Death Note

Death Note. A weapon of murder.

An hour ago, I completed the Death Note manga series.

I was speechless.

The series is written so masterfully, that it is simply beautiful. In my view, it should go down as one of best crime thrillers ever written, even if it is a manga. It is no wonder that this series is so popular and in the process has spawned an anime series and movie adaptations. The use of a Death Note as a plot device was absolute genius, just because the Death Note is virtually a completely indirect murder weapon and only the most elite of detectives (notably L) could begin the difficult and risky battle with Light Yagami; owner of the notebook.

The thing about the manga that struck me most was how it forces the reader to acknowledge that there are some people they may have wished dead whether it is in the past or present. It also furthers on the debate of how far should criminals be punished (as some states and countries still enforce the death sentence). And finally, it reveals a little insight into the human psyche of the population and how an God like ideology rises as a result of the 'cleansing' of criminals. The parallels between the behavior of the people as Kira rises in Death Note and the behavior of the German people as the Nazi regime rose is ridiculously numerous; it suggests that if Kira were to exist in today's real world, the world wide reaction to Kira would re-enact that of the manga perfectly. I did find that I had some respect for Light Yagami as not only are his goals quite noble and sincere, he is an intelligent and witty mastermind capable of evading even the toughest of detectives.

Death is a debt we all must pay.

Euripides