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ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ

Памятка по работе с тетрадью достижений.

Тетрадь достижений – это средство, которое помогает ребенку наглядно представить пройденное по предмету, увидеть свое движение в овладении каждым умением и определить, в каком направлении ему нужно приложить особые усилия.

Название «Тетрадь достижений» — условное, его придумывают дети после того, как начинают работать с тетрадью. Когда название предлагает ученики, можно понять, какой смысл приобрела для ребят новая для них работа. Обычно учащиеся предлагают такие названия: «Мои умения», «Что я умею», «Мои оценки», «Достижения», «Чему и как я научился». Можно договориться об одном названии, а можно каждому ребенку оставить то, которое ему больше нравится.

Тетрадь достижений вводится в первом классе, после погружения «Я – гимназист». Важно, что до этого момента ученики работают с качественным оцениванием, учатся выделять качественные умения в своей работе (не «правильность», а подробные: работа с числовой прямой, сложение до 10 и т. д.).

В первом и втором классах тетрадь содержит только изучаемые умения и результаты. В третьем и четвертом классах в тетрадь включается план повторений, а поэтому название тетради может измениться. Кроме того, в тетрадь достижений со второго класса можно включать «помощники» — правила, законы и пр. Для этого необходимо отвести несколько страниц в конце тетради.

Как выглядит тетрадь достижений?

Страница тетради выглядит как таблица, в которой левая вертикальная колонка содержит список умений, а правая колонка – шкалы, на которых показан уровень овладения данным умением, и дата, когда это предметное умение проверялось. Рядом со шкалой обязательна дата оценивания, поскольку ребенок может наглядно увидеть свое движение и определить, какие пробелы ему нужно ликвидировать.

Пример тетради достижений учащихся 1-2 класса.

Мои умения	Дата и оценка
Многозначных чисел
Многозначных чисел
Решение уравнений

Пример тетради достижений учащихся 3-4 класса.

Первая часть тетради похожа на тетрадь первого и второго класса, но вместо шкал (волшебных линеечек) могут быть отметки, которыми пользуются ученики:

	Мои умения	Дата и оценка
	Чтение и запись многозначных чисел
	Умножение многозначных чисел

Вторая часть тетради содержит план повторений:

Что повторять	Как повторять	Результат
Умножение многозначных чисел	Помощь Саши И.
Деление многозначного на однозначное число	Консультация учителя Решение примеров (10 карточек)

В конце тетради можно вносить правила, законы, справки.

Пример введения тетради достижений.
В первом классе
, на одном из уроков, после того, как учитель совместно с детьми разработал критерии отличной работы, педагог предлагает попробовать выполнить на «отлично» 4 задания из 8 имеющихся. На доске выписаны все умения, которые проверяются в заданиях, карточки с заданиями подписаны по умениям. Восемь заданий соответствуют восьми изученным умениям, например, на доске запись «умею работать по линейке», а на карточке эта же запись и задание, в котором необходимо измерить изображенный отрезок Т и построить отрезок К длиной 4 см. Среди восьми заданий есть и простые, и более сложные, которые только начали изучать. Большинство первоклассников, как правило, не выбирают карточки, а берут все подряд. В итоге далеко не все выполняют работу на «отлично». При обсуждении итогов работы учитель удивляется, что отличных работ не очень много, хотя ему казалось, что все могут взять только те задания, которые очень хорошо умеют делать. Как правило, первоклассники отвечают, что они не могли быстро понять, умеют они это «очень-очень хорошо делать» или нет, а времени было немного. Тогда учитель предлагает завести специальную тетрадку, в которую можно записывать то, чему учимся на уроках, и как хорошо умеем выполнять задания. Педагог заранее готовит страницу тетради, вписывает те умения, которые проверялись последней работой, а ребятам рассказывает, как можно тетрадь использовать, и предлагает попробовать ее заполнить. После того, как дети поработают с тетрадью, т. е. выпишут в нее полученные оценки, учитель предлагает придумать название тетради, чтобы не путать ее со всеми остальными тетрадками.

В дальнейшем важно, что название умения должно быть понятно детям, лучше, если названия предлагают сами ученики.

Во втором классе
ведение тетради начинается после проведения стартовой контрольной работы .

После выполнения контрольной работы ученики вместе с учителем выделяют умения, на которые направлены задания. Учитель выписывает все умения на доске, при этом более частные умения объединяет общим названием. Так как работа выполняется сразу после каникул, без повторения, то у ребят может быть большее количество ошибок, чем в конце первого класса. Все ошибки за один урок исправить сложно, поэтому появляется необходимость в фиксации умений, над которыми надо поработать. Учитель напоминает о тетради достижений. Во втором классе лучше продолжить тетрадь, начатую в конце первого класса. Для этого на летний период можно собрать тетради и оставить их в классе. В отличие от первого класса во втором классе ученики сами записывают умения, учитель помогает только тем ребятам, которые работают очень медленно.

В третьем и четвертом классах
ведение тетради начинается также после проведения стартовой контрольной работы. После фиксации результатов выполнения стартовой работы учитель объявляет, что третьеклассники – взрослые ученики, которые могут самостоятельно исправлять недочеты. Но если недочетов много, надо спланировать работу по их устранению. Учитель предлагает в этой же тетради вести план повторений. С детьми обсуждает, как можно исправлять работу, кто может помочь в улучшении умений. В итоге появляются способы преодоления трудностей, повторения материала (используются детьми при заполнении графы «как повторять»):

Обратиться за помощью к другому ученику

Обратиться за помощью к учителю (прийти на консультацию)

Самостоятельно решить несколько заданий на данное умение

Просмотреть прошлогодние тетради

Посмотреть справочник, словарь, и т. д.

Когда заполнять тетрадь достижений?

После проведения любой проверочной, контрольной, самостоятельной работы – той работы, где ребенок проверяет усвоение материала. Работа может содержать задания на одно-два умения, а может на несколько. Учитель после детской самооценки проверяет работу, оценивает ее с помощью шкал, написанных детьми. Если ученик не увидел какого-либо умения, то учитель добавляет шкалу с соответствующей записью. Если работа проверяла одно-два умения, то заполнить тетрадь достижений можно тут же на уроке: дети переносят шкалу с оценкой в свою тетрадь. Если же работа была большой, то уместнее заполнять тетрадь на занятии, на консультации или дома. В первом и втором классе обязательна помощь учителя. В третьем классе помощь требуется не всем ученикам. Если ученик заполнял тетрадь дома, то учителю необходимо проверить, все ли он смог выполнить. Для ребенка такая проверка должна выглядеть не как контроль, а как помощь.

Как и когда в тетради появляются названия новых умений?

1. На уроке после выполнения проверочной работы и ее фронтального анализа по выделению умений.

2. На уроке изучения новой темы после того, как дети называют эту новую тему в виде умения. Умение можно записать в тетрадь достижений, не выполняя еще никакой проверочной работы на это умение.

3. В период подготовки к проверочной работе.

4. В тетради могут появляться индивидуальные умения, касающиеся конкретного ученика. К примеру, учитель обнаруживает, что ученик неверно оформляет уравнение. Именно это умение (оформление уравнения) он просит внести в тетрадь, чтобы ученик мог регулярно отслеживать его выполнение.

5. По инициативе самого ученика.

В первом и втором классе умения носят узкий характер, скорее напоминают алгоритм. К третьему классу умения более обобщены (например, решение уравнений в четвертом классе, а во втором

В рабочей тетради умения напоминают алгоритм выполнения задания, в тетради достижений умение более обобщено. К примеру, в рабочей тетради при изучении уравнений дети фиксируют выделение целого и частей, способ решения, проверку. В тетради достижений это одно умение – умение решать уравнение.

В процессе усложнения учебной программы происходят уточнения в названии умений. Если в первом классе ученики записывают умение «решение задачи», то в третьем классе это умение уточняется: «решение задачи типа а+(а±в)», «решение задачи на целое, состоящее из равных частей». Ученики постепенно учатся записывать умения в сокращенном виде, к примеру, вместо слова «сложение» ставят знак «+», сокращают слова, изображают в виде символа (вместо умения строить чертежи изображают отрезок).

Где ученик использует тетрадь достижений?

1. Ученик пользуется тетрадью во время подготовки к проверочной работе и в работе над ошибками (просматривает, что ему надо исправить, в чем потренироваться).

2. Ученик приходит на консультацию к учителю. Он может показать тетрадь достижений и попросить задание на умение, которое низко оценено, или попросить помощи в преодолении какого-либо затруднения.

3. Если учитель на уроке предлагает выбрать задания на оценку, то ученик может посмотреть в тетради, на какое умение он не выполнял работу на оценку и именно его выполнить.

4. Если учитель предлагает выбрать задания для домашней работы, то ученик может брать задание на то умение, которое имеет невысокую оценку, и тем самым дополнительно потренироваться.

5. Ученик может показать тетрадь достижений родителям: понятно, что уже изучено, и какого движение ученика.

Где учитель может использовать тетрадь достижений?

Учитель может использовать тетрадь во время встречи с родителями: показывать объем изученного материала, движение ученика, трудности, с которыми он сталкивается.

Вместо названий умений ученик может записывать номер соответствующего умения, т. к. оно находятся в этой же тетради.

Как правило, в школах существует единая форма титульного листа тетрадей:

для работ по русскому языку

ученика(цы) _ класса __


______
школы ____

города _________________


фамилия, имя (обязательно в родительном падеже: тетрадь чья? кого? И имя полностю: не Насти, а Анастасии, не Саши, а Александра.

Школьные тетради — один из первых обязательных документов которые учится правильно оформлять, подписывать школьник. Сделать это не сложно если следовать общепринятому шаблону. Прежде всего обращаем внимание, что на самой обложке уже есть слово ТЕТРАДЬ
и ниже готовые линейки. Иногда после слова Тетрадь уже напечатано Для работ по русскому языку
, но если этого нет заполняем сами, помня, что предлог ПО
относится к предмету и должен стоять на одной линейке с его названием. В следующей строке пишем ученика-ученицы 3 класса Б
. Однако иногда требуют ставить литеру класса перед словом класса
или заключать ее в кавычки. Ниже пишем название учебного заведения
, сейчас это часто непонятная аббревиатура с номером и еще ниже какого города. На последних двух строчках пишем Фамилию
и Имя
.

То есть следуем этому примерному образцу:

Тетрадь для работ по русскому языку.

Ученика (цы) __ класса _
школы

Фамилия Имя.

Стандартный вариант.

У меня дочь в третьем классе и я прекрасно знаю, что в 1-ом или во 2-ом у детей бывают проблемы с подписанием тетрадей, например, они имя и фамилию пишут в именительном падеже.

Итак, правильно подписанная тетрадь выглядит следующим образом:

только надпись quot;контрольных работ по математикеquot; нужно заменить на quot;работ по русскому языкуquot;.

Вот стандартная форма для того, чтобы подписать тетрадь по русскому языку —

Правда номер школы нужно поменять на ваш, ну и конечно же имя с фамилией тоже нужно написать свои. Остальное остается так же.

Вс очень легко, наверное подписывать тетради мы запомнили на всю жизнь ещ со школьной скамьи.

Хоть у меня ребнок пошл в 8 класс, но также как и любой другой ребнок ошибку вс равно сделает.

Поэтому родители обязательно должны проверять как подписаны тетради рукой своего ребнка.

А это подписывается так :


Это образец:


Тетрадь
1 (2)

для
работ по русскому языку

учени
ка 8 класса
quot;аquot;

средней школы
120

г. Волгоград

Романова Андрея.

Но если у вас дочка — школьница, то вместо quot;ученикаquot;, надо написать quot;ученицыquot;.

Это нам, взрослым кажется, что подписать тетрадь проще простого.Однако, ученики не редко делают ошибки, подписывая свои тетради.А ведь титульный лист- это quot;лицо ученикаquot;.И тетрадь должна быть подписана правильно.Очень не красиво выглядит, когда учителя перечеркивают надписи красной пастой и делают исправления.

Итак, учимся подписывать тетрадь правильно.

Обращаем внимание, что слово **Тетрадь **уже напечатано на обложке.Нужно лишь поставить номер тетради.

Ниже пишется по какому предмету (по русскому языку).

Однако иногда

требуют писать так:

И фамилия, Имя ученика (в родительном падеже).

Бывает, что учащиеся, особенно, младших классов и пятых тоже, неправильно подписывают тетради, в том числе и по русскому языку. Предлагаю обратить внимание на то, как правильно подписать тетрадь по русскому языку.

Зачастую дети совершают ошибки когда подписывают тетради и не красиво получается, когда учитель исправляет потом эти ошибки. Тетрадь то не выкинешь, вот и ходишь с такой (исправленной) до конца четверти.

Например


А так правильно подписывать тетради

Родители тоже должны обращать внимание как подписывают их дети тетради. Частые ошибки в подписывании тетрадей у деток начальной школы. Надеюсь данные примеры помогут не совершать ошибок. Детям главное все отработать, чтобы уже потом все подписывать машинально, хотя за лето они могут и забыть как правильно.

Воспользуйтесь таким образцом:

Так подписывается любая тетрадь, будь она по русскому языку или литературе. Название предмета вместе с предлогом quot;поquot; нужно обязательно прописывать во второй строке.

Если вы мальчик/юноша — пишите quot;учениКАquot;, если девочка/девушка — quot;учениЦЫquot;.

Перед словом quot;классаquot; нужно прописать цифру, которая соответствует номеру вашего класса.

Внимание: не во всех школах одинаково прописывают букву класса. Иногда заглавную букву заключают в кавычки, иногда пишут и вовсе прописную букву. Узнайте об этом нюансе у своего учителя.

Фамилию и имя пишите не в именительном падеже, а в родительном: quot;Тетрадь (чья? кого?) Петрова Михаилаquot;.

Вопрос о том как подписать правильно тетрадку в большей степени интересует родителей учеников, так как именно родители должны следить за правильностью подписания тетради. Итак, я вам приведу образец, по которому вы с лгкостью подпишите тетрадь.

Когда выдастся свободная минутка, выбирайте экземпляр с твердой обложкой. Так вам удастся сохранить разборчивый почерк. Кроме того, такая тетрадь
сохранится надолго, страницы не истреплются по краям и не помнутся.

Очень удобны с вставными блоками бумаги. В них можно добавлять недостающие листы, если вдруг информации оказалось больше, чем вы предполагали. Кроме того, вы сможете убрать лишние листы и оставить в тетради только самое важное. Вместе с блоками купите несколько цветных пластиковых разделителей. На их выступающих частях напишите предмета, лекции по которому вы будете записывать, либо любой другой признак, по которому записи можно разделить на блоки. Надпись располагайте вертикально.

Заранее начертите на всех страницах поля. Они пригождаются не только ученикам школы. На это пространство вы сможете вынести всю дополнительную информацию, не засоряя основной текст.

Каждую запись в тетради начинайте с заголовка. Пишите его более крупным шрифтом, чем остальной текст. Располагайте в центре строки. Благодаря заголовкам вы сможете быстро ориентироваться даже в объемной тетради.

