Death Note 2
July 29, 2006
This series is just… it’s crack. Shounen crack. I’ve been hooked by One Piece, Hikaru no Go, and Eyeshield 21 in the same way I’ve been hooked by this series, and I still like One Piece better… but Death Note is unlike any other Shounen Jump series. It’s a “one of these things is not like the other” kind of comparison.
I read this and three back to back, and the only reason I didn’t read 2-6 back to back was because I haven’t yet found 4 in stock anyplace. It’s… FASCINATING to see Light and L go at it together like they do. I like Lupin and Conan for the same reason I like this series, which is because there are smart characters setting up elaborate schemes to trap each other and the reader, and I love trying to wade through this stuff. More opinions on plot specifics in the volume 3 post.
Death Note 1
July 14, 2006
So I resisted this series. Oh, how I resisted this series. I knew I’d like it, but I knew that I could use another interminable Shounen Jump series like I needed another hole in my head. But then I heard that it ended at volume twelve, which means that it ended while it was still good (though I’ve heard some say it takes a turn and sucks around 5-6 or something like that). After I saw that volume 12 looks like the last, I realized that the English edition was half-over and it was time to jump on the goddamn bandwagon.
So yeah, I liked it. Who wouldn’t? Everyone seems to be big fans of L and Light though. Ryuk is actually the star of the show here. Who wouldn’t like a freaky-looking shinigami who’s toying with the human race because he’s bored? Apparently everybody. I like that L’s face is not shown yet, too. The rules of the Death Note sort of set L and Light’s relationship on an interesting loop. The fact that it’s possible Light will never be found out is tantalizing.
But yes. I will go out and buy the other five volumes this weekend. Except not really. But soon.
