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Death Note

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"Death note" redirects here. For other uses, see Death Note (disambiguation).
Death Note
File:SNote.jpg
Cover of the first tankōbon for Death Note featuring Ryuk and Light Yagami
デスノート
(Desu Nōto)
GenreMystery, Psychological thriller, Supernatural thriller
Manga
Written byTsugumi Ohba
Illustrated byTakeshi Obata
Published byJapan Shueisha
English publisherAustralia New Zealand Madman Entertainment
Canada United Kingdom United States Viz Media
MagazineJapan Weekly Shōnen Jump
 Malaysia Arena Komik
DemographicShōnen
Original runDecember 2003 – May 2006
Volumes12 (List of volumes)
Manga
Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases
Written byNisio Isin
Published byJapan Shueisha
English publisherCanada United Kingdom United States Viz Media
PublishedAugust 1, 2006
Anime
Directed byTetsurō Araki
Written byToshiki Inoue
StudioMadhouse
Released October 3, 2006 – June 26, 2007
Anime
Death Note: Rewrite
Directed byTetsurō Araki
Written byToshiki Inoue
StudioMadhouse
ReleasedAugust 31, 2007
Anime
Death Note: Rewrite 2
Directed byTetsurō Araki
Written byToshiki Inoue
StudioMadhouse
ReleasedAugust 22, 2008
Video game
Death Note Kira's Game
DeveloperKonami
PublisherKonami
GenreAction
PlatformNintendo DS
Video game
Death Note: Successor to L
DeveloperKonami
PublisherKonami
GenreAction
PlatformNintendo DS
Video game
L the Prologue to Death Note: Spiraling Trap
DeveloperKonami
PublisherKonami
GenreAction
PlatformNintendo DS

Death Note (デスノート, Desu Nōto) is a Japanese manga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The series centers on Light Yagami, a university student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a shinigami (death god) named Ryuk. The Death Note grants its user the ability to kill anyone whose face they have seen, by writing the victim's name in the notebook. The story follows Light's attempt to create and rule a world cleansed of evil using the notebook, and the complex conflict between him, his opponents and a mysterious detective known to the world only as L.

Death Note was first serialized in 108 chapters by Shueisha in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006. The series was also published in tankōbon format in Japan starting in May 2004 and ending in October 2006 with a total of twelve volumes. The series was adapted into live-action films released in Japan on June 17, 2006, on November 3, 2006, and on February 2, 2008. The anime series aired in Japan from October 3, 2006, to June 26, 2007. Composed of 37 episodes, the anime was developed by Madhouse and directed by Tetsuro Araki. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was released in Japan. Additionally, various video games have been published by Konami for Nintendo DS.

Viz Media licensed the Death Note manga in North America and has published all the twelve volumes from the series as well as the light novel. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable by IGN. Viz later licensed the anime series and it aired on Bionix. The live-actions briefly played in certain North American theaters since 2008. However, none of the video games titles have thus far been published in North America.

Several publications for manga, anime and other media have added praise and criticism on the Death Note series. The plot and violence from the story have been praised, noting it to be very entertaining. However, the series was banned in China due to various problems people had with children altering their notebooks to resemble the Death Note.

Plot

See also: List of Death Note characters

Light Yagami is an extremely intelligent young man who resents what appears to be a relentless increase of crime and corruption in the world around him. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the "Death Note", lying on the ground. The Death Note's instructions claim that if a human's name is written within it, that person shall die. Light is initially skeptical of the notebook's authenticity, but after experimenting with it, he realizes that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, a shinigami named Ryuk, Light seeks to become "the God of the New World" by passing his keen judgment on those he deems to be evil or who get in his way.

Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of the International Police Organization and a mysterious detective known only as "L". L quickly learns that the serial killer, dubbed by the public as "Kira" (キラ, derived from the typical Japanese pronunciation of the English word "killer"), is located in Japan. He also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a game of psychological cat and mouse between the two begins.

Misa Amane, another Death Note owner, finds Light. Obsessed by Kira after the death of her parents' murderer, she devotes herself to helping Light, but is captured by L. Light makes a plan involving renouncing ownership of both Death Notes, and all of his memories of them, and turns himself in to L for surveillance. Together, Light and L investigate eight people from the company "Yotsuba" who are using Light's Death Note for their own profit. While arresting them, Light recovers all his memories when he touches the Death Note. He remembers and continues his plan of compelling the former owner of Misa's Death Note, the shinigami Rem, into killing L and his aide Watari.

