** spoiler alert ** 
 There is no effing way I am spending six hundred hours reviewing every single volume, so I'll be brief: Death Note is awesome. 
 Honestly, I absolutely loved it. Okay, it got so much shittier after Near showed up holding up a big sign shaped like an arrow that read "DEUS EX MACHINA" in sparkly gold lettering, but even then the art was still great, the protagonist/antagonist (which is Light? It's pretty subjective) still had me on moral tenterhooks, and the plot still had me guessing. 
 Oh, and it also brought us this little gem. 
 This one is big, folks. It's a phenomenon. Few people are oblivious to it. I'll admit that the fanbase takes some getting used to (okay, a lot of getting used to) but at it's core, it's a fascinating manga. The themes and morals are designed to confuse and conflict the reader. They're designed to keep you switching from side to side, and to force you to constantly reconsider your stance on the whole question of who deserves to live, and who doesn't. It's parallel to the age-old question of capital punishment. 
 Why not kill those who've kill others? A life for a life, no? Or does that make the punisher just as guilty? What is justice, and what is murder? 
 [Death] Note: I wonder how long it will be until a western YA author steals the premise? 
 So everybody always wants to know who everyone else loved and hated in this series. I'll tell you exactly who I hated, and that was Rem. REM. 
 I think we all know why. 
 Throughout the series, it was a hard toss-up between L and Light. I mean, there were times when I thought, L, dude, quit being a douchebag, but then it'd switch and I'd want to take that fucking biro and jam it through Light's greedy little eye socket. 
 [Death] Note: Read my last review to see who finally won my heart. 
 SNARL! 
 That's another absolutely brilliant thing about this series. All of the characters are so real. None of them are cliches. They're vibrant and clever, and they're many-dimensional, down to the finest detail. Unlike a lot of people, I love Misa. How can you not empathize with her? She's not stupid, which is what a lot of people assume about her. She really isn't. She's just a naive girl who wants a knight in shining armor. She wants her life to be a fairy-tale, where she can fall madly in love with a gorgeous guy and live a life of glamour and expensive jewelry. The life that Light promised her, before he started cheating on her and treating her like trash. 
 Sad, ain't it? 
 At least she out-lives him. Burn, Lighto! 
 So, my very brief thoughts on this entire series? Well, it's a testament to how cracktacular it is that I'm a fan, being a die-hard hater of anything detective related (with the exception of Criminal Minds, because of Matthew Gray Gubler. Matt, if you're reading this now, I love you!) and being kind of a limpet to J.C. Staff-produced anime, because it always looks so beautiful. It's TRUE and you know it. 
 I watched the anime first, then read the manga, if you're wondering. It only made the experience more fulfilling. And really, twice can never hurt. 
 So, five stars from me. Yeah, the five-star ratings are limited to the early volumes, because as the series progresses it doesn't retain it's shiny manic goodness. Ohba's attitude toward women concerns me, and I'm not alone. There's clearly a lax in equality here, with secondary women being portrayed as dependent idiots and up-fronters being firm pawns of Light. Granted, all those who objectify and oppress said women die horrible deaths, and Takada is considerably stronger and more intelligent than previous females, but still - there's a strong sense of male power, and it irks me now like it didn't irk me at fourteen. I also hate Near with the fire of a thousand suns, and would like nothing more than to see a pack of angry tigers slowly tear off his limbs while zombies chew on his brains, but that's for another day. 
 Overall, this manga is excellent. It was one of the first I read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It got me into the genre, and kept me rapt. Once a fan, always a fan. 
 Apple, anyone? 
 Bonus time! 
 Good places to practice The Kira Laugh: 
 a) On the bus 
 b) In the library 
 c) In a museum 
 d) During the eleven o'clock screening of The Rite 
 e) In the doctor's office 
 f) Kindergarten 
 g) The the supermarket freezer section 
 h) Your sister's closet 
 Peace and love.