Deathnote

by Tsugumi Ohba

When Light Yagami finds a notebook giving him power over death, will he use it for good--or evil?
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 access 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?

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Tsugumi Ōba (Profile in Japanese: 大場 つぐみ), born in Tokyo, Japan, is a writer best known for the manga Death Note. His/her real identity is a closely guarded secret. As stated by the profile placed at the beginning of each Death Note manga, Ōba collects teacups and develops manga plots while holding his knees on a chair, similar to a habit of L, one of the main characters of the series.

There is speculation that Tsugumi Ōba is a pen name and that he is really Hiroshi Gamō. Pointing out that in Bakuman the main character's uncle was a one-hit wonder manga artist who worked on a gag super hero manga, very similar to Gamō and Tottemo! Luckyman in all aspects. Also that the storyboards drawn by Ōba greatly resemble Tottemo! Luckyman in style.

Reviews

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manga prêté par une de mes élèves. À ma grande surprise, j’ai adoré! :o c’est sûr que je vais lire la suite! :)

[Amber Scaife · Rating 5 out of 5]

A death god drops his notebook in the human world, and when a super-intelligent high school student finds it and realizes he can kill people at will with it, he (the kid) decides to use this new-found power to rid the world of criminals. The police aren't exactly happy about the strange mass deaths of inmates and start a hunt for the mysterious mass murderer, spearheaded by an equally mysterious and smart detective-type guy. Oh, and the death god hangs out with the kid to see how all this plays out.

So far so very cool in this first manga volume. I love the story, especially the idea that the main character isn't exactly morally sound or even very likable. But he is intriguing and I just *have* to see what happens next.

[Cass Fejfar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters. They were interesting and had their own unique personalities. I would recommend this book to one of my friends, or anyone who likes manga. Anyone who enjoyed the anime would probably like the book series too.
I didn't like the way some of the parts of the book were dragged on for a long amount of time. It got a bit hard to read just because a few parts of the story dragged on for so long.
The theme of this book is horror in my opinion. It doesn't really teach you any lessons, mainly because it's about writing names in a fictional book to kill people, but the story still hasn't concluded whether it is good or bad to kill all of the criminals.

book 1/12

[Nuo Tian]

Death Note is an exciting manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata about a high school student, Light Yagami, who finds a notebook that lets him kill anyone by writing their name in it. He decides to use the notebook to get rid of criminals and create a perfect world, taking on the name "Kira." His actions attract the attention of a brilliant detective called L, and the two engage in a tense battle of wits. As the story goes on, it raises important questions about justice and whether it’s right to take someone’s life for a greater good. The manga is full of suspense, with great characters like Light, who becomes more ruthless as he goes, and L, who is clever and mysterious. Overall, Death Note is a thrilling read that makes you think deeply about right and wrong.

[Hamsa]

I read this in one sitting in a bookstore. Pretty engaging, though it's not my type of book. Also, I struggle to get into books without either a main character I care very much about, good character dynamics, fantastic plot that I'm personally invested in or stupidly good writing. I couldn't care less about the mc, too smug. Character dynamics...uh...no. The plot is pretty engaging and the writing or the uh art in this case is fun. Which is why I managed to get through the first volume. Not sure if I'll pick up the second one. We'll see.

[Cécile Olivier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deathnote m'a été conseillé par plusieurs comme un classique pour découvrir les mangas. Je n'irais actuellement pas plus loin que le premier tome, car c'était lent, prévisible et un peu ennuyeux. Je ne me suis attachée à aucun personnage, que je trouve majoritairement arrogants et/ou peu profonds... J'ai pas trouvé ça mauvais, mais pas bon non plus... J'ai bien aimé l'exercice de lire à la japonaise, par contre.

[Emily Tyree · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10 I thought it was an interesting premise and enjoyed it a bit but I really didn’t like the main character. However it really hooked me in and I’m considering reading the next one too. I’m just not sure where else it can go with this without it becoming repetitive. I figure I’ll give it a shot tho. Overall this manga isn’t one of my favorites but still worth a read. It’s a cool concept to think about anyway and it’s nice to see this perspective.

[Poiesis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I've finally gotten to reading this book. Death note was one of the first anime I ever watched and I've had the first two volumes sitting on my shelf for so long but finally decided to read it.

All of the characters are so entertaining to read about and the storyline grabs you and refuses to let go.

[Sara Temba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Manga was chosen by my teen to fulfill my New to You Format square of the summer book bingo. While said teen almost exclusively reads Manga, I don't read it at all so it made the perfect choice for this square. I did enjoy this book - it ends in a cliff hanger but I encourage her to continue the series and maybe we can buddy read it.
4 🌟

[Winder Library · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first attempt at reading Manga! Very hard to teach an old dog to read backwards! Finally getting the hang of it, but I did not like the storyline. Too dark and violent. Going to try a different series.

[Jessica Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a good concept with the theoretical: if you could kill someone who was "bad" would you/should you? This explore it one step further - what if you could kill anyone you wanted?

I can see why this is a popular anime!

[Melanie Henson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recd by my brother. Reads like a high school aged Dexter, with enough twists and turns to keep you reeling. Illustrations are classic manga, and the death gods are sufficiently creepy. I can’t imagine how the plot runs for 6 more books but I’ll keep reading

[hira · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was wild.. thought I had it all figured out, turns out I was the clown 🤡 the plot twist slapped me hard. But still super fun to read! total page-turner, I finished it in two days and would rec this to the beginner tbh

[Laura Jane Dunkerley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous art! After watching the show a while ago I wanted to dive into the manga and it’s just reignited my love for it 👏🏼 I wanted to befriend and feed apples to a Shinigami and I’m not sure what that says about me 😅

[Malachi Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think the art in this book is beyond amazing i love it so so much and i understand why it can be a good read i just personally couldn’t get into it because i didn’t like the main character so didn’t have a reason to pick it up

[Alyssa Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not usually a fan of manga (comic style books) but this one was awesome. Still the only one I’ve read to date and I always suggest it to others!

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concept has kept me entertained.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very addictive

[Great Words Monger · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://greatwordsmonger.wordpress.co...

[Paul Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

IMO, engaging and different, with characters that may not always be in the hero space.

[Noah Smith]

i recommend this book if you like comics. its a really good book and it gives a lot of detail and action points. the author explains everything that happens throughout the book

[Sj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good first book but definitely not the best in the series

[lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading this after watching the anime with high hopes bc i heard there was some things left out

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first manga, I liked it. The story is elaborate and interesting. The drawings are also impressive.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first manga and the best ig

[Robbie Di Dio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goated

[Pikul Tybalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like the anime series! Very accurate. The art is amazing, the story is incredible! Worth reading!

[Karla naja Bergmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5🌟

Det er første gang jeg læser en Manga og JEG KAN LIDE DET?? Syntes det var en god historie, og godt med noget nyt genere på hylden. Me likie!!!!!

Ville gerne have de andre også hehehehheh.

[Kayla Rector · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book id love to read it again later.

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love deathote. i think my fav characters are Mello and L. love Misa's fashion sense and i liked Light at the beginning but unfortunately didnt care for him much at the end. Amazing series 10/10 Great plot