Customer Reviews

Death Note, Vol. 4

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Death Note's wont for adding suspense is one of the things that make this series so great. Just when you think it has to end, something new happens and the incoming disaster is averted, for a little bit, at least. In volume three, this came when Light met L in person for the first time, and they became friends.

In this volume, it comes with a girl who can use the same powers and some, but has such a fierce love for Light that she's unwilling to use it for anything but his bidding. Only, with her interference and L's continuing battle against Light, Light does not think this is such a good thing, and must think of new ways to cover up his Kira character now that there seems to be a second in the neighborhood. Luckily, he still has the task force on his side, and he's still a super genius capable of outsmarting even the world's greatest sleuth.

What's make this volume better than the others is the staggering ending. I won't spoil it here, but I will say I was thoroughly surprised by it, and I can't wait for the next volume to get released stateside. If you've been collecting the Death Note series, then pick this up. If you haven't and you're reading this, then I'm sorry for spoilers. Now go back and get the first volume.

Light Yagami has learned that he is not alone in holding the power of the Death Note. A second person is killing people and calling themselves Kira. The difference is that this second Kira does not care if the people he kills are innocents or criminals. The reason the second Kira is so sloppy and seemingly illogical is that "he" is a young girl named Misa who not only looks up to the real Kira for killing the criminal that killed her parents, but actually thinks she is in LOVE with Kira. Just like Light, she has her own Shinigami spirit named Rem, who has more of a personal loyalty to Misa than Ryuk to Light. L doesn't fall for the whole Kira act and instead of dropping his suspicions of Light, easily figures out that this is a second Kira, but he still enlists the aid of Light in the investigation, going on the premise that it's best to have your enemies close.

Just when this series was beginning to hit a deadend, the writer came up with some cool ideas. While some of these ideas, such as making Misa being such a hopeless romantic were a little jarring, but it worked out. I'm still also trying to figure out whether Light is evil or not, or is he just a stupid kid cloaking himself in what he believes to be wisdom? It seems like at times, he might snap out of his Godtrip, but I doubt that'll ever happen. He's already gone down a road he can't return from. The writing is still a little shaky at times, but the ideas themselves are good, which makes this an excellent if flawed series.

Volume Four of 'Death Note' still has the suspense charm that bestowed on the last three volumes. L is still suspicous of Light, but allows him to join his task force nonetheless, hoping to find a solution to this troubling problem. It seems as though the second Kira is a young woman who wants to be Kira's personal pet slave...or that's what it seems to me, since the girl, fashion model Misa Amane, is totally dedicated to Kira. I like this volume a bit more than the onces I've recently read, since Misa's Shinigami Rem, actually takes a liking to Misa. This proves for some interesting twists further in the series.

So why four out of five stars? Simply because I have yet to find a female character who doesn't seem either dumb or weak or completly dedicated to another character with lack of self-respect for herself. Light does not care who he uses or how he uses them, as long as they help him in his quest to be the New God to the New World, and of course, destroy L. It's still a good volume, but if you're looking for strong female characters, look elsewhere.

Light, a young man just entering college, is a brilliant but easily bored student. One day, he comes across the Death Note--dropped into the human world by a rogue shinigami, or death god.

I know that it says this in the editorial description.

The description fails to mention the depth of the story, however. Written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by the same artist(Takeshi Obata)as the popular Hikaru no Go series, some may expect that this story follows a similar line of work. It doesn't. Death Note departs from the primarily innocent storyline which is prevalent in Hikaru no Go, and takes you into the world of Light, a seemingly kind but slightly twisted person.
Of course, this is "slightly" in the most gracious sense.

When you first pick up Death Note, you may be shocked by the storyline. Still, you must consider it a brilliant work. Treading a fine line between genius, savior, and demon, all you can do is watch Light as he comes to the decision that it's up to him to make the world a better place, whether or not it's by conventional means. He's not the normal "Hero," that much is obvious. He doesn't win free through villains, he isn't all-powerful... he does have problems. No matter what, he's willing to do what's necessary to obtain that which is his ideal. Even lie, cheat, and murder.

Even if it doesn't physically dirty his hands, Light is still changed by the things he has to do and the things he chooses to do. From the first volume onward, you can see the way that his character changes. The singular disregard he has for certain things is often disturbing, but still an excellent tool for holding the reader's interest.

