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Death Note
File:Deathnote011.jpg
Screenshot from the anime series.
GenreDetective Fiction, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Shōnen, Supernatural
Manga
Written byTsugumi Ohba (story)
Takeshi Obata (art)
Published byJapan Shueisha
Anime
Directed byToshiki Inoue
StudioMadhouse
Anime
Death Note
Directed byShusuke Kaneko
StudioWarner Bros.
Anime
Death Note: The Last Name
Directed byShusuke Kaneko
StudioWarner Bros.
Manga
Written byNisio Isin
Video game
PlatformNintendo DS

Death Note (デスノート, Desu Nōto) is a Japanese manga series originally written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The series primarily centers around a high school student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it.

Death Note first began as a manga series. It was first serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shonen Jump from the first issue in December 2003 to May 2006, with 108 chapters in total. The series has been published in its entirety in 12 graphic novels in Japan, and is currently in publication in North America. The series has been adapted into a pair of live-action films (released in Japan on June 17 2006 and November 3 2006 respectively), and an anime series which commenced airing in Japan on October 3 2006. Also, a novelization of the series, written by light novelist Nisio Isin, was released in Japan on August 1 2006.

Plot

Main article: Plotline of Death Note

Light Yagami is a brilliant, but bored, high school student who resents the crime and corruption in the world. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the "Death Note", lying on the ground in the year 2003. 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 Death Note's authenticity, believing it is just a prank. However, after experimenting with it and killing two criminals, Light is forced to admit that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the true owner of the Death Note, a Shinigami named Ryuk, Light seeks to become "the God of the new world" by passing his judgment on criminals.

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" (derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "Killer"), is located in Japan. L also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a race to prove mental superiority between the two begins.

Characters

Template:Spoilers

Main article: Characters of Death Note

Main characters

Light Yagami
Light Yagami (Kira) (夜神 月, Yagami Raito) Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano
The main character of Death Note, Light is a brilliant but bored 17-year old student. When he finds the Death Note dropped in the human world by Ryuk, a Shinigami, he decides to use it to kill all criminals, his ultimate goal being to cleanse the world of evil to create a utopia and to be the God of this new world. He called himself Justice.
File:LandhisTea.PNG
L
L (エル, Eru) Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi
L is the world's top-rated detective, tasked with tracking down and arresting Kira, and Light's nemesis. His disheveled appearance masks his great powers of deduction and insight. L has many quirks, such as sitting in an odd manner and snacking on sweets in the middle of meetings. He often takes drastic strategies to confuse and force his opponents, and on several occasions he has willingly disclosed several of his weaknesses to Kira at the risk of his own life in the hopes that he would lure him into a trap.
File:Misa Amane.jpg
Misa Amane
Misa Amane (弥 海砂, Amane Misa) Voiced by: Aya Hirano
A girl with an immense crush on Kira. She is a popular idol in Japan, and tends to wear clothing in many different styles, depending on what she is doing. She is immature and has a tendency to refer to herself in the third person (calling herself "Misa-Misa") in an attempt to be cute. Misa is totally devoted to Light, and she once said that she loved him "at first sight". Light, however, only views her as an asset to his plans because of her Death Note and her "Shinigami Eyes" (that she obtained at the cost of half of her remaining life span). These "Shinigami Eyes" give Misa the ability to know people's names by looking at their faces, thereby giving Kira an edge in his battle against his enemies. Misa read in the newspapers that the murderer of her family was punished by Kira, explaining her total devotion to him, regardless of whether she thinks of his actions as good or evil.
Mello (メロ, Mero)
Mello was an orphan who grew up with Near in Watari's shelter for gifted children. Like Near, Mello was one of the candidates to become L's successor. Similar to L's fondness for sweets, he is often seen eating bars of chocolate, perhaps in trying to be more like L. Contrary to Near and L, Mello, although quite intelligent, often lets his emotions get the better of him.
Near (ニア, Nia)
Near was a primary candidate to become L's successor and calls himself N during the course of his investigations. He too shares a similarity to L: much like L played with things such as sugar cubes and forks, Near is seen playing with toys and his hair throughout the series. He offered to join forces with Mello to fight Kira. When Mello turned down his offer, he gained the support of the US government and formed the Secret Provision for Kira (SPK).

