[Categories: Manga Reviews]
Death Note chapters 53-61: Zero
It’s been a while since I sat down to read any Death Note, which might explain why the seventh volume didn’t leave me as gripped as the earlier ones did. Maybe it could also be down to the fact that we lose a major character at this stage of the story which leaves me sceptical about how the quality can be maintained from here on. As always the plot twists and turns with Light and L trying to outguess one another; for me at least, the seemingly endless repetition of reasoning and counter-reasoning is beginning to lose its edge, and I ended up feeling a little lost and detached from the proceedings. Which is a shame, because one of the main reasons I enjoyed Death Note was because it draws the reader into its tense and morally ambiguous world.
I’ll put my confusion down to the fact that I haven’t been following the series at all over the past month or two, since it starts off really well: a continuation of the excellent ‘Corporate Kira’ arc in which the bad guy finally gets apprehended. Soon afterwards Light re-acquires his own Death Note and his memories, which keeps things moving at their characteristically fast pace.
The main problem I can see is the killing off of one of the principal members of the cast (and no, I’m not telling you who it is!). This means that the story takes a sharp turn in direction, particularly when the timeline shifts forwards by several years in the latter part of the volume in order to see how the events have turned out. Granted, such a move was necessary to prevent things getting stale but the jump isn’t a smooth one. On the other hand, it could mean that fresh life (and death!) is being breathed into the story, so I can be bowled over by it all over again.
Volume 7 is a definite turning point in the Death Note story. The present arc ends in spectacular style, but the transition to a new one has left me uneasy and doubtful as to whether the best is now over. I’m hoping that Ohba and Obata have reivented the twisting tale, rather than stretching out the concept too far; I suspect that volume 8 will decide on whether these new developments make or break Death Note’s greatness.
Posted on March 9th, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
i hadn’t watch anime for a long time ,but this is a 15 days when my friend tell me about “death note” and i have watch some episode ,it is really great .and may be i will watch more anime this days.
lamine