Death Note: Another Note

Hello everyone! A couple weeks ago I posted a review about the anime Death Note and today's review is going to be on a little spinoff novel from the anime.

Death Note: Another Note

   

5 out of 5 Murderous Stars

The most intelligent people hide the fact that they are intelligent. Wise men do not wear nametags. The more people talk about their own skills, the more desperate they are - their work should speak for itself.

Death Note: Another Note is a short novel that gives a bit of background on Naomi Misora and the case she works on with L in Los Angelas, and it definitely speaks for itself. It's an intelligently written mystery, and just when you feel like you might know what's really going on, the novel changes direction so quickly it leaves your head spinning. I love getting to see how L works from a different perspective than Light or L himself, and I like Misora's role in the anime, so it is nice getting to read about her too. The novel is narrated by Mello, also a character that plays an important role in the manga/anime. There are some spoilers though, so make sure you wait to finish the anime before reading this book!

Naomi Misora:

I love Misora's character in the anime and her last scene is one of my favorites; however, I'm not a big fan of her in regards to the novel until the ending. She comes off as almost snotty and judgmental - I also do not feel that her intelligence is higher than others at the FBI. But the ending makes up for that - she proves how intelligent she really is and how worthy she is to be L's eyes and ears on the field. It's when she says stuff like this that I want to smack her upside the head: "If we divided everyone in the world into those that would be better off dead and those that wouldn't, there's no doubt in my mind that he'd be the former. Such a complete freak that it amazes me he hasn't killed himself yet." But then she becomes a badass and uses her skills and brain to their fullest to solve the case, and you realize that she is the perfect person to act as L's shield. It's nice getting some background on her, and even though she annoys me immensely at times, she's a cool heroine to read about.

Beyond Birthday:

We're told at the beginning of the novel that Beyond Birthday is our serial killer, but who exactly is Beyond Birthday? That becomes a nice journey of discovery to read about throughout the novel. He's an extremely intelligent man, albeit pretty sick and twisted, but we learn why he does what he does in the novel. While his reasons do not excuse his actions, they helps us to understand why he commits these murders. He isn't trying to outwit the police or FBI by getting away with his crimes; he's mocking them, for they were never his real target. "Beyond Birthday challenged L. And L accepted the challenge." That is the main plotline of this story, and it's very entertaining getting to watch these two geniuses battle it out - not as awesome as getting to watch Light and L engage in a battle of intelligence and wits, but entertaining nonetheless.

L:

We get to see L from a different perspective in this novel, and it's fun getting to see him through different eyes. He's still his weird self - eats way too many sweets, sits weirdly and doesn't really have any concept of personal space, but he still believes in justice. Plus, we get to learn the meaning behind the alias Ryuzaki. It's definitely nice getting to read about him after finishing Death Note and see a bit of his life firsthand before he got involved in the Kira case. 

Overall:

The spinoff novel Death Note: Another Note is a short but very engaging novel that provides fans of Death Note with a little insight into background information before Light gets his hands on a Death Note. A murder mystery that is not easily solved, it really makes the readers think while letting them enjoy reading about some of their favorite characters. The writing style is very smooth, and I think it is a genius idea to have Mello be the narrator of the story, even though I strongly dislike him in the anime. If you've watched the anime Death Note, you should definitely pick up Death Note: Another Note and give it a read. It's short but sweet and just an enjoyable read. However, if you haven't watched the anime yet I would hold off on this novel - and get to watching the anime! You will not be disappointed.

"Justice has more power than anything else."

"Power? By power...you mean strength?"

"No. I mean kindness."