Tag: Takeshi Obata

Death Note #12 The End (Manga Monday)

~ Bookstooge ~ 1 Comment

8e691f0a20c0a05e72e2b9729ec8fde0This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

 

Synopsis

Near and Light finish up their end games and it all comes down to one meeting with all the members of both the Japanese and American Kira hunters for the showdown. And Ryuk shows his true Shinigami colors.

 

My Thoughts

This was awesome. At the end of Book 11 Mello took action on his own, only it was calculated by Near and miscalculated by Light.

And that is what this final battle of wits comes down too. Who was one step ahead? Near proves that HE is the true successor to L and Light/Kira’s superior. But Kira almost makes it. He asks Ryuk, the shinigami, to help him out right at the end. But Ryuk refuses and thus Light/Kira perishes.

And the manga ends with showing the world almost back to how it is today. Which was the point the manga-ka was trying to make. Kira changed the world for the better, but that didn’t make it right. And Kira being brought to justice didn’t necessarily make the world a better place.

 

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Tsugumi Ohba

Artist:Takeshi Obata

Death Note #12

The End

Death Note #10 & 11 (Manga Monday)

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This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

 

Synopsis

After Mello’s spectacular failure in books 8 and 9, the story shifts over to Near as he tries to catch Light/Kira in a cerebral mastermind game of wits.

 

My Thoughts

After Mello’s failed attempt at getting a hold of Kira, and the death of Light’s father, things go from the action/gungho/blitz-a-rama to a much more “I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that you know” type of back and forth between Light/Kira and Near.

Sadly, Near isn’t as likeable as L was and a lot of his motivation is proving that he is as good as L was. L had a hate/love camaradie with Light that was fun to read about. Near and Light just talk over the phone and we get to hear their thoughts about how they’re going to outwit the other.

However, the end game is in sight. Both Near and Light/Kira are finalizing their plans to outwit the other. And just as Near and Light begin their plan, Mello shows up at the end of book 11 to throw a monkey wrench into both their plans.

In summary, I was going to throw in book 12, the final book as part of this review. But I thought it was worth it’s own review next week. So next week will be the review for book 12, the final book in the Death Note series.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Tsugumi Ohba

Artist:Takeshi Obata

Death Note #10 & 11

Death Note #7-9 (Manga Monday)

~ Bookstooge ~ 2 Comments

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

 

Synopsis

Light and L’s battle comes to a shattering end but Kira’s dream to rule the world is still being opposed by geniuses who take up the fight.

 

My Thoughts

L was simply out maneuvered by Light/Kira. And pays the price. Contingency plans are brought into play and L’s successors, Mello and Near, come on board as main characters.

Mello and Near are L divided into 2 people. Mello is passionate, willing to go to extreme ends to prove his point and he has a sweet tooth. Near is much more emotionless, taking a disinterested view of everything and he likes to play with toys.

These 3 volumes were an almost literal wall of text. I felt like I was reading a novel instead of manga.

A couple of things struck me. First off, guns. Or the lack there of. Watanari had a sniper rifle and you see the police force having hand guns, but they never get used. And Light’s father preaches about it not being legal for him to carry a gun when he resigns from the force. Made me thankful for our 2nd Amendment.

Second, the whole right and wrong of what Kira is doing. Everybody takes the stance that popular opinion is what makes something right. So if Kira can convince enough people to support him, then he’ll be in the right and his cause just. What a pack of bologna! That pissed me off.

Thirdly, Light is getting more and more willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He is willing to sacrifice his dad, his sister, his girlfriend, everyone in fact, to get what he wants. Selfish beyond belief.

I felt kind of burnt out after reading volume 6 and wasn’t sure how I was going to react to more volumes. And when L dies and Light has won, and then successors to L show up, my first reaction was “Come on, get it over with”. But with 2 volumes of Mello and Near, I am liking this. They “do” so much more than L. And this series needed an action villain.

 

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Author: Tsugumi Ohba

Artist:Takeshi Obata

Death Note #7-9

Death Note #4-6 (Manga Monday)

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This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

 

Synopsis

A second Kira appears, and it seems they have greater powers than Light. And Light starts a long term plan that creates a Third Kira while clearing him and his new girlfriend, Misa, of having anything to do with the original or 2nd Kira.

 

My Thoughts

A second Kira appears and appears that Kira2 wants to hook up with Kira. So Light maneuvers things, while trying to avoid L, to meet Kira2.

And once Light and Misa [who is Kira2] are together, Light must come up with a plan to fool L, kill him and then get rid of Misa. Meanwhile, L is still convinced that Light is Kira, no matter the evidence. And puts Light, Light’s father and Misa all in confinement for almost 2 months to try to get some more info to prove Light is Kira.

