Book Review: Death Note Vols. 10, 11, and 12 by T. Ohba and T. Obata

Death Note Volume 10: Deletion story by Tsugumi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

The action picks up as Light almost wipes out one of his rivals. Unfortunately, his followers got distracted by tons of cash being thrown at them, allowing the rival to sneak out in the chaos. Light, as Kira, has his on-television advocate Demegawa killed by his Death Book-wielding disciple Mikami since Demegawa went along with the cash grab. Mikami starts acting on his own since he can't get direct orders from Light with renewed scrutiny. Mikami picks a new TV advocate, Takada, who is a former girlfriend of Light. That works out well since Light reconnects with her and uses her to communicate with Mikami, all while fooling the Japanese police that he is not Kira. Near and Mello are slowly closing in, forcing Light to act more quickly. 

The plot is becoming more like a soap opera. The cleverness is dropping, which is okay since they started at a high level. I find it a little difficult that more characters have not figured out that Light is Kira, especially those close to him on the task force. The end is getting close, though.

Slightly recommended.

Death Note Volume 11: Kindred Spirits story by Tsugumi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

The plans are coming to a climax as Light and Near head back to Japan and keep gathering little bits of information about each other. Near has discovered to whom Light gave his Note Book and is keeping careful surveillance on all the players. Light has confirmed a few facts and is ready to knock out all his enemies. A meeting is set for an abandoned warehouse by the docks, a place for the ultimate showdown. 

This volume does a lot of hemming and hawing before getting to the final situation, with one last twist on the final page.

Recommended.

Death Note Volume 12: Finis story by Tsugumi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

Everybody shows up at the warehouse (except Misa Misa) for the final confrontation. Both Light and Near are confident they are going to win. As their two strategies unfold, suspense is kept to a maximum. In addition to the clever twists, the characters deliver some speeches about how their world view is correct and the only way forward for the world. 

The ending is exciting and satisfying. I was able to spot some of the secret information revealed earlier in the story, which was especially gratifying for me. I was happy with the ending and enjoy thinking about the various positions of and possibilities for the characters.

Recommended.

Overall, I think the series is worth reading, though there are some slow parts and unenjoyable characters. The rest more than makes up for the flaws.