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Death Note [デスノート] #5

Death Note, Vol. 5: Whiteout

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After a week locked up with no one but Ryuk for company, Light is ready to give up his Death Note and all memories of it. Freed from his past actions, Light is convinced he's innocent. But L is ready to keep Light under lock and key forever, especially since the killings stopped once Light was incarcerated. Then a new wave of Kira crimes hits Japan. Someone else has gotten their hands on a Death Note, and these new deaths aren't focused on making the world a better place, they're focused on making money. Big business can be murder, and Kira has gone corporate!

201 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2005

About the author

Tsugumi Ohba

350 books2,697 followers
Tsugumi Ōba (Profile in Japanese: 大場 つぐみ), born in Tokyo, Japan, is a writer best known for the manga Death Note. His/her real identity is a closely guarded secret. As stated by the profile placed at the beginning of each Death Note manga, Ōba collects teacups and develops manga plots while holding his knees on a chair, similar to a habit of L, one of the main characters of the series.

There is speculation that Tsugumi Ōba is a pen name and that he is really Hiroshi Gamō. Pointing out that in Bakuman the main character's uncle was a one-hit wonder manga artist who worked on a gag super hero manga, very similar to Gamō and Tottemo! Luckyman in all aspects. Also that the storyboards drawn by Ōba greatly resemble Tottemo! Luckyman in style.

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5 stars
15,649 (51%)
4 stars
9,774 (32%)
3 stars
4,360 (14%)
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1 star
127 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,170 reviews
Profile Image for MischaS_.
783 reviews1,431 followers
February 19, 2019
So, this is how it will be? A Death Note every day? But that way it will only last me till the end of this week!

Fabulous as always but I have to say

I love Light and L mind games, so much fun. But I miss Ryuk too much. 😔
Profile Image for Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen).
426 reviews1,899 followers
February 22, 2017
Eh. This seemed to suddenly change directions and now nothing is like it was? The original premise and conflict that were so interesting seem to have been thrown to the side in exchange for these corrupt businessmen?

And will Misa ever do anything that doesn't revolve around Light??

What ever happened with the Police Chief's health? He had a heart attack like two issues ago, supposedly stress induced, and now all this goes down with his son but he is fine?

Why was Misa kept in sensory-deprivation confinement and Light was not?

Still continuing with the series, just feeling very 'meh' about this issue.
Profile Image for Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥.
601 reviews35.2k followers
September 5, 2023
I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =)

So this Volume unfortunately wasn’t as good as the others and the story kinda lost steam after Light was forced to give up the Death Note. I suppose I should have expected that it would go that way but for some reason I thought there would be a way around it or that the plot wouldn’t lose its touch once someone else had the Death Note.

Then again the cat and mouse game between L and Light could only go on for so long until this major step needed to be taken. I mean it was only logical that it couldn’t continue this way without getting boring. Sooner or later their mind games had to end in order to make room for something new. Still, I think the choice to give the Death Note into the hands of a finance company wasn’t the best one and even though the mystery about who of the eight board members has the Death Note is nice, it doesn’t really glue me to the pages. This said, my bet is on either Reiji Namikawa or Shingo Mido. *lol*
Both of them are strategic thinkers and would gain a lot by helping Yotsuba Finance. Just saying. XD

Tsugumi Ohba obviously tried to get a little bit of fresh air into the plot by adding two criminals to the taks force and Aiber – a con artist – and Wedy – a burglar and picklock - are definitely a nice addition to the cast. I’m not all too persuaded by the idea of the police deciding to cancel the task force and prohibiting its members from finding out who Kira is, though. Kira is still a mystery and his murders are all over the news so it seems to be a strange decision to go for this route. Also the fact that the task force lost another member because the police officially disbanded it felt slightly off.

