Death Note Volume 8: Target by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Rating - 3: worth reading once (borrow it from a library)

Mello is not likable, but he is effective.

L, M, and N, as it were -- machinations promise to get interesting as everyone is trying to kill or catch everyone else while no one really knows who anyone else is. Mello advances while Light and Near are becoming clearer on what the situation is, and then the situation changes from an unexpected direction.

That was vague enough, wasn't it? Our new competitors do not know enough to manipulate the pieces individually, but at least one of them is a great planner, and everyone is being careful.

Near gets more "screen time" and seems about as likable as Mello, although annoying from a different direction. Probably a smart guy but looks down on everyone despite having accomplished absolutely nothing so far. That irritation and condescension seems to be his only character trait. He may eventually become a character, but he is just a story device at present.

Mello may be an annoying twerp, but he is quite canny. He uses others well, keeping danger at a remove or two. He realizes that he does not need to hold the power in his own hands to have control. Impulsive, but he could be the most effective planner so far. I expect him to die soon, or else someone with his drive must take over the entire plot and take over the story in the last act.

He still looks like a girl, but an increasingly crazy one. Everyone gets to look a bit more insane; the plot must be coming along well.

Misa keeps trying to get back into the story. She is ill-used, by Light and the author. But she's trying, darn it. If there is any justice, she will have the appropriate emotional reaction and all Hell will break loose. I do not expect that. She, like the entire female cast except perhaps Rem, is too passive.

It is nice to see Light being out-foxed. Others can make plans as airtight as his, and his can be thwarted by unpredictable circumstances. If Near turns out to be less worthless than he seems to think everyone else is, this could get rather exciting. Or both the new challengers might have nothing in reserve once their initial gambits run out; the series will become tiresome if characters keep appearing, presenting a threat, then dying at the end of the arc.

collected edition
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