reading update: Death Note, D.Gray-Man, Samurai Deeper Kyo

[meganbmoore]

Death Note Vol 11: You know, some manga can continue indefinately, but most have an expiration date.  Death Note’s was around volume 9.  What used to be it’s greatest strength-the insanely analytical logic and outmaneuvering-has become clunky and draggy (something I never thought I’d say at one point) and, as much as I like Near and Mello, the new characters simply don’t compare to the ones that’ve been killed off.  Because they’re boring and I don’t like them, I can barely remember Mikami and Takeda’s names, and they’re pretty much the two most important characters right now, aside from Light.  I don’t mean I don’t like them in the same context of the love/hate relationship with Light, who’s one of the more interesting manga characters ever-they’re just boring and unlikable and their main purpose is to make the story last a little bit longer, so I have to focus to not zone out when the focus is on them.  There’s only one book left so it’s worth sticking it out, but they should have just skipped the plot with Mikami and Takeda(and you know, I don’t even know if I’m getting their names right, but I care about them so little that I don’t really care) and wrapped the series up earlier.

D.Gray-Man Vol 6:  Ok, I have to ask:  Why is it that all the exorcists already with the order are pretty cool and fun(and I’m counting Allen among them), but all the exorcists they’re finding and bringing in are just so…pathetic(and in one case, so extremely grating on the nerves that if she’d stayed around as a regular character, I probably wouldn’t have been able to…at least Krory can have his interesting moments, though)  Allen the card shark was both scary and completely fun, though of course he popped right back to his sweet, shiny-eyed self right after.  Komui’s serious mode when talking about the fallen men was interesting, and it made me think of both Roy Mustang in Full Metal Alchemist and Yukimura in Samurai Deeper Kyo.  Despite the minimal use of Kanda(why must I continuously latch on to the characters who tend to disappear for volumes at a time?  It dates all the way back to Blade of the Immortal and Magatsu…) this was a great volume, and the series is climbing higher and higher on my list.

Samurai Deeper Kyo Vol 22:  Aaah…so nice to have Yuya back to her cheerful, greedy self and (deservedly) yelling at Kyo for being his crass jerk of a self(and really, how did he expect her to react, saying she couldn’t go any further with them…I think he just missed being yelled at)  And of course the rest of the cast is standing ten feet away, talking about their relationship with both of them oblivious to it. It’s like 

 

chomiji says, if something is so obvious that Hotaru of all people, who thinks Yuya’s name is “Kyo’s girl,” notices it, it must be REALLY obvious…to everyone but those involved.  I particularly loved the part where Akira brought up the fact that she tends to get kidnapped a lot and Benitora mentioned his being the worst offender, and then Benitora reminding him what happened the last time Kyo tried to leave Yuya behind(Yuya gets mad, Yuya goes off on her own, Yuya gets kidnapped.  Kyo rushes to the rescue as soon as he realizes he left Yuya alone in an enemy infested place.  Everything goes back to the way it was before) and you can see Kyo just deflating as he’s defeated.  And of course when she’s about to die he turns all demonic, grabs Shinrei’s head like it’s a balloon he’s about to pop and goes “You will die” in one of those booming apocalyptic voices(really, if THAT didn’t clue those two in…)  Never change you two, seriously.  Except for the part where you finally get around to making greedy, red-eyed babies and Yuya realizes how beneficial it could be monetarily when her man is about the biggest, baddest, scariest thing ever born and most bounties are of the “dead or alive” variety.  And then of course there’s Akari.  Hmm…how do I explain Akari to anyone reading this who doesn’t know about Akari yet?  *ponders*  Akari is Fushigi Yugi’s Nuriko on crack.  And much more devoted to “her” chosen lifestyle.  And, like the rest of the SDK cast, able to obliterate entire time zones if you say the wrong thing when she’s in the wrong mood.  And really, the fact that this was the closest thing Akira and Hotaru had to a stable, feminine, maternal influence goes a LONG way to explaining how they turned out the way they did.  So yes, I love Akari very, very much.  Heck, she’s the only thing that can regularly unsettle Akira. (Apologies to anyone who expected something nice and coherent here)