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Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom

(Death Note #1)

Tsugumi Ohba,

Takeshi Obata (Illustrator),

Pookie Rolf (Translator)

4.44 · Rating details · 192,291 ratings · 3,499 reviews

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, a death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the a ...more

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Paperback, 195 pages

Published October 10th 2005 by VIZ Media LLC (first published April 2nd 2004)

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Dec 09, 2010 Emily May rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novels, young-adult

4 1/2 stars
When I wrote in my review of Battle Royale that there were only two manga series I really enjoyed, it made me realise just how much in need of a review this was. I am not a manga fan, I know some people love it like crazy, but I've tried starting the most commonly loved - Naruto, InuYasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, etc. - and been left believing that I would never come to appreciate these graphic novels. Death Note was a complete accident which I found one day whilst browsing youtube. I ra ...more

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Feb 12, 2016 Mohammed Arabey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: articles-short-stories-and-comics

My very first read of Manga.. and it just blow my mind

I mean what if you have A Death Note...,A note that belong to one of the gods of Death..
Just write a name in it...with the person's face in your mind...and BAM .. Dies..

It's a 'hard to pick a side' story..
I mean, I would do just as Light did, try to get rid of those who make life hell...Killers, torturer, rapers, sadist and child abusers.
Damn them all ,you know , specially in here in Egypt...The law is way slow and ,mostly, not that fair...at ...more

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Dec 28, 2014 Patrick rated it really liked it

I don't read very much manga. But I picked the first few books of this series up on a whim, then quickly bought all the rest so I could finish the series.

Short version? I really enjoyed it.

Longer version: Here's some thoughts in no particular order....

~ Great example of how you don't need a bunch of crazy fantastic things happening to make something a gripping piece of Speculative Fiction. In this series, you've got a notebook, and if someone writes your name in it, you die. It doesn't seem l ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 daph pink rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, horror, graphic-books, i-love-these-characters, series, 5-star-aka-préféré, movie-series-adaptation, manga-manhwa-manhua, thriller-read, detective-clan

“There is no heaven or hell. No matter what you do while you’re alive, everybody goes to the same place once you die. Death is Equal.”

Shall we begin???* Ryuk laughs in background *

Before you read this , a little advice please watch the anime if you dont have time to read the manga. It's only 37 episodes , 20 min each , for free on YouTube with eng subs !

Assuming you have watched it because this review is going to be spoilery mess!!!

One more thing , if you think that death note is for teens o
“There is no heaven or hell. No matter what you do while you’re alive, everybody goes to the same place once you die. Death is Equal.”

Shall we begin???* Ryuk laughs in background *

Before you read this , a little advice please watch the anime if you dont have time to read the manga. It's only 37 episodes , 20 min each , for free on YouTube with eng subs !

Assuming you have watched it because this review is going to be spoilery mess!!!

One more thing , if you think that death note is for teens obsessed with idea of being smart and killing people to prove their worth please just get lost! I have spend enough time defending myself !

It is just outstanding and beyond words!! There is no Anime/Manga like Death Note and I can debate on this anyone.

The story is unique. A notebook falls from the sky, and the human who writes a name in it is capable of killing the individual pictured in his mind (I left out the details that you don't care about). This presents the readers with a highly debatable theme based on morals and justice. Yagami Light, who obtains this power to kill, utilizes it in hopes of creating a utopia in which he is god. Criminals, and only criminals, are to be punished in hopes of a perfect society. Is this however, right? Is it right to kill individuals who have done wrong, and will do wrong again? Can they be reformed? Death Note presents the readers with questions such as these, questions which cannot be easily answers.

This series challenges the viewers morals and for that, it deserves highly.

Moving on characters, unpopular opinions and fan based theories :-

✏L lawliet :- he is my favourite character in the series and it's his intelligence , quirkiness and everything he stands for and not to forget his smile and his love for ice cream .

Bitch I cried when he died! Okay!

Kira is childish and he hates losing... I am also childish and I hate to lose. That's how I know.”

✏Light*i don't give a fuck about anything*Yagami
:- my second fav character , and now here is a thing I love L like 55% and light like 45% and I can't decide whether I am team kira or team anti kira.
He is like my beyond imagination intelligent and smart but eventually he met his end, because it was necessary you see but if in some alternate world Light lives, I honestly don't have problem with it . Period ( don't fight me , I had enough discussion over this with my mum)
"This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me?”

