Death Note, a twelve-volume series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, is one of the most complex, well-thought-out, and utterly mindbending stories I have ever read. Truly, Ohba must be of some genius-level intellect to have crafted this tale. The way he displays the thought processes of Light and L, the world-class detective charged with Light's capture, is utterly astounding. The method by which each one of them develops their plans, anticipates the other's plan, and formulates a counterplan... it's mind boggling. And it also makes for a great, great read. The complete collection of manga about a boy who holds Japan under his control after finding a book that lets him kill anyone he wants to. The Death Note series is a contemporary, shounen manga series. A mysterious L starts to investigate the case, and soon a devilishly clever cat and mouse game unfolds between him and "Kira", the righteous god of death. Psychological warfare, plot twists involving family and using the scientific method to a supernatural phenomenon, boss style, make the first chapters super interesting. Also fascinating questions on predestination and free will are touched upon along the way. Shakespearean. Death Note the anime stands out as perhaps the single best anime adaptation of manga, which itself is perhaps the best manga of all time.

Death Note Box Set Vols 1-13: Volumes 1-13 with Premium Death Note Box Set Vols 1-13: Volumes 1-13 with Premium

Also the premise reminds me of later Code Geass, especially with the testing of the ability and the ensuing escalation of something supernatural going global.The artwork is stunning, a beautiful detailed style to show off the story and the characters. It helps you to see the unwritten and gain a deeper understanding for these characters.

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

there is no doubt about the impact this manga has had in the last two decades. From various adaptations to derivative works that it spawned, till this day it stands as one of the unique offerings in this genre that very cleverly adapts a myth, crime and morality through out its run. What can I say about Death Note, the story of Light Yagami and his quest to change the world "for the better" through the use of the Death Note, a powerful, mystical object that allows him to kill anyone by writing down their name? I can start by saying that it absolutely floored me like no other story has done in a long while. Throughout my time on Goodreads, I’ve been asked several times which manga I recommend. I struggle with this; it’s not that easy for me to recommend a manga series. I have different types of recommendations depending on who’s asking and what they're looking for. But Death Note is one of the few manga series that I often recommend to practically everyone. This reread marked the third time I read the entire series, plus I’ve watched the entire anime adaptation two times as well. This means that I’ve experienced this particular story five times, and it’s still as amazing as the first time. I’m confident in saying that Death Note is a manga/anime series that will be accessible to both newcomer and veteran to manga due to how appealing the storyline and artworks are.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. 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. 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. Personally, I think this would have been all the more interesting If we had had a female as one of the main characters. Or, if we would have had one of the female characters doublecross Light. That would also have been interesting. Because women are just as capable of being intelligent, if not more so...