After L's death, Light is given the position of the "new L" by the Japanese Task Force. Four years later, Near and Mello - two children who were raised to be successors to L - appear, with the goal of finding Kira. In the meantime, Kira has gained much public support, and has contacts. Mello, one of L's successors, kidnaps Sayu Yagami, Light's little sister, as a bargaining chip to get the Death Note. The Japanese Task Force plan to go to Los Angeles to rescue Sayu but end up losing the Notebook. The task force later attempts to retrieve it and succeeds in doing so; but, as a result of an explosive that Mello uses to cover his escape, Soichiro Yagami, Light's father, dies.

Near begins to suspect the second L of being Kira thus causing some members of the Japanese task force to also openly suspect him. Realizing the risk of being caught, Light has Misa give up ownership of her Death Note. He then finds his next successor, Teru Mikami, a strong, almost crazed Kira supporter. Mikami later recruits a new spokesman for Kira, Kiyomi Takada, a newscaster and one of Light's former college girlfriends. Teru Mikami and Kiyomi Takada continue killing criminals while Light is unable to do so himself. Kiyomi is later kidnapped by Mello and is forced to kill him with a hidden piece of the Death Note. Light kills Kiyomi to avoid her implicating him after she uses the note to kill Mello. In a final confrontation between Light and Near, the latter reveals that the former is Kira. Light's name is then written in a Death Note by Ryuk, as he stated he would at the beginning of the series. Light suffers a heart attack and dies.

Production

The Death Note concept did not derive from any single source but rather a general concept involving Shinigami and "specific rules."[1] Tsugumi Ohba wanted to create a suspense series because he did not feel that he could have created a fight-style series and that the genre had few suspense series. After publication of the pilot chapter the series was not expected to be approved as a serialized comic by the author who did not consider it to "fit with Jump." Ohba said that when he learned that Death Note received approval and that Takeshi Obata would create the artwork he "couldn't even believe it."[2] Due to positive reactions to the series Death Note became a serialized manga series.[3]

"Thumbnails" were created incorporating dialog, panel layout, and basic drawings, and were sent to the illustrator. The editor reviewed the thumbnails and sent them to back to the illustrator (Obata) with the script set in stone and the panel layout "mostly done." Obata then determined the expressions and "camera angles" and created the final artwork. Ohba concentrated on the tempo and the amount of dialogue, making sure that the text was as concise as possible. Ohba commented that he believed "reading too much exposition" would be tiring and would negatively affect the atmosphere and "air of suspense." Significant artistic license was given to the illustrator who worked on basic descriptions, such as "abandoned building",[4] and this extended to the design of the Death Notes with Obata possessing free rein. Obata originally thought of the books as "'Bible-like'...something you would automatically think was a Death Note." He also felt this design would seem "difficult to use" and instead opted for an easy-to-use college notebook. At a later point the concept of Death Notes looking different from one another, depending on the human era (such as Death Notes in ancient Japan looking like scrolls and Death Notes in medieval Europe looking like The Old Testament) was conceived.[5]

When Ohba decided on the plot he internally visualized the panels while being on his bed, drinking tea, or walking around his house, needing to feel relaxed while visualizing the panels. On many occasions the original draft was too long and needed to be refined various times before the desired "tempo" and "flow" for the chapter was finalised. The writer remarked on his preference for reading the previous "two or four" chapters carefully to ensure consistency in the story.[1]

The typical weekly production schedule consisted of five days for creating and thinking and one day using pencil to insert dialogue into rough drafts; after this point the writer faxed any initial drafts to the editor. The illustrator's weekly production schedule involved one day with the thumbnails, layout, and pencils and one day with additional penciling and inking. Obata's assistants usually worked for four days and Obata spent one day to finish it. Obata said that sometimes he took a few extra days to color pages and that this "messed with the schedule." In contrast, the writer took three or four days to create a chapter on some occasions, while on others he took a month. Obata said that his schedule remained consistent except when he had to create color pages.[6]

Ohba and Obata rarely met in person during the creation of the serialized manga; instead the two met with the editor. The first time they met in person was at an editorial party in January 2004. Obata said that, despite the intrigue, he did not ask his editor about Ohba's plot developments as he anticipated the new thumbnails every week.[2] The two did not discuss the final chapters with one another and they continued to talk with the editor. Ohba said that when he asked the editor if Obata had "said anything" about the story and plot the editor responded '"No, nothing" [laughs].'[4]

