Death Note Vol. 1: Boredom.

Before you read any further, please note that this review may contain spoilers.


Having already seen the anime, there is nothing new in the manga for me, but I don't mind in the slightest.  The story is one that grabs you, and keeps your attention throughout.

Bored with the Shinigami (Death God) realm, Ryuuku, one of the death gods, drops his death note to Earth in search of some entertainment.  Japanese teen Light (Raito) Yagami, Japan's top student, finds the book and at first, dismisses it as a hoax. Soon he begins to test the book, first on an armed man holding some students hostage, then on a bikie harassing a young lady outside a convenience store, and learns that the book is indeed a death notebook. Light can't just kill anyone with the book, he must know the name and face of the person he wishes to kill, and he starts to find lists of criminals around the planet and starts to fill the death note with their names, allowing them all to die from the default death of heart failure.

Soon after this Ryuuku appears to Light, and explains that the book has come from him, and though he is the Shinigami linked with that book, it now belongs to Light and his to use, or dispose of, at will.  He also explains that only those who have touched the death note can see him, which is convenient since he now follows Light where ever he goes.

It isn't long before Interpol notices the multiple deaths of criminals and soon links them all together.  At first they're unsure on how to deal with these matters, until the suggestion of the worlds best and most secretive 'private investigator' be put on the case, a man only known by the pseudonym 'L'.  No one knows L's real name, know what he looks like, nor his location. His only contact is through a man by the name of Watari...

I love the battle of wits between Light, dubbed Kira (meaning Killer) by the people of the internet, and L throughout the series.  Each trying to one up the other, L's broadcast and Kira's victim's apparent suicide notes are just the beginning.

The Ryuuku, is one of my favourite characters. I love the idea that gods get bored with life too, and need to find entertainment to satisfy that boredom. I love that he just stands back, neither on the side of good or bad, just there for entertainment.

There are moral questions raised, with the killing of criminal types, and the idea behind a safe and crime free utopia. And as in real life, there are arguments for both sides, Kira has his followers and haters.

As an artist I appreciate the manga style art, honestly I find the style quite appealing.  I know there are many who don't like the style and that's okay too. It is, after all, down to personal preference.

I gave this volume 5/5 stars.