Death Note, Volume 2

In this second volume of the Death Note manga series, Light Yagami continues his quest to rid the world of dangerous criminals by writing their names in the supernatural notebook dropped by Ryuk, a bored Shinigami death god. The American FBI has sent agents to help Japanese investigators track down the mysterious killer When they all die mysteriously, panic sweeps through the Japanese police force, with many agents dropping out of the investigation, fearing for their lives. Light's father, however, remains as the chief investigator on the case.

The mysterious crimefighter "L" agrees to meet with task force members face to face, and his brilliant mind is pitted against Light's, who continues his crusade against the wicked. Light's intelligence and attention to detail serve him well, but he overlooks the fact that the wife of an FBI agent he has killed, herself a former agent, has become suspicious and is startlingly close to discovering his identity.

Although Light's mission - to rid the world of evildoers - is laudable, he's not above killing innocent people in order to prevent being caught. In fact, he seems very undisturbed by the necessity of doing so. He is a firm believer in the end justifying the means, and although Ryuk, the Shinigami, is supposed to remain detached from events surrounding Light and the death note, he is clearly surprised by Light's resourcefulness and seems even to admire him. The mysterious L (pictured on the cover) is certainly an odd duck. He appears to be superintelligent but lacking in certain social skills. My sympathy for Light waned as I read this installment in the series, but I didn't find myself particularly drawn to L at this point. It will be very interesting to see how the plot develops from here.

Death Note, Volume 2 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (VIZ Media, 2005)

Also reviewed at:
Rhinoa's Ramblings

B&OT review of Death Note, Vol. 1