Ключевое слово в каждом отрывке текста сокращайте. Написав его в начале конспекта целиком, впоследствии ограничивайтесь первой буквой с точкой. Для экономии времени используйте и другие сокращения. Длинные сокращайте до следующего вида: первый слог, дефис, окончание. Для слов, которые заканчиваются одинаково, придумайте условное , например, вертикальную линию, волнистую линию, зигзаг. Заранее продумайте эти символы и выпишите их отдельно.

Условные обозначения понадобятся вам для пометок на . Там вы можете ставить вопросительные и восклицательные знаки, чтобы было понятно, какой вопрос нужно уточнить или на какой обратить особое внимание.

Чтобы не запутаться во всех придуманных знаках, составьте своеобразный словарь. На последней странице тетради напишите все условные обозначения и расшифруйте их. Также напишите, какие цвета вы использовали для выделения текста. Например, зеленым маркером можно подчеркивать определения, красным — цитаты и т.д.

Во время записи лекции опускайте все вводные слова и конструкции. Лирические отступления и отсылки к другим источникам информации выносите на поля – напишите там фамилию автора и название книги, в которой можно прочесть дополнительные сведения по теме. Сложные слова заменяйте более лаконичными синонимами, если это не изменяет смысл текста.

Когда тетрадь
закончится, выпишите на форзац все заголовки . Напротив каждого напишите страницу, на которой начинается запись на эту тему. На соответствующих страницах напишите их номера. Номер лучше разместить в правом верхнем углу – нижний уголок может истрепаться из-за частого перелистывания.

Школьная тетрадь должна сочетать в себе прочность, удобство в использовании и привлекательный с точки зрения ребенка и учителей внешний вид. При выборе следует обращать внимание на обложку, а также на плотность, белизну бумаги и пр.

При выборе тетради внимание в первую очередь нужно обращать на обложку. Именно из-за нее нередко разгораются споры. Дети зачастую отдают предпочтение тетрадям с яркими обложками, на которых изображены , разнообразные и пр. Учителя же могут запрещать пользоваться подобными тетрадями, поскольку считается, что яркая обложка отвлекает школьников от учебы. Что касается родителей, то им зачастую важнее качество бумаги, чем внешний вид тетради. Чтобы не ошибиться в выборе, поговорите с учителями и узнайте их мнение относительно тех или иных обложек. В то же время старайтесь учитывать и желания ребенка.

Так или иначе, желательно, чтобы обложка была изготовлена из прочного материала и имела закругленные края, поскольку в этом случае она прослужит дольше, не растрепавшись и не расслоившись. Выбирая тетради для ученика младшей школы, обращайте внимание также на наличие на обложке специального блока, в который ребенок сможет вписать свои фамилию и имя, название предмета и пр.

Выбрав тетради с наиболее подходящими обложками, загляните внутрь и оцените качество бумаги и . Листы ни в коем случае не должны быть блестящими, ослепительно белыми, а также желтыми или серыми. В идеале, следует отдавать предпочтение умеренно белой бумаге, которая не раздражает и не утомляет глаза. Что касается разлиновки, то она должна быть четкой, но не яркой. Подойдет бумага с хорошо пропечатанными серыми линиями. Ярко-красной, синей, зеленой разлиновки стоит избегать.

На каждом листе обязательно должны быть прочерчены боковые поля. Исключение иногда можно сделать для общих тетрадей, т.е. тетрадей, объем которых составляет 48 и более листов. Обратите внимание и на плотность бумаги, которая обычно обозначается на обложке с обратной стороны. Плотность должна составлять не менее 55 г/кв. м, но и не более 75 г/кв. м.

Люди с очень древних времен научились записывать информацию на жёсткий носитель. Использовали камень, костяные и свинцовые платины, дощечки, покрытые воском, бересту, пергамент, и наконец, бумагу. Примерно в VI-VII веках до нашей эры в Античные времена вощеные дощечки стали скреплять по 4 штуки в тетрадь. А число 4 было священным в Древней Греции. С тех далеких времен и пошли тетради. Причем они тоже использовались при обучениЛюди с очень древних времен научились записывать информацию на жёсткий носитель. Использовали камень, костяные и свинцовые платины, дощечки, покрытые воском, бересту, пергамент, и наконец, бумагу. Примерно в VI-VII веках до нашей эры в Античные времена вощеные дощечки стали скреплять по 4 штуки в тетрадь. А число 4 было священным в Древней Греции. С тех далеких времен и пошли тетради. Причем они тоже использовались при обучении детей и юношей.

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«экскурсия «История развития тетради»»

ученица 11 класса

МБОУ гимназии №111,

МБОУ ДОД ЦДЮТур

Г. Ростов-на-Дону

Цель исследования:

изучить историю появления школьной тетради, донести эти сведения до современных мальчишек и девчонок, учащихся нашей школы.

Задачи исследования:

• исследовать тетради – экспонаты музея «Служу Отечеству»;
• поработать в архивах и изучить литературу по предмету;
• познакомиться с историей создания тетрадей;
• разработать экскурсию по исследовательской работе.

На чем писали в древность?

Берест (верхний шар березовой коры)

Древнегреческие «тетради» – дощечки. XI в.

Вспомним, какой был «любимый» материал для письма в Древнем мире? Конечно же, папирус!

Конструкция тетради

По конструкции тетрадь очень схожа с брошюрой, то есть у неё имеется обложка, под которой находятся скрепленные вместе с обложкой листы.

Вспомним, какие были тетради во времена Советского Союза. В советскую эпоху они имели простую, преимущественно однотипную, обложку с плашкой для подписи с портретом Ленина или Сталина.

Сегодня в магазинах появились в продаже школьные тетради с изображением Иосифа Сталина, выпущенные в рамках серии «Великие имена России»

После выхода тетради сразу же появились нелицеприятные комментарии членов Общественной палаты РФ.

Заключение

Люди с очень древних времен научились записывать информацию на жёсткий носитель. Использовали камень, костяные и свинцовые платины, дощечки, покрытые воском, бересту, пергамент, и наконец, бумагу. Примерно в VI-VII веках до нашей эры в Античные времена вощеные дощечки стали скреплять по 4 штуки в тетрадь. А число 4 было священным в Древней Греции. С тех далеких времен и пошли тетради. Причем они тоже использовались при обучении детей и юношей. Дореволюционные тетради очень похожи на современные.

Правила пользования

Человек, имя которого будет записано в этой тетради, умрет.
Если вы не знаете, как выглядит человек, чье имя вы пишете, то ничего не произойдет. Поэтому все люди с одинаковыми именами не умрут из-за одной записи.
Если причина смерти будет написана не позднее, чем за 40 секунд после написания имени, то так оно и случится.
Если причина смерти не будет указана, человек умрет от сердечного приступа.
После уточнения причины смерти, у вас есть 6 минут 40 секунд, чтобы написать обстоятельства смерти.

Тетрадь станет частью человеческого мира в тот момент, когда коснется земли.
Хозяин тетради сможет видеть и слышать предыдущего владельца, т.е. бога смерти.
Человек, использующий эту тетрадь, не сможет попасть ни в ад, ни в рай.

Если время смерти будет написано в течении 40 секунд и в качестве причины смерти указать сердечный приступ, то время смерти может быть изменено и принято через 40 секунд после написания имени.
Человек, прикоснувшийся к тетради смерти, сможет видеть и слышать ее изначального владельца, даже если этот человек не является хозяином тетради.

За человеком, получившим тетрадь смерти, до конца жизни будет следовать бог смерти, потерявший эту тетрадь.
Если человек начнет использовать тетрадь, бог смерти обычно явится перед ним/ней не позже 39 дней после первой записи.
Боги смерти, владевшие тетрадью ранее, в принципе не должны делать ничего, что может ускорить или предотвратить смерть человека, чье имя будет написано в ней.
Бог смерти совершенно не обязан кому-то объяснять, как использовать тетрадь или рассказывать правила, касающиеся человека, владеющего им.

В отличии от человека, бог смерти может увеличивать продолжительность своей жизни, записывая в тетрадь имена.
Человек может уменьшить продолжительность своей жизни при помощи тетради.
Человек, завладевший тетрадью смерти, может в обмен на половину своей жизни получить глаза бога смерти, позволяющие ему/ей видеть имена и продолжительности жизни окружающих.
Бога смерти нельзя убить ударом ножа в сердце или выстрелом в голову. Однако убить его возможно, хотя даже сами боги смерти не знают как именно.

Условия смерти не могут быть выполнены, если это физически невозможно для данного человека или если они и так должны были быть выполнены этим человеком.
Возможный диапазон условий смерти не известен даже богам смерти. Пока не попробуете, не узнаете.

Страница, вырванная из тетради смерти, или даже обрывок этой страницы обладает всеми возможностями тетради.
В тетради можно писать чем угодно (косметикой, кровью и т.д.), главное, чтобы запись велась в тетради и почерк был разборчивым.
Всего о тетради не знают даже ее первоначальные владельцы — боги смерти.

Вы можете написать причину и/или подробности смерти до того как впишете имя. Не забудьте, что его надо вписывать до причины. У вас есть примерно 19 дней (по человеческому календарю) чтобы это сделать.
Даже если вы не являетесь владельцем Тетради Смерти, действие будет таким же, если вы впишете имя человека, лицо которого вам знакомо.

Тетрадь смерти не подействует на людей младше 780 дней.
Тетрадь смерти не подействует, если имя жертвы было написано с ошибками более 4 раз.

Можно указывать в качестве причины смерти самоубийство. Во всех людях изначально заложена мысль о суициде. Поэтому нельзя сказать, что это нечто, чего человек никогда не совершил бы по своей воле.
Если смерть наступает в результате несчастного случая или самоубийства и она влечет за собой гибель кого-то еще, то этот человек просто умирает от сердечного приступа. Это сделано для того, чтобы не влиять на остальные жизни.

Даже если вы уже вписали имя человека, время и условия смерти, последние два пункта вы можете поменять сколько угодно раз, но только в течении 6 минут 40 секунд с момента записи. Но, разумеется, это возможно только пока не наступит смерть.
Если вы захотите что-то изменить в тетради смерти в течении 6 минут 40 секунд, сначала вам надо вычеркнуть предыдущую запись двумя прямыми чертами.
Как очевидно из предыдущих пунктов, время и условия смерти могут быть изменены. Однако, если имя человека внесено в тетрадь, его смерть неминуема.

Если вы потеряете тетрадь смерти или ее у вас украдут, вы потеряете право владения, если не вернете ее в течении 480 дней.
Если вы обменялись глазами с богом смерти, вы потеряете ее силу и воспоминания о тетради смерти вместе с утерей права владения. При этом отданная половина жизни вам не возвращается.

Вы можете одолжить тетрадь смерти другому человеку, при этом право владения остается за вами. Так же вы можете сдать ее в аренду.
Бог смерти не будет следовать за человеком, одолжившим тетрадь. Он всегда должен оставаться с настоящим владельцем. Кроме того, одолживший тетрадь не может обменяться с богом смерти глазами.

Если владелец тетради смерти одолжил ее и после этого умер, право владения переходит к человеку, у которого она оказалась.
Если тетрадь смерти украдена, и ее владелец убит вором, то право владеления переходит к тому, кто ее похитил.

Когда одно и то же имя написано в двух тетрадях или более, подействует та запись, которая была сделана раньше, независимо от времени указанной гибели.
Если имя записано в двух тетрадях или более с разницой не более 0,06 секунды, записи считаются сделанными одновременно. В таком случае ничего не произойдет, и человек останется в живых.

У бога смерти должна быть как минимум одна тетрадь. Ни один человек не должен в ней писать.
Боги смерти могут обмениваться тетрадями. Писать в чужих тетрадях также не запрещено.

Если бог смерти решит использовать свою тетрадь, чтобы избавиться от кого, кто угрожает дорогому этому богу человеку, то жизнь последнего будет продлена, но бог смерти умрет.
Бог смерти может умереть, но тетрадь останется. Право владения перейдет к богу смерти, первому прикоснувшемуся к ней. Но обычно она просто возвращается повелителю богов смерти.

Только притронувшись к тетрадям смерти, их владельцы смогут увидеть и услышать чужого бога смерти.
Человек, обладающий глазами бога смерти, сможет узнать имя и жизненный срок других, лишь взглянув на них.
Получив тетрадь смерти, человек получает способность убивать и перестает считаться жертвой. С этого момента он не сможет видеть продолжительность жизни владельцев тетрадей, включая самого себя. Но человеку и не надо знать дату своей смерти или дату смертей владельцев других тетрадей.
Бог смерти не может никому сообщать имена и продолжительность жизней, которые он видит, дабы избежать беспорядка в человеческом мире.

Бог смерти должен удостовериться, что тетрадь, попавшая в человеческий мир, используется по назначению.
Сложно представить, что бог смерти, следующий за человеком, может умереть. Но если это произойдет, тетрадь не потеряет своей силы.

Чтобы увидеть глазами бога смерти имя и продолжительность жизни человека, необходимо видеть как минимум половину лица. Если видна часть головы от макушки до носа, то все определяется. Если от глаз и ниже — нет. Если лицо в целом видно, то, даже если некоторые части, например, нос или рот, прикрыты, то имя и продолжительность жизни определить можно. До сих пор точно неизвестно, какую часть лица надо увидеть, чтобы все узнать.
Если вышеуказанные условия соблюдены, то имя и продолжительность жизни человека можно определить и по фотографиям, независимо от их возраста. Хотя все еще зависит от яркости и размера снимков. По рисункам ничего увидеть нельзя, какими бы реалистичными они ни были.

У обладателей глаз бога смерти невероятно улучшается зрение.

Люди, отказавшиеся от права владения тетрадью смерти, забывают все, ее касающееся. Это не значит, что они забывают все прозошедшее со дня, как они получили тетрадь, и до дня отказа; Из памяти стираются только события, связанные с тетрадью.

Если человек, обладающий двумя или более тетрадями, потеряет право владения над одной из них, то он перестанет видеть и слышать бога смерти, от которого ее получил.
Бог смерти улетит, но воспоминания, касающиеся данной тетради никуда не денутся, пока у человека остаются другие.

Бог смерти не может оставаться в человеческом мире, не имея на то оснований. Условия, при которых он может там находиться:
1. Если тетрадь этого бога смерти находится в руках человека.
2. Находить человека, которому он хочет передать тетрадь, он должен из мира богов смерти. Но если есть возможность управиться за 82 часа, то этим можно заняться и в мире людей.
3. Если он преследует человека с целью убить его. Но опять же он должен управиться за 82 часа.

Бог смерти не может отдать тетрадь ребенку младше 6 лет (по человеческому летоисчислению).
Хотя бог смерти не может отдать тетрадь ребенку младше 6 лет, но если он уронит ее в человеческом мире, то ей сможет пользоваться любой подобравший ее человек независимо от возраста.

Если вы напишите в качестве причины смерти несчастный случай, жертва умрет в результате инцидента через 6 минут 40 секунд после записи.
Хотя в тетради пишется только одно имя, но смерть может косвенно повлиять на жизни других людей и привести их к смерти. В таком случае причиной смерти послужит сердечный приступ..

