Book Review: Death Note, Volume 3

Tsugumi Oba (author), et.al., Death Note Volume 3: Hard Run. San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media, 2015. ISBN: 9781421501703.

Genre: manga

Subgenre: mystery, fantasy, horror

Format: trade paperback

Source: I own this one

Light Yagami, the ace gifted student who has the Death Note notebook makes it to college. However, L's constant surveillance is a major irritant to his plans. L, the police's special investigator, is also a student at the same college. Now Light and L are matching wits as L reveals himself to Yagami hoping Yagami makes an error as they talk. L suspects Yagami, but he has no proof nor direct evidence. Yagami however is too smart and stays ahead for now. Their back and forth gets paused when Yagami's father, who heads up the police squad chasing Kira (Yagami's public persona) suffers a heart attack and is hospitalized. Things really get complicated with the sudden revelation of a new Kira. Does someone else have Yagami's Death Note? How? Is it a different notebook? 

To be honest, most of this volume is fairly slow. Yagami and L spend most of it talking, trying to feel each other out. L trying to prove Yagami is the correct suspect, and Yagami blocking him and staying ahead without giving proof to L. Most of the volume is this back and forth, which gets boring fast. 

The pace picks up in the last act when a set of videos allegedly from Kira arrive at a news station. Kira demands they be aired on certain conditions or certain people will die. Soon we realize there is another Kira. For one, Yagami did not send them. So the mystery picks up, and now we have to read on to see where this new mystery leads. 

Overall, this volume was OK. It was not as engaging as previous volumes. At times it felt like they were padding the word count. Yet by the end you are curious about this new Kira, so yes, I will be reading volume 4 to see where it leads. I hope the series improves. 

2 out of 5 stars. 

This book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges: 

Book Review: The Mandalorian: The Manga, Volume 1 (Star Wars)

Yusuke Osawa, et.al., Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga, Volume 1. San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media, 2023. ISBN: 9781974740963. 

Genre: Star Wars

Subgenre: science fiction, space opera

Format: Manga, e-book galley

Source: Netgalley

As I recall, The Mandalorian has been a popular series on streamer Disney Plus; there is even a movie in development at this time. Now we have a manga adaptation. Before I go on I will note that I have not seen the streaming series, so I come to this book as a reader. 

This book presents the initial part of the Mandalorian's story, a mysterious and laconic bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe. The story takes us up to the point where he meets The Child (Grogu). 

The volume starts with four pages in full color illustration. The rest of the volume is then in basic black and white. It is a pity the full story is not in color. Despite that, the art overall is good. The story is fast paced as the Mandalorian moves from one mission to the next. Being that he does not speak much, there is not a lot of dialogue, so the story moves along. Much of the story moves visually, and the visual elements are good. The book is a quick and easy read. This is the first volume of the series, so I hope the story shows some depth as it develops further. So far the story is fairly light. 

Fans of the series may consider reading this. It may work too for fans of newer Star Wars works. For libraries, if they have manga collections, and especially other Star Wars adaptations, they may want to acquire this. For my library, I would consider it an optional purchase. As a reader, this was nice, a bit of fun, but not terribly memorable. I did like it. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

Qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenge: 

Top Graphic Novels, Comics, and Manga I Read in 2022

These are my top reads in graphic novels, comics, and manga for 2022. These are titles that I rated at four or five stars. The list is in no particular order, and if I have a review done by now, I am including a link. 

Usagi Yojimbo: Bunraku and Other Stories.

Bomb Run and Other Stories.

Star Wars Age of Rebellion: Villains.

From the review: "I personally liked the Tarkin story, which shows how ruthless he can be. The Jabba the Hutt tale was pretty good too with a bit of a twist revealing that the gangster can also be practical."

Shadowman, Book One.

From my review: "For starters, the art in this book is very good. Early on Shadowman and Baron Samedi look very good. I particularly liked the sort of dark and fun portrayal of Baron Samedi. The art overall is colorful and can be a bit evocative."

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Volume 1.

From my review: "Story combines good action with a bit of the grittiness Batman comics are known for, and it also maintains the humor that distinguishes TMNT comics."

Deadpool Samurai, Volume 1.

From my review: "Deadpool's humor is spot on in this series. His fourth wall breaks are great, and he aims his humor at everyone up to and including his publishers-- Marvel and Shonen Jump. "

Deadpool Samurai, Volume 2.

From my review: "The Merc With the Mouth is back and still doing all sorts of hijinks in Tokyo as part of the newly formed team Samurai Squad."

Space Pirate Captain Harlock.