Now my next fav characters will be ryuk , mello, misa, near ( in that order)
I love mello soo much and I have great respect for near and people who say after L's death the series became boring and near wasn't that much intersting , I agree but it was necessary to introduce someone and near never said he is L , he used to call himself L's successor always !!!!

Unpopular opinion :- I like Misa
▪She is smart than people think.
▪ She brushes off torture like no one else.
▪ Her love for Light , knows no command.
▪She adds color and humor to manga( bet if you didn't laughed at her silliness)
▪And not to forget her fashion sense!

Now I am believer of the most famous death note fan theory of Light becoming shinigami at the end( if you too let me know)

In the end acc to me, death note is one of the most iconic manga/anime I have ever read/watched like there is nothing like this and i recommend everyone to watch/read it once in their lifetime .

It will make you question things you never would have brainstormed . Because low-key we all know we would have done the exact same thing when we would have got the death note.

"In the end, there is no greater motivation than revenge.”

Thank you!
...more

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May 21, 2017 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: comics-graphic-manga, own

Trah la la, I have me a manga that I'm in love with and I need the rest of them now and I might have to get them because I want them now and I pre-ordered the freaking funko of L because I'm in love with L and unfortunately I didn't like the Funko's of Ryuk or Light. I was really hoping for Ryuk but he doesn't look cool at all, and I'm babbling!

Thank you to all of my GR friends that pushed me onto this manga!!!!!!! Actually it was sweet Ashley my hufflepuff that sold me on it first. =) ♥

This is ...more

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Feb 04, 2015 Cristina Monica rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime, suspense, death, manga

Death Note vol. 1 shows well drawn graphics, an anti-hero as main character that surprises/shocks, a *monster* that becomes actually…endearing, controversial themes that will provoke raw emotions along with deep thoughts and a writing and dialogs that make the characters look real and three dimensional without a doubt.

I think the plot could have been more developed, though. The Shinigami world better seen and much more exploited and maybe even contain a notable amount of interesting descriptions ...more

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Jan 21, 2019 MischaS_ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-series-ever, e-book, excited-for-the-next-book, slytherin, re-read, crazy-amazing, favorites, english, amazing-cover, best-books-ever

Always so much fun to re-read a beloved series only to find out that I still love it. Or maybe even more.

description

Oh, and I don't think that I even need to say that I'm team Kira. Who would be surprised by that?

“I am justice!” ...more

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Aug 18, 2016 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: sequential, mystery, 21th-century, arts, horror, graphic, fiction, novels, manga

Death Note, Vol. 1: Boredom (Death Note, #1), Tsugumi Ohba

Centers around high school student Light Yagami, who discovers a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone by writing the victim's name (and knowing their face). The plot follows his attempt to create and lead a world "cleansed of evil" which he will rule as "God" using the notebook, and the conflicts between himself and anyone he sees as an obstacle, from law enforcement to the mafia to the greatest detective in the world.

تاری ...more

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May 14, 2016 C.G. Drews rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novel, read-2016

This was my very FIRST expedition into magna and ahhh I so loved it!! I mean, once I started reading the book in the right direction. Ahem. And I only got mixed up like 859 while reading it...BUT HEY. I'M SURE I'LL GET BETTER WITH TIME. I'm also really annoyed I only got the first book from the library because a) cliffhanger and b) I WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT AND I ONLY GO TO THE LIBRARY ON THURSDAYS. *hyperventilates*

Least to say, I obviously am a fan.

I loved the story! Like the mixture of d ...more

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Aug 12, 2018 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it

I finally borrowed "Death Note" from the library and I think I might be in love! <3

This is soo damn good!!! I really didn't expect it to be so good!
I don't know what I expected but damn it's definitely better than I thought it would be!

And haha I'm having trouble to decide which side I'm on. I mean it's obvious Light is misguided and that his actions are wrong, this however still didn't stop me from liking him and Ryuk though. *lol*

Also, I love L! Gosh they are like cat and mouse and it's ...more

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Nov 01, 2007 Seth T. rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: pretty much anyone

Shelves: comics

Over the past three weeks I've been burning through one of the most exciting reads I've come across in a while. Death Note is a seat-edged battle of wits that left me exhausted by the end. Heck, I was exhausted by the halfway mark.

