot though (I'm only around chapter 65). I wouldn't say the series has "jumped the shark" per say, but the story seems less attractive to me with the lack of [spoiler]L...............[/spoiler]

I'm probably sure it has picked up considerably from where I left off, since those chapters were a transition from one part of the story to the next, but it might take me a while to gather the will to continue reading.

I have no problem with reading the first part of the story though. I just picked up the first and second volumes last week, and I'm loving the story just as much as when I first read it.

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=Lindus]I'm still unsure as to whether I like the newer characters/plot though (I'm only around chapter 65). I wouldn't say the series has "jumped the shark" per say, but the story seems less attractive to me with the lack of [spoiler]L...............[/spoiler]

I'm probably sure it has picked up considerably from where I left off, since those chapters were a transition from one part of the story to the next, but it might take me a while to gather the will to continue reading.[/QUOTE]
Looking back, I think there are two main areas during which DN's overall progression slowed down noticeably: [spoiler]the Yotsuba arc and a lot of what happened after L's death, especially with the introduction of Mello and Near.[/spoiler] It's not as though they presented similar situations; it seems more likely to me that the reason readers find them less appealing is because in both cases--albeit for drastically different reasons--Light is more or less safe. It's when he's really struggling to maintain his edge that the plot becomes most exciting. That's why people tend to look back on the early volumes as being the best parts of the series, since he was just getting started and wasn't quite used to the intense mind games with L.

If things keep heading the way they are currently, [spoiler]he's going to face Near more directly, and Near is proving to be a very formidable opponent. He's been building superbly on the foundation laid by L; it's amazing how he deduced Light's real identity and figured out not only that there was an X-Kira, but also exactly who X-Kira was. So unless Near gets knocked off prematurely, I think Light will be forced back into his prior, more paranoid mindset. He's been doing way too well lately.[/spoiler]

Once one gets the hang of the story, I think Death Note is better off being marathoned, anyway. You're doing just the right thing. Come back to it whenever you feel interested; it'll really die for you if you force yourself to continue reading. There was a period after [spoiler]L's death[/spoiler] when I left the series alone for a while and came back every so often to read five or ten chapters in a row. Although with what's been happening lately, I'm starting to become much more anxious about finding out the next twist.

~Dagger~

[Monkey_Orange]

[QUOTE=Dagger]
Once one gets the hang of the story, I think Death Note is better off being marathoned, anyway. You're doing just the right thing. Come back to it whenever you feel interested; it'll really die for you if you force yourself to continue reading. There was a period after [spoiler]L's death[/spoiler] when I left the series alone for a while and came back every so often to read five or ten chapters in a row. Although with what's been happening lately, I'm starting to become much more anxious about finding out the next twist.

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]I'm a glutton for punishment. :animeswea I naturally read spoilers. And now...I think about to cry... :animecry: Shame on me.

I just started reading [B]Death Note[/B] -- 3 volumes into the series, and totally absolutely loving it. But, but....

Yeah. My bad. :animeangr [/COLOR]

[Dagger]

I'm sorry that you found out about that! I feel really bad now. :animecry:

This isn't quite on-topic, but I figure that it's worth bringing up anyway. Has anyone else read/seen Death Note doujinshi? There's quite a lot of it out there, both serious and comedic. Depressingly, I can't remember much of what I've come across, although some of it was surprisingly good.

[b]Light Note[/b] is pleasantly funny (and it's done by Taishi Zaou & Eiki Eiki, which nets it extra points). The best part is Daddy Yagami's reactions to [spoiler]L's comic obsession with Light.[/spoiler] Most of the humor is derived from BL innuendo, but that's the case for pretty much every Death Note doujin out there...

On that note, my favorite DN doujin is [b]Say My Name[/b], which takes place during the part of the manga when [spoiler]L and Light are handcuffed together.[/spoiler] The LightxL content isn't the main reason I like it, although it does a surprisingly good job of incorporating the nuances of the characters' personalities into something that's so distant from canon. However, what stuck with me was [spoiler]L's strangling dream.[/spoiler] It's not over-played, and it's a very memorable, evocative image. I also liked how the doujin-ka portrayed [spoiler]"good"[/spoiler] Light.

~Dagger~

[Lindus]

As a matter of fact, I have read Light Note (thankyouverymuch A-T XD), and it's one of the only Death Note doujinshis that I've had the pleasure of reading. The shower portion was so amusing and so was Light's tendency to overthink. XD very cute.

