Reseñas de libros

futanaripeen4
Apr 16, 2021
Death Note review
As a modern classic that also helped me get into the medium of manga and anime, I hold Death Note in warm regard. This naturally led to me deciding to reread the entire manga when I got back into said mediums two or so years ago by purchasing the Black Editions. While I still enjoyed myself, I found myself developing new opinions and feelings regarding this title.

[Story - 7]

In case if you don't know what this manga is about, here's the elevator pitch: A high-school kid finds a notebook that can kill people, and decides to become a god with it. From there, he is drawn into a world of psychological games and plans upon plans.

Now, if that doesn't quite hook you in......that's okay, actually! I now understand why it might not appeal to some people: whether it reeks of pretention (to a point), seems to prioritize plot over character (which can be argued both for and against), or any other reason. However, I feel that its core being the 'games' that Light, our protagonist, both initiates and participates in is a huge strength for the title. Even if it does come at the cost of some characterization, it's still riveting to read along and try to anticipate (or foresee, if it's a reread) how these events will play out.

Because of this focus on thriller elements, Death Note has pretty good pacing; For Part I (L), it's all tightly woven together to build towards that shockingly divisive climax we all know. Even the 'breather' scenes serve to build, as they are either ruminations on the themes or developing the relationships between everyone involved. Part II (Near/Mello) is a bit weaker than I would have liked to remember; It has a tendency to get wrapped up in the inner workings of character's minds, along with the plans these characters develop and partake in, but it still succeeds in developing the tension towards that epic finale in SPITE of said deviations.

Thematically, Death Note is.......actually holding up pretty good. As somebody who is going through a coming-of-age, it was interesting to see an extremely-warped version of this appear in the title through Light, Near, and Mello. I don't mean that in a literal sense (though a corruption of one can be seen), but in a sense of one's moral compass and definitions of what 'justice' & 'crimes' are. While it's a bit ham-fisted at times, the discussions of how morality is perceived by society, both at large and by certain factions within it such as the media and law enforcement, held in these 108 chapters is worth reading. Outside of the core theme of 'moral relativity', I believe there isn't a lot to be said in Death Note. Any other themes people may find, such as mob mentalities or the ethics about the death penalty, ultimately tie back into this one.

[Art - 10]

I'm gonna be honest, I still love Obata as a mangaka. I just can't bring myself to nitpick on his work, which is OH so beautifully rendered in a 'gothic urban fantasy' art style. His choice in wardrobe for every human (Light's honor student apparel, L's slob savant look), the gorgeous otherworldly designs of the Shinigami, the tantalizing realism of the settings, the simplicity & clarity in the action, and even the very faces + bodies of the characters all tie together to perfectly portray just what is going on. It gets even better when Ohba crosses over into the mental ruminations and monologues of certain characters, with brilliant symbolism and an even more distant feeling in how it's rendered.

TL;DR If you're gonna read it for one reason, read it for the art.

[Character - 7]

This is probably the one aspect of the manga that I have the most different emotions about compared to my first foray. It's still pretty solid, but I can see some of the cracks start to show.

I'll try to keep the positives short since everybody and their mother has sung praises about it: Light Yagami's transformation from a diligent, yet bored, student to the maniacal, yet arrogant, Kira is so fascinating to see no matter how many times you go through it. It's especially helpful that you're shown every step he takes towards reaching this persona, and the steps he takes following this apex. L is the perfect foil for Light: While he's quite the match for him, and possibly the only person who could be, he's outright ambiguous about what he has in store. This moral ambiguity in our designated antagonist greatly helps depict the core theme of Grey vs. Gray Morality. While a lot of people might not like them, Near, Mello, Misa, and Mikami serve as both great foils for L/Light AND as people who genuinely contribute to the themes and plot occurring. Near, in particular, is somebody I adore; In my honest opinion, he's not just an 'L expy', as some may decry, but a deconstruction of what L WAS when it came to certain traits such as his ambivalence towards people and general moral ambiguity (shared with Mello). Couple this with sprinklings of originality such as an absurd fixation with toys reflecting a state of boredom (and innate youth) and a similarly dishevelled appearance, and you have one of my favourite characters in the whole medium.

However, with these positives, I've found that I have certain issues with how people are written here. For starters: While I don't quite demand that EVERYBODY be reasonably fleshed out, I would have liked to see more development for supporting characters that AREN'T Soichiro or Matsuda. I do recall a few minor characters receiving some, such as Aizawa and certain Yotsuba members, but they usually don't get a lot. I attribute this to the focus on our core cast and the games they play, but I would have liked to see some peripheral development to see how the plot and themes might impact people outside of this inner circle of sorts.

