Book Review: Death Note, Volume 1: Boredom

Tsugumi Ohba (author) and Takeshi Obata (art) , Death Note, Volume 1: Boredom. San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media, 2005. ISBN: 9781421501680.

 

Genre: manga

Subgenre: fantasy, horror

Format: paperback

Source: I own this one 

 

Light Yagami is a gifted student attending a private elite school. He has a problem common to many teenagers: he is bored. However, that changes when a Shinigami death god drops his Death Note notebook, and Light finds it. When you write a human's name in the Death Note, they die. Now Light decides to use the Death Note to make the world a better place by going on a cleaning spree of criminals and other bad people. Soon the cops start investigating including the legendary and mysterious detective L. 

The premise is an interesting one. I'll be honest, if a Shinigami left me a Death Note, I'd serious go on a cleaning spree and start cleansing the world of awful people: criminals, politicians, and other assorted assholes. Do keep in mind the Death Note does have some rules, which are revealed over the course of the story. One rule is you have to see the face of the name you write in; this is to avoid confusion with people who share a name in common. 

This first volume mostly sets up the series. It introduces the characters and the rules of the Death Note. It also gets the story going as Light starts using the Death Note. The story's pace is steady with some moments of thrills and suspense as investigators try to chase after Light, and for now he stays ahead of them. 

This is a light read with elements of suspense and a little humor. As part of getting the Death Note, Light can now see and speak with the Shinigami that owned it. I found their interactions amusing at times. The manga art is pretty good too. The plot gets more intricate as the rules of the Death Note are revealed. I thought L being an anonymous detective who communicates with the police via a computr and an intermediary was a bit of a stretch, but it works for the series. 

Overall, I liked this first volume as a nice light read with a bit of thrill and suspense. The premise is certainly appealing. At this point, I am willing to read the next one. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

This book qualifies for the following reading challenge: