 Alternative TitlesJapanese: DEATH NOTE More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 12
Chapters: 108
Status: Finished
Published: Dec 1, 2003 to May 15, 2006
Theme:
Psychological
Demographic:
Shounen
Serialization:
Shounen Jump (Weekly) Statistics Ranked: #552 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #13
Members: 396,555
Favorites: 32,099 Resources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 77 / 99
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Dec 22, 2020 [spoilers ahead!!!] If it hadn't been for the last three pages, I would've hated the ending (and I still kinda did but I'm gonna write my review ignoring that) Story: 10/10 Gripping throughout the whole story, needless to say I was absolutely HOOKED. I don't think I had ever experienced this level of ongoing suspense, especially in the buildup to the last chapter. In terms of only pet peeves with the story, I'll go further into it in the "character's" section, but the story itself was pure gold. ... 
Mar 1, 2021
Story: 10/10. Death Note is a psychological crime thriller and I found the plot well paced. The writing depicted all of the aspects that were necessary for it to have a fully developed storyline. There are psychological elements as some of the plot does revolve around dark crime themes. There was no portion of how the plot was portrayed in the story that would have made my rating of this portion lower.
Art: 10/10. The art style was quite creative. The characters are drawn so that they are distinguished well enough to tell the difference between every one of them. The art style did not ... 
Apr 13, 2021
(There are no spoilers in this review)
I started reading Death Note by chance. I hadn't seen any anime (except for some episodes in local TV) neither read any manga, but I found the first volume of the black edition in a bookshop, and my mother told me I was really similar to the character in the cover (Light). The shopkeeper told us that it was manga, how to read it (because although it was translated, it read from right to left) and that it was really good. I was skeptical, but I started reading, and connected with the main character (yes I'm one of those ... 
Apr 24, 2020 [ S P O I L E R W A R N I N G ] Death note is a story about light, a geneus student who finds the death note on the ground and decides to test it out; on finding out that it does indeed work he begins his iradication of all criminals and falls face first into the downward spiral of insanity. STORY The story is extremely good and gripping, as ... 
May 12, 2019
Death Note tells the story of two geniuses going up against one another in a battle of minds. You have a character with questionable morals taking on the mission to rid the world of evil while another character tries his best to discover his identity and stop him.
The story unfolds brilliantly. The art is well matched with the story. The characters are very well done. As the reader, you will be intrigued to see where the story goes next and are probably gonna finish the series in a day. Its remarkable in many ways, nothing too major to complain about and definitely a fun read. Highly ... 
Apr 29, 2017
Not much more needs to be said than that this is the manga that piqued my interest in Japanese animation and stories, as well as clearly reaching a level of appreciation that I felt inclined to review just what an outstanding manga this is.
It is possibly one of the most well-known anime/manga and with good reason, for it is a pleasing read that traps you with an incurable desire to binge-read and follow the downward spiral of a man with his morally-twisted intentions. Every character is given certain quirks that add to the art of the story, as the reader is brought down a psychological journey ... 
Jul 24, 2017
Glad I finished this on a whim after dropping it roughly half way through. Death Note is a well regarded classic at this point and not without a reason but it's not without flaws.
Art: Realistic, detailed and grounded. Usually this combination leads to good looking but rather bland looking titles, not the case here. Obata is really talented when it comes to design and style, he deserves a lot of credit for making a manga about people talking always looking so cool. There's a lot of care put into the way every character looks, dresses or walks to separate them from each other and ... 
Aug 23, 2013
The story of Death note is divided into two sagas. The first saga consists of the first seven volumes. Surely this saga is the best. We can see the battle of wits among L. Lawliet and Kira (Light Yagami). It's one plot twist after another.
The second saga is worse than first saga. Some key characters are vanished, and some situations become repetitive. Takeshi Obata is a great illustrator. I love his dark style. Very good manga, many plot twists (the ending is incredible), not much action, but much reasoning. For the most part, the characters are good (Lawliet is the best!). Maybe not for all. Anyway reccomended. 
Oct 5, 2010
One of the best Mangas ever!
Story: You won't stop reading until you know what happens next and the smartness of all the characters will amaze you! (and so will the stupidity of the main girl). Art: Perfect! Each design of characters is well done! Character: No cliches here, made very well! Though some characters are annoying (most of the females). Enjoyment: There's not much else to say but you will love it! HIGH ENJOYMENT! Overall: Why do people only read half of it? How pointless! Doesn't anyone want to know the events that occur next that build up to the ending? Wouldn't Death Note make more sense if you ... 
Jul 28, 2011
Didn't like the second half of the manga very much. Could rage about it, but I can't think of how without using spoilers.