Let me start over. Death Note is a Japanese comic that tells it's story over the course of twelve volumes (on display now at your local Borders). If what I'm about to say sounds good but you don't feel like spending the eight dollars per volume, head to your local libr Over the past three weeks I've been burning through one of the most exciting reads I've come across in a while. Death Note is a seat-edged battle of wits that left me exhausted by the end. Heck, I was exhausted by the halfway mark.

Let me start over. Death Note is a Japanese comic that tells it's story over the course of twelve volumes (on display now at your local Borders). If what I'm about to say sounds good but you don't feel like spending the eight dollars per volume, head to your local library - they almost certainly carry the books in the Young Adults section. In any case, it's worth your time. Here's why.

The story begins when Ryuk, a death god (known in the story's mythology as shinigami), drops a death note into the human world in order to alleviate the boredom that oppresses his everlasting life. A death note is a special notebook possessed by shinigami that allow them to take the lives of humans whose names they write into the notebook. Ryuk's dropped notebook "happens" to fall into the path of Japan's top high school student, son of the chief of police, and all around genius, Light Yagami.

After a couple tests of the book's authenticity and the boundaries of some of its rules (e.g., one must visualize the face of the person whose name he is writing for that person to die), Light decides that he will forge a new world, a utopia in which all criminals (those would would take advantage of the weakness of others) simply die. Rather quickly, the police around the world begin taking notice of the staggering number of criminals who have suddenly dropped dead of heart attacks. Suspecting foul play, they want to find the perpetrator because law-and-order and vigilantism have never been the best bed-fellows. And it doesn't help that Light has gained a popular following amongst the masses who dub him Kira (which sounds remarkably similar to the Japanese pronunciation of the English word, "killer"). So the authorities enlist the assistance of the world's greatest detective (an anonymous man known only as L) and he quickly narrows the range of suspects dramatically, instigating a pulse-pounding game of of cat-and-mouse between the figures - L vs. Kira.

Initially, as exciting as the first couple volumes were, I had a hard time seeing how the story could sustain itself across twelve volumes. The key to Death Note's happy success is the absence of anything really resembling a status quo. The story and its elements are continually in flux. If things remained simple, I could see the book resolving in four or five volumes but everything is constantly moving, constantly changing. It was a fantastic read.

And smart. The fact that you're reading about these very intelligent characters who think things through to incredible lengths only adds to the excitement. There were moments of revelation and counter-revelation that simply blew my mind. And then there are moments when you think the jig is up for one or more of the characters and then a flashback will reveal the would-be victims plan from the start and you get to see tables turn and over turn as these characters fight for their lives.

And even after that, the moral question that is explored by the book's author and artist really goes to lengths to get the reader thinking about means and ends and it's not at all clear who one should root for. It helps that Light, despite having an ego that won't quit, is entirely unselfish in his motivation. Death Note is almost a distillation of an important moral question.

In short, I highly recommend this series to just about anyone. ...more

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Jun 25, 2018 theburqaavenger➹ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: graphic-novels, i-love-him, you-made-me-a-believer, shall-i-compare-theeto-summers-day, mommy-s-here, i-have-but-one-heart, we-ll-always-have-paris

Death Note is one of the most amazing series ever with amazing characters, themes of religion and what justice is and all of this wrapped up in an exhilarating cat and mouse game between two geniuses.

It was amazing to watch these two geniuses try to outsmart one another through their constant, expert use of lying and manipulation. I was astonished by how quick the two were to constantly outsmart the other’s fool proof plans.

L was definitely my favourite of the two, with his quirky characteristic ...more

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Feb 28, 2017 Archit Ojha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebooks

Not Stopping Until I Hit The Finale.

My wife was hunting me down to read this manga and until I do that, she won't let me breath.

Well, well!
I'm glad that she has tremendously fantastic choices in everything. And so she proved it in this case too.

A thrilling ride Death Note is!

If you haven't still encountered with it yet, I urge that you should!

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Aug 21, 2017 Emma rated it it was amazing

yayyy for buddy reads and amazing manga

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Feb 23, 2018 Sara rated it really liked it

Shelves: graphic-novels, fiction

My first toe dip into the world of Manga, this was enjoyable and packed full of surprises and colourful characters.