Если вы хотите, чтобы человек погиб от какой-нибудь конкретной болезни, и указываете дату смерти, вы должны учесть, что времени должно быть достаточно, чтобы болезнь успела развиться. Если временные рамки окажутся слишком узкими, то жертва умрет черет 6 минут 40 секунд после записи, сделанной в тетради.
Если вы укажете в качестве причины смерти болезнь, но не уточните ее название, то жертва погибнет от существующей болезни. Надо учитывать, что действие тетради смерти длится всего 23 дня (по человеческому календарю). Это называется правилом 23 дней.

Если вы укажете в виде причины смерти конкретную болезнь, но не укажете точную дату смерти, то правило 23 дней не будет действовать, даже если смерть наступит позже. Человек умрет в свой срок, зависящий от болезни.
Детали и/или причина смерти могут быть переписаны не позднее чем через 6 минут 40 секунд после сделанной записи. Однако время смерти изменять нельзя.

С помощью тетради смерти нельзя убивать людей старше 124 лет.
Вы не можете убивать людей, которым осталось жить меньше 12 минут (по человеческому времени).

Если вы поменялись глазами с богом смерти, то сможете видеть первоначальную продолжительность жизни человека в человеческом мире.
Имена, которые вы будете видеть с помощью таких глаз, — это имена, необходимые, чтобы убить человека. Вы сможете видеть даже имена, не учтенные переписью населения.

Страницы в тетради смерти никогда не заканчиваются.

Если кто-то обладает больше чем одной тетрадью смерти, то он может записать имя жертвы в одной из них, а причину смерти в другой. Это сработает. Порядок не имеет значения, причина смерти может быть написана до имени.
Так же это сработает, если владельцы двух тетрадей работают вместе. Но в таком случае сначала они должны прикоснуться к тетрадям друг друга.

Если человек потеряет право владения над тетрадью смерти, он больше не сможет видеть или слышать бога смерти. Если он позволил кому-то еще прикоснуться к тетради, тот человек будет продолжать видеть бога смерти только до этого момента.
Соответственно, из выше написанного следует, что человек, прикоснувшийся к тетради и начавший видеть и слышать бога смерти, потеряет это право тогда же, когда настоящий хозяин потеряет право владения тетрадью.

Владельца тетради не может убить бог смерти, находящийся в своем мире.
Также его не может убить бог смерти, прилетевший в мир живых именно с этой целью.
Владельца тетради может убить только бог смерти, отдавший свою тетрадь человеку.

Если владелец тетради случайно четыре раза напишет имя жертвы неправильно, то этого человека уже нельзя будет убить с помощью тетради. Однако, если ошибки были сделаны преднамеренно, то умрет сам владелец.
Человека, чье имя четыре раза написали неправильно, можно будет убить с помощью тетради.

Боги смерти различаются по полу, но им запрещено (равно как и невозможно физически) заниматься сексом как с людьми, так и с себе подобными.

Все воспоминания вернутся, если восстановить право собственности на тетрадь.
В случае, если вы были связаны и с другими тетрадями, то воспоминания, касающиеся их, тоже вернутся.
При прикосновении к тетради воспоминания вернутся, даже если вы больше не являетесь владельцем.

Потеряв право владения тетрадью смерти, вы потеряете и все воспоминания, связанные с ней. Вы можете вернуть их, снова став хозяином тетради или прикоснувшись к ней. Такое можно проделывать шесть раз.
После шести раз воспоминания, касающиеся тетради, уже не вернутся никогда, и человек будет пользоваться ей, не помня о предыдущих записях.

Люди, обменявшиеся глазами с богом смерти, будут видеть первоначальную продолжительность жизни человека, и тетрадь смерти не сможет повлиять на них. Если жертву убьют при помощи тетради, оставшаяся часть ее жизни перейдет к богу смерти.

Люди, обменявшиеся с богом смерти глазами, не могут видеть срок жизни умерших по их фотографиям.

Если человек подберет тетрадь бога смерти, умершего в человеческом мире, то он станет ее владельцем.
Но только человек, который раньше видел и слышал этого бога смерти, сможет подобрать его тетрадь.
Если другой бог смерти поднимет эту тетрадь, то он станет ее владельцем, хотя вероятность этого ничтожно мала.

Имя, которое вы видите глазами бога смерти, — это имя, нужное, чтобы убить человека. Вы будете его видеть, даже если оно не значится в генеалогическом древе.

Имена, написанные в тетради смерти, нельзя стереть ластиками или замазкой.

Death Note (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006, with its chapters collected in 12 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Light Yagami, a genius who discovers a mysterious notebook: the «Death Note», which belonged to the shinigami Ryuk, and grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages. The series centers around Light’s subsequent attempts to use the Death Note to carry out a worldwide massacre of individuals whom he deems immoral and to create a crime-free society, using the alias of a god-like vigilante named «Kira», and the subsequent efforts of an elite Japanese police task force, led by enigmatic detective L, to apprehend him.

Death Note
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Light Yagami (front) and Ryuk (back)
Genre	Mystery[1] Psychological thriller[2][3] Supernatural thriller[1][4]
Manga
Written by	Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrated by	Takeshi Obata
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	December 1, 2003 – May 15, 2006
Volumes	12 (List of volumes)
Novel
Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases
Written by	Nisio Isin
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Published	August 1, 2006
Anime television series
Directed by	Tetsurō Araki
Produced by	Toshio Nakatani Manabu Tamura Masao Maruyama
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Yoshihisa Hirano Hideki Taniuchi
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] NA Viz Media
Original network	Nippon TV
English network	CA YTV NA Neon Alley US Adult Swim
Original run	October 4, 2006 – June 27, 2007
Episodes	37 (List of episodes)
Anime television film
Death Note: Relight — Visions of a God
Directed by	Tetsurō Araki
Produced by	Toshio Nakatani Manabu Tamura Masao Maruyama
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Yoshihisa Hirano Hideki Taniuchi
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] NA Viz Media
Original network	Nippon TV
Released	August 31, 2007
Runtime	130 minutes
Novel
Death Note: L — Change the World
Written by	M
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Published	December 25, 2007
Manga
Death Note: C-Kira Story
Written by	Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrated by	Takeshi Obata
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Published	February 9, 2008
Anime television film
Death Note: Relight 2 – L’s Successors
Directed by	Tetsurō Araki
Produced by	Toshio Nakatani Manabu Tamura Masao Maruyama
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Yoshihisa Hirano Hideki Taniuchi
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] NA Viz Media
Original network	Nippon TV
Released	August 22, 2008
Runtime	100 minutes
Manga
Death Note: a-Kira Story
Written by	Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrated by	Takeshi Obata
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Magazine	Jump Square
Demographic	Shōnen
Published	February 4, 2020
Live-action
Death Note (2006 film) Death Note 2: The Last Name (2006 film) L: Change the World (2008 film) Death Note (2015 TV drama) Death Note: The Musical (2015 musical) Death Note: New Generation (2016 miniseries) Death Note: Light Up the New World (2016 film) Death Note (2017 film)
Video games
Death Note: Kira Game (2007) Death Note: Successors to L (2007) L the Prologue to Death Note -Spiraling Trap- (2008)

A 37-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Madhouse and directed by Tetsurō Araki, was broadcast on Nippon Television from October 2006 to June 2007. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was also released in 2006. Additionally, various video games have been published by Konami for the Nintendo DS. The series was adapted into three live-action films released in Japan in June, November 2006, and February 2008, and a television drama in 2015. A miniseries titled Death Note: New Generation and a fourth film were released in 2016. An American film adaptation was released exclusively on Netflix in August 2017, and a series is reportedly in the works.

Death Note media, except for video games and soundtracks, is licensed and released in North America by Viz Media. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable from IGN before Viz Media licensed it. The series was aired on YTV’s Bionix programming block in Canada and on Adult Swim in the United States with a DVD release following. The live-action films briefly played in certain North American theaters, in 2008, before receiving home video releases. As of April 2015, the Death Note manga had over 30 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series.

PlotEdit

In Tokyo, a disaffected high school student named Light Yagami finds the «Death Note», a mysterious black notebook that can kill anyone as long as the user knows both the target’s name and face. Initially terrified of its god-like power, Light considers the possibilities of the Death Note’s abilities and kills high-profile Japanese criminals, then targets international criminals. Five days after discovering the notebook, Light is visited by Ryuk, a «shinigami» and the Death Note’s previous owner. Ryuk, invisible to anyone who has not touched the notebook, reveals that he dropped the notebook into the human world out of boredom and is amused by Light’s actions.^[5]

As criminals around the world die from inexplicable accidents and heart attacks, the global media suggest that a single mastermind is responsible for the mysterious murders and name them «Kira» (キラ, the Japanese transliteration of the word «killer»). Hoping to apprehend Kira, Interpol requests the assistance of an enigmatic consulting detective, known as L, to assist their investigation. Deducing that Kira is based in Japan, L tricks Light into revealing that he is in the Kanto region of Japan by manipulating him to kill a decoy. Furious, Light vows to kill L, whom he views as obstructing his plans. L deduces that Kira has inside knowledge of the Japanese police investigation, being led by Light’s father, Soichiro Yagami. Under the suspicion that «Kira» could have family ties with members of the «Kira» investigation, L assigns a team of FBI agents to monitor the families of those connected with the investigation and L learns enough to designate Light as the prime suspect. Around this time, Light graduates from high school to college. L recruits Light into the Kira Task Force, with each trying to get the other to reveal crucial information.

Actress-model Misa Amane, having obtained a second Death Note from a shinigami named Rem, makes a deal with Rem for shinigami eyes, which reveal the names of anyone whose face she sees, at the cost of half her lifespan. Seeking to have Light become her boyfriend, Misa uncovers Light’s identity as the original Kira, but Light has another motive: he intends to use Misa’s shinigami eyes to discern L’s true name. L deduces that Misa is likely the second Kira and detains her. Rem threatens to kill Light if he does not find a way to save Misa. Light arranges a scheme in which he and Misa temporarily lose their memories of the Death Note, and has Rem pass the Death Note to a less morally driven individual, Kyosuke Higuchi of the Yotsuba Group. With memories of the Death Note erased, Light joins the investigation and, together with L, deduce Higuchi’s identity and arrest him. Light regains his memories and uses the Death Note to kill Higuchi, regaining possession of the book. After restoring Misa’s memories, Light instructs her to begin killing as Kira, causing L to cast suspicion on Misa. With Light insinuating the investigation would lead to Misa’s capture and execution, Rem realizes Light’s plan all along was to have her sacrifice herself to kill L, as a shinigami may not kill others to prevent a human’s death. After Rem kills L, she disintegrates and Light obtains her Death Note. The task force does not announce L’s death and agrees to have Light operate as the new L. With Light working as both L and Kira, the investigation stalls but crime rates continue to drop as he no longer has a threat of capture.

Four years later, cults that worship Kira have risen. Two young men, raised as potential successors to L, are revealed: Near and Mello. Mello joins the mafia whilst Near joins forces with the US government. Mello kidnaps Director Takimura, who Light then kills, so Mello, kidnaps Light’s sister and exchanges her for the Death Note, using it to kill almost all of Near’s team. A Shinigami named Sidoh goes to Earth to reclaim his notebook and ends up meeting and helping Mello. Light uses the notebook to find Mello’s hideout, but Soichiro is killed in the mission. Mello and Near exchange information and Mello kidnaps Mogi and gives him to Near. Kira supporters attack Near’s group, but they escape. Aizawa becomes suspicious in Light and meets with Near. As suspicion falls again on Misa, Light passes Misa’s Death Note to a fervent supporter of Kira, Teru Mikami. He also appoints newscaster Kiyomi Takada as Kira’s public spokesperson. Near has Mikami followed whilst Aizawa’s suspicions are confirmed. Realizing that Takada is connected to Kira, Mello kidnaps her. Takada kills Mello but is killed by Light. Near arranges a meeting between Light and the current Kira Task Force members. Light tries to have Mikami kill Near as well as all the task force members, but Mikami’s Death Note fails to work, having been replaced with a decoy. Perusing the names Mikami had written down, only Light’s is missing, which proves Light is Kira. Light is grievously wounded in a scuffle and begs Ryuk to write the names of everyone present. Ryuk instead writes down Light’s name in his Death Note, as he had promised to do the day they met, and Light dies.

One year later, the world has returned to normal and the Kira Taskforce Members are conflicted over whether they made the right decision. Meanwhile, cults worshipping Kira have risen, led by a woman resembling Misa. Three years later, Near, now functioning as the new L, receives word that a new Kira has appeared. Hearing that the new Kira is randomly killing people, Near concludes that the new Kira is an attention-seeker and denounces the new Kira as «boring» and not worth catching. A shinigami named Midora approaches Ryuk and gives him an apple from the human realm, in a bet to see if a random human could become the new Kira, but Midora loses the bet when the human writes his own name in the Death Note after hearing Near’s announcement. Ryuk tells Midora that no human would ever surpass Light as the new Kira.

ProductionEdit

DevelopmentEdit

The Death Note concept derived from a rather general concept involving Shinigami and «specific rules».^[6] Author Tsugumi Ohba wanted to create a suspense series because the genre had few suspense series available to the public. After publication of the pilot chapter, the series was not expected to receive approval as a serialized comic. Learning that Death Note had in fact received approval and that Takeshi Obata would create the artwork, Ohba said, he «couldn’t even believe it».^[7] Due to positive reactions, Death Note became a serialized manga series.^[8]

«Thumbnails» incorporating dialogue, panel layout and basic drawings were created, reviewed by an editor and sent to Takeshi Obata, the illustrator, with the script finalized 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 the text as concise as possible. Ohba commented that «reading too much exposition» would be tiring and would negatively affect the atmosphere and «air of suspense». The illustrator had significant artistic licence to interpret basic descriptions, such as «abandoned building»,^[9] as well as the design of the Death Notes themselves.

