Death Note, Vol. 10

Kira is now involving the whole world in his plot and more countries seem to be enveloped in his grasp. The US has gone over to supporting Kira and Japan is falling. Light works hard to redirect attention to him while Near and Mellow try to close in on him. So exciting!

Picking up where Volume 9 left off, an angry mob of Kira supporters is closing in on the highrise headquarters of Near, but not before he has a chance to plant seeds of doubt among Light's co-investigators, especially Aizawa. There was a whole charade played out many volumes ago that supposedly proved Light's innocence, but it was a based on a fake rule written in the Death Note, but up until this point, nobody knew that it was a lie written by Kira to mislead the authorities just in case it ever fell into their hands. Now, the case for Light's innocence is not so ironclad anymore. Always planning ahead, Light decides once again to let his Deathnote be placed in the hands of another, a loyal and devoted follower of Kira named Teru Mikami. Teru's determination to bring absolute justice to the world might even go beyond Light's. Mello is still around as well, and his driving ambition is still to capture Kira before Near. Volume 10 of Deathnote was probably one of the best entries in the series because this manga is at its best when the characters are manuvering under conditions in which their lives are at risk. Or, in Light's case, when he is danger of being found out. This book has it all. You have Near being confronted by an angry mob that will likely tear him to pieces, you have Aizawa's deepening suspicions about Light, and then you have Light, who is rapidly being forced into a corner, even though in all his raging pomposity about his intelligence, he probably doesn't even realize it. At the end of this series, I sure hope Light gets his comeuppance, because the guy is just too full of himself. Unfortunately, Ohba's story has allowed him to become a god simply by letting him predict almost every single move the other characters make. In reality, noone can predict human behavior as well as Light, Near, and Mello do. It almost takes away from the thrills of the book because everyone reacts just as the characters thought they would react, which to me takes away a bit of the spontaneity. Still, this is one of the best books going right now.

This graphic novel is intended for those who like to read and figure out intricate mystery plots. It's not like your typical manga, it is higher up on the scale, somewhere with Monster and Battle Royale, so if you like to figure out puzzles and are interested in killers with a higher motive than you will enjoy this.

Death Note has got to be the best manga written to date. The story will keep readers guessing and is very complex and interesting. Even my boyfriend, who usually likes ecchi manga and anime, loves this manga/anime. Everyone, including those who haven't read any Japanese graphic novels, should buy all the available volumes!!!! The anime is also very well crafted. The movies are ok; they deviate from the manga.

I am so hooked on this series! While it veers from my usual (I read mostly Yaoi and Shojo manga) the cover of the first volume made me curious. I bought the first volume not knowing what to expect and was instantly hooked. The next day, I went out and purchased the next 9 volumes and read them all in one night. This is not your typical story. Imagine this brilliant high school student with a bright future who gains the power to kill anyone as long as he has seen their face and knows their name. If you think about what that really means, you'll realize the complexity of this story. So I am reading volume after volume of this arrogant kid who considers himself a God (no joke; he really does) and he is by no stretch of the imagination the "Good" guy...but...I can't help wanting him to be victorious. That is the great thing about this story; it is more about winning and losing than good vs. evil. I can't get into all of the things that I like about this series without spoiling it for those of you who haven't read it. But if you want a truly unique story about a battle of wills between (not good guys and bad guys) but super intelligent young men; this is the story for you. There are only two more volumes in this series. Go out and pick up the first couple (at 7.99 each USD, plus whatever discounts you may have, you can't lose!) and you'll be glad that you did. Choose a side and we'll see who wins! ps, There are two live action movies based on this series (but I have read that they deviate some from the manga). The anime started airing in Japan in October of last year. VIZ has already licensed it (woo-hoo!!).