Another issue I have is rather spoilery, so I'll have to be rather vague: Light's actions in the endgame. It just seems odd that he wouldn't have accounted for such twists to have occurred, even if he was enveloped in the hubris he would have inevitably developed. Speaking with the perspective of Matsuda's theory in the final chapter to be at least partially true, it's especially baffling when you consider that he was able to still contact Mikami preceding the series of events that kickstart the endgame. I'm still okay with how the finale turned out in terms of dramatic appeal, but it gets frustrating to dwell on when you start to think about the logic behind how it arrived to that point.

More issues that I have, but are more nitpicky, are: Misa's apparent lack of growth even taking her comedic value into account + her actions in the endgame, Mello somehow not predicting how /THAT/ would have happened, and a lack of insight save for one great chapter into Mikami's POV.

[Enjoyment/Overall - 8]

To restate the opening lines, it was still enjoyable to go through this modern manga classic again after so many years of not engaging with it and having matured a bit more. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone, whether they be a newbie to animanga, an experienced consumer who hasn't touched it somehow, or even a veteran who has gone through it once or twice. I guarantee you'll find something new to think about because of it, whether or not you like it all that much.
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Playcool2
Apr 16, 2021
Death Note review

[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.


Art: 10/10

Beautiful art, the settings and character designs were amazing, I can tell the author is really into fashion because of Mello's and Misa's character designs. I don't think I need to go too much into detail, it's not necessary, but if you're looking for a manga with great art, you're in the right place.

Characters: 8/10 [A LOT OF SPOILERS AHEAD]

I found myself rooting for Kira to win from the very beginning and while it might seem extremely twisted, I genuinely believed in light's cause which is important when your protagonist is an anti-hero. My only issue with this section and the only aspect of the manga i can't give a 10 is mainly because of Near, who I found to be an obnoxious antagonist and I hate that he got a happy ending instead of the clearly superior mello. All of the other characters are likable, I was happy ryuk remained neutral till the end and I'm satisfied with him being the one that kills light but oh, man, I really hated near. L and Mello were interesting and likable and had their own convictions while Near just acted out of weird fanatism towards L, lmao what a loser.

Anyway all the other characters were really good so I can't give this part a bad rating just because of one character.


Enjoyment: 10/10

Obviously, the most important thing out of any piece of media is enjoyment and I think death note was extremely enjoyable, so I'll give it a 10.


Overall: 10/10

I get the hype, it was really good and I think masterpiece is a suitable title for it. Good job @ author
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ModusOperandi9
Apr 16, 2021
Death Note review
Watch anime instead.
Reasons- Quite good music, details aren't really lost there.
Read manga in case you really love it since Manga can be read at own pace and also provides slightly different epilogue.

** spoiler alert **
If not for the epilogue I would have given this a 7 instead of 8.

Having already seen anime couple years ago I knew what to expect when I started reading this and was surprised to find out that Light, being a protagonist was actually a very lucky person.
Examples of this are- Him meeting fiancé of the FBI agent before she could meet L and then general assumptions of things going exactly as he planned.

For me the manga peaked when L and Light were together, I liked both the characters and it just felt like good times.
The way Light had planned everything before giving up ownership was another peak, the whole thing with Rem having to kill L was a masterstroke. And that is why I think the manga is a must read.

What I didn't like is the America part. I couldn't bring myself to care much about Near or Mello and just the chaos as Light spends time reacting to them.
It only got better when Mello was mostly out of the picture, story was back in Japan and it Light vs Near.
Except now coming to the end, it was Near who was lucky and not Light.
Near discovering x-kira doesn't have a Shinigami was too forced.
It was very wrong of Near to risk everything bringing everyone in that warehouse because X-kira/T having separate pages (like a piece Light literally had) instead of relying on Notebook would have ruined everything.
So author makes up with that with a theory of Near having written T's name in Notebook in advance.

Overall 8/10.
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krazy92513
Apr 16, 2021
Death Note review
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely": a quote that Light Yagami would have done well to understand. In Death Note, the question of the value of human life and the solution to crime is presented to Light in the form of the Death Note in question, and the events that ensue are one hell of a ride.