Shinigami (The Death Gods)

Shinigami, or their formal name Death Gods, are demon-like characters who live in the Shinigami Realm. To increase their life-span, the Shinigami write the names of humans in their Death Notes. However, because the Shinigami realm is incredibly dull, this act is usually laughed at, and thus done in privacy. Shinigami cannot be killed by physical methods, such as stabbing or shooting, and must follow a strict set of rules if they want to live without punishment.

File:Ryuuk.gif
Ryuk
Ryuk (リューク, Ryūku) Voiced by: Shidou Nakamura
The original Shinigami who dropped the Death Note in the human world, which Light would pick up. Acting out of pure boredom, Ryuk begins the story of Death Note on a whim. Perhaps neutral by nature, Ryuk often refuses to aid Light and instead enjoys watching him struggle for his goal. The most important facet of Ryuk's character is that he is not Light's friend. He acts for his own interests and entertainment and often fails to tell Light key details about the Death Note. Ryuk is selfish, however, and will aid Light if it serves his own goals, such as providing amusement or obtaining apples.
File:Rem.gif
Rem
Rem (レム, Remu) Voiced by: Kimiko Saitou
The female Shinigami who first gives Misa her Death Note and "eyes." Similar to Ryuk, Rem possesses two Death Notes; however, she purposely gives a Death Note to Misa Amane. Rem inherited her second Death Note from Jealous and thought it only right to pass it on to Misa. Oddly enough, Rem inherits Jealous' love for Misa as well and is prompt to defend Misa even at the cost of her life. She brings this to light when she openly shows her lack of trust for Light stating that if Misa dies before her time, Rem will kill Light thus ending her own life as well.
Jealous (ジェラス, Jerasu) Voiced by: Ken'ichi Matsuyama
Jealous only appears in a flashback during volume 4 when Rem explains a method to kill a Shinigami. In the flashback, Rem recalls Jealous watching over a younger Misa Amane in the human world. Surprised by his concern, Rem eventually looks over his shoulder and witnesses what should have been Misa Amane's last moments on Earth. Apparently infatuated with Misa, Jealous used his Death note to kill Misa's destined murderer. Moments later, Jealous himself turns to a pile of sand and rust as punishment for extending a human life. Rem got her second Death Note from the dead Jealous. Jealous's name is commonly misspelled as "Gelus," which was how Jealous's name was romanized until Death Note: How to Read 13 revealed the official spelling as Jealous.
Shidoh
Shidoh is a Shinigami that came to the human world to retrieve the Death Note that Ryuk stole from him. After discovering his Death Note was in the hands of Mello, he reveals himself to Mello and informs him of its secrets. Known amongst the Shinigami for his utter stupidity, Shidoh proves himself true to his reputation.
Armonia Jastin Beyondllemason (Jastin the Jewel Skeleton)
Though only appearing for a brief segment in Volume 8, Jastin provides Shidoh with several scrolls describing the various rules that Shinigami have for interacting with humans. He also informs Shidoh that his Death Note was indeed stolen by the Shinigami Ryuk. Shidoh uses the information to guide his interactions with Mello in the human world.

Investigation team

A group of Japanese police officers, led by Soichiro Yagami, tracking down Kira alongside L.