The first half was pure genius though, continuously interesting and dynamic. Its hard to rate this manga, because the second and first half are so different in my mind. If I was the reader, I'd just read to a certain event. Trust me you'll know what event when you get there. 
Jan 7, 2014
This is truly a great series. The story starts off with a teenager who finds a book labeled Death Note. He finds out, after testing it, that writing the full name of someone you've seen before kills that person. Young Light tries to bring justice to the world by using this book but is challenged by the government, telling him that what he's doing is wrong. I absolutely loved the beginning of this series when it was Light vs. L. Towards the end it started to progress a little fast and I was a little bit disappointed with the ending because I felt it
...
Oct 11, 2015
*NO SPOILERS*
Death Note is a series that I hold very dear because it illustrated to me that anime/manga can be very smart, clever and at the same time, enjoyable. When I first read the series, I loved it and considered it a masterpiece; I wouldn't do the same thing now, but it's still a great series. The series itself is very clever in nature and is very original. It has great use of literary devices such as foreshadowing which can be seen in the first chapter, great character development, and several red herrings peppered throughout the series. The mangaka duo, Ohba and Obata, seem to change ... 
Apr 10, 2016
Reading Death Note was one of the defining manga moments in my life. Up until I had read Death Note, all I had ever read was shounen manga. Which, don't get me wrong, can be awesome! But Death Note was the first series I read that played with more mature concepts like life and death, morality, and the individuals role in society. All of that was coupled with some of the most suspenseful and masterful storytelling I've ever read.
The premise for the series itself is amazing, our hero/antihero is given power over life and death itself in the form of a notebook. The two main ... 
Jul 26, 2013
To anyone planning to read this manga (or watch the anime) please take your time with it because it is a handful of things to take in and trust me, you'll probably get confused sometimes, but nonetheless this series is actually one of my favorite manga/anime. First of all, both the concept and the art work for DN are what really drew me to this manga in the first place. Takeshi Obata did an excellent job with the character designs even with the minor characters and the atmosphere that he created with the scenery in the background really made it enjoyable to both read and
...
May 5, 2022
I quite liked it. The first chunk of the story is pretty entertaining, with a couple small dips here and there. I like the second half a bit less, but it's still pretty solid with a handful of super well executed moments. The art is pretty great, and I like it's use of shadows to convey tone, as well as the shading on character's eyes. Light is a pretty interesting character, and L is a great foil. I will say, people who don't like Near and Mello are kinda dumb. Also the ending is great, and the anime one sucks (for reasons I won't say
...
Sep 21, 2022
Death note is the ultimate "beginner anime" that is also great for people who aren't new to the medium
Story: 10/10 Much more unique than the typical series on shonen jump, and it does it excellently. Characters: 10/10 The Cast isn't huge, but it makes sense since it's a mystery/drama series. Every character is polished, well done, and has fantastic conclusions. Plot: 10/10 Since it's a thriller/mystery/suspense series it makes sense to have a rich and complex plot. and it does it fantastically with the characters and their actions. I really don't care what you say about the second half of the series ... 
Jul 7, 2016
In my opinion Death Note is one of the greatest manga series of its time. The artwork in the manga was very realistic, the facial expressions are so real it's like you are experiencing what the characters are going through. The story also had me on the edge of my seat because you never knew what was going to happen next. It was full of suspense and it kept you guessing on what was going to happen. The characters were also very well done. They reacted to situations in a realistic way, which is surprising given some of the supernatural
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Oct 2, 2018
I watched the anime before I read the manga, and I suggest you do the same.
The level of voice acting, along with the outstanding soundtrack just makes this manga SO much better. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the manga. They're equal as far as enjoyment is concerned. But, I feel like if you enjoy reading manga more than watching anime, then you might just enjoy the manga a LOT more if you watch the anime first. When it comes to the mind battles, you can hear L's or Kira's theme play in the back of your head as you read... It's really an amazing ... 
Sep 20, 2018
Death note or Piano in the bushes?
Sadly,nothing much to say about it:Great Start - Poor Finish. Good detective sorries must keep you thrill till the end,but DN spoil you all twists and turns just before it happens,especially it disgust me at the end - when it be just be spoiled in vol.11. There are so many "crutches" in history that you seem to see through it, each character seems to have a script that he read in advance and simply follows him through the whole story without any personal initiative. Art is great.Hands Down. I wont reccomend this manga if its your first one.But im sure you have a ... 
Aug 17, 2010
This was an incredible manga!! I loved it and i think anyone would love to read this anime. The suspense is incredible! i found myself trying to skip some pages but every page was so important to the story and you will regret it if you skip a volume. there is always something going on. you will love the suspense and thrill it will give you.
The story is awesome you never know whats gonna happen next. the art is outstanding its just so modern yet new the way the characters are drawn. The characters are awesome you just have to love all of them. ... |
