What would you do if all you had to do was write someone's name in a book and then forty-seconds later, that person would die of heart attack? That is the premise of this excellent manga series by created by writer Sugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata back in 2003-06. Light Yagami, Japan's top high school student, wanders across such a book - The Death Note - one afternoon at school after it mysteriously drops from the nether realm of the Shinigami(gods of the dead). The resulting story is a great marriage of philosophy (as Light opts to rid the world of criminals, and eventual reign as a new god of a new world free of evildoers) and mystery (as the police begin to suspect something is amiss with so many criminals turning up dead, and decide - with the help of an uber detective named L - to hunt him down). Light is escorted through the cat and mouse game by a Shinigami named Ryuk, who's scary and creepy as all get out. Death Note is a series of four volumes and I can guarantee its fascinating mix of intelligence and mystery and creepiness will have you hooked. I daresay you may even contemplate who's name you would enter in the Death Note. Of note, three live-action films have also spawned from this series, all released in Japan, the latest in February 2008.
For a great idea well executed in a gorgeous manga environment, my rating 9 out of 10.
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