Soichiro Yagami (夜神 総一郎, Yagami Sōichirō) Voiced by: Naoya Uchida
Light's father and leader of the investigation team, dedicated and determined to arrest Kira at any cost. He cares a lot for his family. It was mentioned in the Death Note volume 13 that Soichiro was the only character who truly represented justice.
Tota Matsuda (松田 桃太, Matsuda Tōta) Voiced by: Ryo Naito
The most outspoken member in the investigation team. Although most of the Investigation Team are adamant that what Kira is doing is wrong, Matsuda wavers on the fence, often speaking his mind without thinking - questioning if what Kira is doing is in fact right. An impulsive, ill-advised decision to enter the Yotsuba Building on his own allows the investigation team easier access to the Yotsuba group. He's also the most easily fooled by Light, whom he trusts with absolute certainty. He is the youngest member of the police investigation team.
Kanzo Mogi (模木 完造, Mogi Kanzō) Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai
Mogi is one of the most dedicated members of the investigation team. He remains mostly silent. This silence was marked when he refused to answer Near's questions about the Japanese Investigative Team, even when he was clearly affected by the theories that Near was presenting to him. He collects data quickly and efficiently for the team, and is also shown to be an excellent actor, showing an excitement and cheeriness completely opposite of his usual demeanor.
Shuichi Aizawa (相沢 周市, Aizawa Shūichi) Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara
Outspoken and somewhat hot-tempered, Aizawa is oldest member of the team under Chief Yagami. Aizawa chose to leave the investigation team and remain in the police force, when L offered the investigation team members the choice of quitting and returning to the life of a normal police officer. He continued assisting the investigation team as a member of the Japanese police force after he left.
Watari (Quillsh Wammy) (ワタリ, Watari) Voiced by: Kiyoshi Kobayashi
L's assistant. He acts as logistics to the investigation team. He founded "The Wammy's House" an orphan shelter for gifted young children such as L, Mello, and Near. Also, as evidenced during the police chase at the end of volume six, he is an experienced sniper.
Hideki Ide (伊出 英基, Ide Hideki)
Questioning L's integrity, Ide leaves the investigation team before the face-to-face confirmation meeting with L. Works with police force in hostage situation at Sakura TV. He later rejoins the investigation team. His role in freeing Sayu Yagami is assigned due to him being the "least noticeable", ironic in that Ide has no eyebrows and in his later disguise including a Hitlerlike moustache.
Hirokazu Ukita (宇生田 広数, Ukita Hirokazu) Voiced by: Hidenobu Kiuchi
Ukita disobeys orders and attempts to stop Sakura TV from airing the videotapes mailed to the station by the "fake Kira". He dies of a heart attack at the television station's entrance.

Other characters

Sachiko Yagami (夜神 幸子, Yagami Sachiko) Voiced by: Ai Satou
Light's mother and Soichiro's wife. She plays a minor role in the storyline, unaware of Light's possession of the Death Note.
Sayu Yagami (夜神 粧裕, Yagami Sayu) Voiced by: Haruka Kudo
Light's younger sister. She plays a minor role in the main storyline, unaware of Light's possession of the Death Note. She is captured at one point by Mello, who uses her as leverage to gain possession of a Death Note.
Raye Penber (レイ・ペンバー, Rei Penbā) Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa
Raye Penber is a member of an FBI team sent to Japan to investigate the Kira killings. Tasked to investigate the life of Light Yagami covertly, his covert actions were detected by Ryuk, who tells Light not because he was on his side, but because it was creeping him out. Light then devises an ingenious plan that forces Penber to unsuspectingly kill the rest of the undercover FBI team right before he dies.
In the movies, his name is changed to Raye Iwamatsu (レイ・イワマツ, Rei Iwamatsu).
Naomi Misora (南空 ナオミ, Misora Naomi) Voiced by: Naoko Matsui
A former FBI agent. Engaged to Raye Penber. She was the first character to realize that Kira can kill in other ways than a heart attack. Upon the death of her fiancé she sets off on an investigation of her own to discover Kira's identity. Despite her minimal role in the manga and anime, she is a more important character in the first movie, becoming Light's second-greatest antagonist (L being the greatest). However, she was killed by Light in a chance encounter, as he realized that she poses a great threat, having known the circumstances behind the death of Raye Penber.
Kyosuke Higuchi (Yotsuba's Kira, Third Kira) (火口 卿介, Higuchi Kyosuke) Voiced by: Issei Futamata
The head of technological development in the Yotsuba group, Higuchi is the third Kira to appear. Higuchi is given the Death Note by Rem after she is told by Light to find a corrupt and power-hungry man. He uses the Death Note to increase his own power.
Teru Mikami (Fourth Kira) (魅上 照, Mikami Teru)
Mikami gains possession of the Death Note from Light. Under the belief that Kira is a god, he continues to kill criminals while Light is being watched to drive off suspicions. Mikami has a similar concept of justice as Light.

