Scan barcode
A review by nhdiary
Death Note, Vol. 12: Finis by Takeshi Obata, Tsugumi Ohba
3.0
I love the art style. The commingling between Japanese manga and American comics worked so well that every single page was genuinely delightful to the eye. That being said. I very early on felt the way I do when I consume a series that has been dragged out for so long that it becomes absurd. And despite the ending being pretty satisfactory, the silliness of it all ruined it for me. Which is quite sad considering how incredible the original concept is.
A little too many plotlines were farfetched, with resolutions that seemed way too easy in comparison. The whole mindset of "I'm right because I'm clever" was no longer believable. It's one thing to prove that L, Light, and Near are not your regular smart cookies, but it's another to make them sound clever beyond plausibility. I don't doubt their ability, but it creates a gap between the real-like feel of the story and their surreal masterminds.
I had an issue with the portrayal of female characters as well. Not that there were many of them to begin with. But they were either painted as dumb, used as tools, driven exclusively by their emotions, or all of the above. Disappointed but not surprised.
Now, to point out a couple of things that I found interesting: the dystopian developement to the story in the way society reacts to the rise of Kira and how it moves forward during the years that follow; the psychological dive into Light's mind and the multiple debates on morality and justice. In some ways, the manga is quite thought-provoking.
I actually watched the anime back in April 2016, but I honestly couldn't recall much apart from the beginning and some of the ending. I probably should've taken that as a hint.
A little too many plotlines were farfetched, with resolutions that seemed way too easy in comparison. The whole mindset of "I'm right because I'm clever" was no longer believable. It's one thing to prove that L, Light, and Near are not your regular smart cookies, but it's another to make them sound clever beyond plausibility. I don't doubt their ability, but it creates a gap between the real-like feel of the story and their surreal masterminds.
I had an issue with the portrayal of female characters as well. Not that there were many of them to begin with. But they were either painted as dumb, used as tools, driven exclusively by their emotions, or all of the above. Disappointed but not surprised.
Now, to point out a couple of things that I found interesting: the dystopian developement to the story in the way society reacts to the rise of Kira and how it moves forward during the years that follow; the psychological dive into Light's mind and the multiple debates on morality and justice. In some ways, the manga is quite thought-provoking.
I actually watched the anime back in April 2016, but I honestly couldn't recall much apart from the beginning and some of the ending. I probably should've taken that as a hint.