What would you do if you had the ability to kill anyone in the world just by writing their name and picturing their face, in a book? That's the situation Light finds himself in when he comes across the Deathnote. Soon he finds himself persued by the police, and the mysterious 'L', as he tries to complete his dream of creating a utopia free of violence by killing the worlds criminal ...more

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Nov 14, 2015 Merna rated it it was amazing

This is more of my opinion on the whole series instead of the first volume.

Death note is a highly addictive read. I would say it’s the best manga I’ve ever read. It’s one of those stories which leaves you desperate for the ending, but at the same time upset because it all ended. Everything in Death note was planned out perfectly and it was very fast-paced so I was never fed up.

However, I do have a problem with the protagonist. Light’s character was never developed well. He suddenly just turns ev ...more

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Oct 09, 2015 Norah Una Sumner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, great-male-characters, humor, young-adult, all-time-favs, family-theme, 5-star-read, series, comics-manga-graphic-novels

Come on,it doesn't get more original than this.

I've already watched "Death Note" so the story is not shocking for me,but it's as interesting as it was last summer.The characters are amazing and I can't wait to see how they develop throughout the series.Light VS L is probably one of the most epic "battles" I've ever had a chance of reading/watching.Apart from the obviously intelligent characters and an unique and captivating story,I really love the fact that this series questions our morality and ...more

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May 15, 2016 Dannii Elle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantastic-fabrications, artistic-absorption

My first graphic novel and manga experience was definitely a good one and I might already be hooked!

I didn't know how I would get on with the format but I found myself just as immersed in the story, after a few pages, as I would an ordinary novel. This managed to pack in so much in such little text and I was consistently guessing where the plot would take me next. It also managed to transgress into so many genres that I find it hard that there would be a reader who would not like this!

The story ...more

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Oct 15, 2015 Pooja rated it really liked it

Shelves: manga

Every one on social media was getting freak about Death Note. I just couldn't understand why.

Until the day, after whole two years dive of this ignorance, I finally got to read the manga that totally blowen my mind, that got me hooked since the first lines.

To tell you the truth, I never paid attention to it's title. Never cared, not at all.

So when I read this manga, I was surely to stay amazed until and unless I reached to the end.

All pieces started to connect. The truth was before me, the fa ...more

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Apr 01, 2017 Magdalen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: manga

I recently watched the trailer for the american film from Netflix and as a person who respects herself and appreciates quality and authenticity I decided to read the manga. Dear Americans stop ruining epic things.

God I've missed Light and L and I was smiling like a fool. DEATH NOTE IS EVERYTHING. The art is great the characters are oh well AWESOME! You have the antihero Light, whom you love to hate and vice versa and the badass L. Everyone knows the plot so it's stupid just to even try saying s ...more

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Jan 09, 2019 Katie.dorny rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

My friends were always going on at me to try readi manga. I am sorry I waited this long.
This year and this one is my first and I loved it.
The idea is so original - a book that a god dropped that if a name is written in - that person will be killed.
The way it is already affected our main character is so interesting.
I’m already hooked.

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May 01, 2015 Nərmin rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Every one!

Recommended to Nərmin by: Argona

Shelves: supernatural-paranormal, psychological-thriller, read-manga-comic, mystery-thriller, manga, favorites

First review:
My first manga! And it was strange to read it from right to left :) But the idea and the storyline are quite interesting. Going to read more))
Final review :
3.83☆
So, great manga ended... I loved ending, though so many people despised it. It was logical and Light deserved it. (view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 24, 2018 Paul Bryant rated it liked it

