Title

Death Note

Also known as: デスノート, Ölüm Defteri, Death Note - Zápisník smrti, Beležnica smrti, Τετράδιο θανάτου, Death Note: Тетрадка на смъртта, 死亡筆記本, 데스노트

by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata

Score from AniList: 84/100finished12 volumes108 chapters

Drama Mystery Psychological Supernatural Thriller More like Death Note

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Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But will Light succeed in his noble goal, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against? (Source: VIZ Media)

Chapters available: 108
Type: Manga

Hoard Verdict

The StoryHoard editorial verdict

★ 4/5

A tightly plotted battle of wits that burns bright on its premise, though the middle stretch cannot quite match the sharpness of its opening.

Pros

Cat-and-mouse tension that rarely lets up
Sharp dialogue and psychological duels
A clean, memorable hook in its notebook premise

Cons

Some plot mechanics get stretched thin in the middle
The lead's moral slide can feel repetitive over time

Read this if you liked:Monster Psycho-Pass Erased

Read the full take

Death Note is a mind game dressed up as a supernatural thriller, and the premise is still one of the cleanest hooks in the medium. A bored top student finds a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it, and the story spends its time asking what he does next. The duels are the real draw: the detective work, the sharp dialogue, and the constant feeling that someone is always one step ahead. The pacing is brisk, and when the pieces click into place, they really click. The honest part is that the middle stretch leans on set-ups and rules that get more elaborate than they need to be, and the lead's escalating choices can start to feel like a loop. A few moments feel stretched to fill a chapter. None of that dulls the core experience. If you enjoy thrillers where the fun lives in the chess match rather than the action, this is essential reading. It is one of the few series where the premise and the hype are both earned.