| (I'm going by the manga; I casually watched the anime on Adult Swim afterwards) I enjoyed Deathnote for the large part. However, I am from the very first wave of the manga's American fanbase, and I can say that it was very disconcerting watching how many people, including rabid shrieking fangirls, jumped on the bandwagon. I think the 8th volume of the manga is where it began to go askew. The series was immaculately written and depicted, but ever since the big event at the end of volume 7 (no spoilers here, but most of you know this event I refer to), the entire thing felt rushed, as well as different in atmosphere, presentation, and even a slight shift in genre. Ohba stated in the encyclopedia volume (13) that when he/she started, he/she didn't have a plan for how the series would end. I half-believe this. While it was generally very high-caliber work, it seems to have taken a lazy turn halfway through where Ohba took it in a thinner and less meticulous direction than was offered in the first portion of the series. That being said, the anime and manga were both well-executed and held a captivating premise. I enjoyed it overall even though I didn't like the later portions or the ending; I think many people will agree with me that despite how good it is in terms of execution, it could have been better in terms of consistency. It's also just REALLY annoying when anything gets too popular no matter how good it is. And I haven't even mentioned all the Light/L yaoi and fanshippers out there. |