When Ohba was deciding on the plot, he said, he visualized the panels while relaxing on his bed, drinking tea, or walking around his house. Often the original draft was too long and needed to be refined in order to finalize the desired «tempo» and «flow». The writer remarked on his preference for reading the previous «two or four» chapters carefully to ensure consistency in the story.^[6]

The typical weekly production schedule consisted of five days of creating and thinking and one day using a 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 the artwork. Obata said that when he took a few extra days to color the pages, 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.^[10]

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.^[7] The two did not discuss the final chapters with one another and continued talking only 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».^[9]

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».^[8] 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.^[11] 13: How to Read states that the humorous aspects of Death Note originated from Ohba’s «enjoyment of humorous stories».^[12]

When Ohba 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.^[10]

ConceptsEdit

The notebooksEdit

The core plot device of the story is the «Death Note» itself, a black notebook with instructions (known as «Rules of the Death Note») written on the inside. When used correctly, it allows anyone to commit a murder, knowing only the victim’s name and face. According to the director of the live-action films, Shusuke Kaneko, «The idea of spirits living in words is an ancient Japanese concept…. In a way, it’s a very Japanese story».^[13]

Artist Takeshi Obata originally thought of the books as «Something you would automatically think was a Death Note». Deciding that this design would be cumbersome, he instead opted for a more accessible college notebook. Death Notes were originally conceived as changing based on time and location, resembling scrolls in ancient Japan, or the Old Testament in medieval Europe. However, this idea was never used.^[14]

ThemesEdit

Writer Tsugumi Ohba had no particular themes in mind for Death Note. When pushed, he suggested: «Humans will all eventually die, so let’s give it our all while we’re alive».^[15] In a 2012 paper, author Jolyon Baraka Thomas characterised Death Note as a psychological thriller released in the wake of the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, saying that it examines the human tendency to express itself through «horrific» cults.^[16]

Pilot chapterEdit

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.^[8] Ohba described keeping the story of the pilot to one chapter as «very difficult», declaring that 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.^[17]

Obata said that he wanted to draw the story after he heard of a «horror story featuring shinigami«.^[7] 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».^[17] 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.^[17]

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».^[7]

Anime adaptationEdit

Tetsurō 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 manga 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, this commentary became crucial to the development of the series.^[18]

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 manga, he wished to use his effort.^[18]

MediaEdit

MangaEdit

Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, was serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 1, 2003,^[19] to May 15, 2006.^[20][21] The series’ 108 chapters were collected into twelve tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, released from April 2, 2004,^[22] to July 4, 2006.^[23] A one-shot chapter, titled «C-Kira Story» (Cキラ編, C-Kira-hen), was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump on February 9, 2008. 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.^[24] 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.^[17] Shueisha re-released the series in seven bunkoban volumes from March 18 to August 19, 2014.^[25][26] On October 4, 2016, all 12 original manga volumes and the February 2008 one-shot were released in a single All-in-One Edition, consisting of 2,400 pages in a single book.^[27][28]

In April 2005, Viz Media announced that they had licensed the series for English release in North America.^[29] The twelve volumes were released from October 10, 2005 to July 3, 2007.^[30][31] The manga was re-released in a six-volume omnibus edition, dubbed «Black Edition».^[32][33] The volumes were released from December 28, 2010 to November 1, 2011.^[34][35] The All-in-One Edition was released in English on September 6, 2017, resulting in the February 2008 one-shot being released in English for the first time.^[36]

In addition, a guidebook for the manga was also released on 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.^[37][38] 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.^[39]

In the June 2019 issue of Shueisha’s Jump Square it was announced that a new one-shot chapter of Death Note would be published. Part of the complete manuscript debuted at the «30th Work Anniversary Takeshi Obata Exhibition: Never Complete» event which ran in Tokyo from July 13 to August 12, 2019.^[40] Titled «Death Note: Special One-Shot», the entire 87-page chapter was published in the March issue of Jump Square on February 4, 2020 and on Viz’s website.^[41][42] A collected volume titled Death Note: Short Stories (DEATH NOTE短編集, Desu Nōto Tanpenshū), which includes the February 2008 one-shot chapter, the «Special One-Shot» (re-titled «a-Kira Story» (aキラ編, a-Kira-hen), the series’ pilot chapter and the «L: The Wammy’s House»/»L: One Day» one-shot chapters and more, was released on February 4, 2021.^[43][44][45]

Light novelsEdit

A light novel adaptation of the series has been written by Nisio Isin, called Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. The novel was released by Shueisha on August 1, 2006.^[46][47] 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.^[48] The film L: Change the World was also adapted into a light novel with the same name on December 25, 2007, by «M»,^[49] While the novel is similar to the film, 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.^[50]

AnimeEdit

The Death Note anime, directed by Tetsurō Araki and animated by Madhouse, began airing on Nippon TV on October 4, 2006, and finished its run on June 27, 2007, totaling 37 episodes.^[51] The series aired on the network «every Tuesday at 0:56», which is effectively Wednesday.^[52] The series was co-produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, Shueisha, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP.^[53] In North America, the series was 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 was seen as «significant because it marked the first time a well known Japanese anime property was made legally available in the
United States for domestic audiences to download while the title was still airing on Japanese television».^[54] The downloadable episodes contained the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles,^[55] and were made available through IGN’s Windows-only Direct2Drive service.^[56] DVDs of the series have also been released,^[55] containing both an English dubbed audio track, produced by Ocean Productions, and the original Japanese audio track with optional English subtitles.^[57] Viz announced at Anime Expo 2007 that the first DVD was officially released on November 20, 2007, in both regular and special editions,^[58] and also confirmed at Comic-Con International 2007 that the first 15,000 copies of each DVD contains collectible figures.^[59]

Death Note was slated to make its North American television premiere in Canada, as part of YTV’s Bionix programming block, on September 7, 2007.^[60] However, the show was removed from the schedule at the last minute^[61] and the Canadian premiere was pushed back to October 26, 2007, at 10:00 p.m. The series premiered in the U.S. on October 20, 2007, at 12:00 a.m. on Adult Swim^[62] and ran until January 10, 2010, when its contract expired.^[63] The last episode aired on YTV, July 4, 2008, and would later air on Adult Swim two days later. The show was removed from YTV’s schedule on July 5, 2008, with its last airing being a rerun of the final episode at 1:30 a.m. ET. Soon after, Bionix became a 2-hour block on Saturday nights.^[64] The show also streamed online free on Adult Swim Video, with a new episode available every Saturday afternoon, on the day of its broadcast premiere.^[65] On July 26, 2017, Starz announced that they would be offering episodes of the series for their Video on Demand service starting August 1, 2017.^[66]

A two-hour animated Death Note Relight: 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 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.^[67]

The Japanese broadcaster NTV aired the Death Note: Relight: L’s Successors (DEATH NOTE リライト2 Lを継ぐ者, Desu Nōto Riraito 2: L o Tsugu Mono) special on August 22, 2008. Like the first special, this new compilation summarized a part of the 2006–2007 anime television series. Specifically, it recounted the final half of the suspenseful supernatural story, including the investigators Near and Mello’s confrontations with the vigilante Kira.^[68] This version features more updates than the previous one, most notably omission of the mafia plot.

SoundtracksEdit

Several soundtracks for the series have been released. 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 are sung by the Japanese band Nightmare in the TV size format.^[69] 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.^[70] 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 Japanese voice actress 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.^[71]

Several soundtracks have also been released for the live action films. 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.^[72] 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.^[73] Death Note Tribute is a tribute album dedicated to the live action film Death Note. 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.^[74] 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 artists, such as Orange Range, Abingdon Boys School, High and Mighty Color, Doping Panda, and Galneryus.^[75]

Live-action filmsEdit

Death Note was adapted into a series of live-action films in 2006. The first two films were directed by Shusuke Kaneko and the third was directed by Hideo Nakata and produced by Nippon Television, CG production of all three films were done by Digital Frontier 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.^[76] The first film briefly played in certain North American theaters on May 20–21, 2008.^[77] 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.^[78] The sequel, Death Note 2: The Last Name, premiered in Japan on November 3, 2006.^[79] It was featured in U.S. theaters in October 2008.^[80]

A spin-off 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.^[81] Two dubbed versions of the film were shown in the United States on April 29 and 30, 2009.^[82] In August 2016, a three-part miniseries entitled Death Note: New Generation was announced as a part of the Death Note live-action film series and aired in September. It bridges the 10-year gap between the previous films and the then-upcoming 2016 film.^[83][84] A fourth Japanese Death Note film was released in 2016^[85] and featured a cyber-terrorism setting with the inclusion of six Death Notes brought into the human world.^[86] An American adaptation was released on Netflix on August 25, 2017.^[87] The film was directed by Adam Wingard and was written by Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides, and Jeremy Slater. It starred Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, Shea Whigham, Paul Nakauchi, Jason Liles, and Willem Dafoe. It was rated by many negatively after its release, and ranked low on Rotten Tomatoes. A sequel film is reportedly in the works.^[88]

Live-action seriesEdit

In April 2015, it was announced that a live-action television series based on Death Note manga would begin airing from July 2015 on NTV.^[89] Masataka Kubota stars as Light Yagami and Kento Yamazaki as L in the series.^[90]

In July 2022, it was announced that the Duffer Brothers are producing a new live-action series adaptation for Netflix.^[91] In October 2022, it was announced that Halia Abdel-Meguid would write and executive produce the series.^[92][93]

Video gamesEdit

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.^[94] 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 three 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).^[95] A sequel to the game, Death Note: Successors to L (デスノート Lを継ぐ者, Desu Nōto Eru o Tsugu Mono), 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.^[95]

A third game, L the Prologue to Death Note -Spiraling Trap- (L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -螺旋の罠-, L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -Rasen no Wana-), was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 7, 2008.^[95][96] 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.^[96] Several characters from Death Note appear in Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars, a fighting game featuring multiple characters from Weekly Shōnen Jump titles. Light, Ryuk, and L appear in Jump Super Stars as support characters. Misa, Near, and Mello are added as support characters in Jump Ultimate Stars as well.^[97][98] The 2019 video game Jump Force features Light and Ryuk as non-playable characters, playing a key role in the game’s story mode.^[99]

MusicalEdit

In 2015, a musical adaptation of the manga called Death Note: The Musical ran in both Japan and South Korea. It was originally composed in English by Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and book by Ivan Menchell, though no English-language production has been announced as of September 2017.^[100] The original Japanese production, produced by Japanese talent agency HoriPro [ja], ran from 6 to April 29, 2015, and stars Kenji Urai and Hayato Kakizawa [ja] double-cast as Light Yagami, and Teppei Koike as L.^[101] A Korean production of the same musical ran from June 11 to August 11, 2015, in South Korea, starring musical actor Hong Kwang-ho and JYJ member and musical actor Kim Junsu.^[102][103]

ReceptionEdit

MangaEdit

As of April 2015, the Death Note manga had over 30 million copies in circulation.^[104] On ICv2’s «Top 10 Shonen Properties Q2 2009», Death Note was the third best-selling manga property in North America.^[105] The series ranked second on Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2006 and 2007 for male readers.^[106] It was nominated for the 38th Seiun Awards in the Best Comic category in 2007.^[107] The manga received the Grand Prize of Best Manga and Best Screenplay at the Japan Expo Awards 2007.^[108] The series won the 2008 Eagle Award for Favourite Manga as voted by UK fans.^[109] According to a survey conducted in 2007 by the Ministry of culture of Japan, occupies the 10th place among the best manga of all time.^[110] It also received several nominations such as Best Manga at the 2006 American Anime Awards,^[111][112] the 2007 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize,^[113] an Official Selection at Angoulême International Comics Festival 2008,^[114] and Obata was nominated for Best Penciller/Inker at the 2008 Eisner Awards.^[115] 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.^[116]

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 and Ohba and Obata had been persuaded to lengthen the storyline when Death Note‘s popularity increased, noting that the rumor «makes sense, since about halfway through the series, there’s a point that seems like a natural ending». In addition, he said that fans wrote «thousands» of Death Note fan fiction stories and posted them on the internet.^[117] In 2006, Japanese fans pointed out the similarities between Death Note and the 1973 one-shot manga The Miraculous Notebook (不思議な手帖) by Shigeru Mizuki. Comipress reported that the only difference between the story and Death Note is that there are no shinigamis.^[118]

Anime News Network writer Zac Bertschy called Death Note a «surprisingly gripping and original suspense tale that raises a handful of interesting questions about morality». He noted that the difference between the series and other manga from the same demographic was very big due to the murders the main character commits as well as how he hides his identity of Kira. Although Bertschy mentioned some manga readers will be surprised with the dark themes of Death Note, he praised the series for its «great art, great story, [and] compelling characters».^[119] Briana Lawrence from the same website stated that what makes Death Note so interesting is that there is no villain, «instead it had two opposing sides that both believe in the same thing: justice». She felt that once vital characters fading into the background, the ending brings back what the fans loved about the first volume and the supporting cast are «given a chance to shine». She also mentioned that the epilogue made no mention of what happens with Misa Amane and how Near and Mello were still treated like parts of L.^[120] 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 the former’s identity. Additionally, she praised the story as it is «building a climax» with each detail introduced in the first chapter, making the reader look forward to upcoming chapters.^[121] Jolyon Baraka Thomas, in a Japanese Journal of Religious Studies article, describes the manga as having a «somber narrative» with a «dark cast». Obata’s art is «[rendered] in stark strokes characterized—fittingly—by a complex interplay of light and shadow».^[16]

AnimeEdit

On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website’s critical consensus reads: «Death Note is an exceptional anime that poses profound questions about justice and murder, all while delivering a supremely satisfying tale of tactical one-upmanship between a detective and killer.»^[122] The Death Note anime was one of the series to win Best TV Anime at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair.^[123] The anime was commended with Tom S. Pepirium of IGN saying that Death Note‘s «heavy serialized nature» is what «makes the show so engaging and discussion worthy».^[124] Pepirium, saying that translating Death Note is «no small task», stated that Stephen Hedley created an English dub with «nothing clunky». He 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».^[125] On the NPR show Fresh Air, John Powers said that Death Note is «at least as addictive as a show like Lost«.^[126] It was also listed as the 51st best animated show in IGN’s Top 100 Animated Series.^[127] Hyper wrote:

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.^[128]

Jacob Hope Chapman from Anime News Network praised Teru Mikami’s role as bloody and flashy as ever better than that of Near, Mello, and Misa.^[129]

Light novelsEdit

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 Nisio Isin’s work which «adds a few more fun layers» to the Death Note franchise.^[130] The novelization of L: Change the World became the second top-selling light novel in Japan during 2008.^[131]

Legacy and controversiesEdit

The series release outside Japan was met with a wave of copycat crimes. According to Wired magazine, Death Note «[turned] Japan’s most-popular print medium into an internationally controversial topic that has parents wondering whether they should prohibit their kids from reading manga entirely». Live-action director Shusuke Kaneko commented in response, «If preventing them from seeing this movie is going to make kids better, then why not prevent them from watching all bad news?».^[13]

In regards to the 2019 The Twilight Zone episode «The Comedian», Rosie Knight of The Hollywood Reporter stated that «Samir’s story appears to take a large influence from … Death Note.»^[132] The Simpsons has parodied Death Note in both comic books and animation with the 2008 comic book story «Murder, He Wrote» in The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror #14,^[133][134] where Bart receives the notebook from the Ryuk-ified ghost of Krusty the Clown, and the «Death Tome» segment of the 2022 television episode «Treehouse of Horror XXXIII», with Lisa receiving the titular book.^[135]

Bans and attempted bansEdit

Early in 2005, school officials in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning (People’s Republic of China), banned Death Note.^[136] 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.^[137][138] The ban was designed to protect the «physical and mental health»^[139] of students from horror material that «misleads innocent children and distorts their mind and spirit».^[140] Jonathan Clements has suggested that the Chinese authorities acted partly against «superstition», but also against illegal, pirate publishers of Death Note.^[141] The ban has been extended to other Chinese cities including Beijing,^[142][143] Shanghai and Lanzhou in Gansu Province.^[144] Legally published Chinese-language versions of Death Note are published in Hong Kong.^[141] On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture listed Death Note among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China.^[145]

In 2007, the education bureau in Pingtung County, Taiwan asked teachers to pay attention to any negative influence on elementary school students reading the manga.^[146] In May 2010, the Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico held a hearing to ban the Death Note manga from their district’s schools; it was unanimously voted down.^[147] After volumes of Death Note were found at the February 2013 suicide of a 15-year-old girl in Yekaterinburg, Russia, a local parents’ group began campaigning to regulate all media based on the series, saying that it had an adverse effect on the minds of children.^[148] In March 2014, investigators concluded that the manga did not cause the girl to commit suicide.^[149]

Imitations of the seriesEdit

Typical design of a Death Note

There have been various imitations around the world of the premise of Death Note. At least one instance was linked to a crime — on September 28, 2007, two notes written with Latin characters stating «Watashi wa Kira dess» [sic], a mis-transliteration of «I am Kira» (私はキラです, Watashi wa Kira desu),^[150] were found near the partial remains of a Caucasian male in Belgium. The case has been called the «Mangamoord» (Dutch for Manga Murder) in Belgian media.^[151] It was not until 2010 that four people were arrested in connection to the murder.^[152] A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, United States was suspended in 2007 after being caught possessing a replica «Death Note» notebook with the names of fellow students. The school’s principal wrote a letter to the student’s parents linking to an unofficial website where visitors can write names and circumstances of death for people they want to die.^[153]

In South Carolina in March 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.^[154] In Gadsden, Alabama in April 2008, two sixth-grade boys were arrested for possession of a «Death Note» that listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was discovered the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county’s schools, pending a juvenile court hearing. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer.^[155] In Gig Harbor, Washington, one middle school student was expelled and three were suspended on May 14, 2008, for having 50 names in their own «Death Note» book, including President George W. Bush.^[156]

It was reported in September 2009, that a Year Eight boy in Sydney, Australia, created a «Death Note» that along with names contained a «battle plan» detailing where bombs could be placed inside his school.^[157] In December 2009, two students at an elementary school in Oklahoma were disciplined for a «Death Note» with the names and descriptions of deaths of two girls that had angered them.^[158] A Michigan middle school student was suspended indefinitely in March 2010 for a «Death Note».^[159] In May 2010, a middle school student in Avonworth School District in Pennsylvania was suspended for a «Death Note» with names of fellow students and pop singer Justin Bieber.^[147] In February 2015, a fifth-grade student of an elementary school near Pittsburgh was suspended for owning a «Death Note» and writing other students’ names in it.^[160]

See alsoEdit

• Now: Zero — A short story by J. G. Ballard with a similar premise to Death Note.