Shelves: graphic-novelly-stuff

I think if a Shinigami gave you a death note – oh, I should say a Shinigami is a like god or spirit who controls the way HUMANS (meaning YOU) DIE (meaning DIE!) and also WHEN just by writing it down, and also this death NOTE is not a note, it’s a NOTEBOOK, just to be crystal clear – but anyway, why this becomes an issue is that this particular shinagami is really bored in the realm where he & his other death gods live – they always live in a REALM, have you noticed, never in a house or an apartm I think if a Shinigami gave you a death note – oh, I should say a Shinigami is a like god or spirit who controls the way HUMANS (meaning YOU) DIE (meaning DIE!) and also WHEN just by writing it down, and also this death NOTE is not a note, it’s a NOTEBOOK, just to be crystal clear – but anyway, why this becomes an issue is that this particular shinagami is really bored in the realm where he & his other death gods live – they always live in a REALM, have you noticed, never in a house or an apartment, always a realm – anyway, it turns out in the death god realm there’s nothing much to do, they get really bored writing down name after name with stroke or general organ failure or rabies or giraffe attack next to them, these shinagami don’t have much initiative otherwise they could of I dunno got a franchise to make a death realm Disneyland or play crazy golf or I don’t know what people do for entertainment, lot of the people I know just watch football, so maybe they could get Sky up there and follow the English Premier League, and see how Manchester United gets on under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, whatever, the clue is in the title of this first volume here BOREDOM, so because of that this particular shinagami leaves a death note (= noteBOOK) for this 17 year old kid to find and then he has the power to make anyone dead and that’s what you call a responsibility, I wouldn’t want that.

But I wouldn’t mind if a lower-ranking Shinigami from a lower REALM left me a SICK NOTE so I could make anyone really ill, that would be great, a lot of politicians I could name would be rolling around on Christmas Day after the turkey & not in a good way.

So is this 17 year old kid’s plan to make the world a better place by killing lots of people ethically sound or not? This is the big issue. Omelets, eggs, eggs, omelets. If Pol Pot was asked he would have said YES. Likewise Stalin. But if you asked Princess Diana or Walt Disney they would have said NO. Hmm, Stalin, Princess Diana, Pol Pot, Walt Disney. It’s above my pay grade. ...more

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Feb 28, 2020 Giorgia ~ Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dark-themes, comic-manga-graphic-novel

21/03/2020

Watching the anime again because ... quarantine?!

This is probably my third time watching it. It NEVER gets old!

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Feb 09, 2016 Connor rated it really liked it

Shelves: manga

I think this set up a whole lot of interesting things that can happen throughout the series. It took me a little while to wrap my brain around how many people he was killing, but I think I'm really starting to get into it now!

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Oct 16, 2017 Maria added it

Update 14.01.18
I’ve got to remove my rating from here. I wasn’t a fan of this manga but I’ve come to realize that I might just not be a fan of manga as a genre, period. HOWEVER, having just finished the entirety of death note in the form of an anime, I’d like to come to my knees and admit that I was WRONG. like, seriously. I’m so shook.

This was just. weird. Also, no offense, but the graphics were quite ugly. Should I even bother with the next volume? Does it get any better? Idk, man.

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Mar 12, 2018 Karl Marberger rated it it was amazing

Shelves: manga

Wow! This manga is very cool!

Great opening volume for a series. The pace is snappy and the tone is dark. Great fun!

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

May 27, 2013 Saniya rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Great people who want to be mind fucked.

Shelves: favorites

This is mind fucking, but still.

I, I just love Death Note. So, so much.

I must be cray cray, but I love Light Yagami more than L, even though I know L is correct and there should be justice. But I feel for Light. Even though he would kill and use me too in an instance. (Gosh, I am crazy.) But I believe that Light was a good guy and if he haven't gotten that Death Note in the first place, he would have been the most kick-ass Detective ever. :'(
I loved the anime. And the Manga didn't disappoint me ...more

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Oct 05, 2013 Beth added it

Shelves: fantasy, graphic-novel

This series has read like a supernatural Sherlock told from Moriarity's POV.

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Oct 16, 2016 Julia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

COOL, COOL, SO COOL!!!!

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
anime character r...: death note rp	2	11	Oct 14, 2020 12:20AM
MANGA. no more, a...: Death note	1	3	Apr 12, 2020 08:48PM
Manga suitable for school library.	2	17	Dec 05, 2018 04:31PM
Suitable manga advice for school library	2	18	Nov 17, 2018 02:39AM
What is it about L that people like and why does he attract many fangirls?	15	178	Apr 28, 2018 07:06PM
YouTube Anime/Man...: Death Note	62	19	Oct 13, 2017 10:17AM

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About Tsugumi Ohba

Tsugumi Ohba

2,016 followers

Tsugumi Ōba (Profile in Japanese: 大場つぐみ), born in Tokyo, Japan, is a writer best known for the manga Death Note. His/her real identity is a closely guarded secret. As stated by the profile placed at the beginning of each Death Note manga, Ōba collects teacups and develops manga plots while holding his knees on a chair, similar to a habit of L, one of the main characters of the series.

There is spe ...more