11 Sep / Death Note (vols. 10-12) by Tsugumi Ohba, art by Takeshi Obata, translated by Tetsuichiro Miyaki
Ready for the final three? Talk about total creep-fest …! So does the end ever justify the means? Especially when murder is so intimately, ubiquitously involved?
Get ready for Kira #4 in vol. 10 when Light Yagami decides Near is getting too close to the truth, and once again relinquishes a Death Notebook … this time to Teru Mikami, a Kira-worshipper so blindly entrenched in Kira’s brave new world that he will do anything and everything to ensure Kira’s kingdom. Utterly convinced that Light is Kira, Near plants doubts with Light’s own task force, starting with Mogi and Aizawa. Who is going to believe whom?
In vol. 11, Light has reunited with Kiyomi Takada, his college fling who is now a well-known television reporter, who he manages to recruit to be Kira’s public mouthpiece. While he’s got Misa working – and waiting (and waiting and waiting) – for him at home, blithely murdering at his whim, Light is smoothly making Takada believe she’s his future. All the while, he’s still staying just ahead of Near, as well as his own doubting team … but then Mello grabs Takada, and she knows far too much for Light to lose track of her!
The final volume brings on the ultimate showdown: Light vs. Near. Tinkering with all those eerie Weeble-like toys has brought Near some clear answers … and he’s ready to confront Kira once and for all … shinigami Ryuk seems to get the best last laugh of all.
Being a recovering Catholic, I have to admit that seeing so many crucifixes as accessories creeped me out not just a little. Silly Misa’s many accessories are all prominently crosses. Androgynous Mello (took me more than a few panels to realize that he’s a he) with his large dangling crucifix necklace was not a little disturbing. And then the final pages with Misa as Mother Mary definitely set me on final edge.
I did warn creep-fest, right? Which is, I’m sure, part of the grand plan to soundly scare readers (hopefully not to death). But WHEW … I’m definitely going to need to lay off the scary stuff for awhile …!
For all the other volumes of Death Note (12 total) on BookDragon, click here.
Readers: Young Adult, Adult
Published: 2007 (United States)
DESU NŌTO © Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
Original Japanese edition published by Shueisha Inc.