Okay, first of all, I’m not a fan of anime or manga. I just never found that genre interesting. That being said, years and years ago (in about 2001), I once picked up two mangas because I was bored. Those were Ranma 1/2 and InuYasha. Both were pretty fun to read and I enjoyed them.
Fast forward to last week. I was reading them again when I noticed the Death Note manga. Having heard of it often and knowing it was popular, I decided to start it, figuring “Why not? If it’s interesting, I’ll read it”.
Well… I loved it. It was great. Amazing. I couldn’t stop turning pages. I read from chapter 1 to chapter 30 in four days (FOR ANIME FANS OF IT, that covers about episodes 1 to 15). Considering there are 108 chapters, this doesn’t sound like a lot…but keep in mind that each chapter is about 21-24 pages long, so each is like a small comic in itself.
Anyway, I loved it… until I got to about chapter 37.
Now, for those who have read it or seen the anime, this is the part where…
…Light Yagami, aka Kira, gives up his death note and loses his memory while imprisoned by L. His death note then somehow comes under control by one of eight people who run the Yotsoba Group…but all eight of them know that one of them has the power of Kira, so it’s almost like eight people are controlling the death note at once.
Okay…? This…is just not interesting anymore. It’s a total change in story. It’s like it just dumps and forgets the old one and starts a new one. One that doesn’t even seem remotely as interesting as the first one did. Is there any reason to keep going? Does it ever become as good as it was or even better again? This just feels like a random storyline thrown together by a writer who seems to have run out of ideas. Not sure, though. Maybe those who have actually finished the manga or anime can tell me if it’s worth continuing…although PLEASE don’t spoil anything.