Death Note – Volume 1 Review

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Click here for the manga synopsis with series’ info. This article will feature a summary of each volume chapter and appreciation in the bottom. It will obviously contain spoilers. The japanese manga cover was taken from the DeathGod, a Death Note fansite.

VOLUME 1 – Boredom

CHAPTER 1 – Boredom

We see both Ryuk, a shinigami, and Light, a prodigy student, bored. Ryuk decides to drop his Death Note into the human world and Light happens to be the one who catches it, incredulous of the notebook’s claimed power as the instructions say «The human whose name is written in this notebook shall die».
Light is surprised five days later by no other than the Shinigami. This time for the Shinigami’s surprise, the notebook is already filled with a fair amount of names. Ryuk explains a scared Light he won’t do nothing to him besides being by his side; the notebook belongs him now. Light is apprehensive of the fact of being no price  for using the notebook and Ryuk replies with the torment of killing people and adds, even though he will be the one to write Light’s name in the notebook, he won’t be able to go to Heaven or Hell.
Light questions why was he chosen and Ryuk reveals him the truth, he did it randomly and because he was bored. To this, Light confesses the shinigami he felt the same way.

Afterwards, we have an analepsis back to the moment we were left before the flashforward to the shinigami’s appearance. In this flashback we see how Light got aware of the notebook’s power by testing its power in a kidnapper and molester, how he realized he had killed them and struggles, confused between moral and justice ideals. He ends up convincing himself his actions were righteous and after all the world is better without them. It isn’t easy, but the world needs to be cleaned up and he is the (only) man to do it.

We go back again, and Light talks about his grandiose plans to the entertained shinigami. However, seems his plans won’t go so smoothly; the police is also exalted, and L is particularly interested in this case.

HOW TO USE IT I

• The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
• This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person’s face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
• If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person’s name it will happen.
• If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.
• After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

CHAPTER 2 – L

A quick 2 pages intro and we’re off again to the Interpol meeting where a heated discussion is taking place. A man with moustache gives his opinion in having L, the worldwide famous detective as he explains to his subordinate, in the case. But Watari, L’s spokesman whose identity also remains unknown, reveals us he’s already in it and positions a laptop from where L will speak. L states his opinion about the mass murdurer and requests the cooperation of the police worldwide in order to solve it.

Meanwhile, Light is arriving from school with two colleagues who discuss the recent uprising of criminals’ death. Light, although laughing, joins the fun by atoning the frivolity with an observation but after answers Ryuk he’s not enjoying it at all since he is constantly agitated with keeping the notebook at home.
In his room, Light shows Ryuk the proliferation of websites about «Kira», the saviour and a messenger from Hell who will pass righteous judgement. Despite disliking the name, Light’s eyes sparkle with his new status within the society and he tells Ryuk people have to be hypocrite in public but truthfully that was what they thought. With his actions supported and guilty people in fear, Light couldn’t be more pleased.

However, his attention is caught when a TV program his interrupted. A man, labeled as Lind L. Taylor, announces he’s bringing a worldwide broadcast from Interpol and introduces himself as the great detective L leaving Light perplexed aswell as the people from the Special Investigation Headquarters for Criminal Victim Mass Murder Case, where we see our moustache. There’s once more analepsis and we go back to the police meeting where L states support from the japanese police will be helpful since the criminal is japanese or atleast in Japan, saying he’ll show them soon in a direct confrontation with the murderer. People in the HQ are puzzled with this.
Back to the announcement, L states the mass murder of criminals as vicious and assures Kira will be caught. Light laughs at this but darkens at hearing L saying his actions are evil and gives another speech. Light writes his name and cracks up when the man’s head hits the table.

However, this was only an experiment done with a undivulged criminal as the real L informs, appearing in the screen with his characteristic letter. He provokes Kira to kill him, which Light obviously cannot, as L states. He informs he discovered Kira’s location (Japan) by revealing the crescendo process they were doing, not worldwide as announced, and also Kira’s first kill. War is declared by both and Ryuk is eager to see this match until the end.

HOW TO USE IT II

• This note shall become the property of the human world, once it touches the ground of (arrives in) the human world.
• The owner of the note can recognize the image and voice of its original owner, i.e a god of death.
• The human who uses this note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell.

