Death Note

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"Death note" redirects here. For other uses, see Death Note (disambiguation).

Death Note

Cover of the first tankbon for Death Note featuringRyuk and Light Yagami

(Desu Nto)

Genre

Mystery, Psychological thriller,Supernatural thriller Manga

Written by Illustrated by

Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata

Published by English publisher Demographic Magazine Original run Volumes

Shueisha Madman Entertainment Viz Media Shnen Weekly Shnen Jump December 2003 May 2006 12 (List of volumes) Novel

Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases Written by Published by English publisher Published Nisio Isin Shueisha Viz Media

August 1, 2006 TV anime

Directed by Written by Studio Licensed by

Tetsur Araki Toshiki Inoue Madhouse Madman Entertainment Viz Media Warner Bros. Television Manga Entertainment

Network English network

NTV, Animax ABC2 YTV, SCREAM Cartoon Network (Adult Swim) October 3, 2006 June 26, 2007 37 (List of episodes) Game Death Note Kira's Game

Original run Episodes

Developer Publisher Genre Rating Platform Released

Konami Konami Action CERO: A Nintendo DS

JP

February 15, 2007 Game

Death Note: Successor to L Developer Publisher Genre Rating Platform Released

Konami Konami Action CERO: A Nintendo DS

JP

July 12, 2007 Anime film

Death Note: Relight: Visions of a God Directed by Written by Studio Released Runtime Tetsur Araki Toshiki Inoue Madhouse August 31, 2007 130 minutes Game L the Prologue to Death Note: Spiraling Trap

Developer Publisher Genre Rating Platform Released

Konami Konami Action CERO: A Nintendo DS

JP

February 7, 2008 Anime film

Death Note: Relight 2: L's Successors Directed by Written by Studio Released Runtime Tetsur Araki Toshiki Inoue Madhouse August 22, 2008 100 minutes Anime and Manga Portal

Death Note ( Desu Nto?) is amanga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernaturalnotebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a death god named Ryuk. It centers around Light's attempt to create and rule a world cleansed of evil using the notebook and the efforts of a detective known as L, and subsequently his successors, Near and Mello, to stop him. The Death Note grants its user the ability to kill anyone whose name they know, by writing the name in the notebook while picturing their face. Death Note was first serialized in 108 chapters by Shueisha in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006. The series was also published in tankbon 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 byTetsuro 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 interesting. However, the series was banned in China due to various problems people had with children altering their notebooks to resemble a Death Note. On April 30, 2009, Variety magazine announced that Warner Bros. acquired the rights for the Death Note manga to be adapted into a live-action movie in the United States. Warner Bros. has hired screenwriters Charley and Vlas Parlapanides to adapt the manga into a screenplay. Unlike the Japanese Death Note live-action movie trilogy, the US-version will be directly adapted from the material in the manga and will not follow the storyline of the Japanese movie adaptations.[1] As of May 10, 2010, IMDb has listed the movie under pre-production with a tentative release date in 2011.
Contents
[hide]

1 Plot 2 Production o 2.1 Pilot chapter o 2.2 Adaptation 3 Media o 3.1 Manga o 3.2 Live-action films

3.3 Soundtracks o 3.4 Light novels o 3.5 Anime o 3.6 Video games 4 Reception o 4.1 Banning by People's Republic of China 5 Copycat crimes and imitations 6 References 7 External links
o

[edit]Plot
See also: List of Death Note characters Light Yagami is an 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, as well as various other rules. Light is initially skeptical of the notebook's authenticity, but after experimenting with it using criminals, he realizes that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, a shinigami named Ryuk, Light plans to become a god and establish a new world order by passing his keen judgment on those he deems evil and anyone who gets in his way. Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention ofInternational 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 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 and that he is in Japan, after he uses a convicted criminal named Lind L. Taylor whose capture was kept secret, and who was condemned to die at that hour, pretending he is L so Light kills him. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a nuanced game of psychological cat and mouse between the two begins.

L realises Kira is getting information from inside the task force and sends 12 FBI agents to follow people connected to the Japanese police. Light tricks Raye Penber, his tail, into showing his ID, after which he kills all the FBI agents. Naomi Misora, Raye's fiancee, suspects Kira was one of the people he tailed, but Light finds out and makes her commit suicide using the Death Note. Misa Amane, another Death Note owner, finds Light, after sending a video in which she claims to be Kira. She possesses Shinigami eyes which allow her to see a person's name and Lifespan, but cost half her remaining life. Obsessed with 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, as Rem threatens to kill him if Misa is not freed. Together, Light and L investigate eight people from the company "Yotsuba" who are using a Death Note for their own profit. While arresting the third Kira Higuichi, 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, which kills Rem as a Shinigami cannot purposely extend a human's life. Light then gets her Death Note. Meanwhile Misa gets Shinigami eyes again from Ryuk. 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 in an orphanage founded by Watari - 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 who has joined the Mafia, kidnaps the Director of the NPA, but after Kira kills him, he kidnaps Sayu Yagami, Light's little sister, as a bargaining chip to get the Death Note. The Japanese Task Force plans to go to Los Angeles to rescue Sayu but ends up losing the Notebook. The Task Force later attempts to retrieve it and succeeds in doing so, they also get Mello's real name. However, as a result of an explosion that Mello uses to cover his escape and one of his henchmen, Light's father Soichiro Yagami 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, who kills Kira's last spokesman for their greed which helped Near escape from a crowd of Kira supporters. 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. Mikami, unaware of this action, writes her name in his notebook, exposing it to the members of the SPK. Near has it replaced with a fake notebook and, in a final confrontation with Light, is able to use it to prove that Light is Kira. Realizing that Light had lost, Ryuk writes down Light's name in his own notebook, killing him with a heart attack.

