Death Note volume 7

story by Tsugumi Ohba
art by Takeshi Obata

Story (may contain spoilers)

"The human whose name is written in this note shall die." It's been a few years since Light has picked up the Shinigami death god's notebook and went on a quest to rid the world of evil. It wasn't long before the police and famous detective L caught on to this murderer and since have been willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the people from this ruthless killer. Little does the chief inspector know that his own son Light is the killer known as "Kira" who has been helping with the investigation since day one. Light has done everything he could to kill his worst enemy to the cause and this volume results in the death of L. Or does it?

The volume starts with the capturing of the third Kira, Higuchi, a corporate businessman who along with his coworkers used the death note to kill off their top competitors. L and Light (whose memory of the death note was erased once he gave up ownership of his note to complete his plan) figured out who this new Kira was quickly. After being surrounded by police cars, Higuchi gives up his death note and some of the secrets it contains. However, once Light touched the note his memory came back and killed Higuchi with a spare piece of death note he hid in a secret compartment in his watch. Now that the fake Kira was dead, Kira's plan came into action.

Misa, Light's unwanted but useful girlfriend receives her memory of her own death note once she is released from surveillance and unburies hers from the forest. There she reads Light's instructions and makes the Shinigami eye trade with Ryuk, an action which will allow her to reveal L's real name although halfing her lifespan once again.

With the unexpected death of L and his assistant Watari, Light's plan was nearing completion. Years later, Kira was the new law. Light brilliantly playing the role of both himself and "L." While some countries accepted the existence of Kira as something good others wallowed in fear.

In this confusion a new investigation of Kira starts in the United States headed by Near and Mello, two orphans from where L was raised. Which one will succeed in becoming the new L? When Mello captures Light's sister will he give him the secrets of the death note or sacrifice his own sister?

Art and Packaging

VIZ continues to do quality reproduction with this title. Obata's art continues to be as slick as ever making sure that black is the dominant color in his artwork. Near's posture is almost identical to L except that he looks like a ten year old. The only problem I've found in the new character designs is that Mello looks like a female, from the girly hair to the bulge in his chest...I don't see how this can be a guy.  In any case, Obata makes it clear that she, I mean he, is meant to be the villianous L.  The chapter breaks continue to add new rules to the world of Death Note, it makes me wonder how many there's left.

Comments

After seven whole volumes Light finally gets rid of L only to meet two new Ls.  Is this going to happen again before the series finishes?  It seems right now that this series is just going on in a never ending circle.  They couldn't even include a few transition chapters to show that Kira was the law for several years.  All we get is a half dozen narrated pages and on to the next challenge in Light's way.  It seems that now that Light's sister may be a victim of his plan that this series will get darker and more to the point.  I'm intrigued as to how he will handle this.


M.G. Rating:  B-