Book Review: Death Note Short Stories by T. Ohba and T. Obata

 Death Note: Short Stories written by Tsugimi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

This manga includes a variety of stories that are adjacent to, but not part of, the main narrative in the Death Note series. Here is what's included:

C-Kira--Years after the series, a new person gets the Death Note and decides to kill old people. Hey, it helps out the economy, or so that's the thinking. Near (the new L) is not interested in investigating because the deaths are morally ambiguous, especially when people (including those who aren't old) start asking to get knocked off. The ending is not quite convincing or satisfying (just like Near's thinking).

A-Kira--Also years later, Ryuk offers the Death Note to a kid who has great grades. Ryuk wants apples, of course. The kid thinks up a plan and asks Ryuk to come back in two years. Then, the kid enacts his scheme to sell the Death Note to the highest bidder. This story plays out with more interest and intelligence that the C-Kira story. I liked it.

Four Panel Comics--These are some short, newspaper-style comics that are fun jokes but don't add much if anything to the greater mythology. They are worth reading for fans.

L--One Day and L--Wammy's House--These stories about L give more details about his life and quirks. Again, this doesn't really add anything to the overall story but is interesting and fun.

Taro Kagami-This was the "pilot" story, so it is the first working out of the Death Note system. The book is lost by Ryuk the Shinagami. It's found by Taro Kagami, a school student who is bullied. He uses the book as a journal and writes about his bullies. The next day at school, he finds out they died. He is surprised, especially when another group of bullies give him a hard time. He writes again and they die. By this point Ryuk has found him and given him the scoop about the book. The big change in this pilot is a Death Eraser--if it's used to erase the name of someone who died but hasn't been cremated or otherwise destroyed, they come back to life. The eraser robs the narrative of some drama and was wisely discontinued in the regular story.

The stories are interesting but meant for fans of the main story.

Mildly recommended unless you've read all the rest first.

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.

Book Review: Death Note Vols. 8 and 9 by T. Ohba and T. Obata

Death Note Volume 8: Target story by Tsugumi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

MASSIVE SPOILER FROM THE PREVIOUS VOLUME AHEAD!!!

The narrative of the series took a big shift in the last volume when Light was able to pull off what seemed like it would be impossible, namely that L was killed. The story jumps ahead four years. It turns out that L's original home, an orphanage in England, has been developing other orphans to be just as brilliant. The headmaster offers the top two students, Mello and Near, to become the new L (specifically to hunt down Kira). Mello balks at sharing the job and leaves. Near starts a new investigative organization with the American government called SPK (Special Provisions for Kira). Mello joins a mafia group that works to find Kira or a Death Note to use for their own profit. Light leads L's Japanese investigation of Kira and resumes Kira's project of world peacemaking through mass slaughter. The mafia kidnap Light's younger sister in an attempt to blackmail their father (who is the head of Japanese police) into giving Mello the Death Note. The delivery, while incredibly complicated, goes off without a hitch, making the Americans mistrustful of the Japanese. Now Light has to cross swords with both Near and Mello as he tries to bring world peace by killing all the bad people.

I was very unhappy with the death of L and was not really sure the book could keep going without him. The creators found a way to split L in two so that there's a good half and a bad half. While not a great continuation, it's interesting enough for me to keep reading. Also, I know the series only runs to twelve volumes, so presumably resolution is not too far away.

Mildly recommended--if you've come this far, might as well go a little farther.

Death Note Volume 9: Contact story by Tsugumi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

The battle over the Death Notes continues as Light/Kira orchestrates an attack on Mello's headquarters. Mello is extremely clever and has a shinigami on his side. Light also has a shinigami, the one working with the task force (sort of--the shimigami makes comments and gives unhelpful answers to any question asked of him). Near is focused on capturing Kira and has his suspicions of Light's group. A lot of pieces get moved. The big problem is public opinion shifting in favor of Kira, making it harder to hunt him as governments start to pull away from the hunt.

Weirdly, the idea that governments are no long actively hunting Kira is taken as approval of Kira. The popular admiration for Kira quickly morphs into idolization, almost literally, as pro-Kira mobs call him their god and are ready to do his bidding, or at least to go after anyone who opposes him. I give the book points for trying to grapple with tough ideas, even if it doesn't know where to come down on them.

Recommended.

Book Review: Death Note Vols. 5, 6, and 7 by T. Ohba and T. Obata

Death Note Volume 5: Whiteout story by Tsugumi Ohba and art Takeshi Obata

In a bold move, Light has voluntarily had himself put in prison to prove he's innocent of the crimes he has committed. In a bolder move, he signals to Ryuk (the shinagami that gave him the Death Note) to take back the Death Note, thereby erasing all of Light's memories in reference to the Death Note and what he has done with it. Now Light is sincerely convinced that he is innocent. Too bad the killings stopped as soon as he was imprisoned, meaning L and the investigators all think Light is guilty. Relief comes when a new killing spree starts. A group of bankers has a Death Note (though it is not clear which one) and they use it to make their bank more profitable. Can L and Light figure out who this new Kira is?

The story takes an intriguing twist as the Death Note passes on to someone with a different agenda. I thought the character Misa was dropping out of the story but L is too convinced she is the second Kira (which she is) to let her have her freedom. Her shinagami, Rem, is working with the bankers, so that leaves Light's shinagami unaccounted for (and probably due to reappear soon). In the investigation, some people make guesses about what's going on that seem like large, unjustified leaps, except that readers know the guesses are right. I have mixed feelings about those jumps. The book isn't reading as clever as at the beginning, but I will keep going.