Ohba claims that the series ended more or less in the manner that he intended for it to end; he considered the idea of L defeating Light Yagami with Light dying but instead chose to use the "Yellow Box warehouse" ending. According to Ohba the details had been set "from the beginning."[3] The writer wanted an ongoing plot line instead of an episodic series because Death Note was serialized and its focus was intended to be on a cast with a series of events triggered by the Death Note.[7] 13: How to Read states that the humorous aspects of Death Note originated from Ohba's "enjoyment of humorous stories."[8]

Ohba said that he did not have a theme that he wished to express throughout the series but that, had he been required to choose one, it would be that "Humans will all eventually die and never come back to life, so let's give it our all while we're alive." He said that he did not intend for Death Note to push an ideology or make a statement about good and evil, and that Near's statement in Volume 12 about deciding right and wrong is closest to his own personal belief. Ohba also remarked that he understands how debate can form from the story; the answers to the questions raised become "ideological" and he believed this development would be "dangerous" and not "interesting in a manga." This aspect was ultimately omitted from Death Note.[9]

When the writer was asked, during an interview, whether the series was meant to be about enjoying the plot twists and psychological warfare, Ohba responded by saying that this concept was the reason why he was "very happy" to place the story in Weekly Shōnen Jump. He said that because Death Note is aimed at "the young" the reader can "push back ideology" and focus on "pure entertainment." He also said that if the series was aimed at an older audience he would expect "more debate over the issues" and therefore believed the story would have had to develop in that direction.[9] Death Note 13: How to Read states that debate about good and evil "sometimes" appears in the series and that the "answer" to the debate is left for the reader to decide.[10]

Ohba was also asked what he considered the most important thing in Death Note, and he responded by saying, "the human whose name is written in this note shall die"; in contrast, Obata responded to the same question by answering "impossible to say."[6]

Pilot chapter

The Death Note process began when Ohba brought thumbnails for two concept ideas to Shueisha; Ohba said that the Death Note pilot, one of the concepts, was "received well" by editors and attained positive reactions by readers.[3] Ohba described keeping the story of the pilot to one chapter as "very difficult" and he said that he remembered it took over a month to begin writing the chapter. He added that the story had to revive the killed characters with the Death Eraser and that he "didn't really care" for that plot device.[11]

Obata said that he wanted to draw the story after he heard of a "horror story featuring Shinigami."[2] According to Obata, when he first received the rough draft created by Ohba, he "didn't really get it" at first and he wanted to work on the project due to the presence of Shinigami and because the work "was dark."[11] He also said he wondered about the progression of the plot as he read the thumbnails, and if Jump readers would enjoy reading the comic. Obata said that while there is little action and the main character "doesn't really drive the plot" he enjoyed the atmosphere of the story. He stated that he drew the pilot chapter so that it would appeal to himself.[11]

Ohba brought the rough draft of the pilot chapter to the editorial department. Obata came into the picture at a later point to create the artwork. They did not meet in person while creating the pilot chapter. Ohba said that the editor told him he did not need to meet with Obata to discuss the pilot; Ohba said "I think it worked out all right."[2]

Adaptation

Tetsuro Araki, the director, said that he wished to convey aspects that "made the series interesting" instead of simply "focusing on morals or the concept of justice." Toshiki Inoue, the series organizer, agreed with Araki and added that, in anime adaptations, there is a lot of importance in highlighting the aspects that are "interesting in the original." He concluded that Light's presence was "the most compelling" aspect; therefore the adaptation chronicles Light's "thoughts and actions as much as possible." Inoue noted that, to best incorporate the manga's plot into the anime, he "tweak[ed] the chronology a bit" and incorporated flashbacks that appear after the openings of the episodes; he said this revealed the desired tensions. Araki said that, because in an anime the viewer cannot "turn back pages" in the manner that a comic reader can, the anime staff ensured that the show clarified details. Inoue added that the staff did not want to get involved with every single detail, so the staff selected elements to emphasize. Due to the complexity of the original manga, he described the process as "definitely delicate and a great challenge." Inoue admitted that he placed more instructions and notes in the script than usual. Araki added that because of the importance of otherwise trivial details, the notes became crucial to the development of the series.[12]

