Death Note, Vol. 8

Ho hum! More Death Note - after awhile, these volumes start to blur together. Either I'm reading them too fast and too close together or they're reiterating the plotting and twists and turns of disguising themselves and their motives. Spoilers again for people who haven't read this far... So here we are in a world dominated by Kira and his growing numbers of supporters. We ended the last volume with Mello (one of L's heirs) and his gang kidnapping Sayu (Light's sister - remember her?) and holding her ransom for a Death Note. With much hemming and hawing, they do indeed make the trade with the task force (specifically Soichiro). Meanwhile, we learn that Ryuk has not been terribly forthcoming with information. Over the years, he's never once mentioned that he stole one of his Death Notes from another shinigami, Sidoh. Sidoh realizes that he needs to write another human's name in the Death Note if he wants to extend his life, and goes on a search to find the owner. Light must contend with this shinigami interfering with his plans while also trying to outmanuever Mello and Near. Unlike vol. 7, we're back to the slow-paced opening, overly elaborate plans, and eventual rise in action half-way through. I'm really liking Mello, perhaps because his weakness is that he's overly emotional, unpredictable, and competitive. He contrasts Light, who seems to have grown comfortable in his position as Kira and L. If you feel for anyone in this series, it's for Soichiro and Misa - Misa has been neglected by Light since she first met him and she still sticks by his side. This isn't one of the best volumes out there, but you do get to learn more about Mello and Near, which is a welcome break from Light. I miss L!!! Oh, and have a chocolate bar handy while you're reading. You'll want so much chocolate!

I'm a fan of the series and although I liked this book I did not enjoy is as much as the books involving L. The plot is good but somewhat predictable as you get used to how"amazingly" smart all of the charaters are.

Light has things back where he wants them, but Near makes contact, calling himself N, and Mello has set up an organised crime power base, and even the president of the USA gets involved. The not so bright Shinigami that lost the second Death Note needs to get it back, so something else again to complicate things for everyone.

Tsugumi Ohba, Death Note: Target (ViZ, 2003) Light and the team, though they don't know it yet, find themselves unwitting participants in the middle of a battle between the two teens who hope to be named L's successor, Near and Mello, both of whom are out to get the currently-unowned Death Note for their own ends. After the big shakeup in Zero, Ohba is still bringing the noise, though the feeling I got back around volumes 4-5 that he's grasping for ideas to extend various plotlines is starting to surface again. Still, a solid entry in the series. ****

The first half of volume 8 is a total bore. The tension and suspense that I have come to expect from this series was completely lacking in the front half of the book (as well as in the back half of volume 7, but I won't get into that), despite the stakes for the Yagami family being high from the cliffhanger at the end of the last volume. It just wasn't that gripping to question whether Soichiro was going to hand the book over or not. On top of this was the awful use of a lame plot device about a third of the way in. A missle that can neither be tracked nor shot down?! Come on, Ohba! You can do better than this! The second half of the volume picks up the pace, though. Once the threat level soars again and a new Shinigami is introduced into the mix, Light finally has a game again where the stakes are actually up to his level of playing. Mello and Near have a ways to go to live up to their predecessor, but the ride from here promises to be exciting. In all, if you've made it to volume 8, you're already a Death Note junkie, and telling you whether or not to get this volume is pointless. If you are browsing this title for the first time, I have to tell you that this isn't the kind of series you can pick up in the middle. Go back and start from volume 1. I promise it'll be worth the wait to get this far.