Death Note, Volume 5: Whiteout

I've only recently really been getting into manga but have definitely been enjoying my foray into the genre. Death Note has consistently been among the best series I've found so far. The first four volumes were fantastic and I was looking forward to reading the fifth, Whiteout. Although still very good, ultimately I wasn't taken by it as much as I was by the previous books. But I'm not going to let that stop me from reading the rest.

At the end of the fifth installment, Love, Light had turned himself in to the investigation team for observation in an attempt to convince L that he wasn't Kira. Whiteout begins with both Light and Misa imprisoned under suspicion for being one of the Kiras, which leads to the voluntary imprisonment of show more Light's father as well. Eventually, all three are released, but L still hasn't been completely convinced of their innocence so Misa is put under constant surveillance and Light is literally chained to L. While he was under observation, Light secretly gave up ownership of the Death Note (although I suspect only temporarily), resulting in the loss of all of his memories directly relating to it. Since he is still assisting with the Kira investigation, this puts him in an awkward position. He is now unknowingly trying to outwit himself while insisting upon his innocence, sometimes despite the evidence and occasionally even hiding it. And on top of that, the investigation is only going to get more complicated when the existence of a third Kira is discovered.

The pacing in Whiteout has definitely slowed from that of the previous books. However, there are still some absolutely fantastic and exciting scenes. Additionally, a little more humor is introduced into the story, though it still has a predominantly serious tone. Whiteout continues to develop and introduce human characters, but we hardly get to see the Shinigami at all. I expect the volume mostly serves as a transition between the feel of the first four volumes and what's to come; while the still very interesting, it almost feels like a placeholder.

The art in Whiteout remains excellent. What especially stood out to me in this volume is how the character's appearances change after they have been held in solitary for so long. In particular, the change in Light is subtle but extraordinarily effective in portraying his personality shift. I'm continue to be impressed by the artist's skill. The Shinigami, which have always been the most interesting visually, don't really make much of an appearance in Whiteout. Unfortunately, even Rem and Ryuk only show up briefly in a few panels.

Whiteout was the first volume of the series that I don't feel improved over those that came before. (Don't get me wrong--it wasn't a bad book by any means.) I missed the intensity between Light and L as they each tried to outwit and out-think the other. While Light's ploy was brilliant in throwing the investigation off, it results in a significant decrease in tension plot-wise. Which is not so say Light and L being chained together isn't' amusing and that there aren't other interesting and intriguing developments--because there are quite a few. I'm certain that Light's plan hasn't completely unfolded yet, and look forward to seeing what happens. I still have great confidence in Death Note and have already picked up the sixth book, Give-and-Take.

Experiments in Reading show less

J'ai pas mal décroché avec ce tome-ci. Alors que le tome précédent était bourré de tension et d'action, que l'arc narratif permettait de faire décoller l'histoire, on est ici sur quelque chose de beaucoup plus plat. Tout ce qui avait été mis en place n'est pas forcément réutilisé et c'est bien dommage.

Very good. Sometimes this series in the first few volumes felt a little forced. This seems to be happening less and less. Some nice twists that make it interesting.

The story progressed with L-agents being stupid and nearly getting themselves killed and dealing with the stresses of the investigation. We see Light's dad go through a brief confinement and tricking Light that puts him (the dad) through some serious stress.

Light and Misa were exceptionally dull this time around as was the overall story. I found myself dragging my feet about reading this.

Death Note goes after those nasty capitalist pigs and the storyline is as complicated and twisty and turny as usual. There is also some much needed humour injected into this one. Matsuda rules!!

Spoiler alert! This time on the heels of the Kiras, Light and L join forces in ways not tried before. Pros: more intrigues, more complexity. Cons: banalities in the way that there's no real air in the story; it's dense as hell. Total: rewarding considering all the swings; detective loveliness.

Actual Rating: 3.75.