Death Note

A Death Note is a book held by a Shinigami which has the power to kill people if certain conditions are met. All Death Notes follow a long set of specific rules, and the writer revealed a few of these rules with each volume of the manga in Japan.

Rules of the Death Note

Main article: Rules of the Death Note

Written rules

Before releasing his Death Note into the human world, Ryuk wrote some of the rules on the first page in English, because he believed that English is the most popular language in the world. The rules written by Ryuk are the following:

  • The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
  • This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
  • If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject's name, it will happen.
  • If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack.
  • After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

Each volume of the manga has a page containing new rules or possible uses for the Death Note. In the anime series, each eyecatch contains a different rule written in both English and Japanese, similar to how they were revealed in the Japanese manga. Two new rules are revealed every episode.

False rules

In addition to these original rules, Light persuaded Ryuk to add a set of fake rules to mislead L and company.

  • If the owner of the Death Note does not kill within 13 days of the last entry, he or she will die.
  • If the Death Note is burnt, destroyed, or otherwise damaged in any way, all those who have touched that Death Note will die.

Media

Death Note began as a manga series which was later adapted to become a set of live-action films, an anime based on the manga, and a Light Novel. A game is also scheduled to be released.

Manga

See also: List of Death Note manga

The Death Note manga series was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen 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. Later, a 13th volume titled "Death Note - How to Read" was released, helping to elucidate some mysteries left at the end of the manga, like the destiny of some characters. Death Note was eventually licensed for North American publication by VIZ Media,[1] and the first English language volume was released on October 4 2005.[2] The manga has since been published in several different languages including English, German and Chinese. Currently, VIZ Media has released nine volumes of Death Note in English.

To date, Death Note has sold around 20 million copies in Japan.[3]

Movies

File:Death Note Movie.jpg
A promotional poster of the Live-Action film, showing Tatsuya Fujiwara as Light (left) and Ken'ichi Matsuyama as "L" (right)

Death Note has also been adapted for big screen in the form of two live-action films, both directed by Shusuke Kaneko and produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan[4] The first film (simply called Death Note) premiered in Japan on June 17 2006 and topped the Japanese box office for two straight weeks, pushing The Da Vinci Code into second place.[5] It is mostly faithful to the manga (with some slight alterations such as the addition of Light's girlfriend Shiori and the circumstances in which Light and L first meet), starting with Light in a university and flashing back a year or so to him receiving the Death Note. It ends with his first meeting with L.

The second movie, Death Note: The Last Name, premiered on November 3 2006, and instantly topped the Japanese box office,[6] remaining at number one for four straight weeks,[7] and grossed 5.5 billion yen in Japan by the end of the year, making it one of the year's highest grossing Japanese films.[8] It combines elements from the rest of the storyline creating an outcome similar to the manga, but with a few key differences.

A spin-off film, featuring L as the main character,[9] is currently in production to be released in Japan in 2007. The sequel currently in production and is set in the United States.

Death Note (死亡筆記) was released in Hong Kong on August 10 2006, Taiwan on September 8 2006, Singapore on October 19 2006 & Malaysia on November 9 2006 with English and Chinese subtitles. The sequel was released in Hong Kong on November 3 2006, in Taiwan on November 24 2006, in Singapore on December 28 2006, and in Malaysia on January 25 2007, with English and Chinese subtitles. The world premiere was shown in UA Langham Place cinema in Hong Kong on October 28 2006, and this was the first Japanese movie having its world premiere in Hong Kong. It is also available in American specialty stores. Although the dialogue is still only in Japanese, the DVD has English subtitles.

DVD

See also: List of Death Note DVD (Japanese)

Currently, there are only three Death Note DVDs out in Japanese.

Theme songs

First Movie

Second Movie

Movie Cast

Light novel

A light novel adaption of the series has been written by Ishin Nishio, called Death Note: Another Note.[10][11] 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. Insight was given into Watari's orphanage and how the whole system of geniuses such as L, Mello and Near were put to work.