NotesEdit

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

• Official website   (in Japanese)
• Viz Media’s Death Note website
• Madman Entertainment’s Death Note website
• Death Note (manga) at Anime News Network’s encyclopedia

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Контексты

I dropped my Death Note.
Я потерял свою тетрадь смерти.

In short, it means that even the Death Note can’t do the impossible.
Даже тетрадь смерти не может совершить невозможное.

I’ve heard of Death Notes reaching down the human world a few times before.
Каждый раз, когда тетрадь смерти попадала в человеческий мир, до меня начинали доходить слухи о всяких проишествиях.

The Chairperson said that, pursuant to article 33, paragraph 2, and article 34, paragraph 1, of the Covenant, the Secretary-General had declared the seat of Ms. Margareta Wadstein (Sweden) vacant following her death, and by a note verbale of 11 November 2004 had invited States Parties to submit nominations to fill that vacancy.
Председатель говорит, что в соответствии с пунктом 2 статьи 33 и пунктом 1 статьи 34 Пакта Генеральный секретарь объявил место г-жи Маргареты Вадстейн (Швеция) вакантным в связи с ее кончиной, и в вербальной ноте от 11 ноября 2004 года предложил государствам — участникам Пакта представить свои кандидатуры на заполнение этой вакансии.

One note on his death, which is so devastating, is that despite predicating the war on Iraq on a link between Saddam Hussein and terrorism in 9/11, believe it or not, the Bush administration or the invaders did no planning, no pre-war planning, to respond to terrorism.
Одно замечание в связи с его сокрушительной гибелью. Несмотря на всю увязку войны в Ираке с Саддамом Хусейном и терактом 11 сентября, верите или нет, администрация Буша, или захватчики, не осуществляли никакого предварительного военного планирования в ответ на терроризм.

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Death Note
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Light Yagami (front) and Ryuk (back)
Genre	Mystery[1] Psychological thriller[2][3] Supernatural thriller[1][4]
Manga
Written by	Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrated by	Takeshi Obata
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	December 1, 2003 – May 15, 2006
Volumes	12 (List of volumes)
Novel
Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases
Written by	Nisio Isin
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Published	August 1, 2006
Anime television series
Directed by	Tetsurō Araki
Produced by	Toshio Nakatani Manabu Tamura Masao Maruyama
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Yoshihisa Hirano Hideki Taniuchi
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] NA Viz Media
Original network	Nippon TV
English network	CA YTV NA Neon Alley US Adult Swim
Original run	October 4, 2006 – June 27, 2007
Episodes	37 (List of episodes)
Anime television film
Death Note: Relight — Visions of a God
Directed by	Tetsurō Araki
Produced by	Toshio Nakatani Manabu Tamura Masao Maruyama
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Yoshihisa Hirano Hideki Taniuchi
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] NA Viz Media
Original network	Nippon TV
Released	August 31, 2007
Runtime	130 minutes
Novel
Death Note: L — Change the World
Written by	M
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Published	December 25, 2007
Manga
Death Note: C-Kira Story
Written by	Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrated by	Takeshi Obata
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Published	February 9, 2008
Anime television film
Death Note: Relight 2 – L’s Successors
Directed by	Tetsurō Araki
Produced by	Toshio Nakatani Manabu Tamura Masao Maruyama
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Yoshihisa Hirano Hideki Taniuchi
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] NA Viz Media
Original network	Nippon TV
Released	August 22, 2008
Runtime	100 minutes
Manga
Death Note: a-Kira Story
Written by	Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrated by	Takeshi Obata
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Magazine	Jump Square
Demographic	Shōnen
Published	February 4, 2020
Live-action
Death Note (2006 film) Death Note 2: The Last Name (2006 film) L: Change the World (2008 film) Death Note (2015 TV drama) Death Note: The Musical (2015 musical) Death Note: New Generation (2016 miniseries) Death Note: Light Up the New World (2016 film) Death Note (2017 film)
Video games
Death Note: Kira Game (2007) Death Note: Successors to L (2007) L the Prologue to Death Note -Spiraling Trap- (2008)

Death Note (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006, with its chapters collected in 12 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Light Yagami, a genius who discovers a mysterious notebook: the «Death Note», which belonged to the shinigami Ryuk, and grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages. The series centers around Light’s subsequent attempts to use the Death Note to carry out a worldwide massacre of individuals whom he deems immoral and to create a crime-free society, using the alias of a god-like vigilante named «Kira», and the subsequent efforts of an elite Japanese police task force, led by enigmatic detective L, to apprehend him.

A 37-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Madhouse and directed by Tetsurō Araki, was broadcast on Nippon Television from October 2006 to June 2007. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was also released in 2006. Additionally, various video games have been published by Konami for the Nintendo DS. The series was adapted into three live-action films released in Japan in June, November 2006, and February 2008, and a television drama in 2015. A miniseries titled Death Note: New Generation and a fourth film were released in 2016. An American film adaptation was released exclusively on Netflix in August 2017, and a series is reportedly in the works.

Death Note media, except for video games and soundtracks, is licensed and released in North America by Viz Media. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable from IGN before Viz Media licensed it. The series was aired on YTV’s Bionix programming block in Canada and on Adult Swim in the United States with a DVD release following. The live-action films briefly played in certain North American theaters, in 2008, before receiving home video releases. As of April 2015, the Death Note manga had over 30 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series.

Plot[edit]

In Tokyo, a disaffected high school student named Light Yagami finds the «Death Note», a mysterious black notebook that can kill anyone as long as the user knows both the target’s name and face. Initially terrified of its god-like power, Light considers the possibilities of the Death Note’s abilities and kills high-profile Japanese criminals, then targets international criminals. Five days after discovering the notebook, Light is visited by Ryuk, a «shinigami» and the Death Note’s previous owner. Ryuk, invisible to anyone who has not touched the notebook, reveals that he dropped the notebook into the human world out of boredom and is amused by Light’s actions.^[5]

As criminals around the world die from inexplicable accidents and heart attacks, the global media suggest that a single mastermind is responsible for the mysterious murders and name them «Kira» (キラ, the Japanese transliteration of the word «killer»). Hoping to apprehend Kira, Interpol requests the assistance of an enigmatic consulting detective, known as L, to assist their investigation. Deducing that Kira is based in Japan, L tricks Light into revealing that he is in the Kanto region of Japan by manipulating him to kill a decoy. Furious, Light vows to kill L, whom he views as obstructing his plans. L deduces that Kira has inside knowledge of the Japanese police investigation, being led by Light’s father, Soichiro Yagami. Under the suspicion that «Kira» could have family ties with members of the «Kira» investigation, L assigns a team of FBI agents to monitor the families of those connected with the investigation and L learns enough to designate Light as the prime suspect. Around this time, Light graduates from high school to college. L recruits Light into the Kira Task Force, with each trying to get the other to reveal crucial information.

Actress-model Misa Amane, having obtained a second Death Note from a shinigami named Rem, makes a deal with Rem for shinigami eyes, which reveal the names of anyone whose face she sees, at the cost of half her lifespan. Seeking to have Light become her boyfriend, Misa uncovers Light’s identity as the original Kira, but Light has another motive: he intends to use Misa’s shinigami eyes to discern L’s true name. L deduces that Misa is likely the second Kira and detains her. Rem threatens to kill Light if he does not find a way to save Misa. Light arranges a scheme in which he and Misa temporarily lose their memories of the Death Note, and has Rem pass the Death Note to a less morally driven individual, Kyosuke Higuchi of the Yotsuba Group. With memories of the Death Note erased, Light joins the investigation and, together with L, deduce Higuchi’s identity and arrest him. Light regains his memories and uses the Death Note to kill Higuchi, regaining possession of the book. After restoring Misa’s memories, Light instructs her to begin killing as Kira, causing L to cast suspicion on Misa. With Light insinuating the investigation would lead to Misa’s capture and execution, Rem realizes Light’s plan all along was to have her sacrifice herself to kill L, as a shinigami may not kill others to prevent a human’s death. After Rem kills L, she disintegrates and Light obtains her Death Note. The task force does not announce L’s death and agrees to have Light operate as the new L. With Light working as both L and Kira, the investigation stalls but crime rates continue to drop as he no longer has a threat of capture.

Four years later, cults that worship Kira have risen. Two young men, raised as potential successors to L, are revealed: Near and Mello. Mello joins the mafia whilst Near joins forces with the US government. Mello kidnaps Director Takimura, who Light then kills, so Mello, kidnaps Light’s sister and exchanges her for the Death Note, using it to kill almost all of Near’s team. A Shinigami named Sidoh goes to Earth to reclaim his notebook and ends up meeting and helping Mello. Light uses the notebook to find Mello’s hideout, but Soichiro is killed in the mission. Mello and Near exchange information and Mello kidnaps Mogi and gives him to Near. Kira supporters attack Near’s group, but they escape. Aizawa becomes suspicious in Light and meets with Near. As suspicion falls again on Misa, Light passes Misa’s Death Note to a fervent supporter of Kira, Teru Mikami. He also appoints newscaster Kiyomi Takada as Kira’s public spokesperson. Near has Mikami followed whilst Aizawa’s suspicions are confirmed. Realizing that Takada is connected to Kira, Mello kidnaps her. Takada kills Mello but is killed by Light. Near arranges a meeting between Light and the current Kira Task Force members. Light tries to have Mikami kill Near as well as all the task force members, but Mikami’s Death Note fails to work, having been replaced with a decoy. Perusing the names Mikami had written down, only Light’s is missing, which proves Light is Kira. Light is grievously wounded in a scuffle and begs Ryuk to write the names of everyone present. Ryuk instead writes down Light’s name in his Death Note, as he had promised to do the day they met, and Light dies.

One year later, the world has returned to normal and the Kira Taskforce Members are conflicted over whether they made the right decision. Meanwhile, cults worshipping Kira have risen, led by a woman resembling Misa. Three years later, Near, now functioning as the new L, receives word that a new Kira has appeared. Hearing that the new Kira is randomly killing people, Near concludes that the new Kira is an attention-seeker and denounces the new Kira as «boring» and not worth catching. A shinigami named Midora approaches Ryuk and gives him an apple from the human realm, in a bet to see if a random human could become the new Kira, but Midora loses the bet when the human writes his own name in the Death Note after hearing Near’s announcement. Ryuk tells Midora that no human would ever surpass Light as the new Kira.

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

The Death Note concept derived from a rather general concept involving Shinigami and «specific rules».^[6] Author Tsugumi Ohba wanted to create a suspense series because the genre had few suspense series available to the public. After publication of the pilot chapter, the series was not expected to receive approval as a serialized comic. Learning that Death Note had in fact received approval and that Takeshi Obata would create the artwork, Ohba said, he «couldn’t even believe it».^[7] Due to positive reactions, Death Note became a serialized manga series.^[8]

«Thumbnails» incorporating dialogue, panel layout and basic drawings were created, reviewed by an editor and sent to Takeshi Obata, the illustrator, with the script finalized 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 the text as concise as possible. Ohba commented that «reading too much exposition» would be tiring and would negatively affect the atmosphere and «air of suspense». The illustrator had significant artistic licence to interpret basic descriptions, such as «abandoned building»,^[9] as well as the design of the Death Notes themselves.

