Death Note (2006)

[デスノート]

Volume 13

Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Jump Comics

Synopsis:
A comprehensive guide to the series with numerous bonuses for fans.

Story/Characters:
I've gotten similar guides for a couple other series in the past and these are always nice for the really dedicated fans. You get character profiles, a timeline of events, interviews and commentary from both Ohba and Obata, fun extras like a character quiz and a sealed package with L's real name.

The reason I classify this volume under the manga section is because there are several pages of 4-koma and, more importantly, the pilot for the series. We have a different protagonist in the form of Taro Kagami, who's both younger than Light and not a psychopath. One of the most fascinating features of this story is the Death Eraser, which cancels the effect of the Death Note. I have a feeling this was dropped to keep death from becoming cheap and to avoid unnecessary complications. Still, it's a neat idea and it would've been interesting to see how someone like Light might've used it.

Art:
The 4-koma are clearly done quicker than the normal content, which isn't surprising and doesn't detract from the goal, which is to tell jokes. The pilot is a little rougher than the main series, but not by much.

Other:
I particularly like the character quiz. I got L, by the by, but there's a great gag if you get Souichirou.

Conclusion:
For fans of the series, this is nice to have. There's a lot of material to go through and I'm sure it factored into Internet debates about the series back in the day. It's worth a read at the very least.

Rating:
Read It