Okay, they're gone? Good.
If you're still reading at this point, I'm going to assume you've read volume seven, and are probably still picking up bits of teeth from when your jaw hit the floor. Fans who complained about Light losing his edge around volume five were certainly pleased to see he'd been planning the whole affair that resulted in L's death (See? I TOLD you not to read any further!) from the beginning. As a result, everyone's lives have either changed or ended, and there's certainly no turning back for those left standing. Toward the end of volume seven, however, a couple new players have entered the field, and they're determined to make Light's triumphant return as difficult as possible.
Volume eight shows their successes. Light no longer has to second-guess a single adversary, but instead his two prot¿g¿s, each a separate side of the single coin that was L. Mello's a man of action, planning out ruthless strategies that out-maneuver and out-perform Light on even his best day. Near is the contemplative one, perhaps able to even think beyond Light's abilities. We don't see much of it in this volume, but I have a suspicion that of the two, Near is the one Light needs to worry about. He seems the kinder, gentler one of the pair, which in this book probably means he's the more devious and deadly. We'll probably find out more about that in volume nine.
This volume, however, focuses more on Mello, the chocolate-eating schemer who, with his cadre of thugs, manages to kidnap Light's sister. In exchange for the Death Note currently under the possession of the Japanese police, he'll release her, and if you think it's going to be a simple handoff, you obviously haven't read this series. I'll save the surprises for you to find out on your own, but suffice it to say that Mello is someone you don't underestimate, particularly if your name is Light. Before it's all done, we're going to meet a new Shinigami, see America enter the investigation more directly, and find out just how clever Light can be if put to the test.
Death Note Vol. 8 Written by: Tsugumi Ohba |
|
With the Death Note movie and anime series hopefully appearing on Western shores soon, there's no better time than now to start picking up this series. Very few titles live up to their hype, but Death Note's a major exception. For a whopping $2 less than your standard manga, you're getting some of the best artwork available on any medium, a plot that has more twists and turns than an episode of Lost, and characters that will get inside your head and take up residence. There are people in this book I pretty much know are going to die, and I don't want them to, and I know I'm going to feel bad when they go. It's that kind of book.