CHAPTER 3 – Family

This chapter starts in the shinigami realm, where several of them wonder about the whereabouts of Ryuuk and rumours say it has 2 notebooks… Back at the human’s world, Light is chilling at the window. Kira needs a rest of all the media uproar «Kira vs. L», as he tells Ryuk. The shinigami alerts him the police is all over him and Light replies he was conscious of that or wouldn’t have taken the decision he did and he holds an advantage. Before Ryuk knows what it is, Light attention is taken when his little sister asks him help with her homework, and he isn’t very happy when the shinigami tells him he will be visible to her if she touches the notebook. Ryuk meditates if becoming the chief in NPA, which Light had replied to Sayu saying he was looking at the Kira’s articles and not dirty things as she mentioned to justify the closed door, is Light’s advantage.

Meanwhile, on the other side, L also meditates about the reason Kira couldn’t kill him but he is interrupted by Watari announcing the meeting of the taskforce. At the headquarters the police make their reports. With them finished, L requests more detailed information about how the criminals were reported publicly. Afterwards, the taskforce chief heads home, without being interrupted first by Matsuda’s pertinency doubts, and Light greets his dad that arrived, after explaning math to Sayu. They chat at dinner and Light’s father mentions the person in charge suspects Kira to be a student estimated in the time of death. The wife is not very pleased by bringing the topic while having dinner, the husband disagrees as Light helped in various cases. Light remind once more his mom for not to clean his room, as he has been doing since highschool, before leaving.
In Light’s room, Ryuk comments the police’s progress but Light smiles, telling him he was acting so deliberately so he could use the notebook in another way, and tells Ryuk he would enjoy what was going to happen next.

Three days later, the taskforce is perplexed with the drastic change of patterns, which L points out that it’s to show Kira can set the time as he pleases and learns of Kira’s tie with the police by the provocative use of undivulged information.
At an abandoned building, Ryuk is already aware of it. However, Light confesses he’s not very relaxed at all. Since Ryuk told him he as been carrying the notebook, but, even though an excuse can be made for the notebook, Kira may have to kill his own family.

HOW TO USE IT III

• If the time of death is written within 40 seconds after writing the cause of death as a heart attack, the time of death can be manipulated, and the time can go into effect within 40 seconds after writing the name.
• The human who touches the DEATH NOTE can recognize the image and voice of its original owner, a god of death, even if the human is not the owner of the note.
• If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person’s name it will happen.
• If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.
• After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

CHAPTER 4 – Current

At the site, Ryuk questions Light, who lies on the floor with some items, about the place and he mentions again the fact of the shinigami’s visibility to the one who touches the notebook and lights fire.
On the next page, L is practicing yoga while analysing and questioning Kira’s behaviour with his change of patterns and by exposing his connection with the police. He then orders Watari to get in contact with the director of FBI without the police knowing.

In the mean time, Light goes shopping some materials to hide the notebook in his room and comments about L suspecting people involved in the investigation at that point, who will have to either get a confession or get the notebook to arrest him, so as he’s doing it he may also do it well. Intrigued with his pleased look, Ryuuk questions Light about his deliberate exposure when it was his advantage. Light replies to the shinigami he wants to find and eliminate L and he won’t be able if he only hides the notebook. Light explains Ryuk his action’s consequences will lead L to investigate NPA and NPA disbelief of L’s ghost identity. To overcome the distrust, if they are working together, Light doesn’t need to worry as the police will take care of finding L. At the headquarters of the taskforce, 3 members hand a letter of resignation leaving the team in ruckus and L not so concerned.
At his room, Light explains Ryuk how the way he strategically hid the notebook in his drawer, using a false bottom in his locked drawer and putting a circuit with a rubber between and gasoline, which the only way to open is by putting an ink cartridge through a hole in the bottom of the drawer or else it will catch fire. The shinigami compliments him for getting rid of the notebook owner’s top headache, though comments the danger of playing with fire to which Light replies he has been doing from the start and it was thanks to them that he is safer.

At the FBI headquarters, L manages to get the director conduct the top-secret NPA search.

