Death Note: Short Stories (2021) by Tsugumi Ohba - Horror Manga Book Review

I would say that Death Note is my favourite anime of all time. When it first aired I was obsessed with the idea of a notepad that would kill anyone whose name was written down in it. While visiting my best friend's apartment last year I noticed a Death Note manga, looking closer I realised it was a Death Note: Short Stories, released in 2021, this contains six short stories, a few of which actually take place after the events of the core story. I was very interested to read more so I borrowed the book off my friend's daughter.

The collection was released in 2021 but it actually contains Death Note stories that have been written by Tsugumi Ohba over the past twenty years, including some good ones and some that were not so good. The first two stories are both ones that take place after the events of the core Death Note story, I will try and keep spoilers to a minimum. First up is 'C-Kira' which was first published in 2020. Here, a new person has gotten a hold of the dreaded Death Note. People believe that Kira (the name given to the original Death Note user) has returned after an absence, but it becomes clear to Near (the young detective who caught the real Kira) that it is a pale imitator who is not worthy of being tracked down.
Next up is 'a-Kira' which again follows a new holder of the note. Interestingly, this new owner has plans to sell the book rather than actually use it themselves. This story brought some of the in-depth cleverness that the main story was known for.

That is about it for the decent stories, as the rest contained here felt far more like filler. None more so than a collection of comedic skits called 'Death Note Four Panel Comics', originally published 2004-2005. There are around thirteen of these, and as the name suggests each one is made up of just four panels. These take place outside the world of the manga with characters interacting with each other in silly what-if ways. I didn't think much of these at all. 
The penultimate stories are more filler, these ones focussing on the character of L (the teenage detective that Near took over from). 'L - One Day' follows L over the course of a single day, while 'L - Wammy's House' shows how L came to be chosen for his future role. Both didn't really add anything.
Final story is also the first in the time frame, 'Taro Kagami' was a one-shot prototype of what would become Death Note. Here, a young student gets the note book and accidentally finds out its terrible powers. There was a bit of a more light hearted innocent approach here, specifically with the inclusion of a special rubber that is able to wipe out names from the Death Note, bringing anyone who had died via it to be brought back to life.

The art by Takeshi Obata was wonderful as expected, but out of the stories I only felt it was the first two that were worth reading. Many of the others felt like filler, though it was interesting to see the prototype story. If you are into this series it might be worth a read, but I wouldn't say it is at all essential reading as it doesn't really add too much to what is known.

SCORE: