A brilliant premise that kept me thoroughly engaged till chapter 59. The later parts are much the same as the first arc, just more over the top and slower and made the average for the whole series lower than I initially had expected based on the excellent 10+ first chapters. The only downside to this book for me was about two thirds of the way through the story. SPOILERS: L dies and the story seems to die with it. And I get that it would be like that, but it seemed dragged out. I think if I was reading these books separately, I would have struggled to push through that particular book and carry on with the series. The art is something else to behold, and this all-in-one edition also compiles the covers of the original published volumes. I often find myself flipping through the book and staring (perhaps even drooling) at the gorgeous artwork. though there are some very good adaptations out there, the book offers quite lengthy monologues which are quite interesting and makes for a good debate. individual morals can be questioned, critiqued and further shaped if one spends time exploring the presented themes of societal ethics and personal morals. As this is my first-ever manga, I can't draw upon experience in this genre to provide a meaningful benchmark. However, manga or novel, one reads for the storytelling and its characters. In both aspects, Death Note excels beyond any shadow of a doubt. Kira, the protagonist in Death Note has to be one of the most complex grimdark characters I've encountered and I find myself being torn between cheering him on towards his ultimate goal and being disgusted with his methods to achieve it.

Death Note Manga | Waterstones

It’s a highly influential and immersive series. In fact, Death Note has sparked plenty of real-life copycat crimes and attempted malicious behavior around the world, mostly among students. One minor case for example: In May 2010, a middle school student in Avonworth School District in Pennsylvania was suspended for a "Death Note" with names of fellow students and pop singer Justin Bieber. This is, of course, just one case out of many; you can search up Death Note copycat crimes, and you’ll find so many cases. This is obviously not a good thing, but looking at the bright side, this also shows just how great this series is. It ended up influencing a lot of people around the world. Whether the influence is for good or worse depends entirely on the individual. Kira Yagami is also one of the reasons why I have very high standards towards characterizations in grimdark. Up until now, I still haven’t come across many authors—whether it’s manga or novels—who can write a grimdark character as well-written as Kira. The entire Death Note manga story arc is now available in a box set for the first time! This is a perfect gift for either yourself or anyone not yet exposed to the amazing intrigue of this Obha/Obata masterpiece. The set is good. It includes all volume (12 Volumes)+ One extra book called "How to read DN" It also includes a Death note small book.Addictive read. Does not pass the Bechdel Test. Like, at all. But it was still really fun to read, even I kept feeling like "why isn't anyone talking about identity and privilege intersectionality?"

Death Note Box Set by Tsugumi Ohba | Goodreads Death Note Box Set by Tsugumi Ohba | Goodreads

I loved how it explored what is righteous or not. The characters were great and some very unique. Ryuk was one of my favorites and I loved the art work of them all. My rating is obviously for the whole series combined. The start and the ending were even better! It dragged on in some parts around the middle, for this I remove one star.The whole reflection on morality, and if the goals justify the means, is like the boat scene in the Dark Knight on steroids. Ryuk, the shinigami (god of death who is attached to Light) gives me strong the Joker “I just want to see the world burn vibes”.