Death Note #9
Review by Bindi Lavelle
Writer- Tsugumi Ohba
Artist- Takeshi Obta
Publisher- Shonen Jump Advanced

This complex Supernatural thriller revolves around the death note, a notebook from the land of the dead which has the power to kill anyone whose name is written in it. When Light Yagami, an extremely intelligent grad student gets a hold of one of these notebooks he uses its power to rid the world of criminals.

Death Note contains many sub-plots which can cause your brain to melt at times, however the Ohba has thankfully provided a detailed summery of previous issues. The plot is full of twists and turns as police taskforce search for the owner of the death note; however as Light Yagami is a member of this force the investigation never bares fruit.

The writing style is reminiscent of a western crime drama with most of the tension and action being driven by the dialogue. Fortunately though Takeshi Obata skilfully creates engaging visuals around about could have been flat scenes of people talking.

Obata also creates an interesting and range of Shinigami (Death Gods); the bizarre and varied creatures serve to break up the visual landscape and add depth to the supernatural elements of the story.

The creature designs and the dynamic frames show why Obata won both the 2003 Tezuka Shinsei new hope award as well as the Shogakukan manga award.

It is easy to become bogged down in the many details of this manga, for instance there is a ridiculous amount of rules for how the death note works. However Obha uses the subplots and chapter breaks for exposition. By breaking apart the narrative this way, the excessive information given (and in the case of Death Note entirely necessary) is made easier for the reader to swallow.

This manga is well worth the time and effort it takes to fully understand the world that Tsugumi Ohba has built. It is best suited for readers who enjoy multifaceted but involving narratives.