Death Note Volume 5

Rating PG13 Formats DVD Genre anime Directed by Tetsuro Araki Publisher VIZ Media External Links Official Death Note Website

For someone just jumping into the supernatural police drama Death Note, DVD Volume 5 of the anime series can be quite a confusing affair. Two of the main characters locked up (sort of) against their will, released only to be transported to their ‘execution’ when the driver and father of one of the suspects parks in a secluded area threatening to kill both himself and his son. Luckily, I have been well acclimated to the world of Death Note, having read the original print series, seen part one of the live action movie, as well having read pseudo-prequel book, Another Note, which chronicles an earlier case of L mentioned only briefly in the original series. 

So, even though I know exactly what is going on here, it’s easy to see not only how lost a new viewer might be but that this is also a great place for someone new to the Death Note audience to jump in. This volume starts off with a bang in the suspense department, thanks to both the plot point mentioned above and the steady dramatic buildup of the ongoing series. It’s this heightened drama as well as the logical mind games played back and forth by Light and L that make this stage of the series so engrossing and the perfect place for someone to get a taste of the story to come, without giving too much away in the presentation.

Though I was a little put off by the episodes 1 through 4’s tendency to portray Light in his dark god-complex like state too early in the story, I am pleased by how close the anime holds true to the original plot and settings, especially at the point at which Volume 5 covers. I only wish that these anime studios, Viz especially, would release series spanning DVD sets right off the bat here in America. It is extremely frustrating having to wait a month or so for the next 4 episodes in the series if one doesn’t follow it currently running on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. Not to mention the extra coin it costs the average viewer to pick up all volumes. Viz at least sweetens the deal with Death Note by releasing, in tandem with the normal DVD release of each volume, a Limited Edition version packaged with a nice statuette figure of one of the characters from Death Note. Specifically, Volume 5 of the series will come packaged with a Misa Amane figure.

Death Note is a well orchestrated series and Volume 5 finds it at the beginning of an early climactic height in the story. This series is probably one of the few young adult style manga/anime that I would recommend to almost anyone due to its intelligent story, interesting characters, and seamless coupling of both the funny and suspenseful side of capturing a supernatural killer. Volume 5 is definitely worth buying for fans of the series, but if you are reading this you probably have your pre-orders out anyways.