Ooooh, doujinshi! You quite possibly know this already - Granick hints at it, but never states it outright - but one of the reasons most companies are willing to tolerate and even encourage doujinshi is that fact that today's doujinshi artists are tomorrow's professional mangaka. One of my Japanese colleagues - himself a sometime-creator of doujinshi - described Comiket as the "manga industry's reserve corps."
Of course, even in Japan there are occasional lawsuits over the creation of secondary material, the famous one being "Nintendo v. The Poor Sick Fan Who Just Had to Draw Ash Raping Pikachu."
Anyhow, I'm mostly commenting because nothing thrills me more than seeing smart fans dipping their toes into the world of anime and manga. Death Note is certainly far more interesting and well-done than the ilk of she-wank material like Dost Thou Know, and I would join the ranks of those recommending it. A few other good titles that leap to mind are Tokyo Babylon, which is full of angsty pre-apocalyptic goodness; From Eroica With Love, which chronicles the snarky adventures of a very gay art thief and a very repressed spy (warning: the art style is very "late-70s shoujo," and may be a bit off-putting); and especially Pet Shop of Horrors, which is beautiful and smart and heartbreaking.
In general, I find anime more accessible - and frankly, more enjoyable - than manga. (Not when it's dubbed into English, though. Then it becomes an abomination.) Some of the recent shows that have more or less earned their excellent reputations include "Fullmetal Alchemist" and "Samurai Champloo." If you get the chance, you should definitely check them out.
From an on-and-off lurker
Of course, even in Japan there are occasional lawsuits over the creation of secondary material, the famous one being "Nintendo v. The Poor Sick Fan Who Just Had to Draw Ash Raping Pikachu."
Anyhow, I'm mostly commenting because nothing thrills me more than seeing smart fans dipping their toes into the world of anime and manga. Death Note is certainly far more interesting and well-done than the ilk of she-wank material like Dost Thou Know, and I would join the ranks of those recommending it. A few other good titles that leap to mind are Tokyo Babylon, which is full of angsty pre-apocalyptic goodness; From Eroica With Love, which chronicles the snarky adventures of a very gay art thief and a very repressed spy (warning: the art style is very "late-70s shoujo," and may be a bit off-putting); and especially Pet Shop of Horrors, which is beautiful and smart and heartbreaking.
In general, I find anime more accessible - and frankly, more enjoyable - than manga. (Not when it's dubbed into English, though. Then it becomes an abomination.) Some of the recent shows that have more or less earned their excellent reputations include "Fullmetal Alchemist" and "Samurai Champloo." If you get the chance, you should definitely check them out.