HOW TO USE IT IV

• The person in possession of the DEATH NOTE is possessed by a god of death, its original owner, until they die.
• If a human uses the note, a god of death usually appears in front of him/her within 39 days after he/she uses the note.
• Gods of death, the original owners of the DEATH NOTE, do not do, in principle, anything which will help or prevent the deaths in the note.
• A god of death has no obligation to completely explain how to use the note or rules which will apply to the human who owns it.

CHAPTER 5 – Eyeballs

L receives the requested documents and as he looks to Light Yagami he is certain he is Kira.

Christmas is in the air and Light Yagami attends to the Prep Academy. As he is leaving and making his way home, Ryuk asks for his attention and Light consents, curious about the shinigami’s eagerness. After Ryuk gives Light no news, telling him about not being an ally and not commenting the rightfulness of his actions, the shinigami , as roomate, delates he is being bothered by a guy who has been following Light. Light agrees, saying he’ll get rid of the guy for him and goes to his room, analysing throughly the situation he’s in. Before finding a way to know his name without raising suspicions and discover who L is using, Light is interrupted by Ryuk that brings more info about the notebook. Ryuk states that the first big difference between a human and shinigami with a Death Note is that shinigami use it in order to get extra life from the remaining life a human has. Unless they are lazy, they won’t die, but Ryuk says a way to kill a shinigami does exist, even though he doesn’t know. He comments shinigami are indifferent to humans and those days shinigami’s existence was meaningless, which Light denies with a megalomaniac spirit.

With Light visibly interested, Ryuk continues. The shinigami questions the now uptight Light how they, who chose radomly, know the human’s name. The biggest difference between human and shinigami who possess the notebook is Shinigami’s eyes can see a human’s name and lifespan over his head.
However, a deal can be made between the shinigami and the human who holds the notebook: the shinigami’s eyes for that human’s remaining life time. Obviously Ryuk won’t tell him which it is but he says the contract was made to aid the human owners, he can increase his lifespan with anyone after all. Light ponders with a smug smile.

HOW TO USE IT V

• A god of death can extend his life by putting human names on the note, but humans cannot.
• A person can shorten his or her own life by using the note.
• The human who becomes the owner of the DEATH NOTE can, in exchange of half of his/her remaining life, get the eyeballs of the god of death which will enable him/her to see a human’s name and remaining lifetime when looking through them.
• A god of death cannot be killed even if stabbed in his heart or shot in his head with a gun. however, there are ways to kill a god of death, which are not generally known to the gods of death.

CHAPTER 6 – Manipulation

Light’s smug smile still lingers. However, a moment after, Light refuses the deal and explains he is creating a utopia which he is planning to rule for a long time and such contract is obviously out of the question. Ryuk tells him he wanted to carry on with it so he won’t have to hear complaints about not knowing later, only to end up scolded by Light. When the shinigami confirms it’s all, Light is a bit disappointed, saying with enthusiasm he might had considered it seriously if it were wings, only to be brilliantly turned down with Ryuk’s observation of being caught if seen. Light says he was merely joking, but adds it would still be interesting to do such deals and be a shinigami himself. Ryuk assures he’s already a fine one, which visibly angers Light, who dispatches such idea, saying he is using the notebook as a human for humans. Suddenly he discovers a way to find out the identity of his spy. Light starts the computer, check the hours and gives a smile. He answers Ryuk, telling him he’s going to test out how far he can manipulate deaths with a reserved stock of criminals for such occasions and is decided in taking advantaged while he is in the shadows.

At the taskforce’s headquarters, chief Yagami is surprised when, on the other side of the line, they tell him 3 victims of Kira done something utterly bizarre before dying: one cut his finger and drew a circle with a 5 pointed start within, another left a suicide note and the other managed to get away from prison and die in a public toilet 30 meters from it. Watari reports it to L, who immediately suspects of Kira being able to control the victim’s actions too. He asks the taskforce to hide the circumstances from the media and wonders what’s Light’s aim with using them as guinea pigs.