Not too sure how everything is going to continue in the next volume but the fact the financial sharks took over most definitely doesn’t help to make it more attractive for me. The corporate aspect is just not as appealing as the personal one. I’ve been told that it gets better in the next volume, though so I’ll continue with the series and find out if Volume 6 will work for me. Fingers crossed it will! XD

________________________________

This was okay, not as good as the other first four volumes but still okay.
I kinda missed L’s and Light’s mind games in this one. XD

Full RTC soon! Won’t be long but I want to write a short one at least. ;-)
________________________________

August has been the worst reading month ever… I didn’t even manage to finish a single book and it’s already the 26th. Not going to lie, my hubby being hospitalized drained the life out of me and got me in a horrible reading slump. =(
Let’s hope “Death Note” will be able to get me out of it. If I read a couple of Mangas I might get into reading again. Wish me luck!
On the plus side: I really want to know how this continues after Vol.4 so my curiosity might help. *fingers crossed*

Find me on:
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Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,563 reviews462 followers
January 25, 2020
Death Note, Vol. 5: Whiteout (Death Note #5), Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata (Illustrator), Alexis Kirsch (Translator)

After a week locked up with no one but Ryuk for company, Light is ready to give up his Death Note and all memories of it. Freed from his past actions, Light is convinced he's innocent. But L is ready to keep Light under lock and key forever, especially since the killings stopped once Light was incarcerated. Then a new wave of Kira crimes hits Japan. Someone else has gotten their hands on a Death Note, and these new deaths aren't focused on making the world a better place, they're focused on making money. Big business can be murder, and Kira has gone corporate!
Profile Image for Swati Tanu.
Author 1 book560 followers
June 14, 2024
This book isn't as thrilling as the previous ones. It was a little tedious because the power to kill simply moved from one evil person to the next. Light and L's customary banter was conspicuously absent.

This seemed to abruptly shift gears, and now nothing is the same as it was. In exchange for these unscrupulous businesspeople, the initial premise and conflict that were so intriguing seem to have been tossed to the side. I enjoyed how L connected the dots at a rapid speed.


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Profile Image for Wera.
453 reviews542 followers
July 12, 2021
2.75 stars
**This is a spoiler free review (spoilers are hidden); it may contain spoilers for previous instalments in series (scroll down)**

After last volume, which I believed to be the best one so far, this one is a bit of a let down, with me rating it just below "good". That being said, I think that the pace will increase very soon as the scheming with the Yotsuba Corporation develops.

The first segment of the volume I found to be significantly better than the second half. After the shocking ending of Light relinquishing the Death Note I was anticipating the confinement story line and it did not disappoint. However, this lasted much shorter than I anticipated and when the plot moved on, even though I think the wrapping up of it was done well, I wasn't quite ready for the next segment to take such a turn.

Honestly, I do not really care about the corporation. The one part of the story line that I find to be interesting is the fact that now the readers are with L and we too can try to figure out which one of the board members is the third Kira.

But overall, I am missing Ryuk. He was not at all in this volume and he is my favorite Shinigami. Although I prefer Rem's design, Ryuk has so much more character and is the heart of this series, I think. I really hope he returns. I also wonder if Light will regain the Death Note because I loved the back and forth between him and L, whereas now he is just a bit boring...

All this being said, I did this this volume was fine. Not as great as the previous ones, but not everything can be 100% enjoyable all the time right?

*manga completed as part of the July art-month challenge

-----------------------------------
Volumes in manga:
#1 Boredom: ★★★.25
#2 Confluence: ★★★.75
#3 Hard Run: ★★★
#4 Love: ★★★★
#5 Whiteout: ★★.75
#6 Give-and-Take: ★★★★.25
Profile Image for Connor.
701 reviews1,701 followers
February 9, 2017
[4.5 Stars]

Still really great. This one has a lot of build-up for what will be going down in the next volume. I am so pumped for it!
Profile Image for Giota.
309 reviews49 followers
February 23, 2016
The plot, the character development, the execution are still perfect, but I have to admit I liked the original concept way better. I miss the Light-going-up-against-L-in-epic-fight-of-wits.

I don't care for the new characters that have been introduced and consequently I'm nowhere near as invested as I was. It's also taking a very Hollywood turn which makes everything very predictable.

Last, but not least, I'm disappointed by Misa's character development. I was hoping she's gradually mature and become an equal member of the crew. This series is missing a strong female character and after Naomi Misora, Misa was promising....but....I'm guessing this is a man's world.
September 27, 2023
L is the funniest little shit. I love me some emo boy ⛓️

Also, where's Light & L's banter gone now? The way their rivalry was so witty and coated with a thick layer of suspense, the way they outsmarted each other, it's all gone. Puffed in the air. The power of killing people is merely passing from one person to the next. Sorry not sorry idc about this yotsuba evil businessmen arc. Can we go back to Light being a hot sexy evil villian again?
967 reviews396 followers
September 29, 2018
I don't think the idea of forfeiting the death note was very good, but I think there was no way around it as everything got really tight and there must've been a way to clear it up.