Mildly recommended.

Death Note Volume 6: Give-and-Take story by Tsugumi Ohba and art Takeshi Obata

L and Light hatch a scheme to catch the new Kira who is working for the bank (well, really for himself). They use Misa to infiltrate the group, along with a con-man and a tech expert. The elaborate plan is designed to reveal not only the identity of this latest Kira but also how Kira kills. A lot of information comes out by the end of this volume which also includes an action-packed chase scene.

The story has picked up some momentum and interest for me. My initial disinterest in the corporate baddies has changed thanks to the writing. The balance of drama and action is good since the drama is less compelling. There's hints that Light has been planning how things are turning out, leading the reader to expect a return of the Death Note to him soon.

Recommended.

Death Note Volume 7: Zero story by Tsugumi Ohba and art Takeshi Obata

The police have run down the third Kira, corporate executive Higuchi. As they bring him into custody after a car chase, a lot of the police officers handle Higuchi's Death Note, including L and Light. So they all see Higuchi's shinigami (the other-dimension demon who is connected to the Death Note). In yet another added Death Note rule, Light gets his memories back while he's holding the notebook. He remembers his plan and cleverly kills Higuchi before he can reveal too much more about the Death Note. L now has a lot more information to process which puts him very close to the truth. Light's plan has been thoroughly worked out, leading him to new safety and the ability to become Kira again.

As I read this, I felt there were too many arbitrary rules added just for the sake of drama. The story did not naturally unfold, the development felt forced. The big surprise in this volume caught me off-guard, though the resolution of the twist felt more like a reset than a step forward in the story.

Mildly recommended--the story is starting to collapse under the weight of its own complications.

Book Review: Death Note Vols. 3 & 4 by T. Ohba et al.

Death Note Volume 3: Hard Run story by Tsugumi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

The cat-and-mouse game continues between L and Light. L's surveillance is discovered by Light and he's able to use it to his advantage since Ryuk the death god can find the cameras and bugs for him. As that does not pan out, L pulls back and tries another tactic. He goes to the same college entrance exams as Light and they both get admitted with perfect scores. L not only befriends Light, he confides in him, hoping to trick light into revealing if he is the killer Kira. Things get even more complicated when Light's dad, the chief of the investigation into Kira, has a heart attack. It's naturally to assume that the killer did it, but did he?

It's another exciting volume with some interesting twists. The battle of wits is interesting, exploring all sorts of possibilities. The ending provides an interesting new complication.

Recommended.

Death Note Volume 4: Love story by Tsugumi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

Turns out there's another Death Note and the human owner (who is imitating Kira) wants to meet the killer Kira. L is very suspicious of what's going on. He deduces almost immediately that there's a second Kira who is not behaving like the first. If the Kiras team up it would be a disaster from L's point of view. From Light's point of view, if the second Kira screws up, suspicion will fall on him and it would be a disaster. 

The complications are interesting and bring an exciting new twist to the story. Unfortunately, they pull a "get out of jail free" card at the end that is not very convincing, like they didn't know where else to go with the plot twist and just straightened it out as if it never happened. Light winds up in a precarious situation, so maybe it was worth it after all.

Slightly recommended. 

Book Review: Death Note Vols. 1 and 2 by T. Ohba and T. Obata

Death Note Volume 1: Boredom story by Tsugumi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

Brilliant student Light Yagami runs across an odd notebook. The book has instructions in it (written in English, how annoying!) that describe what the notebook does. If the owner writes a person's name and pictures that person's face, that person will die. The owner can add in details, like time of death and cause of death. If not, the person dies of a heart attack. The book is from a Shinigami death god named Ryuk who is bored with the Shinigami kingdom and wants to see something interesting in the human world. Whoever touches the Death Note (the name of the notebook) can see and hear Ryuk, who is scary-looking. 

Light decides to use the book to eliminate evil from the world and starts knocking off convicted criminals. Ryuk thinks it's an interesting plan. The authorities figure out pretty quickly that someone is committing mass murder and start to hunt for him, bringing in the legendary and unseen L, an investigator who solves difficult cases. A game of cat and mouse ensues.

Ryuk is right, the premise is very interesting though why this kid thinks he has the authority to execute people is mysterious to me. Of course he has the ability and he seems to have a limit on who he will kill. But he does talk about taking out the cops who are after him, which is even less okay. I will definitely read more.

Recommended.

Death Note Volume 2: Confluence story by Tsugumi Ohba and art by Takeshi Obata

L has figured out the killer is in Japan and probably part of the police since the killer has access to more information than he should. L convinces the FBI to investigate in secret. Light figures out he's being followed (he predicted there would be some investigation) and is able to eliminate the FBI by making contact with the agent tailing him and using the Death Note to force that agent to eliminate the other twelve FBI agents. Unforeseen complications force Light to improvise another death. L's team of investigators rapidly dwindles as the police realize they could easily be targets of the killer. L demands some very intrusive surveillance measures, compromising his moral superiority for the sake of catching Light.

I am surprised by the lack of restraint by Light and by L in trying to achieve their goals. They are perfectly willing to do whatever it takes without considering any legal limits. Are they both villains? It's an intriguing problem that I will read on to find out about.

Recommended.