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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
It's been a few years since I last read a light novel, and usually, I don't like them very much. I think it's because I've read clunky fan translations in the past; this is the first time I've ever checked one out from a proper library, and it seems to have been edited well (aside from a couple of missing quotation marks).
The quality of writing in "L, Change the WorLd" is pretty good, in my opinion, although it's also a little too fast-paced. The story covers a lot of ground very quickly, and I would honestly prefer for most of the scenes to be longer, especially when they involve profound character interactions. As for the characters themselves, I enjoyed them quite a bit, in large part because of the many cameos to the original series and its pilot. The themes about justice, morality, and rehabilitation are also interesting and tie into the main story very well, and I love that these fresh perspectives mostly come from a ten-year-old girl, who is so blunt and opinionated that she constantly throws the other characters for a loop.
The fact that there are so many branches of Death Note canon at this point helps me suspend my disbelief when the characters act unexpectedly or the lore disagrees with me. (I'm looking at the meaning of L's and Near's names, specifically. Explain Matt, Mello, and Linda to me then! And what about Beyond Birthday? I admire the dedication to finding meaning in the source material, but I cannot accept that the symbolism runs so deep...) I essentially view this story as fanfiction, just one possible interpretation of the characters.
One especially notable distinction for me is that L is more wholesome in this novel than in the other Death Note stories I've read or watched. He seems to be more virtuous and morally upright than his constant human rights violations in the main series imply. In this book, whenever it seems as if he's done something sick and twisted (like use the Death Note), it's eventually revoked and shown to be a fake-out, just another part of L's clever scheming. This makes sense for his character, and it's easy to recognize L as himself from the way his mannerisms and character interactions are written. But I do like leaning towards other aspects of his personality and would consider this installation slightly less canon than most others because of that.
Still, coming from the two live-action movies, I understand that this adjustment of L's character is consistent with the story's predecessors, and I don't mind it too much. It's mostly interesting to analyze and notice the implications of these subtle changes. And I did enjoy this novel overall and would confidently recommend it to other fans of the original series. Just make sure that you've seen the two live-action movies first, so you can understand how this story diverges from the anime/manga. It's a very fun ride!
The quality of writing in "L, Change the WorLd" is pretty good, in my opinion, although it's also a little too fast-paced. The story covers a lot of ground very quickly, and I would honestly prefer for most of the scenes to be longer, especially when they involve profound character interactions. As for the characters themselves, I enjoyed them quite a bit, in large part because of the many cameos to the original series and its pilot. The themes about justice, morality, and rehabilitation are also interesting and tie into the main story very well, and I love that these fresh perspectives mostly come from a ten-year-old girl, who is so blunt and opinionated that she constantly throws the other characters for a loop.
The fact that there are so many branches of Death Note canon at this point helps me suspend my disbelief when the characters act unexpectedly or the lore disagrees with me. (I'm looking at the meaning of L's and Near's names, specifically. Explain Matt, Mello, and Linda to me then! And what about Beyond Birthday? I admire the dedication to finding meaning in the source material, but I cannot accept that the symbolism runs so deep...) I essentially view this story as fanfiction, just one possible interpretation of the characters.
One especially notable distinction for me is that L is more wholesome in this novel than in the other Death Note stories I've read or watched. He seems to be more virtuous and morally upright than his constant human rights violations in the main series imply. In this book, whenever it seems as if he's done something sick and twisted (like use the Death Note), it's eventually revoked and shown to be a fake-out, just another part of L's clever scheming. This makes sense for his character, and it's easy to recognize L as himself from the way his mannerisms and character interactions are written. But I do like leaning towards other aspects of his personality and would consider this installation slightly less canon than most others because of that.
Still, coming from the two live-action movies, I understand that this adjustment of L's character is consistent with the story's predecessors, and I don't mind it too much. It's mostly interesting to analyze and notice the implications of these subtle changes. And I did enjoy this novel overall and would confidently recommend it to other fans of the original series. Just make sure that you've seen the two live-action movies first, so you can understand how this story diverges from the anime/manga. It's a very fun ride!
It’s an interesting addition to the series. Although, i did think that the book had some problems with the pacing and the way it introduces ideas (mainly at the start), i still enjoyed it. Maybe, i will reread the book in the future and change my opinion, but for now I’m keeping it this way
This book is about one of the main characters from the manga, Death Note, but is written as a novel. L has been a favorite character of mine since I first read the manga years ago, so finding a novel about him was really exciting. This super genius, with his incredibly quirky traits, like the way he sits or holds items in his hands, is the world’s top consultant when it comes to solving the ‘unsolvable’ crimes. Fueling his insomniac body with his body weight in sugar, this odd character has captivated me for years.