[edit]Production
The Death Note concept did not derive from any single source but rather a general concept involving Shinigami and "specific rules."[2] 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."[3] Due to positive reactions to the series Death Note became a serialized manga series.[4] "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",[5] and this extended to the design of the Death Notes with Obata possessing free rein. Obata originally thought of the books as "'Biblelike'...something you would automatically think was a Death Note." He also felt this design would seem "difficult to use" and instead opted for an easyto-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 Europelooking like The Old Testament) was conceived.[6] 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.[2] 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.[7] 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.[3] 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].'[5]

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."[4] 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.[8] 13: How to Read states that the humorous aspects of Death Note originated from Ohba's "enjoyment of humorous stories."[9] Ohba said that a theme that he wished to express throughout the series was that, "no human has the right to pass judgement on another's actions. No one should play god." He said that he intended Death Note to push an ideology about good and evil, and that Near's statement in Volume 12 about deciding right and wrong came about from his own personal belief. 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 Shnen Jump. 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."[7]
[edit]Pilot

chapter

The Death Note process began when Ohba brought thumbnails for two concept ideas toShueisha; Ohba said that the Death Note pilot, one of the concepts, was "received well" by editors and attained positive reactions by readers.[4] 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.[10] Obata said that he wanted to draw the story after he heard of a "horror story featuring Shinigami."[3] 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."[10] 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.[10] 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."[3]
[edit]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.[11] 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.[11]

[edit]Media
[edit]Manga

Main article: List of Death Note chapters The Death Note manga series was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shnen 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 tankbon. In April from 2005 Death Note was licensed for publication in North America by Viz Media,[12] and the first English-language volume was released on October 10, 2005.[13] 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.[14] Several Death Note yonkoma (four-panel comics) appeared in Akamaru Jump. The yonkoma were written to be humorous. TheAkamaru Jump issues that printed the comics include 2004 Spring, 2004 Summer, 2005 Winter, and 2005 Spring. In addition Weekly Shnen Jump Gag Special 2005 included some Death Note yonkoma in a Jump Heroes Super 4-Panel Competition.[10] In addition, a guidebook for the manga was also released in October 13, 2006. It was namedDeath 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 Shnen Jump Gag Special 2005.[15][16] 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 on February 19, 2008.[17]
[edit]Live-action

films

Death Note was adapted into a series of live-action films in 2006. The films were directed byShsuke 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.[18] The first movie briefly played in certain North American theaters on May 2021, 2008[19] 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.[20] The sequel, Death Note: The Last Name, premiered in Japan on November 3, 2006.[21] It was featured in U.S. theaters in October 2008.[22] A spinoff from the films namedL: 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.[23] Two dubbed versions of the film were shown in the United States on April 29 and 30, 2009.[24] 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.[25]"Sound of Death Note" (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved June 13, 2009.</ref>
[edit]Soundtracks

Main article: Death Note original soundtracks

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.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28]Another tribute album is The Songs for Death Note the moviethe Last name Tributededicated 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.[29] 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.[30] 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.[31] The third CD, Death Note Original Soundtrack III was released on June 27, 2007. The tracks 121 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 seiy of Misa Amane in the anime series. Also appearing on this soundtrack is the ending theme CodaDeath Note, which can be heard at the end of the final episode of the anime as the credits are shown.[32]
[edit]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 ( BB?). The novel was released by Shueisha on August 1, 2006.[33][34] 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.[35] The film L: Change the World was also adapted into a light novel with the same name on December 25, 2007 by "M",[36] While the novel is similar to the movie, there are many significant 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.[37]
[edit]Anime

Main article: List of Death Note episodes The Death Note anime, directed by Tetsur 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.[38] It begins in the year 2006, instead of 2003. The series aired on theNippon Television network "every Tuesday at 24:56".[39] The series was coproduced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, Shueisha, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP.[40] 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."[41] The downloadable episodes contain the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles,[42] and is available through IGN'sWindows-only Direct2Drive service.[43] DVDs of the series are also being released,[42]containing both an English dubbed audio track, produced by The Ocean Group, and the original Japanese audio track with optional English subtitles.[44] Viz announced at Anime Expo 2007 that the first DVD was officially released on November 20, 2007, in both regular and special editions,[45] and also confirmed at Comic-Con International 2007 that the first 15,000 copies of each DVD contains collectible figures.[46]

Death Note was slated to make its North American television premiere in Canada on YTV'sBionix programming block on September 7, 2007;[47] however, the show was removed from the schedule at the last minute.[48] 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,[49] until January 10, 2010, when the contract expired.[50] The last episode aired on Canada's YTV channel on July 4, 2008, and on Adult Swim two days later. YTV took away the show on July 5, 2008, with the last airing being the last episode rerun at 1:30 a.m. ET, as part of YTV moving the Bionix block to a 2-hour only block on Saturdays.[51] The show also streamed online for free on Adult Swim Video, with a new episode available every Saturday afternoon, on the day of its broadcast premiere.[52] A two-hour animated Death Note Rewrite: Visions of a God' (DEATH NOTE Desu Nto Riraito: Genshisuru kami?) TV special aired on Nippon Television in Japan on August 31, 2007, at 8:00 p.m. 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.[53] The Japanese broadcaster NTV 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 20062007 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.[54] This version features more updates than the previous one, most notably omission of the mafia plot.