I haven't read the other title you mentioned, but if I get the chance, I'll definitely take a look.

There are just so many chances for spoofs and such for a series like DN. I find [U][URL=http://go-devil-dante.deviantart.com/gallery/]Go-Devil-Dante's [/URL] [/U] gallery to be good for a giggle.

[bellpickle]

[SIZE=1]I tend to avoid any doujinshi I come across, since my experiences with them were all limited to hardcore yaoi pr0n. (My friends are perverts.) Though, the doujinshi you listed do seem entertaining. After all, interaction between Light and L really [I]does[/I] have high hilarity potential.

However, I [I]have[/I] seen Go-Devil-Dante's gallery. ^________^[/SIZE]

[Monkey_Orange]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]I must say that I am now very curious about reading [B]Light Note[/B]. Would any of you know how I can find this story? If you don't want to post it here, then please PM me :animesmil Pretty please... :animeshy: [/COLOR]

[OtakuSennen]

I picked up the first volume of Viz's publication and I enjoyed it immensely.

But before I buy any more of the books, can anyone tell me, without spoilers, if the series manages to keep its awesomeness throughout? I've started too many series only to get tired of it halfway through.

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=OtakuSennen]I picked up the first volume of Viz's publication and I enjoyed it immensely.

But before I buy any more of the books, can anyone tell me, without spoilers, if the series manages to keep its awesomeness throughout? I've started too many series only to get tired of it halfway through.[/QUOTE]
That's an issue about which fans' opinions tend to be sharply divided. I would recommend reading up to volume 7 and then deciding whether you still want to continue. It makes a convenient stopping point, because it conclusively ends one pivotal story arc, while offering you a decent taste of the arc that follows it.

I think the whole series is worth it. Of course, it's still ongoing, so no one can really tell you if it'll have a good ending or even how long it will be.

Anyway... [url=http://www.theotaku.com/news/view/death_note_movies/788/][u]Death Note movies[/u][/url].

~Dagger~

[Guest Griever05]

I just read the third Deathnote and is wondering if anyone else likes Deathnote. You can talk about your favorite characters, how Ryuk looks like someone you think is really ugly, etc... :animesmil

[Guest Hidders]

[B]Has anyone read the Death Note pilot?[/B]
You all should be warned: I love visuals. (Picture posting...It's a bad habit.)

[img]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-1/1130493/deathpilot.jpg[/img]
These are photos from the pilot, they are not from the manga. The first spoiler is of the pilot and the second of the manga.
[spoiler]
- Above is, of course, the ever-so-secret [U]Death Eraser[/U]. The child is Kagami Taro (age 13) and our favorite Ryuuku! I'm glad they kept him! But also glad they went with brilliant Raito!
- Does anyone else think that Taro could be Misa's little brother? Through out the entire 55 paged one-shot, I couldn't help but see Misa in his face . . . And some of his "other" faces reminded me of Mello. LOL, You'll be amazed.
- You can recieve this from Toriyama's World as a direct download, just have a zip file opener. A direct link to where is is on Toriyama's World can be found by clicking the image.
- Now, the point: Will we see this Death Eraser in the official series? O_O!? Just imagine . . . The rebirth of L! The only problem is that the 3rd Shinigami flew away (Did he even have wings?) with Remu's Death Note, which we all know was the one with L's true name. I feel really sad now . . . It would have been interesting. I know how much we all love the interaction between L in comparison to the jumble with the next 2 letters in the alphabet. (Is that just a coincedence?)
- We all know that Ryuuku is probably still withholding information; either because a) it hasn't come to mind, b) he's waiting to see how this play out (Sadistic, son of a . . . Shinigami!), or c) he truly is stupid and doesn't know a thing. Questions.
- Well, all we can do is wait for the upcoming Pages.
[/spoiler]

I am currently waiting for Page 93 to get on Unrivaled. The wait is agony!
[spoiler]
I wanna see more Mat, but he too is missing...Bah, the absence better count for something! But with Mero, it always does. I wonder how much longer this game of [I]cats[/I] and [I]mouse[/I] will continue. I hate the idea of Nia using Mero, but Mero doesn't seem to really mind.[/spoiler]

[U]Movie Ranting[/U]: I get the majority or my info from Anime Suki Forums.
Chances are the movie will make it big in Japan but either 1) never make it here, or 2) totally bomb here. It's just how it is. If it never does come to America, you can just E-bay the DVD. It'll come with subtles, or you'll be able to find some funsubs online. Either way, it's all good.
The way I heard about the spliting of the movies was kind of odd. I can't get MangaNews for some reason, so I rely on hear-say. Something about the first ones leading up to the fiasco with "that company", and the second includes the "Biggest Kept Secret In Death Note Fandom!" to the end. With that said, the manga should be coming to an end in about 20 Pages or less. Unless it slows back down again. But all we can do is wait.
Waiting sucks.