And finally, Light gives his notebook to another person to throw L off the scent. And loses his memory in the process and goes back to good old Light who wants to catch Kira.

Yep, folks, these 3 volumes have more twisty, turny, unnecessary, silly, awesome and totally over the top moments than you can shake a stick at.  There is also a lot of text. In most manga, as much of the story is told through the art as through the text. Here, that simply isn’t possible. “Thinking” specific thoughts can’t be really drawn, you know?

On the down side of things, L’s gut instinct that Light is Kira is getting annoying. He’s right, but it has nothing to do with Logic or evidence. And Light is turning really scary. He’s willing to kill off innocents, planning on it in fact, to further his aims.

I’m still liking this, but the second impression isn’t nearly as faultless as the first.

 

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Tsugumi Ohba

Artist:Takeshi Obata

Death Note #4-6

Death Note #1-3 (Manga Monday)

~ Bookstooge ~ 4 Comments
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This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

I’ve got a couple of series of manga that I want to get through this year and the best way I can think of is to make it a regular weekly feature here on my blog. I’ve got enough to read for at least a year’s worth of posts.

I’m aiming for 3 volumes a week and then reviewing them in one go.

For the next 4 weeks I’ll be reviewing Death Note, a 12 volume Supernatural Mental Battle between 2 geniuses. One wants to kill as a god, the other wants to bring the killer in for justice.

 

Synopsis

Light Yagami is a bored genius of a highschooler. He finds a Death Note which allows him to kill off people in a variety of ways. Light decides to start killing criminals worldwide in an effort to change the world. After several weeks Interpol realizes something is going on and hires the mysterious L to find out what is going on.

What ensues is one of the best Logic battles I’ve seen in a long time.

 

My Thoughts

Light is given a Death Note by a Shinigami. Light decides that he has been given a gift to clean up the world and remake it in the image of his own idea. All he has to do is write a name down in the notebook and visualize the person’s face and they will die of a heart attack. There are also a whole host of rules that allow the owner of the notebook to kill in a variety of ways.

Light goes on a killing spree to test the notebook. Which attracts the attention of L, a genius investigator who figures out what is going on with a fantastic logic trap on live tv.

And that is what this is about. Light and L battling it out on the mental plane, trying to outwit each other. While Logic is the basis for the fights, a lot of gut instinct happens. And since this is a manga, those gut instincts are correct.

And at the end of volume 3, we are introduced to another Kira [what the public calls the Mysterious Killer, who is Light Yagami] and the complications begin to seriously ramp up.

I enjoyed this the first time I read through it and I’m enjoying it now. Of course, Light’s megalomania shows up right from the first, which I missed on my initial go-around. And L’s arrogance is just staggering.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Tsugumi Ohba

Artist:Takeshi Obata

Death Note

Volumes 1,2,3

Death Note, Vol 13: How To Read

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Death Note, Vol 13: How To Read
Death Note #13
Tsugumi Ohba
Takeshi Obata
manga
270 pages

this is pretty much an encyclopedia of everything in the Deathnote series. Character bios, explanations of who did what and why, etc, etc. Even had the original “Deathnote” pilot chapter that Ohba wrote. A bit of a hard read, since there was just SO much info. Not really a manga, in the traditional sense. Definitely including this in my “number of books I read this year” as a “real” book 🙂

Deathnote #12: Finis

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Deathnote #12: Finis
Tsugumi Ohba
manga
210 pages

a satisfying conclusion. Melo dies, but Near is Triumphant over Light/Kira/NewL. Light was simply over the edge, a psycho mass murderer. But in the end, I was hoping that Kira would win, to create a better world. I REALLY liked this series. Confusing, and forcing you to read VERY carefully, but oh so worth it in the end. This series is one that I am looking forward to enjoying reading again. And quite possibly again 🙂

Death Note #11

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Death Note #11
Tsugumi Ohba
Takeshi Obata
manga
210 pages

Near and Light are both positioning for the final Showdown. Near is flying to Japan to meet “L” aka Light. Next volume or the next will be the end. Looking forward to see how it all wraps up. Some of the “Rules” could make things really interesting, since they involve the shinigami.

Death Note #7-9

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Death Note #7-9
Tsugumi Ohba
Takeshi Obata
manga

L dies, Light takes his name, but there is a whole orphanage filled with talented youngsters being trained as potential “L”s. The 2 front runners take over where L left off, in trying to uncover Kira. Another Shinigami enters the picture, but is dispatched quickly enough. The new two “L”s are young, and not truly “L”s, but one takes the name of “Near” and the other, who turns out to be a practical sociopath, goes by the name of “Mello”.