I'm excited to know what comes up next.
Profile Image for Roula.
619 reviews187 followers
September 21, 2017
αρκετα πεσμενοι ρυθμοι σε αυτο το μερος.δεν υπηρχε καποια jaw dropping στιγμη ,οπως στα 4 προηγουμενα αλλα βλεπω οτι χτιζεται η συνεχεια η οποια πιστευω θα ναι πολυ δυνατη...#StillTeamL 👊👊
Profile Image for Lauren Lanz.
814 reviews290 followers
May 3, 2023
The Yotsuba arc isn’t as interesting as the rivalry between Light, Misa and L, though the fact that readers are unaware of the new Kira certainly adds a deeper layer of suspense. I’m officially at the point where I dropped the anime—not knowing what’ll happen next makes me really excited for more!
Profile Image for cherie ^_-★ (semi-ia).
100 reviews642 followers
Read
October 10, 2024
putting the rest of this series on hold for now ~

(i’ll be rating this series as a whole and writing a full review once i’m done with it!!)


pre-read:

i wanna dnf this series so badly and just watch the anime instead but i’m almost halfway through so i’m gonna push through 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
Profile Image for Drew Canole.
2,680 reviews17 followers
September 10, 2024
Light gives up his memories of the Death Note and is convinced he's innocent. Only L doesn't quite believe it. A new wave of crimes is hitting Japan that L links to Kira but it's a third Kira - this one seemingly more interested in personal gain.

Maybe the weakest chapter so far, but there is still a lot of intrigue.
Profile Image for Lilah.
290 reviews247 followers
July 10, 2021
Now that Light has lost his memory and is one of the good guys, I finally understood the meaning of "whoever owns the Death Note shall be cursed forever" (something along those lines). He did a complete 180. He may have had a kernel of evil inside him, but the diary really turned him into Mr. Satan in a matter of a few hours/days. Death Note-free Light is a compassionate guy, full of values and principles, and a fighter for justice.

I didn't like the new subplot with the corrupt company CEOs. I was still interested enough to not be able to put down the book.

Light's dad is such a drama queen.
Profile Image for Daniel.
804 reviews74 followers
April 16, 2018
Moram da priznam nisam ocekivao pravac u kom ce se prica razvijati i to je odlicno ali... sve je suvise zakompikovano. Pokusavaju ci da prikaze ove likove kao izuzetno pametne samo im je umanjio na vrednosti. Glavni razlog zbog kojeg citamo ovo jeste nadmudrivanje izmedju L i Lighta i toga trenutno nema. Si gurno ce mo dobiti u knjizici dve kako je sve ovo bio samo ogroman plan jednog ili drugog ali ostajem pri tome da je ovo pravac koji mi se nesvidja.
Profile Image for Roya.
192 reviews377 followers
March 22, 2015
Another flawless instalment. The humour, though short-lived and rare, was scintillating as always.



Ohba never fails to impress. Alas, it may be some time before I can return to the Kira Investigation. There seems to be an endless influx of trivial books that have taken a liking to butting themselves into my TBR list. If they were animate, you can be sure that I'd put them in my death note.



_____________________________

Reread on 22/03/2015
Profile Image for Elizabeth A.
1,998 reviews113 followers
November 15, 2020
This manga series seems to have pivoted into a different direction, and I for one am not enamored with this turn of events. Also, there is a very convenient out for the Kiras, and that particular device feels like a cheat of sorts. There's some interesting action, and a whole new cast of characters enters stage left - corporate types no less. I liked it, but it seems to have lost the propulsive drive of the initial books.
Profile Image for Kamil Bryl.
137 reviews16 followers
September 1, 2024
TOPOS KOBIETY JAKO CYCKI/DUPA odhaczony w poprzednim zeszycie, możemy wrócić do dobrej zabawy, niesmak jednak pozostał.
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