Araki said that when he discovered the Death Note anime project, he "literally begged" to join the production team; when he joined he insisted that Inoue should write the scripts. Inoue added that, because he enjoyed reading the original comic, he wished to use his effort.[12]

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Death Note chapters

The Death Note manga series was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump published by Shueisha in December 2003. The series has since ended in Japan with a total of 108 chapters. Later, the individual chapters were collected into twelve separate tankōbon. In April from 2005 Death Note was licensed for publication in North America by Viz Media,[13] and the first English-language volume was released on October 10, 2005.[14] In February 2008, a one-shot special was released. Set two years after the manga's epilogue, it sees the introduction of a new Kira and the reactions of the main characters in response to the copycat's appearance.[15] Several Death Note yonkoma (four-panel comics) appeared in Akamaru Jump. The yonkoma were written to be humorous. The Akamaru Jump issues that printed the comics include 2004 Spring, 2004 Summer, 2005 Winter, and 2005 Spring. In addition Weekly Shōnen Jump Gag Special 2005 included some Death Note yonkoma in a Jump Heroes Super 4-Panel Competition.[11]

In addition, a guidebook for the manga was also released in October 13, 2006. It was named Death Note 13: How to Read and contained data relating to the series, including character profiles of almost every character that is named, creator interviews, behind the scenes info for the series and the pilot chapter that preceded Death Note. It also reprinted all of the yonkoma serialized in Akamaru Jump and the Weekly Shōnen Jump Gag Special 2005.[16][17] Its first edition could be purchased with a Death Note themed diorama which includes five finger puppets inspired by Near's toys. The five finger puppets are Kira, L, Misa, Mello, and Near. In North America, 13: How to Read was released in February 19, 2008.[18]

Live-action films

Death Note was adapted into a series of live-action films in 2006. The films were directed by Shūsuke Kaneko, produced by Nippon Television, and distributed by Warner Bros., Pictures Japan. The first film, simply titled Death Note, premiered in Japan on June 17, 2006 and topped the Japanese box office for two weeks, pushing The Da Vinci Code into second place.[19] The first movie briefly played in certain North American theaters on May 20–21, 2008[20] The film was broadcast in Canadian theaters for one night only on September 15, 2008. The DVD was released on September 16, 2008, one day after the Canadian showing.[21] The sequel, Death Note: The Last Name, premiered in Japan on November 3, 2006.[22] It was featured in U.S. films on October from 2008.[23] A spinoff from the films named L: Change the World was released in Japan on February 9, 2008. It is focused on the final 23 days of L's life, as he solves one final case involving a bio-terrorist group.[24] Two dubbed versions of the film were shown in the United States on April 29 and 30, 2009.[25]

Death Note has been optioned for a live-action Hollywood remake. A 2007 article in The Star (Malaysia) states that more than ten film companies in the United States expressed interest in creating a remake.[26] Vertigo Entertainment is currently set to develop an American Death Note remake.[27] In April 2009, it was announced that WB had acquired the rights to make a live-action version of the manga, and had hired Charley and Vlas Parlapanides to adapt the script. The new film will be based upon the original manga series rather than the existing live-action films.[28]

Soundtracks

Main article: Death Note original soundtracks
File:Deathnotesoundof.jpg
Cover of the live-action film Sound of Death Note featuring Tatsuya Fujiwara (left) as Light Yagami and Ken'ichi Matsuyama (right) as L.

There have been several soundtracks released for this series, such as the ones for the film adaptations and also for the anime adaptation. Sound of Death Note is a soundtrack featuring music from the first Death Note film composed and arranged by Kenji Kawai. It was released on June 17, 2006 by VAP.[29] Sound of Death Note the Last name is the soundtrack from the second Death Note film, Death Note the Last name. It was released on November 2, 2006.[30] Death Note Tribute is a tribute album dedicated to the live action movie for the Death Note film. Published by BMG Japan on June 21, 2006 Japan, it contains 15 tracks performed by various artists, such as Shikao Suga, M-Flo, Buck-Tick and Aya Matsuura. The soundtrack came with a cosplay Death Note notebook.[31] Another tribute album is The Songs for Death Note the movie～the Last name Tribute dedicated to the second film. Published by Sony Music Entertainment Japan on December 20, 2006, it contains 14 tracks performed by various artist, such as Orange Range, abingdon boys school, High and Mighty Color, Doping Panda and Galneryus.[32]