[Dagger]

[size=1]I removed the link in your post, as we don't allow linking to scanlations (licensed or otherwise). :)

I have read the pilot, although that was a while ago, and I don't recall all the details. Before [spoiler]L's death,[/spoiler] some fans speculated that L was actually a grown-up version of Taro. That could have been a cool twist, but I prefer to take the view that the pilot chapter & the series take place in different story universes. The [spoiler]Death Eraser[/spoiler] was a needlessly silly plot device, and I think it was probably thrust in just so the pilot could have a "safe" resolution. I wouldn't like for it to show up in the series; it would feel out of place, anyway.

I doubt the manga will be ending anytime soon, given its popularity (deja vu... did I post this before?). The main problem with it at the moment is that for it to keep going the way it has been, [spoiler]Near will have to get taken down pretty soon.[/spoiler] It would be cool if [spoiler]Near got the advantage in such a way as to turn Light into a fugitive, or at least decisively make him the underdog.[/spoiler] Another plot twist that could completely revitalize Death Note (or else kill it prematurely, haha) would be [spoiler]Light's death.[/spoiler] I wouldn't put it past the writer, but it's unfeasible simply because [spoiler]no suitable replacement has shown up yet.[/spoiler] Unfortunately, [spoiler]the nature of the plot itself gives him immunity.[/spoiler]

I'm still enjoying Death Note right now (especially the most recent chapters!), but it [i]will[/i] become stale if it degenerates into an endless saga of [spoiler]Light eliminating the Alphabets, one by one.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Matt[/spoiler] doesn't seem like a particularly important character to me, although I like his design. I'd put him at about the same level of significance as [spoiler]Hal, Aber and Weddy... which means that his chances of death are pretty high.[/spoiler] That could change, of course.[/size]
[CENTER]
--------------------------------------------------[/CENTER]

Okay, I just got up to [b]Chapter 102: Patience[/b], and I [i]had[/i] to bump this. Many more fans now seem to believe that the series will end soon, given recent developments. I don't know what to think--the writer has certainly poured a lot of effort into building up the [spoiler]climactic showdown between Light and Near,[/spoiler] but somehow I just can't see it ending here. Maybe 103 will change my mind.

Either way, right now I'm really, really rooting for [spoiler]Near, even though I wasn't a big fan of him at first. Each time it seems as if he's succeeding, my spirits soar, and as soon as Light pulls out another one of his hideous evil smirks, I feel crestfallen. At the same time, I want DN to keep going, which is rather contradictory. Since 102 mostly stuck with Light's POV, I'm guessing that Near is going to pull something downright amazing out of his *** in the next chapter. And even if it wasn't the crux of his plan at all, the notebook replacement revelation[/spoiler] was one of the best minor twists in the whole series. It totally took me by surprise.

It's a shame that [spoiler]Mello & Matt[/spoiler] had to go with such little fanfare. Ohba is certainly ruthless when it comes to getting rid of certain characters. Oh well, at least [spoiler]"Takada-sama"[/spoiler] is also out of the picture. [spoiler]Vive la Misa~![/spoiler]

EDIT: Also, [spoiler]that L mask[/spoiler] is beyond creepy. I almost screamed out loud the first time I saw it. But that aside, [spoiler]all the little references to L[/spoiler] made me very happy. :catgirl:

~Dagger~

[Monkey_Orange]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]Although I am unusure of how official it is, but I've been reading around that the [B]Nippon Television Network[/B] will be adapting [B]Death Note[/B] into anime for this coming Fall 2006 [October, maybe]. If so, then yay!