Anime

The Death Note anime, produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television and VAP, began airing in Japan on October 3 2006,[12] and is currently scheduled to run for 37 episodes.[13] Contrary to the movies, the anime series follows the manga's original storyline with just a few alterations on the character designs and order of facts, as well as a few additional scenes not featured in the manga. It is also set in the year 2007 instead of starting at the year 2003.The series currently airs on the Nippon Television network every Wednesday at 00:56.[14]

As of January 10, 2007, the series has been licensed by VIZ Media for United States residents to use "Download-to-Own" and "Download-to-Rent" services while it is 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".[15] The downloadable episode will contain the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles.[16] DVDs of the series will also be released,[16] containing both an English audio track and the Japanese audio track with English subtitles.[17] Release dates have not been confirmed for either release,[16] but VIZ has implied that the first DVD will be released in the fourth quarter of 2007.[17]

Anime theme songs

Opening theme
"the WORLD" by Nightmare
Ending theme
"Alumina" (アルミナ, Arumina) by Nightmare

Episodes

Main article: List of Death Note episodes

Video game

A Death Note for the Nintendo DS, entitled Death Note: Kira Game, was released on February 15 2007.[18] 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). [19]

Several characters from Death Note appear in Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars, a fighting game featuring a plethora of characters from Shonen Jump titles. Thes include Light/Kira/Ryuk, L, Misa, Near, and Mello.

Soundtracks

Main article: Death Note original soundtracks

There have been several soundtracks released for this series, such as the ones for the movie adaptations and also for the anime adaptation.

The Shenyang Incident

Some schools in Shenyang, China have banned the manga after some of their students started to tease friends and teachers by altering a stationery notebook to resemble a Death Note and writing their names in them.[20]

The newspaper Shenyang Night Report called Death Note "poison, creating wicked hearts".[20] Others however, including one major Chinese newspaper, feel that the ban is an overreaction and is inappropriate.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Death Note Licensed by Viz". Anime News Network. 2005-04-20. Retrieved 2006-11-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Releases: Death Note G.novel 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2006-11-19.
  3. ^ "Death Note Author Arrested on Weapons Offence". ComiPress. 2006-06-07. Retrieved 2006-11-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |work= (help)
  4. ^ "Official Death Note Live-Action Website" (in Japanese). Warner Bros. Retrieved 2006-11-19.
  5. ^ "Death Note Tops Box Office Again". Anime News Network. 2006-06-27. Retrieved 2006-12-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Death Note Wins Japanese Box Office Weekend". Anime News Network. 2006-11-07. Retrieved 2006-11-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Death Note Notches Fourth Week at #1". Anime News Network. 2006-11-27. Retrieved 2006-11-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Japan's Top 10 Box Office Hits in 2006". Anime News Network. 2007-01-08. Retrieved 2007-01-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "今度の主役は"Ｌ"、映画・デスノート"外伝"上演決定！". Sankei Sports. 2006-12-01. Retrieved 2006-12-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) (in Japanese; English version available)
  10. ^ "Death Note, XXXHOLiC Novels in the Works". Anime News Network. 2006-05-09. Retrieved 2006-12-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "西尾維新 × DEATH NOTE". Shueisha (in Japanese). Retrieved 2006-12-21.
  12. ^ "Shueisha TV Guide" (in Japanese). S-book.net. Retrieved 2006-11-09. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "Nippon Television Network Program Catalogue: Animation" (PDF). Nippon Television. p. 4. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  14. ^ "Official Death Note Anime Website" (in Japanese). Nippon Television. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  15. ^ "Viz Media Secures Landmark Agreement To Make Death Note Anime Series Available For Download". Anime on DVD. 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-01-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ a b c "Death Note Release Won't be Limited to Downloads". Anime News Network. 2007-01-13. Retrieved 2007-01-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ a b "New York ComicCon 2007 - Viz Media - Anime". Anime News Network. 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2007-02-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Death Note Ads Starting To Make Their Way Into Magazine Pages". QJ.net. 2006-08-19. Retrieved 2006-12-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |work= (help)
  19. ^ "Official Konami Website for Death Note: Kira Game" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2007-02-03.
  20. ^ a b c "Death Note Stirs Controversy in China". Anime News Network. 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2006-11-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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