Bravely marching forward towards the end of the series... but not there yet! Spoilers for those who haven't read this far, of course, blah blah blah...

Another major turning point, not just for Light, but for Kira, Near, Mello, and the Japanese task force. The task force's last attempt to storm Mello and his mafia gang's hideout failed miserably, thanks to interference from shinigami Sidoh. But when Light's father, Soichiro, unexpectedly makes the deal with Ryuk for shinigami eyes, they're able to break into the hideout and corner Mello. But he isn't L's heir just because of his scary looks... Mello manages to escape, taking Soichiro out in the process. We discover that there's a spy for Mello in the SPK's midst (Near seems well aware of who it is). Mello and Near form a shaky partnership by sharing information and then separate to see who can catch Kira first and avenge L's death. The U.S. decides to take no action against Kira. Good old Demegawa of Sakura TV is proclaimed the spokesman of Kira, driving crowds into a frenzy as they hunt down those who would go against Kira (watch out SPK!). And Near sows seeds of mistrust (doesn't that sound fancy?) in the Japanese task force. WHEW!

This was actually a pretty cool volume. Like I said in my last review, I really enjoy watching Mello because he seems best at catching Light off-guard. It's nice to have some emotion register for these characters - and it was sad to see Soichiro pass on. Watching Light at his father's side as he dies, you really understand the depths he's sunk to as Kira. Soichiro's last moments are spent being pressured by Light to write Mello's name in the Death Note, and he refuses. We also see that Kira has been accepted by several world powers and is becoming more and more revered by the people. You have to wonder, though, if a man like Demegawa has been chosen to be the voice of Kira, what sort of corruption will he bring to Light's ideals.

Are there other people out there who feel like Matsuda needs to be slapped a few times? He's so trusting, it would be sad if it weren't so annoying.

Things get crazier still.

Light, running a fake investigation into himself has to deal with both Near and Mello, as well as the US government and the criminal overlords. Not to mention a not too bright Shinigami. Again, not everyone will get out of this one alive. This series continues to entertain as the more they find out, the more complex it seems to get.

Tsugumi Ohba, Death Note: Contact (ViZ, 2003)

Death Note continues on, with Light and company involved in their complex dance with Near and Mello, with everyone trying to figure out who's working with whom. I love this plotline, which continues to be compelling, but I'm starting to get bugged by Misa, who seems to have been just kind of wandering through the books recently without really doing much. Misa and Light's relationship with a critical point in past volumes, but it's starting to seem as if Ohba simply doesn't know what to do with her any more, and just keeps her around as a convenient accomplice for Light. Other than that, though, Death Note continues to roll on wonderfully. *** ½

Light Yagami has the whole world in his hands at this point, except for two thorns in his side, Mellow and Near, the replacements of the original L. Actually Mello is a bit of a vigilante and wants to prove that he was the rightful successor to L's legacy even though he was rejected. Light has contacted the Japanese NPA in the guise of Kira and has even handed over his Death Note in an extremely complicated plot to keep his identity safe and kill Mello. He's already set the stage by writing all of his minions into the Death Note and with the addition of Light's father being granted the Shinigami's eyes, all his dad has to do is see Mello to find out his real name. The NPA plans a daring raid on Mello's hideout but will Light be able to outsmart him or not?

I love Death Note but the convolutions of its plot sometimes leave its credibility lacking. You could probably fill a law library with all the rules pertaining to the Death Note. For example, you only lose your memory of the Death Note by passing on ownership of it, or by abandoning it, but only if someone is killed with the Death Note. Or the fact that only 6 Death Notes can be in the human world at once. That's only two out of the gazillion that have been mentioned before. I mean, who is making up these rules? God? They just seem so arbitrary and designed to convolute an already overly complicated story. In the end the Shinigami seem like moronic bureaucrats at best. Light's plans are a little hard to take because no human can predict another human's behavior as well as he does. Why does he need to be Kira if he can already predict and control every situation he finds himself in? He hardly ever breaks out in a sweat. Even the most intelligent people make mistakes, but the main characters in Death Note hardly ever do. Given all these complaints, I still really like the series, simply because of its big issues, such as the right to grant life and death and the aspiration of a man to become a god. It's great to see that even puny weirdo adolescents such as Mello and Near have the resources to take on probably one of the smartest men ever to walk the earth. While the story sometimes lacks logic, or contains too MUCH logic, Obata's art always shines and is finely detailed and realistic. A good read.

I've never loved anything like I love Death Note~

Best manga I've ever bought. 5 stars? try a million.