The story of Death Note grips you at every single stage, and never lets you go. Even when the main cast of characters change into slightly less-enjoyable counterparts (cough Near), the excellent story-telling is preserved. The story begins with a young Light finding a mysterious notebook while on his way home from school. Written inside are rules that state 'whoever's name is written in this book will die'. Believing it to be a hoax, Light jokingly tries it out on a criminal that he can see on a nearby TV. To his surprise, the criminal is found dead of a heart attack. This is all it takes for Light to be convinced that he has a higher purpose in life: to become a god of the new world. Soon thereafter, news agencies begin to see a trend developing and realize that there must be murder plot, and so they call in the world's greatest detective, 'L'. He becomes Light's prime enemy in the series, and the intellectual battle between the two geniuses is quite simply one of the greatest stories put to paper. When Light's secondary antagonists come onto the scene, they seem to pale in comparison to 'L', but if you can look past that , they are enjoyable on their own merit. The ending is a source of much contention to many fans; I will not spoil anything but whether or not you are on team Light or team 'L' will drastically change your reaction to the ending. I found it very satisfying, all things considered, and the tension in the final confrontation is again some of the best written in manga.

The art, as always with Takeshi Obata, is absolutely stunning, and it only gets better as you go along. There is so much detail in every panel that you may find yourself getting lost in each and every scene, admiring the way his hair and faces just appear perfectly natural. If you pick up the black edition like I did, you are greeted with some beautiful colour pages at the ends of the volumes.

The characters are a perfect mix of likeable and hate-able, which makes it very hard to choose sides in this manga. Even though Light is a bat-shit crazy serial killer, I can't help but root for him through every step of the way, just like how 'L' is trying to stop my favourite character and arrest him; I still get excited for 'L's' victories, because they are all equally enjoyable. The Shinigami, basically gods of death who grant Death Note's to humans, provide most of the comic relief in the manga, and all three of the main Shinigami are done very well, each with their own distinct personalities. This is also true of the Japanese Task Force, which is present through ought the entirety of the manga and thus you get to know each of the characters and their tropes very well. The only slightly weak characters are the aforementioned second antagonists to Light; they aren't terrible, but they pale in comparison to 'L', so they end up feeling like a useless waste.

I actually watched the anime first. In fact, Death Note was my first anime and remains to be my favourite. This was also the manga that got me into reading and collecting the medium, and I couldn't have picked a better series. With the manga, I got to experience Obata's gorgeous art and Ohba's story in their original form, and it was very interesting to see how the endings differed and the theory that Matsuda presents at the very end totally changed my perception of the ending.

Overall, Death Note has treated me, once again, with a fantastic and thrilling treat. I can safely recommend both the anime and manga to anyone even slightly interested in either, as they are nearly perfect. And hell, I know its great for beginners because it totally converted me. Death Note is one of the few mainstream series that is actually worth the hype, and nearly all snobby anime elitists will even agree with that sentiment. If you want an engaging story that treats you like an adult, then this manga is for you. 10/10
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BluePikmin111
Apr 16, 2021
Death Note review
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR BOTH THE MANGA AND ANIME!

Instead of doing the typical pros and cons lists, instead I think it's better to just compare the things I liked and didn't like about the manga with what I liked and didn't like about the anime.

To start things off, I saw the anime first, so I am admittedly more partial to it. Despite this, the manga I would say was just as good. The two follow essentially the same story, only differing in a couple minor points and the ending which I will touch upon later.

As for the manga, it did one thing that in hindsight was a pretty stupid plot point in the anime that didn't need be there, and omitted it (or rather the anime unnecessarily added it in.) That being the mentioning of L and Naomi's former colleagueship. The fact that the manga didn't include this made the brilliant, but admittedly, already confusing plot that much less confusing.

My one main gripe about the manga comes in the form of how L's death is handled. It just came out of nowhere and didn't give the reader any time to really feel the impact of it. As cheesy as the foot-washing scene in the anime was, it did give the audience a reminder of L and Light's supposed friendship after a long period of seeing them interact as business partners. While I do think the manga does a much better job of making it's biggest surprise that much more surprising, it lacks the emotional weight that made that part so powerful in the anime.

I really liked the way the manga ended....well.... sort of. The added epilogue of Aizawa and Matsuda conversing about previous events on their way to helping Near with another case was a very nice addition and led to a very satisfying conclusion to these characters. The way the manga ends, also, with the reveal of a secret Kira worshipping cult, I thought was brilliant. The only thing I liked better about the anime was the implication if Misa's death. Granted, they don't mention anything about it in the anime, but in the manga they don't even bother to trying close the arc of her eminent death caused by trading the eyes twice.

Anyways, this was still a great read. It made me appreciate the anime that much more due to the sheer faithfulness it had to the source material. The source material in itself, on it's own though, is still pretty great also. Check it out when you can.
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Death Note
Death Note
Autor Obata, Takeshi
Artista --