Any fans of Death Note should pick up this book to get one more story of the brilliance that is L. If you couldn’t get enough of L in the Death Note manga, this would definitely satisfy your craving. This story of L’s final case is a must-read for all Death Note fans out there.
Any fans of Death Note should pick up this book to get one more story of the brilliance that is L. If you couldn’t get enough of L in the Death Note manga, this would definitely satisfy your craving. This story of L’s final case is a must-read for all Death Note fans out there.
As a big fan of the manga, I enjoyed reading this alternate spin-off as it was a chance to ‘re-live’ some of the emotions and themes that made the original Death Note concept so great. Having said that, I’m a bit disappointed with how L was portrayed in this story - it seemed a bit off and inconsistent with the original L. However, the story line was great, even though the writing was a little clunky at times. Would definitely recommend it if you liked the manga though, glad I got around to reading this one.
Edited to add: The artwork on the book cover is STUNNING. Would’ve loved it if there had been a page or two of illustrations inside the book as well.
Edited to add: The artwork on the book cover is STUNNING. Would’ve loved it if there had been a page or two of illustrations inside the book as well.
What can I say? This book was a huge disappointment. A waste of my $18 to buy it. It is a novelization of the Death Note spinoff movie of the same name… and it can hardly match Another Note at all.
The writing style leaves a lot to be desired. I haven’t seen the movie itself, but I can venture a guess that the book hardly does justice to the movie. Almost three chapters in, I found myself stumbling around in the dark, lost and confused about who is who and what is what. I was also wondering, in the back of my mind, where the Death Note-esque plot escaped to. It was leaning a bit more on Resident Evil with the “escaped virus” thing.
Not only that, but the scene changes are a little difficult to follow in the book as they might be in the movie. There isn’t any flow between them. L is also, in my opinion, very very VERY out-of-character, and that completely ruined its potential to be a good book. If you’re going to write for the Death Note universe, you have to make the characters stay in-character, or you lose the very thing that makes it so unique compared to other manga/anime series.
The writing style leaves a lot to be desired. I haven’t seen the movie itself, but I can venture a guess that the book hardly does justice to the movie. Almost three chapters in, I found myself stumbling around in the dark, lost and confused about who is who and what is what. I was also wondering, in the back of my mind, where the Death Note-esque plot escaped to. It was leaning a bit more on Resident Evil with the “escaped virus” thing.
Not only that, but the scene changes are a little difficult to follow in the book as they might be in the movie. There isn’t any flow between them. L is also, in my opinion, very very VERY out-of-character, and that completely ruined its potential to be a good book. If you’re going to write for the Death Note universe, you have to make the characters stay in-character, or you lose the very thing that makes it so unique compared to other manga/anime series.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
”Light - this feeling of failing to protect those to whom you promised safety, is this the reality you spoke of?”
Well... I didn’t expect that to end on such a sad note. If you’ve already seen the movie, there really isn’t a need to read this light novel - it’s more for the super fans that want more of L than anything, but I think the film does a superb job of encapsulating L’s last days anyways.
This novel started off really well... tapered and went weird in different directions and went back to the hard hitting emotions again. I think if I hadn’t watched the film that it was based on, I would have enjoyed it more. Or maybe I have a thing against novels being based on films...
I think this story would have shined more if it was made into a manga than a light novel. Still, it was a good read and interesting to understand L’s POV.
*note* I think it’s really interesting reading this story during the Coronavirus. Even though this was written 14 years ago, a lot of the themes and fears are even present today.
Well... I didn’t expect that to end on such a sad note. If you’ve already seen the movie, there really isn’t a need to read this light novel - it’s more for the super fans that want more of L than anything, but I think the film does a superb job of encapsulating L’s last days anyways.
This novel started off really well... tapered and went weird in different directions and went back to the hard hitting emotions again. I think if I hadn’t watched the film that it was based on, I would have enjoyed it more. Or maybe I have a thing against novels being based on films...
I think this story would have shined more if it was made into a manga than a light novel. Still, it was a good read and interesting to understand L’s POV.
*note* I think it’s really interesting reading this story during the Coronavirus. Even though this was written 14 years ago, a lot of the themes and fears are even present today.
This will be a quick review. L, Change the World is one of my favorite books and movies. Mainly because it's a Death Note book about one of my favorite characters, L. To put it simple, the book is about L's final case and the 23 days leading up to his death. L tries to stop a group from decreasing the world's population drastically with a new and very deadly virus. I can't explain it any better without giving away too much.
I don't know how to rate this book. Even though I love Ryuzaki, I found this story and the writing style to be a bit underwhelming.
Still gonna watch the movie, cause ~Kenichi Matsuyama~
Still gonna watch the movie, cause ~Kenichi Matsuyama~