From my review: "Author Alquié takes Matsumoto's story and art in a new direction that is a sequel to the 1970s original series.  If you watched and enjoyed the original series, you'll probably enjoy this one as well."

Lady Mechanika, Volume 6: Sangre.

From my review: "This is a solid selection for libraries with graphic novel collections. I'd buy it for our library."

The Art of Sushi.

 

From my review: "The author travels from France to Japan to learn all he can about sushi. Along the way not only do we learn about sushi, but we also learn about elements of sushi such as the fish and the rice as well as those who make it and even related topics like sake and soy sauce."

Book Review: Death Note, Volume 1: Boredom

Tsugumi Ohba (author) and Takeshi Obata (art) , Death Note, Volume 1: Boredom. San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media, 2005. ISBN: 9781421501680.

 

Genre: manga

Subgenre: fantasy, horror

Format: paperback

Source: I own this one 

 

Light Yagami is a gifted student attending a private elite school. He has a problem common to many teenagers: he is bored. However, that changes when a Shinigami death god drops his Death Note notebook, and Light finds it. When you write a human's name in the Death Note, they die. Now Light decides to use the Death Note to make the world a better place by going on a cleaning spree of criminals and other bad people. Soon the cops start investigating including the legendary and mysterious detective L. 

The premise is an interesting one. I'll be honest, if a Shinigami left me a Death Note, I'd serious go on a cleaning spree and start cleansing the world of awful people: criminals, politicians, and other assorted assholes. Do keep in mind the Death Note does have some rules, which are revealed over the course of the story. One rule is you have to see the face of the name you write in; this is to avoid confusion with people who share a name in common. 

This first volume mostly sets up the series. It introduces the characters and the rules of the Death Note. It also gets the story going as Light starts using the Death Note. The story's pace is steady with some moments of thrills and suspense as investigators try to chase after Light, and for now he stays ahead of them. 

This is a light read with elements of suspense and a little humor. As part of getting the Death Note, Light can now see and speak with the Shinigami that owned it. I found their interactions amusing at times. The manga art is pretty good too. The plot gets more intricate as the rules of the Death Note are revealed. I thought L being an anonymous detective who communicates with the police via a computr and an intermediary was a bit of a stretch, but it works for the series. 

Overall, I liked this first volume as a nice light read with a bit of thrill and suspense. The premise is certainly appealing. At this point, I am willing to read the next one. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

This book qualifies for the following reading challenge: 

Book Review: Deadpool Samurai, Volume 2

Sanshiro Kasama (author) and Hikaru Uesugi (artist), Deadpool Samurai, Volume 2. San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media, 2022. ISBN: 9781974732203.

 

Genre: manga

Subgenre: superheroes, Marvel Comics, humor

Format: e-book galley

Source: NetGalley

 

 

I read and enjoyed Deadpool Samurai, Volume 1 (link to my review) very much, so when I got the opportunity to read the second volume I knew I had to read it. The Merc With the Mouth is back and still doing all sorts of hijinks in Tokyo as part of the newly formed team Samurai Squad. It's been four months since volume one was published. We know this because Deadpool breaks the fourth wall, as he often does, to tell us. Loki is still scheming to take over the world, or at least that is the motive he claims to have (but we later find out his real motive for attacking Japan), and he deploys various tricks including Thanos and other villains. To help out, the Avengers make an appearance to thwart the villains. We also get an appearance from All Might, a character in another manga, so we are getting quite a crossover here. Along the way we get a lot of fun and a bit of silliness. 

 

If you enjoyed the previous volume, you will probably enjoy this one. The volume keeps the fun and silliness combined with a fast pace and entertaining story. This is one that once you pick it up you want to keep on reading.  The humor and fourth wall breaks continue to be spot on. I will observe the plot at times did get a bit more convoluted at some points, but overall the story was amusing and fun. 

For libraries, if you got the first one, you need to get this one as well. If you have not gotten this series, this is a good selection for your graphic novel and comics collections. Fans of the Deadpool comics will likely enjoy this. It does remain a series I would buy for my library as well as for my personal collection. I am looking forward to the next volume. Overall, great fun. 

5 out of 5 stars. 

This book qualifies for the following 2022 Reading Challenge: 

Book Review: Deadpool Samurai, Volume 1

Sanshiro Kasama (author) and Hikaru Uesugi (artist), Deadpool Samurai, Volume 1. San Franciso, CA: VIZ Media, 2022. ISBN: 9781974725311.