He has to face the world for what it is, and the way he sees it changes as he does; the experiences he has change as the experiences he has already had continue to change him. The character developement so far is excellent, as are the story and the artwork. It's very interesting to watch a seemingly innocent ideal become wound into something else... a plot, a plan... a map to a redemption for the world.
Or a map to insanity.

the used one is way cheaper and it looks the same as a new one. death note is one of the best series if you want the books buy it from amazon! USED !

I started watching the dvds but then took up reading the books. I would highly recommend the books to any Death Note fan. The books are great and add to the dvds. I truly enyoy having experienced both.

The last volume ended with a bit of a cliffhanger... someone besides Light possesses a Death Note and has made the deal for shinigami eyes. This second Kira is eager to meet the original, and L and the task force hope to intercept copycat before Kira can. Of course, Light is still active on the task force. When the second Kira reveals herself (gasp!) to Light, he must decide how best to use her and her shinigami.

Okay, so getting down to specifics, Misa (the second Kira) reveals herself to the police and then Light, confessing her love for him. She not quite what anyone expected. Compared to super geniuses (Wile E. Coyote-style) like Light and L, Misa isn't nearly as clever, but she's no dummy. She's unpredictable as well, being much more emotional than Light, and having the power of shinigami eyes. Her shinigami, Rem, is the complete opposite of Ryuk - forthcoming, patient, caring, and protective. Light isn't prepared to handle this curveball, and we see him acting more and more on the defensive.

Still, you can't help but feel that L is also struggling with the investigation. There's an interesting exchange between L and Light, where they talk about being friends. While you know that Light is just playing a part, you do feel for L, who seems lonely. He also contemplates his own mortality, knowing that he should concentrate on what he can do instead of letting the fear of death control him.

I think this volume's shift in focus - away from Light and Ryuk and on to L, Misa and Rem - was effective. While L has grown on me over the past three volumes, I liked Misa and Rem almost right away. Perhaps it's that they aren't as calculating as the other characters, but rather plain about their feelings. I'm looking forward to the next volume, especially after this new cliffhanger.

With Misa as the second Kira, things get more complicated, with L wanting to stop her, and Light wanting to discover how to work with her. This is made somewhat easier for him when she turns up at his place and confesses serious love.

Her Shinigami also apparently has become quite attached to her, and makes it plain to Light in no uncertain terms that she is not to be harmed.

I don't care what anyone says, I love to see the proverbial noose closing in around Light's neck and then suddenly something happens and the noose loosens up some for the moment, and so far that's what Death Note has done.

At the end of the last book, we find out that a girl is responsible for sending the Kira messages to Sakura TV. We also found out that the girl has huge feelings for Light, but we don't know exactly why, well you find out in this book.

Anyway, about the book itself. The investigation team brings in Light for consultation on the new videos that are supposedly from Kira, though the videos are real, L takes the oppotunity to put Light to a test and gauge his reaction to see if he lets something slip that will lead to evidence to him being Kira. Soon the unit decides to create their own Kira using Light to try and capture this copycat Kira, however, from the tapes, Light learns that he really needs to meet this new Kira immediately because she is steadily giving away important information, such as the fact they are "bound" to a Shinigami.

Soon we even seen how this particular "goth" type girl came in possession of her Death Note and learn how to kill a Shinigami. But upon their meeting, Misa's Shinigami Rem has an immediate distaste for Light and vows to kill him if he even thinks about killing Misa (who is madly and blindly in love with Light). Things get even weirder after Misa is captured by the task force and placed in isolation and is "tortured" for information, now Light must devise a plan to save Misa or else Rem will kill him. In the end, Light must make a very important decision that could seriously affect his life.

This is another fantastic story, I can't wait to read the next volume. As I said in the beginning of this review, I love how Light is able to make his "escapes" all of the time. I so can't wait for the anime to hit shelves here in America. Anyway, this is another fantastic volume in a gripping and exciting series.

I love the manga, but I will never buy from the provider "Smokeymtnbooks" again. I live two states away from where they are shipping, yet it took TWO WEEKS for me to receive my book. Meanwhile, I received other things I ordered from New York and Texas within two days of my order. I know this isn't the right place for this rant, but I want people to know NOT TO BUY FROM SMOKEYMTNBOOKS.

On to the magna ^_^ I really enjoyed it. I would normally read it at the bookstore but I like Death Note so much that I want to actually own it. =) I plan to buy more volumes soon, just NOT from Smokeymtnbooks.