The music from the anime was composed by Yoshihisa Hirano and Hideki Taniuchi, while the CDs were also published by VAP. The first one was Death Note Original Soundtrack, which was released in Japan on December 21, 2006. It contains music from the series with the first opening and ending themes sung by the Japanese band Nightmare in the TV size format.[33] Death Note Original Soundtrack II was first released in Japan on March 21, 2007. It features the new opening and closing themes by Maximum the Hormone in the TV size format.[34] The third CD, Death Note Original Soundtrack III was released on June 27, 2007. The tracks 1-21 were composed and arranged by Taniuchi, while the tracks 22-28 were composed and arranged by Hirano. The album features one track sung by Aya Hirano, who was also the seiyū of Misa Amane in the anime series. Also appearing on this soundtrack is the ending theme Coda～Death Note, which can be heard at the end of the final episode of the anime as the credits are shown.[35]

Light novels

A light novel adaptation of the series has been written by Nisio Isin, called Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases (アナザーノート — ロサンゼルスBB連続殺人事件). The novel was released by Shueisha on August 1, 2006.[36][37] It serves as a prequel to the manga series, with Mello narrating the story of L's first encounter with Naomi Misora during the Los Angeles "BB Serial Murder Case" mentioned in volume 2 of the manga. Beside Naomi's character, the novel focuses on how L works and one of the criminals L has to chase down. Insight was given into Watari's orphanage and how the whole system of geniuses such as L, Mello, Beyond Birthday, Matt and Near were put to work. Viz released the novel in English on February 19, 2008.[38] The film L: Change the World was also adapted into a light novel with the same name on December 25, 2007 by "M",[39] While the novel is similar to the movie, there are many siginifgant changes to the plot (for example, Near is not a Thai boy, but the same Near that appears in the manga). It also reveals more information about L and his past. Viz released it on October 20, 2009.[40]

Anime

Main article: List of Death Note episodes

The Death Note anime, directed by Tetsurō Araki and animated by Madhouse, began airing in Japan on October 3, 2006, and finished its run on June 26, 2007, totaling 37 twenty-minute episodes.[41] It is set in the year 2007, instead of starting at the year 2003. The series aired on the Nippon Television network "every Tuesday at 24:56".[42] The series was co-produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, Shueisha, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP.[43]

In North America, the series has been licensed by Viz for residents in the United States to use "Download-to-Own" and "Download-to-Rent" services while it was still airing in Japan. This move is seen as "significant because it marks the first time a well known Japanese anime property will be made legally available to domestic audiences for download to own while the title still airs on Japanese television."[44] The downloadable episodes contain the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles,[45] and is available through IGN's Windows-only Direct2Drive service.[46] DVDs of the series are also being released,[45] containing both an English dubbed audio track, produced by The Ocean Group, and the original Japanese audio track with optional English subtitles.[47] Viz announced at Anime Expo 2007 that the first DVD was officially released on November 20, 2007, in both regular and special editions,[48] and also confirmed at Comic-Con International 2007 that the first 15,000 copies of each DVD contains collectible figures.[49]

Death Note was slated to make its North American television premiere in Canada on YTV's Bionix programming block on September 7, 2007;[50] however, the show was removed from the schedule at the last minute.[51] The Canadian premiere was pushed back to October 26, 2007, at 10:00 p.m., when it finally premiered. Death Note premiered in the U.S. on October 20, 2007, at 11:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.[52] The last episode aired on Canada's YTV channel on July 4, 2008, with Adult Swim airing it 2 days later. YTV took away the show on July 5, 2008, with the last airing being the last episode rerun @ 1:30am ET, as part of YTV moving the Bionix block to a 2-hour only block on Saturdays.[53] The show also streams online for free on Adult Swim Video, with a new episode uploaded every Saturday afternoon, on the day of its broadcast premiere.[54]

A two-hour animated Death Note Rewrite: Visions of a God' (DEATH NOTEリライト·幻視する神, Desu Nōto Riraito: Genshisuru kami) TV special aired on Nippon Television in Japan on August 31, 2007, at 8:00 PM. It is a recap which takes place after the series end, where a Shinigami approaches Ryuk in the Shinigami realm in order to learn more about the human world. Instead, Ryuk tells him of all the events leading up to the last story arc, about Light Yagami and his rival L. Originally, this special was advertised as a retelling told from Ryuk's point of view, but it does not give a different point of view from what was originally told. However, it contains updated dialog, as well as a few new scenes.[55]