Yes, I have totally become a [B]Death Note[/B] fan. I finished reading volume 5 and am ready for the next. You know, I am SO impatient now that I am even considering starting to download the chapters. But...I [I]should [/I]resist. Moderation makes it more fun, right?[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Monkey_Orange][COLOR=DarkOrange]Although I am unusure of how official it is, but I've been reading around that the [B]Nippon Television Network[/B] will be adapting [B]Death Note[/B] into anime for this coming Fall 2006 [October, maybe']. If so, then yay! [/COLOR][/quote]
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to this. Hopefully they'll get a good animation studio and suitable voice actors. Depending on how they handle the series (and flesh out events from the manga), I'm guessing that they could make it fit pretty comfortably in 52 episodes. 70 would probably be the absolute maximum the writers could aim for while still maintaining a good pace. We'll see.

And Death Note has ended--or, rather, will end as of the next issue of SJ, with 108 chapters total! Incidentally, seeing the number 108 always makes me think of Lost... :animeswea

Looking back, I believe that Chapter 104 is my favorite installment of the series. I love how things have played out as Death Note reaches its finale.

[QUOTE=Monkey_Orange][COLOR=DarkOrange]
Yes, I have totally become a [B]Death Note[/B] fan. I finished reading volume 5 and am ready for the next. You know, I am SO impatient now that I am even considering starting to download the chapters. But...I [I]should [/I]resist. Moderation makes it more fun, right?[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
I couldn't make any kind of response to this without sounding like a total hypocrite, haha. But I will say that whatever you choose to do, Death Note seems to produce the most favorable effect when you marathon it. So I'd advise you to either keep on reading the graphic novels, or make sure that you have a decent number of chapters at your disposal before you dive back in.

~Dagger~

[Stark]

[SIZE=1]Memo to self: Stop reading Spoiler Tags! Seriously, I think I spoiled myself for the next ten volumes. Not that I'm disappointed. I thrive on spoilers, you know.

Anyway, I'm a fairly new fan of [B]Death Note [/B] as well. Starwind has the first four volumes, and its an unspoken agreement that I borrow everything he has. So, that said, I've only read through volume four and am eager anticipating reading volume five. It's an excellent series, with excellent plot twists and mindgames that just draw the reader in. I love how L and Light can go toe-to-toe with each other, and I think Light is gonna pull a fast one in volume 5 that will throw L off his game.

Just a theory. I really want to see how everything works out, [spoiler] since Light has pulled out the MPD card[/spoiler]. If those two were playing a game of polker, I have no idea who would win. Then again, that's probably what happens when two super geniuses go at it.[/SIZE]

[Dagger]

Egads! Death Note is over!

The series has ended with 108 chapters, as I mentioned in my previous post--a nice, tidy length for such a popular Jump manga. Chapter 108 is basically there to provide a gentler landing.

If anyone else has followed DN this far, one of the main points to discuss is whether or not [spoiler]the girl in the final panel is Misa.[/spoiler] I believe that [spoiler]she is,[/spoiler] but others feel that [spoiler]she's just a generic representation of a Kira follower.[/spoiler] Any theories/ideas?

~Dagger~

[Jaguar]

LoL Reading through your posts here Dagger I was wondering how you'd take the ending. I finished it a while ago and I think I'm still in shock. But then...I'm what you'd call a Light fan. LoL Although I still prefer Raito to the Light translation. I find it hard to get behind a guy called Light. LoL

And I have to agree with your assessment of the final panel. :catgirl:

I admit however I am one of those fans who enjoyed the beginning of the series a great deal more than the last half of it. I'm actually not really sure why, there was just something more powerful in the writing I think that appealed to me more. I guess I just prefered the interactions from the original players more.

[xmystic_silverx]

[QUOTE=Dagger]

[spoiler]... it's amazing how much the addition of a few new characters has made the series infinitely more complicated.[/spoiler]

[/QUOTE]

It is amazing. Though I have to admit, it took me four or five chapters to actually get used to [spoiler]Near working on the case and not L. I couldn't believe L was the first to die so I was a bit angry about it. Now I think that Near is a smaller version of L (like someone said before) and like L, he's got his own little habits like the twirling of the hair. He sits like L too.[/spoiler]

I think I'm up to chapter 83. The most interesting thing for me to watch is [spoiler]what each side does. Light kinda lost his cool when his sister was kidnapped and let Mello get one of the death notes, which suprised me; I didn't think that Light would let them take the death note so easily. I thought he would have come up with a plan to get his sister and the note but Mello was obviously way more prepared.[/spoiler]

This has got to be the best manga series that I've read so far! Usually I read what my friends recommend but this one I just decided to pick it up and read it.

You know a manga series is good when someone decides to make a live-action movie out of it.