 

Genre: manga

Subgenre: superheroes, Marvel Comics, humor

Format: e-book galley

Source: NetGalley 

 

Deadpool makes it into manga, and it was a fun ride to read. I picked this up in part because I like Deadpool comics and in part because it is manga. I am glad I read it. 

 

Deadpool makes it to Japan, and he is soon drafted to be part of a new team Japan: Samurai Squad, along with Sakura Spider, a young woman with powers like Spider-Man. Soon they get into various adventures as Loki appears to create various problems in his quest for world conquest. 

 

Deadpool's humor is spot on in this series. His fourth wall breaks are great, and he aims his humor at everyone up to and including his publishers-- Marvel and Shonen Jump.  Reading these asides just adds to the fun. The manga overall has a pretty fast pace with plenty of action. The story has silly moments, but it is also entertaining and amusing. The manga art is very good as well. 

I ended up reading this in one sitting because it was great fun to read. I could not put it down. In a time when so many comics want to be dark, moody, edgy (as if), it is refreshing to read a manga that is light, fun, and just plain entertaining. We need more manga like this. 

This is a great selection for libraries with comics and manga collections. If you already collect Deadpool comics, this is a must have as well. I'd buy it for my library, and it is one I would buy for my personal library. 

5 out of 5 stars. 

Book qualifies for the following 2022 Reading Challenge: 

Booknote: Deadman Wonderland, Volume 2

Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, Deadman Wonderland, Volume 2.  San Francisco, CA: VIZ Media, 2014. ISBN: 9781421564104.

Genre: manga
Subgenre: mystery and suspense, horror
Format: paperback
Source: My work library

This is a series that I continue to enjoy. In this volume, Ganta continues to learn the workings of the prison. Upon hearing that the Red Man, the creature that framed him for murdering his schoolmates, is in Ward G. Ganta tried to find the ward to get answers and revenge.

In this volume, Ganta gets a turn to fight in the arena versus a man that calls him "Woodpecker." There, he will discover more about a power he has and was previously unaware of. The mysteries deepen as we get to see more of the prison's depths. The volume has plenty of intrigue, suspense, and action. The powers element was a bit hard to understand, but things will gradually be revealed. Well, at least that is what the series promises.

Overall, I really liked this one.

4 out of 5 stars.

This qualifies for the following 2015 Reading Challenges:

Booknote: Deadman Wonderland, Volume 1

Jinsei Kataoka, Deadman Wonderland, Volume 1.  San Francisco, CA: Viz Media, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-4215-5548-5,

Genre: Manga
Subgenre: dystopian
Format: paperback
Source: My own library. 
This is part of a series (ongoing as of this post).

From the book's description:

"Framed for the brutal murders of his classmates by the mysterious Red Man, middle-school student Ganta Igarashii finds himself sentenced to death in the bizarre and fatal theme park/prison known as 'Deadman Wonderland.' The inmates of this insane penitentiary fight for survival every day to provide entertainment for the masses. Ganta is determined to survive Deadman Wonderland and clear his name, but the price may be his soul…" 

This is a series that I will keep on reading. I am not a huge fan of dystopias, but when they are well made and intriguing, I take a chance. Ganta's challenge will be not to lose his soul as he struggles to survive. I will admit that the premise that gets Ganta into prison is quite farfetched; the trial was barely such. In the end, that is just the device to get him in there. It is in the prison that the mystery really starts. Who is Shiro, the mystery girl with a touch of insanity that comes and goes? Who is the Red Man? Why did he frame Ganta? And what is his connection to the prison? The author sets up these and other questions, questions that will keep the readers curious and interested as the story deepens.

The pace of the story is quick. Once you pick up the volume, you are in right away. Once Ganta is imprisoned, he fails the basic rule of common sense: when you are given a book of rule, read the damn thing. Some of the issues he faces could have been ameliorated had he read the book. Still, there are many more challenges to Ganta's survival (and not all the answers are in the book), including the fact that death is a very real possibility in this prison/amusement park. He will have to work hard to stay alive, and he will clearly need to wise up. It remains to be seen at this point if does get his wits about him.

So, great pacing and good action with some mystery and deep intrigue are tossed into the mix. This is one series I will keep reading. There is some carnage, but it is not as brutal as other series in this genre. I am highly recommending it, and I hope the series continues to keep up the goodness.

5 out of 5 stars.

Some works I have read with similar appeal:

• Battle Royale. 
• The Running Man. (Read the book, not so much the film).
• I will add this will likely appeal to fans of The Hunger Games (taking a guess here as I have no interest in the this series, but from what I know about it, the appeal elements are there).