Death Note, Vol. 7

This is a transitional book. The partial end of the first story completes itself but a new story is brewing. That story is very confusing at the moment but very interesting!

Tsugumi Ohba, Death Note: Zero (ViZ, 2003) Oh, Tsugumi Ohba, I now understand why every Death Note fan reviles your name for Chapter fifty-eight. Really. What were you thinking? Well, I guess it's necessary if Light's grand plan is to advance, but jeez. Who do you think you are, Wes Craven? Alfred Hitchcock is probably a better parallel, though-- Death Note remains convoluted, complex, and compelling far enough into its run where the average manga would probably be tailing off. There are those who thought the series dropped off a cliff with this volume, but I am not one of them. I still love it. ****

After volume 4 or so of Death Note, the series took a pretty boring turn when one of the two Death Notes is given to a... businessman? Luckily, that little arc in the series at least has a very grippling ending (as seen in vol. 6). And afterwards, the story begins to pick up the pace again, allowing us into the mind of Light and what he was exactly planning when he intentionally disowned his Death Note. Not only are things explained, but the story's L character shifts to a... kid? Regardless, this is probably one of the more interesting volumes of the series, since a whole bagload of main (and not so main) characters get axed off via Death Note (what else?). Other things to look forward to in this vooume: some background info on Watari and L, and slight character development with Rem.

Higuchi, the would-be Kira who used the Death Note mainly for personal gain and his company's growth, is cornered by the cops along with Light and L. As the members of the Kira task force touch Higuchi's Death Note, they gain the ability to see its Shinigami and a whole new angle opens on the case, an angle that L wouldn't believe if he wasn't seeing a Death God with his own eyes! Light not only gains the ability to see shinigami but he also gets all his memories back, but the problem is that he must find some way to kill Higuchi and take over ownership of the Death Note without L seeing him write in the name. If he lets go of the Note before getting ownership, he will lose his memories again. Death Note, even though suffering from some gaping holes in the logic department, is one of the most suspenseful and entertaining series being printed right now. The main enjoyment comes from seeing these characters manuever around each other like an elaborate chess game. This enjoyment is sometimes hindered by the writer's inability to come up with clever twists, and instead relying on arcane rules for the Death Note which get too convoluted for so simple an effect. L and Light continue to be interesting characters who still have a few tricks up their sleeves. The art is great and bolsters a superb idea which is not executed consistently. Still a great read.

Nothing will prepare you for what happens here. This plot twist is not for the faint of heart and will turn your very world upside down.