When Ohba was deciding on the plot, he said, he visualized the panels while relaxing on his bed, drinking tea, or walking around his house. Often the original draft was too long and needed to be refined in order to finalize the desired «tempo» and «flow». The writer remarked on his preference for reading the previous «two or four» chapters carefully to ensure consistency in the story.^[6]

The typical weekly production schedule consisted of five days of creating and thinking and one day using a 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 the artwork. Obata said that when he took a few extra days to color the pages, 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.^[10]

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.^[7] The two did not discuss the final chapters with one another and continued talking only 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».^[9]

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».^[8] 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.^[11] 13: How to Read states that the humorous aspects of Death Note originated from Ohba’s «enjoyment of humorous stories».^[12]

When Ohba 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.^[10]

Concepts[edit]

The notebooks[edit]

The core plot device of the story is the «Death Note» itself, a black notebook with instructions (known as «Rules of the Death Note») written on the inside. When used correctly, it allows anyone to commit a murder, knowing only the victim’s name and face. According to the director of the live-action films, Shusuke Kaneko, «The idea of spirits living in words is an ancient Japanese concept…. In a way, it’s a very Japanese story».^[13]

Artist Takeshi Obata originally thought of the books as «Something you would automatically think was a Death Note». Deciding that this design would be cumbersome, he instead opted for a more accessible college notebook. Death Notes were originally conceived as changing based on time and location, resembling scrolls in ancient Japan, or the Old Testament in medieval Europe. However, this idea was never used.^[14]

Themes[edit]

Writer Tsugumi Ohba had no particular themes in mind for Death Note. When pushed, he suggested: «Humans will all eventually die, so let’s give it our all while we’re alive».^[15] In a 2012 paper, author Jolyon Baraka Thomas characterised Death Note as a psychological thriller released in the wake of the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, saying that it examines the human tendency to express itself through «horrific» cults.^[16]

Pilot chapter[edit]

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.^[8] Ohba described keeping the story of the pilot to one chapter as «very difficult», declaring that 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.^[17]

Obata said that he wanted to draw the story after he heard of a «horror story featuring shinigami«.^[7] 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».^[17] 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.^[17]

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».^[7]

Anime adaptation[edit]

Tetsurō 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 manga 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, this commentary became crucial to the development of the series.^[18]

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 manga, he wished to use his effort.^[18]

Media[edit]

Manga[edit]

Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, was serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 1, 2003,^[19] to May 15, 2006.^[20][21] The series’ 108 chapters were collected into twelve tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, released from April 2, 2004,^[22] to July 4, 2006.^[23] A one-shot chapter, titled «C-Kira Story» (Cキラ編, C-Kira-hen), was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump on February 9, 2008. 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.^[24] 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.^[17] Shueisha re-released the series in seven bunkoban volumes from March 18 to August 19, 2014.^[25][26] On October 4, 2016, all 12 original manga volumes and the February 2008 one-shot were released in a single All-in-One Edition, consisting of 2,400 pages in a single book.^[27][28]

In April 2005, Viz Media announced that they had licensed the series for English release in North America.^[29] The twelve volumes were released from October 10, 2005 to July 3, 2007.^[30][31] The manga was re-released in a six-volume omnibus edition, dubbed «Black Edition».^[32][33] The volumes were released from December 28, 2010 to November 1, 2011.^[34][35] The All-in-One Edition was released in English on September 6, 2017, resulting in the February 2008 one-shot being released in English for the first time.^[36]

In addition, a guidebook for the manga was also released on 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.^[37][38] 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.^[39]

In the June 2019 issue of Shueisha’s Jump Square it was announced that a new one-shot chapter of Death Note would be published. Part of the complete manuscript debuted at the «30th Work Anniversary Takeshi Obata Exhibition: Never Complete» event which ran in Tokyo from July 13 to August 12, 2019.^[40] Titled «Death Note: Special One-Shot», the entire 87-page chapter was published in the March issue of Jump Square on February 4, 2020 and on Viz’s website.^[41][42] A collected volume titled Death Note: Short Stories (DEATH NOTE短編集, Desu Nōto Tanpenshū), which includes the February 2008 one-shot chapter, the «Special One-Shot» (re-titled «a-Kira Story» (aキラ編, a-Kira-hen), the series’ pilot chapter and the «L: The Wammy’s House»/»L: One Day» one-shot chapters and more, was released on February 4, 2021.^[43][44][45]

Light novels[edit]

A light novel adaptation of the series has been written by Nisio Isin, called Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. The novel was released by Shueisha on August 1, 2006.^[46][47] 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.^[48] The film L: Change the World was also adapted into a light novel with the same name on December 25, 2007, by «M»,^[49] While the novel is similar to the film, 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.^[50]

Anime[edit]

The Death Note anime, directed by Tetsurō Araki and animated by Madhouse, began airing on Nippon TV on October 4, 2006, and finished its run on June 27, 2007, totaling 37 episodes.^[51] The series aired on the network «every Tuesday at 0:56», which is effectively Wednesday.^[52] The series was co-produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, Shueisha, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP.^[53] In North America, the series was 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 was seen as «significant because it marked the first time a well known Japanese anime property was made legally available in the
United States for domestic audiences to download while the title was still airing on Japanese television».^[54] The downloadable episodes contained the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles,^[55] and were made available through IGN’s Windows-only Direct2Drive service.^[56] DVDs of the series have also been released,^[55] containing both an English dubbed audio track, produced by Ocean Productions, and the original Japanese audio track with optional English subtitles.^[57] Viz announced at Anime Expo 2007 that the first DVD was officially released on November 20, 2007, in both regular and special editions,^[58] and also confirmed at Comic-Con International 2007 that the first 15,000 copies of each DVD contains collectible figures.^[59]

Death Note was slated to make its North American television premiere in Canada, as part of YTV’s Bionix programming block, on September 7, 2007.^[60] However, the show was removed from the schedule at the last minute^[61] and the Canadian premiere was pushed back to October 26, 2007, at 10:00 p.m. The series premiered in the U.S. on October 20, 2007, at 12:00 a.m. on Adult Swim^[62] and ran until January 10, 2010, when its contract expired.^[63] The last episode aired on YTV, July 4, 2008, and would later air on Adult Swim two days later. The show was removed from YTV’s schedule on July 5, 2008, with its last airing being a rerun of the final episode at 1:30 a.m. ET. Soon after, Bionix became a 2-hour block on Saturday nights.^[64] The show also streamed online free on Adult Swim Video, with a new episode available every Saturday afternoon, on the day of its broadcast premiere.^[65] On July 26, 2017, Starz announced that they would be offering episodes of the series for their Video on Demand service starting August 1, 2017.^[66]

A two-hour animated Death Note Relight: 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 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.^[67]

The Japanese broadcaster NTV aired the Death Note: Relight: L’s Successors (DEATH NOTE リライト2 Lを継ぐ者, Desu Nōto Riraito 2: L o Tsugu Mono) special on August 22, 2008. Like the first special, this new compilation summarized a part of the 2006–2007 anime television series. Specifically, it recounted the final half of the suspenseful supernatural story, including the investigators Near and Mello’s confrontations with the vigilante Kira.^[68] This version features more updates than the previous one, most notably omission of the mafia plot.

Soundtracks[edit]

Several soundtracks for the series have been released. 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 are sung by the Japanese band Nightmare in the TV size format.^[69] 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.^[70] 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 Japanese voice actress 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.^[71]

Several soundtracks have also been released for the live action films. 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.^[72] 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.^[73] Death Note Tribute is a tribute album dedicated to the live action film Death Note. 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.^[74] 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 artists, such as Orange Range, Abingdon Boys School, High and Mighty Color, Doping Panda, and Galneryus.^[75]

Live-action films[edit]

Death Note was adapted into a series of live-action films in 2006. The first two films were directed by Shusuke Kaneko and the third was directed by Hideo Nakata and produced by Nippon Television, CG production of all three films were done by Digital Frontier 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.^[76] The first film briefly played in certain North American theaters on May 20–21, 2008.^[77] 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.^[78] The sequel, Death Note 2: The Last Name, premiered in Japan on November 3, 2006.^[79] It was featured in U.S. theaters in October 2008.^[80]

A spin-off 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.^[81] Two dubbed versions of the film were shown in the United States on April 29 and 30, 2009.^[82] In August 2016, a three-part miniseries entitled Death Note: New Generation was announced as a part of the Death Note live-action film series and aired in September. It bridges the 10-year gap between the previous films and the then-upcoming 2016 film.^[83][84] A fourth Japanese Death Note film was released in 2016^[85] and featured a cyber-terrorism setting with the inclusion of six Death Notes brought into the human world.^[86] An American adaptation was released on Netflix on August 25, 2017.^[87] The film was directed by Adam Wingard and was written by Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides, and Jeremy Slater. It starred Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, Shea Whigham, Paul Nakauchi, Jason Liles, and Willem Dafoe. It was rated by many negatively after its release, and ranked low on Rotten Tomatoes. A sequel film is reportedly in the works.^[88]

Live-action series[edit]

In April 2015, it was announced that a live-action television series based on Death Note manga would begin airing from July 2015 on NTV.^[89] Masataka Kubota stars as Light Yagami and Kento Yamazaki as L in the series.^[90]

In July 2022, it was announced that the Duffer Brothers are producing a new live-action series adaptation for Netflix.^[91] In October 2022, it was announced that Halia Abdel-Meguid would write and executive produce the series.^[92][93]

Video games[edit]

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.^[94] 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 three 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).^[95] A sequel to the game, Death Note: Successors to L (デスノート Lを継ぐ者, Desu Nōto Eru o Tsugu Mono), 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.^[95]

A third game, L the Prologue to Death Note -Spiraling Trap- (L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -螺旋の罠-, L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -Rasen no Wana-), was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 7, 2008.^[95][96] 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.^[96] Several characters from Death Note appear in Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars, a fighting game featuring multiple characters from Weekly Shōnen Jump titles. Light, Ryuk, and L appear in Jump Super Stars as support characters. Misa, Near, and Mello are added as support characters in Jump Ultimate Stars as well.^[97][98] The 2019 video game Jump Force features Light and Ryuk as non-playable characters, playing a key role in the game’s story mode.^[99]

Musical[edit]

In 2015, a musical adaptation of the manga called Death Note: The Musical ran in both Japan and South Korea. It was originally composed in English by Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and book by Ivan Menchell, though no English-language production has been announced as of September 2017.^[100] The original Japanese production, produced by Japanese talent agency HoriPro [ja], ran from 6 to April 29, 2015, and stars Kenji Urai and Hayato Kakizawa [ja] double-cast as Light Yagami, and Teppei Koike as L.^[101] A Korean production of the same musical ran from June 11 to August 11, 2015, in South Korea, starring musical actor Hong Kwang-ho and JYJ member and musical actor Kim Junsu.^[102][103]

Reception[edit]

Manga[edit]

As of April 2015, the Death Note manga had over 30 million copies in circulation.^[104] On ICv2’s «Top 10 Shonen Properties Q2 2009», Death Note was the third best-selling manga property in North America.^[105] The series ranked second on Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2006 and 2007 for male readers.^[106] It was nominated for the 38th Seiun Awards in the Best Comic category in 2007.^[107] The manga received the Grand Prize of Best Manga and Best Screenplay at the Japan Expo Awards 2007.^[108] The series won the 2008 Eagle Award for Favourite Manga as voted by UK fans.^[109] According to a survey conducted in 2007 by the Ministry of culture of Japan, occupies the 10th place among the best manga of all time.^[110] It also received several nominations such as Best Manga at the 2006 American Anime Awards,^[111][112] the 2007 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize,^[113] an Official Selection at Angoulême International Comics Festival 2008,^[114] and Obata was nominated for Best Penciller/Inker at the 2008 Eisner Awards.^[115] 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.^[116]

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 and Ohba and Obata had been persuaded to lengthen the storyline when Death Note‘s popularity increased, noting that the rumor «makes sense, since about halfway through the series, there’s a point that seems like a natural ending». In addition, he said that fans wrote «thousands» of Death Note fan fiction stories and posted them on the internet.^[117] In 2006, Japanese fans pointed out the similarities between Death Note and the 1973 one-shot manga The Miraculous Notebook (不思議な手帖) by Shigeru Mizuki. Comipress reported that the only difference between the story and Death Note is that there are no shinigamis.^[118]

Anime News Network writer Zac Bertschy called Death Note a «surprisingly gripping and original suspense tale that raises a handful of interesting questions about morality». He noted that the difference between the series and other manga from the same demographic was very big due to the murders the main character commits as well as how he hides his identity of Kira. Although Bertschy mentioned some manga readers will be surprised with the dark themes of Death Note, he praised the series for its «great art, great story, [and] compelling characters».^[119] Briana Lawrence from the same website stated that what makes Death Note so interesting is that there is no villain, «instead it had two opposing sides that both believe in the same thing: justice». She felt that once vital characters fading into the background, the ending brings back what the fans loved about the first volume and the supporting cast are «given a chance to shine». She also mentioned that the epilogue made no mention of what happens with Misa Amane and how Near and Mello were still treated like parts of L.^[120] 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 the former’s identity. Additionally, she praised the story as it is «building a climax» with each detail introduced in the first chapter, making the reader look forward to upcoming chapters.^[121] Jolyon Baraka Thomas, in a Japanese Journal of Religious Studies article, describes the manga as having a «somber narrative» with a «dark cast». Obata’s art is «[rendered] in stark strokes characterized—fittingly—by a complex interplay of light and shadow».^[16]

Anime[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website’s critical consensus reads: «Death Note is an exceptional anime that poses profound questions about justice and murder, all while delivering a supremely satisfying tale of tactical one-upmanship between a detective and killer.»^[122] The Death Note anime was one of the series to win Best TV Anime at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair.^[123] The anime was commended with Tom S. Pepirium of IGN saying that Death Note‘s «heavy serialized nature» is what «makes the show so engaging and discussion worthy».^[124] Pepirium, saying that translating Death Note is «no small task», stated that Stephen Hedley created an English dub with «nothing clunky». He 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».^[125] On the NPR show Fresh Air, John Powers said that Death Note is «at least as addictive as a show like Lost«.^[126] It was also listed as the 51st best animated show in IGN’s Top 100 Animated Series.^[127] Hyper wrote:

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.^[128]

Jacob Hope Chapman from Anime News Network praised Teru Mikami’s role as bloody and flashy as ever better than that of Near, Mello, and Misa.^[129]

Light novels[edit]

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 Nisio Isin’s work which «adds a few more fun layers» to the Death Note franchise.^[130] The novelization of L: Change the World became the second top-selling light novel in Japan during 2008.^[131]

Legacy and controversies[edit]

The series release outside Japan was met with a wave of copycat crimes. According to Wired magazine, Death Note «[turned] Japan’s most-popular print medium into an internationally controversial topic that has parents wondering whether they should prohibit their kids from reading manga entirely». Live-action director Shusuke Kaneko commented in response, «If preventing them from seeing this movie is going to make kids better, then why not prevent them from watching all bad news?».^[13]

In regards to the 2019 The Twilight Zone episode «The Comedian», Rosie Knight of The Hollywood Reporter stated that «Samir’s story appears to take a large influence from … Death Note.»^[132] The Simpsons has parodied Death Note in both comic books and animation with the 2008 comic book story «Murder, He Wrote» in The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror #14,^[133][134] where Bart receives the notebook from the Ryuk-ified ghost of Krusty the Clown, and the «Death Tome» segment of the 2022 television episode «Treehouse of Horror XXXIII», with Lisa receiving the titular book.^[135]

Bans and attempted bans[edit]

Early in 2005, school officials in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning (People’s Republic of China), banned Death Note.^[136] 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.^[137][138] The ban was designed to protect the «physical and mental health»^[139] of students from horror material that «misleads innocent children and distorts their mind and spirit».^[140] Jonathan Clements has suggested that the Chinese authorities acted partly against «superstition», but also against illegal, pirate publishers of Death Note.^[141] The ban has been extended to other Chinese cities including Beijing,^[142][143] Shanghai and Lanzhou in Gansu Province.^[144] Legally published Chinese-language versions of Death Note are published in Hong Kong.^[141] On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture listed Death Note among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China.^[145]

In 2007, the education bureau in Pingtung County, Taiwan asked teachers to pay attention to any negative influence on elementary school students reading the manga.^[146] In May 2010, the Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico held a hearing to ban the Death Note manga from their district’s schools; it was unanimously voted down.^[147] After volumes of Death Note were found at the February 2013 suicide of a 15-year-old girl in Yekaterinburg, Russia, a local parents’ group began campaigning to regulate all media based on the series, saying that it had an adverse effect on the minds of children.^[148] In March 2014, investigators concluded that the manga did not cause the girl to commit suicide.^[149]

Imitations of the series[edit]

There have been various imitations around the world of the premise of Death Note. At least one instance was linked to a crime — on September 28, 2007, two notes written with Latin characters stating «Watashi wa Kira dess» [sic], a mis-transliteration of «I am Kira» (私はキラです, Watashi wa Kira desu),^[150] were found near the partial remains of a Caucasian male in Belgium. The case has been called the «Mangamoord» (Dutch for Manga Murder) in Belgian media.^[151] It was not until 2010 that four people were arrested in connection to the murder.^[152] A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, United States was suspended in 2007 after being caught possessing a replica «Death Note» notebook with the names of fellow students. The school’s principal wrote a letter to the student’s parents linking to an unofficial website where visitors can write names and circumstances of death for people they want to die.^[153]

In South Carolina in March 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.^[154] In Gadsden, Alabama in April 2008, two sixth-grade boys were arrested for possession of a «Death Note» that listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was discovered the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county’s schools, pending a juvenile court hearing. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer.^[155] In Gig Harbor, Washington, one middle school student was expelled and three were suspended on May 14, 2008, for having 50 names in their own «Death Note» book, including President George W. Bush.^[156]

It was reported in September 2009, that a Year Eight boy in Sydney, Australia, created a «Death Note» that along with names contained a «battle plan» detailing where bombs could be placed inside his school.^[157] In December 2009, two students at an elementary school in Oklahoma were disciplined for a «Death Note» with the names and descriptions of deaths of two girls that had angered them.^[158] A Michigan middle school student was suspended indefinitely in March 2010 for a «Death Note».^[159] In May 2010, a middle school student in Avonworth School District in Pennsylvania was suspended for a «Death Note» with names of fellow students and pop singer Justin Bieber.^[147] In February 2015, a fifth-grade student of an elementary school near Pittsburgh was suspended for owning a «Death Note» and writing other students’ names in it.^[160]

See also[edit]

• Now: Zero — A short story by J. G. Ballard with a similar premise to Death Note.

