Lost in Wonderland: Mini Review - Deathnote Vol.1 (Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata)

Synopsis

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Vol. 1 Boredom
Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?

- Goodreads.com

My Review

I’ve always thought Manga and Anime were merely for a younger age group, so I never really ventured into its realms. I had frequently heard about various Anime, and was intrigued by their premise, only to think that I was too old for cartoons. (Despite being a HUGE Hayao Miyazaki fan). Recently though I’ve been having the urge to read something light (don't mind the pun) in between books, something in the shape of say...a graphic novel.

So on my next adventure to the library, I found the first volume of the Deathnote series. Now I’ve heard many great things about this series, but I honestly was not prepared for its awesomeness.

The story, simply put is about a high-school boy Light, finding a Deathnote, which basically kills anyone whose name is written down in it. Pretty interesting huh? But wait there’s more, Light decides he wants to be a vigilante and take out all the criminals, eliminating evil from the world by using the Deathnote. But the government has noticed the sudden influx of deaths and have sent the infamous detective L to solve the case.

To start off the whole idea of the Deathnote and what it can do is pure genius, but what’s more impressive is how everything unfolds, including how Light or main ‘hero’ uses the book to his advantage. Even the way Light went about hiding the book in his draw was masterful and well thought out. It literally blew my mind...seriously I was cleaning brain off the walls for days. I really enjoy the depth of the main character. Something I was surprised at getting in a graphic novel. Lights character in my opinion brings up a lot of ethical issues. Is it right to kill someone, if they are evil? And if so, are you not evil yourself by taking the life of someone else?

Overall I really enjoyed Deathnote, and was surprised at the ethical dilemmas brought up by such a highly entertaining plot. I have also learnt my lesson, to never think that graphic novels are merely for children again.

Ps. Deathnote is also a kickass Anime show :)

Things I loved about the book:

The story is so unique, and the plot is fast paced, with a lot of unforeseen moments.
The ethical dilemmas around good and evil, justice and retribution.