As I've mentioned before, I don't know a whole lot about about manga, but I'm trying. Our friends over at Viz sent me the whole Death Note series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. (Thanks Candice.) Guess what...I liked them. I wanted to give them a real chance so I read two right off the bat. I'm not going to write a full review, but I wanted to share some of my first impressions.

I love the character, Light. What a cool kid, and such an awesome name! He's a smart, good kid from a nice family yet he's begun this secret life that he can't share with anyone. I think teens like to fantasize about the idea of living with a double identity, and often feel that they, too, have a side no-one else knows. What I really like about him though, is that Light really wants to be a hero. Doing good is ultimately what motivates him, but his choices around the use of the Death Note Notebook are questionable. Really good thinking material for young readers. He's a vigilante of sorts and that makes him interesting and complex. He really struggles with his new-found, god-like, power. I've always thought the best super heroes, in the most classic sense, are the ones with murky pasts, something to hide, or a challenging dark side.

In the past, comics, graphic novels, and manga have been viewed as sort of low-brow. Literary purists might even argue that it stunts the imagination because it depends so heavily on visual storytelling. I disagree. The nature of the art is very evocative and leaves a lot to the imagination. I noticed a lot of "close shots," and that many of them were character close-ups. Also, each cell shares a lot of space with language which I think is a really compelling juxtaposition. It's difficult to separate the two concepts when they are so physically close and interdependent. Like a children's picture book, you need both to understand the whole scope of the story. Similarly, there's a ton of room for personal translation or even a relationship, if you will, with the material.

I'm also really interested in what happens to the reader as they transition from cell to cell. Following the pictures and language seems very stimulating and I wonder how that process affects the story in the mind of the reader. In other words, how are readers "filling in the blanks" as they pass from image to image. Could it be that much of the artistry is in what's left out-- the negative space? Just a thought.

I'm told Death Note is hugely popular. Manga enthusiasts, share some of your thoughts with me. Death Note lovers let me know what you think. I would love to hear your response to my amateur interpretation.

More information about the series at Wikipedia.

Here's the YouTube trailer to the live action movie. (I really like the way Ryuk looks.)

The anime tv series.

Posted by alli