Death Note, Vol. 13: How to Read by Tsugumi Ohba
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.70 You Save: $9.29 (62%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.54 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Death Note, Vol. 13: How to Read
Book Review: A volume to tie up all the loose ends
Summary: 5 Stars
When I read this, it did tie up a lot of the loose ends and answered a lot of questions that were left hanging at the end of book 12. It is a must for trivia fans as well as those who want to know everything about the series.
However, my copy was straight from Viz and contained two extras: a card that had L's true name on it, and a glossy page of the cover (sans words). I also found a few discrepancies about the book in the database here and have also sent that in as well.
Book Review: A Must for Those Who Like Bonus Material
Summary: 5 Stars
This special volume of the series is filled with all the super secret information behind the manga and anime series of Death Note. They writer and author explain the ideas behind each character, quizzes, and a special look through the thoughts of our favorite shinigami. Also don't forget the funny little comics at the end. This is a must if you want to really complete your manga series.Book Review: My daughter loved it...
Summary: 5 Stars
Ordered for my 13 yr old daughter. She loved it. Shipped on time--actually arrived a bit earlier than estimated arrival date. Good experience all around.Book Review: A must-have for the hardcore fan, a luxury otherwise
Summary: 4 Stars
On the whole, an attentive reader of all 12 volumes will already know nearly all the information in this book. As such, the main reasons to buy it are the new elements:
The interviews with the author and artist are fantastic. Which well-known Tim Burton character inspired Ryuk's design? Which ubiquitous piece of Death Note iconography turned out to be a red herring which the artist took seriously? What deeply meaningful statement by L, on which entire interpretations of his character have hinged (including mine, alas) was actually a barefaced lie? This sort of information is both genuinely interesting and otherwise inaccessible.
The rest of the bonus material is either for completists only (like finding out characters' birthdays and skill evaluations), for people who weren't paying total attention in the first place (like step-by-step breakdowns of the storyline) or just for fun (a list of all the sweets L eats over the course of the manga; a series of 4-panel omake comics; a guide to the shinigami one barely sees, and their ranking system).
And by the way, the L name card is very neat, but poorly thought-through. Over the course of the storyline, two characters (but not the reader) find out L's name, and in one case, if it had been this, the story would have gone very differently from that point.
Overall, Death Note 13 is definitely worth buying if you're a fan of the series wanting to find out what its creators were thinking, and to fill in every gap in your knowledge (which the book does admirably). Just don't expect a revolution in terms of new material. Or to find out about L's background (one of the main reasons I bought it, but the subject barely gets a mention).
Book Review: A little something more.
Summary: 4 Stars
I was very sad to finish the last installation of the Death Note manga series, and How to Read filled a little bit of the void for me. It was terrific to learn more about my favorite characters, to enter the minds of the author and illustrator, and just spend a little more time in the world which I grew to love through the manga. Highly reccomended to Death Note fans.