Meanwhile, Light and his hacker skills enter in his dad’s computer, with the expected results confirmed. Light tells them to Ryuk and reveals he also tested another 3 in which he deliberately wrote impossible details, such as dying in the other side of the globe in 30 minutes, drawing a perfect portrait of L’s face in the prison wall and writing «I know L suspects the japanese police». With the important info of actions who aren’t unnatural to the person will take effect, Light stills carries out another test he says it will be the decisive, in which neither the police nor L will be able to grasp his intentions as they are too busy figuring out the meaningless photo and note.
L reflects upon the happening, with a reasoning similar to Light’s, and while he analyzes the hypothesis of Kira’s using the deaths not to tests, L seems to discover something on the note.

Early, in saturday morning, Light returns to the room with the newspaper and the result he expected. It is, however, time for the real action. He picks up a criminal, the phone and whoever answers. Indeed, Ryuk, Light’s a popular chap.

HOW TO USE IT VI

• The conditions for death will not be realized unless it is physically possible for that human or it is reasonably assumed to be carried out by that human.
• The specific scope of the condition for death is not know to the gods of death, either. So, you must examine and find out.

CHAPTER 7 – Target

At the bus station, a girl waves enthusiastically at Light. Ryuk’s intrigued about the date and, as the shinigami didn’t want to spoil the fun, Light tells him to simply watch and enjoy. The girl seems happy about going to the spaceland, Light not particularly excited. While Light talks about scoring #1 nationwide in the practice exams, his private stalker takes the bait and decides it will be the last day. They enter the bus and on the next stop the criminal enters and hijacks the bus.

As the hijacker contacts the spaceland, Light shows a note to Yuri (his date), saying he’ll try to take away the gun and control the guy, to which the FBI agent volunteers. Light writes another note, crumples and hides it in his pocket. After, he questions his accents, and the agent confesses he’s half american, half japanese. Next, Light asks if he has something that will prove he’s not the hijacker’s accomplice, it’s pretty common to have one on the back to secure, as he tells his date, and Raye Penber shows his ID case to Light. Light returns it and says he’ll leave it to him, though Raye will just use his gun as last resort. Light seems confident and the scrumbled note falls out of his pocket. The hijacker picks it up and Raye is ready to pull out his gun, however, the note is not the same he saw before. Light smirks and as the criminal turns around he yells not at the tense agent but at the shinigami. While the passengers get down and the hijacker shoots ineffectively at him, Ryuk understands Light’s trick and praises his perspicacity. Out of bullets, the criminal orders the driver to stop, falls in his rush and is struck by a vehicle. Light checks his watch: right on time.

HOW TO USE IT VII

• One page taken for the DEATH NOTE, or even a fragment of the page, contains the full effects of the note.
• The instruments to write can be anything, (e.g. cosmetics, blood, etc) as long as it can write directly onto the note and remains as legible letters.
• Even the original owner of the DEATH NOTE, gods of death, do not know much about the note.

×××

Appreciation: Phew, at last, done. I wasn’t planning to write as detailed as I did, but I’m satisfied with it. So, let’s start. From the first volume, Death Note is engaging. Actually, from the very beginning, when a supernatural notebook is picked up by a prodigy. It gets even more when the protagonist decides to use it to build a utopia but it scales fully when L appears.
The volume is very nice paced and the reader looks forward to see more of the sly fox’s tricks and how the dodges his enemies. Another thing that’s good about Death Note is that it’s a manga you can be expectant of from the way it raises standards in the first volume, it wouldn’t make sense otherwise, and this will make one gladly follow it.

The art is another important point and I don’t think it could be better. The design is delightful, I’m glad there was a slight change on it starting in page 38 (Light had a too childish face), detailed (backgrounds weren’t neglected) and excellently balanced expressions. Thumbs up for Takeshi Obata.
I like the goofiness about Ryuk’s face that contrasts with Light; It’s good to see some comical relief as Light scolding Ryuk and the shinigami commenting when Light’s megalomania shows up:

- If you sprouted your wings and started flying around, people would notice you… the cops would catch you just for that…
- I was only joking, Ryuk. (you big fat liar)

Death Note has, without a doubt, a good kick off.

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Tags: death note, Manga, review, volume 1

• August 27, 2010
• Reviews
• 2 comments