The Japanese broadcaster NTV has aired the Death Note: Rewrite 2: L's Successors (Death Note Rewrite 2: L o Tsugu Mono) special on August 22, 2008. Like the first special, this new compilation summarized a part of the 2006–2007 television anime series. Specifically, it recounted the final half of the suspenseful supernatural story, including the investigators Near and Mello's confrontations with the vigilante Kira. This version notably features more updates than the previous one, most notably omission of the mafia plot, moving Light's meetings with Mikami and Takada to earlier and having them be the ones to kill the SPK.[56]

Video games

A Death Note video game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo DS, titled Death Note Kira Game (デスノート キラゲーム, Desu Nōto Kira Gēmu), was released on February 15, 2007.[57] Kira Game is a strategy game where the player takes on the role of Kira or L. These are just titles, as any character can be Kira or L. The player will attempt to deduce who their enemy is (Kira will try to uncover L's identity and vice versa). This will play out in 3 phases: Investigation, where the player will discuss the case and clues with other characters; Voting, where each member of the investigation team casts a vote on who they suspect is L or Kira based on the player's performance in the previous phase; L/Kira, where the player can either focus their investigation on one member to see if they are Kira (L part) or force a member off of the team (Kira part).[58] A sequel to the game, Death Note L o Tsugumono (デスノート Lを継ぐ者, Desu Nōto Eru o Tsugu Mono, literally "Death Note: Successors to L"), was released in Japan on July 12, 2007. The storyline is based on the second part of the manga, featuring characters such as Mello and Near.[58]

A third game, L the Prologue to Death Note -Rasen no Trap- (L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -螺旋の罠-, L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -Rasen no Torappu-, literally "L the Prologue to Death Note: Spiraling Trap"), was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 7, 2008.[58][59] The player assumes the role of a rookie FBI agent who awakens in a strange hotel and attempts to escape with the help of L, who provides assistance via an in-game PDA. The story is set before the Kira investigation in the original series.[59]

Several characters from Death Note appear in Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars, a fighting game featuring a plethora of characters from Shōnen Jump titles. Light, Ryuk and L appear in Jump Super Stars as support characters. In Jump Ultimate Stars Misa, Near, and Mello are added as support characters as well.[60][61]

Reception

As of June 2006, Death Note has sold around twenty million copies in Japan.[62] On December 31, 2008, Comipress reported that the twelve volumes from the series had sold 26,500,000 copies.[63] It was also nominated for Best Manga at the 2006 American Anime Awards but lost.[64][65] In 2007, the first three volumes of Death Note were on the American Library Association's 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top Ten list.[66] On ICv2's "Top 10 Shonen Properties Q2 2009", Death Note was the third best manga property from North America.[67] During January from 2007, Oricon made a poll in which they asked Japanese fans from manga and anime which characters from any series they would most like to see in spinoff series. The overall winner from the poll was L, who also ranked first in the women's poll and second in the men's poll.[68]

Various publications for several types of media have commented on the Death Note manga, adding praise and criticism. Anime News Network (ANN) writer Zac Bertschy noted that the difference between Death Note and other manga from the same genre was very big due to the murders the main character (Light Yagami) commits as well as how he hides his identity of Kira. Although Bertchy mentioned some readers from other shonen would be surprised with the dark themes of Death Note, he praised the series for its "great art, great story, compelling characters."[69] Julie Rosato from Mania Entertainment found the story to be very entertaining, having liked Light's development in the story and L's introduction as well as how the latter starts suspecting of the former's identity. Additionally, he praised the story as it is "building a climax" with each detail introduced in the first chapter, making the reader to look forward to upcoming chapters.[70] Briana Lawrence from ANN liked the series' ending as most of the characters from the story were "given a chance to shine" and due to the fact the notebook and other aspects from the series had little importance in the focus of Death Note and now they play a more important part. However, she did not like how the epilogue made no mention of what happens with Misa Amane and how Near and Mello were still treated like parts of L.[71] Shūsuke Kaneko, director of the film versions of the series, said that the manga series "barely touches" pain felt by the Death Note's victims, so he decided to use a different focus with the film series.[72]