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Viz Media’s Death Note website
• Madman Entertainment’s Death Note website
• Death Note (manga) at Anime News Network’s encyclopedia

Death Note
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Light Yagami (front) and Ryuk (back)
Genre	Mystery[1] Psychological thriller[2][3] Supernatural thriller[1][4]
Manga
Written by	Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrated by	Takeshi Obata
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	December 1, 2003 – May 15, 2006
Volumes	12 (List of volumes)
Novel
Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases
Written by	Nisio Isin
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Published	August 1, 2006
Anime television series
Directed by	Tetsurō Araki
Produced by	Toshio Nakatani Manabu Tamura Masao Maruyama
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Yoshihisa Hirano Hideki Taniuchi
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] NA Viz Media
Original network	Nippon TV
English network	CA YTV NA Neon Alley US Adult Swim
Original run	October 4, 2006 – June 27, 2007
Episodes	37 (List of episodes)
Anime television film
Death Note: Relight — Visions of a God
Directed by	Tetsurō Araki
Produced by	Toshio Nakatani Manabu Tamura Masao Maruyama
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Yoshihisa Hirano Hideki Taniuchi
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] NA Viz Media
Original network	Nippon TV
Released	August 31, 2007
Runtime	130 minutes
Novel
Death Note: L — Change the World
Written by	M
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Published	December 25, 2007
Manga
Death Note: C-Kira Story
Written by	Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrated by	Takeshi Obata
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Published	February 9, 2008
Anime television film
Death Note: Relight 2 – L’s Successors
Directed by	Tetsurō Araki
Produced by	Toshio Nakatani Manabu Tamura Masao Maruyama
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Yoshihisa Hirano Hideki Taniuchi
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] NA Viz Media
Original network	Nippon TV
Released	August 22, 2008
Runtime	100 minutes
Manga
Death Note: a-Kira Story
Written by	Tsugumi Ohba
Illustrated by	Takeshi Obata
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media
Magazine	Jump Square
Demographic	Shōnen
Published	February 4, 2020
Live-action
Death Note (2006 film) Death Note 2: The Last Name (2006 film) L: Change the World (2008 film) Death Note (2015 TV drama) Death Note: The Musical (2015 musical) Death Note: New Generation (2016 miniseries) Death Note: Light Up the New World (2016 film) Death Note (2017 film)
Video games
Death Note: Kira Game (2007) Death Note: Successors to L (2007) L the Prologue to Death Note -Spiraling Trap- (2008)

Death Note (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006, with its chapters collected in 12 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Light Yagami, a genius who discovers a mysterious notebook: the «Death Note», which belonged to the shinigami Ryuk, and grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages. The series centers around Light’s subsequent attempts to use the Death Note to carry out a worldwide massacre of individuals whom he deems immoral and to create a crime-free society, using the alias of a god-like vigilante named «Kira», and the subsequent efforts of an elite Japanese police task force, led by enigmatic detective L, to apprehend him.

A 37-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Madhouse and directed by Tetsurō Araki, was broadcast on Nippon Television from October 2006 to June 2007. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was also released in 2006. Additionally, various video games have been published by Konami for the Nintendo DS. The series was adapted into three live-action films released in Japan in June, November 2006, and February 2008, and a television drama in 2015. A miniseries titled Death Note: New Generation and a fourth film were released in 2016. An American film adaptation was released exclusively on Netflix in August 2017, and a series is reportedly in the works.

Death Note media, except for video games and soundtracks, is licensed and released in North America by Viz Media. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable from IGN before Viz Media licensed it. The series was aired on YTV’s Bionix programming block in Canada and on Adult Swim in the United States with a DVD release following. The live-action films briefly played in certain North American theaters, in 2008, before receiving home video releases. As of April 2015, the Death Note manga had over 30 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series.

Plot[edit]

In Tokyo, a disaffected high school student named Light Yagami finds the «Death Note», a mysterious black notebook that can kill anyone as long as the user knows both the target’s name and face. Initially terrified of its god-like power, Light considers the possibilities of the Death Note’s abilities and kills high-profile Japanese criminals, then targets international criminals. Five days after discovering the notebook, Light is visited by Ryuk, a «shinigami» and the Death Note’s previous owner. Ryuk, invisible to anyone who has not touched the notebook, reveals that he dropped the notebook into the human world out of boredom and is amused by Light’s actions.^[5]

As criminals around the world die from inexplicable accidents and heart attacks, the global media suggest that a single mastermind is responsible for the mysterious murders and name them «Kira» (キラ, the Japanese transliteration of the word «killer»). Hoping to apprehend Kira, Interpol requests the assistance of an enigmatic consulting detective, known as L, to assist their investigation. Deducing that Kira is based in Japan, L tricks Light into revealing that he is in the Kanto region of Japan by manipulating him to kill a decoy. Furious, Light vows to kill L, whom he views as obstructing his plans. L deduces that Kira has inside knowledge of the Japanese police investigation, being led by Light’s father, Soichiro Yagami. Under the suspicion that «Kira» could have family ties with members of the «Kira» investigation, L assigns a team of FBI agents to monitor the families of those connected with the investigation and L learns enough to designate Light as the prime suspect. Around this time, Light graduates from high school to college. L recruits Light into the Kira Task Force, with each trying to get the other to reveal crucial information.

Actress-model Misa Amane, having obtained a second Death Note from a shinigami named Rem, makes a deal with Rem for shinigami eyes, which reveal the names of anyone whose face she sees, at the cost of half her lifespan. Seeking to have Light become her boyfriend, Misa uncovers Light’s identity as the original Kira, but Light has another motive: he intends to use Misa’s shinigami eyes to discern L’s true name. L deduces that Misa is likely the second Kira and detains her. Rem threatens to kill Light if he does not find a way to save Misa. Light arranges a scheme in which he and Misa temporarily lose their memories of the Death Note, and has Rem pass the Death Note to a less morally driven individual, Kyosuke Higuchi of the Yotsuba Group. With memories of the Death Note erased, Light joins the investigation and, together with L, deduce Higuchi’s identity and arrest him. Light regains his memories and uses the Death Note to kill Higuchi, regaining possession of the book. After restoring Misa’s memories, Light instructs her to begin killing as Kira, causing L to cast suspicion on Misa. With Light insinuating the investigation would lead to Misa’s capture and execution, Rem realizes Light’s plan all along was to have her sacrifice herself to kill L, as a shinigami may not kill others to prevent a human’s death. After Rem kills L, she disintegrates and Light obtains her Death Note. The task force does not announce L’s death and agrees to have Light operate as the new L. With Light working as both L and Kira, the investigation stalls but crime rates continue to drop as he no longer has a threat of capture.

Four years later, cults that worship Kira have risen. Two young men, raised as potential successors to L, are revealed: Near and Mello. Mello joins the mafia whilst Near joins forces with the US government. Mello kidnaps Director Takimura, who Light then kills, so Mello, kidnaps Light’s sister and exchanges her for the Death Note, using it to kill almost all of Near’s team. A Shinigami named Sidoh goes to Earth to reclaim his notebook and ends up meeting and helping Mello. Light uses the notebook to find Mello’s hideout, but Soichiro is killed in the mission. Mello and Near exchange information and Mello kidnaps Mogi and gives him to Near. Kira supporters attack Near’s group, but they escape. Aizawa becomes suspicious in Light and meets with Near. As suspicion falls again on Misa, Light passes Misa’s Death Note to a fervent supporter of Kira, Teru Mikami. He also appoints newscaster Kiyomi Takada as Kira’s public spokesperson. Near has Mikami followed whilst Aizawa’s suspicions are confirmed. Realizing that Takada is connected to Kira, Mello kidnaps her. Takada kills Mello but is killed by Light. Near arranges a meeting between Light and the current Kira Task Force members. Light tries to have Mikami kill Near as well as all the task force members, but Mikami’s Death Note fails to work, having been replaced with a decoy. Perusing the names Mikami had written down, only Light’s is missing, which proves Light is Kira. Light is grievously wounded in a scuffle and begs Ryuk to write the names of everyone present. Ryuk instead writes down Light’s name in his Death Note, as he had promised to do the day they met, and Light dies.

One year later, the world has returned to normal and the Kira Taskforce Members are conflicted over whether they made the right decision. Meanwhile, cults worshipping Kira have risen, led by a woman resembling Misa. Three years later, Near, now functioning as the new L, receives word that a new Kira has appeared. Hearing that the new Kira is randomly killing people, Near concludes that the new Kira is an attention-seeker and denounces the new Kira as «boring» and not worth catching. A shinigami named Midora approaches Ryuk and gives him an apple from the human realm, in a bet to see if a random human could become the new Kira, but Midora loses the bet when the human writes his own name in the Death Note after hearing Near’s announcement. Ryuk tells Midora that no human would ever surpass Light as the new Kira.

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

The Death Note concept derived from a rather general concept involving Shinigami and «specific rules».^[6] Author Tsugumi Ohba wanted to create a suspense series because the genre had few suspense series available to the public. After publication of the pilot chapter, the series was not expected to receive approval as a serialized comic. Learning that Death Note had in fact received approval and that Takeshi Obata would create the artwork, Ohba said, he «couldn’t even believe it».^[7] Due to positive reactions, Death Note became a serialized manga series.^[8]

«Thumbnails» incorporating dialogue, panel layout and basic drawings were created, reviewed by an editor and sent to Takeshi Obata, the illustrator, with the script finalized 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 the text as concise as possible. Ohba commented that «reading too much exposition» would be tiring and would negatively affect the atmosphere and «air of suspense». The illustrator had significant artistic licence to interpret basic descriptions, such as «abandoned building»,^[9] as well as the design of the Death Notes themselves.

When Ohba was deciding on the plot, he said, he visualized the panels while relaxing on his bed, drinking tea, or walking around his house. Often the original draft was too long and needed to be refined in order to finalize the desired «tempo» and «flow». The writer remarked on his preference for reading the previous «two or four» chapters carefully to ensure consistency in the story.^[6]

The typical weekly production schedule consisted of five days of creating and thinking and one day using a 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 the artwork. Obata said that when he took a few extra days to color the pages, 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.^[10]

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.^[7] The two did not discuss the final chapters with one another and continued talking only 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».^[9]

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».^[8] 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.^[11] 13: How to Read states that the humorous aspects of Death Note originated from Ohba’s «enjoyment of humorous stories».^[12]

When Ohba 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.^[10]

Concepts[edit]

The notebooks[edit]

The core plot device of the story is the «Death Note» itself, a black notebook with instructions (known as «Rules of the Death Note») written on the inside. When used correctly, it allows anyone to commit a murder, knowing only the victim’s name and face. According to the director of the live-action films, Shusuke Kaneko, «The idea of spirits living in words is an ancient Japanese concept…. In a way, it’s a very Japanese story».^[13]

Artist Takeshi Obata originally thought of the books as «Something you would automatically think was a Death Note». Deciding that this design would be cumbersome, he instead opted for a more accessible college notebook. Death Notes were originally conceived as changing based on time and location, resembling scrolls in ancient Japan, or the Old Testament in medieval Europe. However, this idea was never used.^[14]

Themes[edit]

Writer Tsugumi Ohba had no particular themes in mind for Death Note. When pushed, he suggested: «Humans will all eventually die, so let’s give it our all while we’re alive».^[15] In a 2012 paper, author Jolyon Baraka Thomas characterised Death Note as a psychological thriller released in the wake of the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, saying that it examines the human tendency to express itself through «horrific» cults.^[16]

Pilot chapter[edit]

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.^[8] Ohba described keeping the story of the pilot to one chapter as «very difficult», declaring that 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.^[17]

Obata said that he wanted to draw the story after he heard of a «horror story featuring shinigami«.^[7] 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».^[17] 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.^[17]

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».^[7]

Anime adaptation[edit]

Tetsurō 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 manga 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, this commentary became crucial to the development of the series.^[18]

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 manga, he wished to use his effort.^[18]

Media[edit]

Manga[edit]

Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, was serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 1, 2003,^[19] to May 15, 2006.^[20][21] The series’ 108 chapters were collected into twelve tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, released from April 2, 2004,^[22] to July 4, 2006.^[23] A one-shot chapter, titled «C-Kira Story» (Cキラ編, C-Kira-hen), was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump on February 9, 2008. 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.^[24] 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.^[17] Shueisha re-released the series in seven bunkoban volumes from March 18 to August 19, 2014.^[25][26] On October 4, 2016, all 12 original manga volumes and the February 2008 one-shot were released in a single All-in-One Edition, consisting of 2,400 pages in a single book.^[27][28]

In April 2005, Viz Media announced that they had licensed the series for English release in North America.^[29] The twelve volumes were released from October 10, 2005 to July 3, 2007.^[30][31] The manga was re-released in a six-volume omnibus edition, dubbed «Black Edition».^[32][33] The volumes were released from December 28, 2010 to November 1, 2011.^[34][35] The All-in-One Edition was released in English on September 6, 2017, resulting in the February 2008 one-shot being released in English for the first time.^[36]

In addition, a guidebook for the manga was also released on 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.^[37][38] 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.^[39]

