Death Note

For a gripping and compelling tale of suspense and mystery, Death Note is by far, a gripping original from the Shonen Jump Advanced line. This fast paced, egnimatic story begins with an above average Japanese student, our antihero if you will, Light Yagami. Bored with his daily life - brushing it all off with his smug and cynical attitude - he finds the Death Note, a notebook allowing him to control the death god, Ryuk. With the help of Ryuk, he can write any name down in the notebook, and that person will be killed, without Light getting caught.

He begins by killing off many of the world's most dangerous criminals, which triggers a world wide facination with the killings and a massive police investigation. His ego begins to get the better of him, as he soon start to develop ideas of creating his own idea of utopia, with him in charge of course. Soon the police are hot on his tail, as he tries to continuously search for new openings to kill the detectives, until L, the mysterious and unstoppable detective starts to sniff him out.

The battle of wits and second guessing between the two leaves every twist and turn with something different and surprising, as they try to coax the other to their demise. Most of the characters are easy to affiliate with, L being the exception. His mannerisms and actions seem like an oddity, but his charismatic nature and his unique strategic brilliance make him a character worth watching.

Death Note does raise some interesting ideas and compelling questions regarding murder, especially in this way. What would you do with a Death Note? Who would you have killed off by a death god, with none of it pointing back to you? Is the killing of criminals still considered murder? It also pushes the ideas of the true, corruptable nature within people when presented with supernatural powers.

Personally I would rate Death Note with a 4 out of 5, for the originality of the characters, plot and twists. Death Note will definately leave you sitting on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next.