Douglas Wolk of Salon said that a rumor circulated stating that the creators intended to create Death Note to last half as long as its actual run; according to Wolk the rumor stated that Ohba and Obata had been persuaded to lengthen the storyline when Death Note's popularity increased. In addition he said that fans wrote "thousands" of Death Note fan fiction stories and posted them on the internet.[73] Carl Kimlinger, in Protoculture Addicts, called Death Note "morally repellant" and said it "presents a worldview that is both shallow and repulsively misanthropic."[74]

The anime was also commented with Tom S. Pepirium of IGN saying that Death Note's "heavy serialized nature" is what "makes the show so engaging and discussion worthy."[75] Pepirium, saying that translating Death Note is "no small task," said that Stephen Hedley created a dub with "nothing clunky." Pepirium added that Karl Willems, director of the dub, assembled a "stunning voice cast of professionals" with a "solid tone minus some of the cheesy yelling and screaming of other dubs."[76] John Powers of the NPR show Fresh Air finds the show "addicting" and equates its similarity to the American TV series Lost.[77] It was also listed as the 51st best animated show in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.[78]

"Running over thirty-seven 20 minutes episodes, the anime sticks much closer to the manga so takes a far more languid approach to storytelling, better fleshing out the fantastic characters of Light and his nemesis, L. Light in particular is one of the most layered characters to appear in anime in a long time. -Hyper[79]

The novelization L: Change the World became the second top selling light novel in Japan during 2008.[80] A.E. Sparrow of IGN reviewed the novel Another Note and gave it a 9.5 out of 10. Sparrow said that the author understood "what made these characters click so well" and "captures everything that made the manga the compelling read that it is." Sparrow said that fans of Death Note who read Another Note will "find a welcome home" in the Nisio Isin's work that "adds a few more fun layers" to the Death Note franchise.[81]

Banning by People's Republic of China

Early in 2005, school officials in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province (People's Republic of China), banned Death Note.[82] The immediate cause was that students had been altering notebooks to resemble Death Notes and then writing the names of acquaintances, enemies, and teachers in the books.[83][84] The ban was designed to protect the "physical and mental health"[85] of students from horror material that "misleads innocent children and distorts their mind and spirit."[86] Jonathan Clements has suggested that the Chinese authorities acted partly against "superstition" but also against illegal, pirate publishers of Death Note.[87] The ban has been extended to other Chinese cities including Beijing,[85][88] Shanghai and Lanzhou in Gansu Province.[89] Legally published Chinese language versions of Death Note are published in Hong Kong and in Taiwan.[87]

Copycat crimes and imitations

A Death Note.
See also: Copycat crimes and Manga Murder

There have been various copycat crimes around the world which were based on Death Note. On September 28, 2007, two notes written with Latin characters stating "Watashi wa Kira dess [sic]" (私はキラです, meaning "I am Kira" in Japanese) were found near the unidentified remains of a Caucasian male in Belgium. Nothing was found on or near the victim besides these two notes.[90] A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, United States was suspended after being caught possessing a replica "Death Note" notebook with the names of fellow students.[91]

In South Carolina, U.S. in 2008, school officials seized a "Death Note" notebook from a Hartsville Middle School student. District officials linked the notebook to the anime/manga. The notebook listed seven students' names. The school planned a disciplinary hearing and contacted the seven students' parents. The principal, Chris Rogers, sent letters to all the students' parents saying "Regardless of the origin of the book, we take the situation very seriously. The safety of our school family is always our top priority. We treat situations like this the same as if a student called in a bomb threat or brought a weapon to school. While there may not be any serious intent to do anyone harm, we cannot and will not take that chance with our students. We will take all steps necessary to ensure our students' well-being."[92]

In Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. two sixth grade boys were arrested for possessions of "Death Notes" that listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was found the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county's schools. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer.[93]

In Broolyn, New York a 8th grade studen by the name Matthew Johnson of St.Edmund elementary school was found with a Death Note. The studen was no charged or suspended due to the school's understanding of his situation. The Death Note showed only one name and was clear to be "a way to express angery in a non-violent way".


In Gig Harbor, Washington, U.S. one middle school student was expelled and three were suspended on May 14, 2008 for having their own "Death Note" books. A father of one of the students said that the notebook was "an outlet for frustration from about two years of bullying."[94]

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