Death Note (2005)

[デスノート]

Volume 5

Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Jump Comics

Synopsis:
While being held in confinement, Light makes his move to throw L off his trail.

Story/Characters:
I can't really talk about most of this volume unless I spoil the first part, so if you want Light's big play to be a total surprise, don't read any farther. We good? Okay, so Light gives up possession of the Death Note to wipe his memory, as does Misa, basically reverting them to who they were before they started using the Death Note. Even so, L doesn't let them off so easily and we move into the second arc of the story, where Light and L are working together to capture Kira while a third Kira emerges. With L handcuffing himself to Light, there's a whole lot of Ho Yay going on, so if that's you're thing, you'll be good. (Or if you're Aizawa, you'll get angry about all the homo.)

Our main villains in this arc are a set of ambitious young executives from the Yotsuba Group looking to build their fortunes with Kira's power. Although they all share a measure of greed and ruthlessness, there is enough variety in their personalities to keep things interesting. Also, Matsuda manages to both be a monumental screw-up and an adept cool guy all at the same time. He's always fun.

Art:
We get some good emotional punches and a lot of quality comedic scenes, particularly once Light and Misa are released from confinement. And as mentioned before, the Ho Yay with Light and L...

Conclusion:
We move into the second arc with a bang and if you like the setup, this is a rather interesting direction for the story to take. There are some good comedic moments in particular, so if you're looking to lighten the mood a bit, this is just what you need.

Rating:
Own It