Death Note, Vol. 5

Death Note continues with both Kiras giving up their death notes and losing their memories. The police detectives are disappointed but then a string of mysterious heart attack deaths begin occurring in several Japanese corporations. The police suspect Kira and try to narrow the suspected deaths to one corporation. Will they be able to find Kira and what will they do with the two Kiras that don't seem to be Kiras anymore.

As the subtitle (vaguely) suggests, Death Note 5: Whiteout is about Light/Kira losing his memories of using the Death Note and joining the investigation team to find the killer who has taken his place. What's weird is that Light is almost a completely different person once his memories of the Death Note are erased. The once cold, calculating Light is now as honorable and friendly as he merely pretended to be in the previous volumes. At one point, he is asked to manipulate someone for useful information in uncovering the identity of the new Kira. Although he'd manipulated that same person in the previous book, Light refuses by saying it would go against his personal code. That pretty much implies that the Death Note has almost allegorical powers of corruption (kind of like the One Ring from "The Lord of the Rings"). Of course, I don't know if Ohba intentionally put this symbolism in, but it works. By finally allowing the reader to see the contrast between Light with the Death Note and Light without it, Ohba enables us to see him as a much more tragic character. The contrast lets us see just how much finding the Death Note has ruined his character and his life, and that it will likely continue to do so as the series progresses. Aside from that, this volume also introduces a few new elments into the series: A new Kira emerges with a different MO and set of ideals. The Investigation team gets better resources and a new base of operations. L recruits two new characters into the Investigation Team...shortly after one of its alrealy few members leaves. This book is definitely reccommended, but only if you've read the first four in the series.

Death Note is amazing, read it. There are no words. Trees should beg to be turned into this revolutionary manga! READ IT!

Light Yagami has agreed to be held in captivity until such time as L decides he is not Kira...which could be forever, because L just about KNOWS Light is the original Kira. But criminals cannot be convicted merely by suspicion. L wants evidence. Misa, the misguided goth girl pop idol, is also still being held as the prime suspect for the crimes of the second Kira. But that's pretty much a dead end since she gave up ownership of her Death Note and thereby lost all memories of it and the deaths she caused. L's plans and thinking process is going to have to change because while Light and Misa are locked up with no contact with the outside, Kira begins to kill more victims! Death Note is a series you have to take with a grain of salt. Its web of plot twists and character motivations can be a little far-fetched and at times the author comes off as being too cute for his own good by convoluting the story at times. Some of the twists instead of coming off as clever are simply stupid. I will say that Death Note does work on a high level of suspense which leaves you waiting impatiently for the next volume, and succeeds with very little action. This series is very dialogue heavy because the characters react not to extreme action situations, but extreme psychological ones. L is doing a very good job of finding his simian weirdo way even though half the time he has no idea what he is doing or what Kira's full powers are. Even though Death Note is flawed, it's still a great read.

If you haven't been reading the Death Note series, pick up and try volume one. This is not manga as most Americans know it. It is mature in its themes, unflinching in its depictions of the "hero's" actions, intellectually challenging and incredibly brain-bending. If you've already become ensnared in this high-stakes story, you'll be happy to know Ohba doesn't dissappoint in volume five. It's hard to discuss the plot without giving too much away, and going spoiler-free is the way to be with this series, since its thrills and drama depend largely on twists that will make you gasp. Out loud. I'm not kidding. I read a lot of fiction and I seldom if ever say "holy crap!" out loud while reading a story. Volume five held a couple of those moments for me. Without giving anything away beyond the very beginning, the volume picks up with our protagonist Light Yagami in chains, incarcerated on suspicion of being the mass murderer Kira. Also under lockdown is Light's supposed girlfriend/stalker, Misa Amane, suspected of being Kira #2. While super-detective L is almost certain he's caught the killers, he still doesn't know how they did it, and has no evidence to prove his case. The plot seems to have reached an impasse, but once again writer Tsugumi Ohba kicks things into another unexpected direction that will change everything you thought you knew. Backed into a corner, Light is prepared to put his most dangerous plan into motion -- giving up his Death Note and all the memories associated with it. But what will happen when the innocent Light, seen so briefly in the first pages of volume 1, returns? What will his idealistic former self make of Kira's actions? And what has happened to Light and Misa's Death Notes? If I haven't made it clear so far, the Death Note series is an entirely unique thrill amongst comics/manga and supernatural trillers in general. It's a story I have trouble imagining coming out in any other medium than as an episodic manga. It's a story I know couldn't originate in the U.S. -- no American publisher would touch it. And I doubt any western writer could have "gone there" the way that Ohba has. My culturally formed expectations of how characters behave have been knocked for a loop by this series, yet it is entirely consistent. Perhaps the series does serve a number of Japanese manga cliches (the supernatural spirit friend, for instance) but it obliterates many "rules" of western storytelling. The protagonist is a cold-hearted killer, the story hinges on strategic moves and ruthless murder, there are no fight scenes or chases or kidnapped innocents waiting to be rescued. We know who is "right" and who is "wrong," but the question it asks is, "Who are you going to root for?" Obviously, I'm a fan of the writing here, but I must also give my exuberant praise to the artwork of Takeshi Obata. He has a style that wonderfully bridges comics and manga stylings with an eye for illustrative detail that astounds on every page. His living and