In the June 2019 issue of Shueisha’s Jump Square it was announced that a new one-shot chapter of Death Note would be published. Part of the complete manuscript debuted at the «30th Work Anniversary Takeshi Obata Exhibition: Never Complete» event which ran in Tokyo from July 13 to August 12, 2019.^[40] Titled «Death Note: Special One-Shot», the entire 87-page chapter was published in the March issue of Jump Square on February 4, 2020 and on Viz’s website.^[41][42] A collected volume titled Death Note: Short Stories (DEATH NOTE短編集, Desu Nōto Tanpenshū), which includes the February 2008 one-shot chapter, the «Special One-Shot» (re-titled «a-Kira Story» (aキラ編, a-Kira-hen), the series’ pilot chapter and the «L: The Wammy’s House»/»L: One Day» one-shot chapters and more, was released on February 4, 2021.^[43][44][45]

Light novels[edit]

A light novel adaptation of the series has been written by Nisio Isin, called Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. The novel was released by Shueisha on August 1, 2006.^[46][47] 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.^[48] The film L: Change the World was also adapted into a light novel with the same name on December 25, 2007, by «M»,^[49] While the novel is similar to the film, 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.^[50]

Anime[edit]

The Death Note anime, directed by Tetsurō Araki and animated by Madhouse, began airing on Nippon TV on October 4, 2006, and finished its run on June 27, 2007, totaling 37 episodes.^[51] The series aired on the network «every Tuesday at 0:56», which is effectively Wednesday.^[52] The series was co-produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, Shueisha, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP.^[53] In North America, the series was 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 was seen as «significant because it marked the first time a well known Japanese anime property was made legally available in the
United States for domestic audiences to download while the title was still airing on Japanese television».^[54] The downloadable episodes contained the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles,^[55] and were made available through IGN’s Windows-only Direct2Drive service.^[56] DVDs of the series have also been released,^[55] containing both an English dubbed audio track, produced by Ocean Productions, and the original Japanese audio track with optional English subtitles.^[57] Viz announced at Anime Expo 2007 that the first DVD was officially released on November 20, 2007, in both regular and special editions,^[58] and also confirmed at Comic-Con International 2007 that the first 15,000 copies of each DVD contains collectible figures.^[59]

Death Note was slated to make its North American television premiere in Canada, as part of YTV’s Bionix programming block, on September 7, 2007.^[60] However, the show was removed from the schedule at the last minute^[61] and the Canadian premiere was pushed back to October 26, 2007, at 10:00 p.m. The series premiered in the U.S. on October 20, 2007, at 12:00 a.m. on Adult Swim^[62] and ran until January 10, 2010, when its contract expired.^[63] The last episode aired on YTV, July 4, 2008, and would later air on Adult Swim two days later. The show was removed from YTV’s schedule on July 5, 2008, with its last airing being a rerun of the final episode at 1:30 a.m. ET. Soon after, Bionix became a 2-hour block on Saturday nights.^[64] The show also streamed online free on Adult Swim Video, with a new episode available every Saturday afternoon, on the day of its broadcast premiere.^[65] On July 26, 2017, Starz announced that they would be offering episodes of the series for their Video on Demand service starting August 1, 2017.^[66]

A two-hour animated Death Note Relight: 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 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.^[67]

The Japanese broadcaster NTV aired the Death Note: Relight: L’s Successors (DEATH NOTE リライト2 Lを継ぐ者, Desu Nōto Riraito 2: L o Tsugu Mono) special on August 22, 2008. Like the first special, this new compilation summarized a part of the 2006–2007 anime television series. Specifically, it recounted the final half of the suspenseful supernatural story, including the investigators Near and Mello’s confrontations with the vigilante Kira.^[68] This version features more updates than the previous one, most notably omission of the mafia plot.

Soundtracks[edit]

Several soundtracks for the series have been released. 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 are sung by the Japanese band Nightmare in the TV size format.^[69] 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.^[70] 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 Japanese voice actress 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.^[71]

Several soundtracks have also been released for the live action films. 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.^[72] 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.^[73] Death Note Tribute is a tribute album dedicated to the live action film Death Note. 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.^[74] 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 artists, such as Orange Range, Abingdon Boys School, High and Mighty Color, Doping Panda, and Galneryus.^[75]

Live-action films[edit]

Death Note was adapted into a series of live-action films in 2006. The first two films were directed by Shusuke Kaneko and the third was directed by Hideo Nakata and produced by Nippon Television, CG production of all three films were done by Digital Frontier 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.^[76] The first film briefly played in certain North American theaters on May 20–21, 2008.^[77] 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.^[78] The sequel, Death Note 2: The Last Name, premiered in Japan on November 3, 2006.^[79] It was featured in U.S. theaters in October 2008.^[80]

A spin-off 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.^[81] Two dubbed versions of the film were shown in the United States on April 29 and 30, 2009.^[82] In August 2016, a three-part miniseries entitled Death Note: New Generation was announced as a part of the Death Note live-action film series and aired in September. It bridges the 10-year gap between the previous films and the then-upcoming 2016 film.^[83][84] A fourth Japanese Death Note film was released in 2016^[85] and featured a cyber-terrorism setting with the inclusion of six Death Notes brought into the human world.^[86] An American adaptation was released on Netflix on August 25, 2017.^[87] The film was directed by Adam Wingard and was written by Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides, and Jeremy Slater. It starred Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, Shea Whigham, Paul Nakauchi, Jason Liles, and Willem Dafoe. It was rated by many negatively after its release, and ranked low on Rotten Tomatoes. A sequel film is reportedly in the works.^[88]

Live-action series[edit]

In April 2015, it was announced that a live-action television series based on Death Note manga would begin airing from July 2015 on NTV.^[89] Masataka Kubota stars as Light Yagami and Kento Yamazaki as L in the series.^[90]

In July 2022, it was announced that the Duffer Brothers are producing a new live-action series adaptation for Netflix.^[91] In October 2022, it was announced that Halia Abdel-Meguid would write and executive produce the series.^[92][93]

Video games[edit]

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.^[94] 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 three 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).^[95] A sequel to the game, Death Note: Successors to L (デスノート Lを継ぐ者, Desu Nōto Eru o Tsugu Mono), 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.^[95]

A third game, L the Prologue to Death Note -Spiraling Trap- (L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -螺旋の罠-, L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -Rasen no Wana-), was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 7, 2008.^[95][96] 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.^[96] Several characters from Death Note appear in Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars, a fighting game featuring multiple characters from Weekly Shōnen Jump titles. Light, Ryuk, and L appear in Jump Super Stars as support characters. Misa, Near, and Mello are added as support characters in Jump Ultimate Stars as well.^[97][98] The 2019 video game Jump Force features Light and Ryuk as non-playable characters, playing a key role in the game’s story mode.^[99]

Musical[edit]

In 2015, a musical adaptation of the manga called Death Note: The Musical ran in both Japan and South Korea. It was originally composed in English by Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and book by Ivan Menchell, though no English-language production has been announced as of September 2017.^[100] The original Japanese production, produced by Japanese talent agency HoriPro [ja], ran from 6 to April 29, 2015, and stars Kenji Urai and Hayato Kakizawa [ja] double-cast as Light Yagami, and Teppei Koike as L.^[101] A Korean production of the same musical ran from June 11 to August 11, 2015, in South Korea, starring musical actor Hong Kwang-ho and JYJ member and musical actor Kim Junsu.^[102][103]

Reception[edit]

Manga[edit]

As of April 2015, the Death Note manga had over 30 million copies in circulation.^[104] On ICv2’s «Top 10 Shonen Properties Q2 2009», Death Note was the third best-selling manga property in North America.^[105] The series ranked second on Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2006 and 2007 for male readers.^[106] It was nominated for the 38th Seiun Awards in the Best Comic category in 2007.^[107] The manga received the Grand Prize of Best Manga and Best Screenplay at the Japan Expo Awards 2007.^[108] The series won the 2008 Eagle Award for Favourite Manga as voted by UK fans.^[109] According to a survey conducted in 2007 by the Ministry of culture of Japan, occupies the 10th place among the best manga of all time.^[110] It also received several nominations such as Best Manga at the 2006 American Anime Awards,^[111][112] the 2007 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize,^[113] an Official Selection at Angoulême International Comics Festival 2008,^[114] and Obata was nominated for Best Penciller/Inker at the 2008 Eisner Awards.^[115] 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.^[116]

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 and Ohba and Obata had been persuaded to lengthen the storyline when Death Note‘s popularity increased, noting that the rumor «makes sense, since about halfway through the series, there’s a point that seems like a natural ending». In addition, he said that fans wrote «thousands» of Death Note fan fiction stories and posted them on the internet.^[117] In 2006, Japanese fans pointed out the similarities between Death Note and the 1973 one-shot manga The Miraculous Notebook (不思議な手帖) by Shigeru Mizuki. Comipress reported that the only difference between the story and Death Note is that there are no shinigamis.^[118]

Anime News Network writer Zac Bertschy called Death Note a «surprisingly gripping and original suspense tale that raises a handful of interesting questions about morality». He noted that the difference between the series and other manga from the same demographic was very big due to the murders the main character commits as well as how he hides his identity of Kira. Although Bertschy mentioned some manga readers will be surprised with the dark themes of Death Note, he praised the series for its «great art, great story, [and] compelling characters».^[119] Briana Lawrence from the same website stated that what makes Death Note so interesting is that there is no villain, «instead it had two opposing sides that both believe in the same thing: justice». She felt that once vital characters fading into the background, the ending brings back what the fans loved about the first volume and the supporting cast are «given a chance to shine». She also mentioned that the epilogue made no mention of what happens with Misa Amane and how Near and Mello were still treated like parts of L.^[120] 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 the former’s identity. Additionally, she praised the story as it is «building a climax» with each detail introduced in the first chapter, making the reader look forward to upcoming chapters.^[121] Jolyon Baraka Thomas, in a Japanese Journal of Religious Studies article, describes the manga as having a «somber narrative» with a «dark cast». Obata’s art is «[rendered] in stark strokes characterized—fittingly—by a complex interplay of light and shadow».^[16]

Anime[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website’s critical consensus reads: «Death Note is an exceptional anime that poses profound questions about justice and murder, all while delivering a supremely satisfying tale of tactical one-upmanship between a detective and killer.»^[122] The Death Note anime was one of the series to win Best TV Anime at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair.^[123] The anime was commended with Tom S. Pepirium of IGN saying that Death Note‘s «heavy serialized nature» is what «makes the show so engaging and discussion worthy».^[124] Pepirium, saying that translating Death Note is «no small task», stated that Stephen Hedley created an English dub with «nothing clunky». He 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».^[125] On the NPR show Fresh Air, John Powers said that Death Note is «at least as addictive as a show like Lost«.^[126] It was also listed as the 51st best animated show in IGN’s Top 100 Animated Series.^[127] Hyper wrote:

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.^[128]

Jacob Hope Chapman from Anime News Network praised Teru Mikami’s role as bloody and flashy as ever better than that of Near, Mello, and Misa.^[129]

Light novels[edit]

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 Nisio Isin’s work which «adds a few more fun layers» to the Death Note franchise.^[130] The novelization of L: Change the World became the second top-selling light novel in Japan during 2008.^[131]

Legacy and controversies[edit]

The series release outside Japan was met with a wave of copycat crimes. According to Wired magazine, Death Note «[turned] Japan’s most-popular print medium into an internationally controversial topic that has parents wondering whether they should prohibit their kids from reading manga entirely». Live-action director Shusuke Kaneko commented in response, «If preventing them from seeing this movie is going to make kids better, then why not prevent them from watching all bad news?».^[13]

In regards to the 2019 The Twilight Zone episode «The Comedian», Rosie Knight of The Hollywood Reporter stated that «Samir’s story appears to take a large influence from … Death Note.»^[132] The Simpsons has parodied Death Note in both comic books and animation with the 2008 comic book story «Murder, He Wrote» in The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror #14,^[133][134] where Bart receives the notebook from the Ryuk-ified ghost of Krusty the Clown, and the «Death Tome» segment of the 2022 television episode «Treehouse of Horror XXXIII», with Lisa receiving the titular book.^[135]

Bans and attempted bans[edit]

Early in 2005, school officials in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning (People’s Republic of China), banned Death Note.^[136] 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.^[137][138] The ban was designed to protect the «physical and mental health»^[139] of students from horror material that «misleads innocent children and distorts their mind and spirit».^[140] Jonathan Clements has suggested that the Chinese authorities acted partly against «superstition», but also against illegal, pirate publishers of Death Note.^[141] The ban has been extended to other Chinese cities including Beijing,^[142][143] Shanghai and Lanzhou in Gansu Province.^[144] Legally published Chinese-language versions of Death Note are published in Hong Kong.^[141] On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture listed Death Note among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China.^[145]

In 2007, the education bureau in Pingtung County, Taiwan asked teachers to pay attention to any negative influence on elementary school students reading the manga.^[146] In May 2010, the Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico held a hearing to ban the Death Note manga from their district’s schools; it was unanimously voted down.^[147] After volumes of Death Note were found at the February 2013 suicide of a 15-year-old girl in Yekaterinburg, Russia, a local parents’ group began campaigning to regulate all media based on the series, saying that it had an adverse effect on the minds of children.^[148] In March 2014, investigators concluded that the manga did not cause the girl to commit suicide.^[149]

Imitations of the series[edit]

There have been various imitations around the world of the premise of Death Note. At least one instance was linked to a crime — on September 28, 2007, two notes written with Latin characters stating «Watashi wa Kira dess» [sic], a mis-transliteration of «I am Kira» (私はキラです, Watashi wa Kira desu),^[150] were found near the partial remains of a Caucasian male in Belgium. The case has been called the «Mangamoord» (Dutch for Manga Murder) in Belgian media.^[151] It was not until 2010 that four people were arrested in connection to the murder.^[152] A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, United States was suspended in 2007 after being caught possessing a replica «Death Note» notebook with the names of fellow students. The school’s principal wrote a letter to the student’s parents linking to an unofficial website where visitors can write names and circumstances of death for people they want to die.^[153]

In South Carolina in March 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.^[154] In Gadsden, Alabama in April 2008, two sixth-grade boys were arrested for possession of a «Death Note» that listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was discovered the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county’s schools, pending a juvenile court hearing. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer.^[155] In Gig Harbor, Washington, one middle school student was expelled and three were suspended on May 14, 2008, for having 50 names in their own «Death Note» book, including President George W. Bush.^[156]

It was reported in September 2009, that a Year Eight boy in Sydney, Australia, created a «Death Note» that along with names contained a «battle plan» detailing where bombs could be placed inside his school.^[157] In December 2009, two students at an elementary school in Oklahoma were disciplined for a «Death Note» with the names and descriptions of deaths of two girls that had angered them.^[158] A Michigan middle school student was suspended indefinitely in March 2010 for a «Death Note».^[159] In May 2010, a middle school student in Avonworth School District in Pennsylvania was suspended for a «Death Note» with names of fellow students and pop singer Justin Bieber.^[147] In February 2015, a fifth-grade student of an elementary school near Pittsburgh was suspended for owning a «Death Note» and writing other students’ names in it.^[160]

See also[edit]

• Now: Zero — A short story by J. G. Ballard with a similar premise to Death Note.

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Viz Media’s Death Note website
• Madman Entertainment’s Death Note website
• Death Note (manga) at Anime News Network’s encyclopedia