Anime UK News :: Review of Death Note #11

Manga Quick Information

Title:	Death Note #11
Original vintage:	2003
Mangaka:	Tsugumi Ohba
Artist:	Takeshi Obata
Published by:	Viz Media Europe
Genre:	Drama, Psychological, Shonen
Material length:	208 pages

Ben's review

Ben scored this with 8/10.

‘Death Note’ enters its eleventh, and penultimate, volume of the chess like game being played out between Light and Near. In the world of ‘Death Note’ society believes Light, now the new L, and Near, the successor to the first L although this title is highly contested by Mello, are jousting for the position of the white king.

However the reader, as well as Light and Near, knows that Near and Light are hard at battle on opposite sides of the chess board. This volume concentrates on how both protagonists are on the different sides of the chess board. One fighting for ‘justice’, the other fighting for ‘justice’.

‘Death Note’ is nearing its conclusion so consequently this volume is a stepping stone between what has occurred and what will occur in the final volume as such there is not a lot of action in the style of ‘Death Note’s’ earlier volumes. Indeed there was one death shown of the “man on the train” attacking a woman. This is because this eleventh volume exudes maturity and a certain sophistication in regards to the web being spun by both Light and Near. Indeed the ‘cat and mouse jauntiness’ of the earlier volumes is replaced by a complex net of pawns being controlled and manipulated by their masters. In this way ‘Death Note’ has grown as mature and as calculated as the protagonists it portrays.

So in this way dedicated fans of ‘Death Note’ will enjoy the game of chess being played out between Light and Near. In regards to new readers, or readers randomly choosing a manga, this volume will not suffice as a starting point. This is because of the complexity surrounding the story. This series requires reading from its genesis with Light picking up the note book. A moment not to be missed!

For long time readers this volume is a treat! Its uniquely unjust characters are, ironically, what drive the story forward and are a testament to Obha’s clever depiction of delivering justice requires a certain degree of injustice to occur. Conversely, Obha’s story is complex and in some places its hard to read and process. In many ways ‘Death Note’ can be seen as joining Shirow’s ‘Ghost in the Shell’s’ Puppeteer. However approaching the story’s conclusion is natural. The story is detailing the account of two of the most complex characters in manga!

Takashi Obata’s artwork remains gloriously gothic in nature and complements Ohba’s quite delectably dark story. The only issue being the incongruous English translation of things written in note pads etc. Although it is probably necessary because reading Japanese is very difficult! ‘Death Note’s’ translations are not as bad ‘Akira’s’ English sound effects however.

In conclusion a good stepping stone in the continuing game of chess beign played out between Light and Near. Volume eleven sets the reader up for the final battle between ‘good’ and ‘bad’, and this time its personal!

Review Information

Score:	8 out of 10
Review By:	Ben
Date Published:	Sun, 31 Aug 2008

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