Death Note

Japanese manga series

Death Note (デスノート, Desu Nōto) is a supernatural thriller fantasy manga written by Tsugumi Ōba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The work was adapted into an anime series directed by Tetsurō Araki. It is about a Japanese teenage high school student boy named Light Yagami, who finds a supernatural notebook. The notebook, dropped on earth by a bored shinigami named Ryuk, is called a "Death Note". When a person's name is written in the notebook, that person dies. If the cause of death is not specified, they die of a heart attack. Light, aiming to create a crime-free utopia, uses the notebook to kill criminals, anonymously gaining world fame as "Kira" ("キラ" in Japanese - based on the English word "killer") - some people see him as justice, while others see him as a murderer.

Death Note
デスノート
(Desu Nōto)
GenreMystery, supernatural, thriller[1]
Manga
Written byTsugumi Ohba
Illustrated byTakeshi Obata
Published byShueisha
English publisher
DemographicShōnen
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Jump
Original runDecember 1, 2003May 15, 2006
Volumes12 (List of volumes)
Novel
Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases
Written byNisio Isin
Published byShueisha
English publisher
Viz Media
PublishedAugust 1, 2006
Anime television series
Directed byTetsurō Araki
Produced byToshio Nakatani
Manabu Tamura
Masao Maruyama
Written byToshiki Inoue
Music byYoshihisa Hirano
Hideki Taniuchi
StudioMadhouse
Licensed by
Madman Entertainment
Viz Media
Original networkNippon TV
English network
Original run October 3, 2006 June 26, 2007
Episodes37 (List of episodes)
Game
Death Note: Kira's Game
DeveloperKonami
PublisherKonami
GenreAction
PlatformNintendo DS
Released
  • JP: February 15, 2007
Game
Death Note: Successor to L
DeveloperKonami
PublisherKonami
GenreAction
PlatformNintendo DS
Released
  • JP: July 12, 2007
Anime
Death Note: Relight - Visions of a God
Directed byTetsurō Araki
Produced byToshio Nakatani
Manabu Tamura
Masao Maruyama
Written byToshiki Inoue
Music byYoshihisa Hirano
Hideki Taniuchi
StudioMadhouse
Licensed by
Madman Entertainment
Viz Media
Manga Entertainment
Original networkNippon TV
ReleasedAugust 31, 2007
Runtime130 minutes
Novel
Death Note: L - Change the World
Written byM
Published byShueisha
English publisher
Viz Media
PublishedDecember 25, 2007
Game
L: The Prologue to Death Note - Spiraling Trap
DeveloperKonami
PublisherKonami
GenreAction
PlatformNintendo DS
Released
  • JP: February 7, 2008
Anime
Death Note: Relight 2 - L's Successors
Directed byTetsurō Araki
Produced byToshio Nakatani
Manabu Tamura
Masao Maruyama
Written byToshiki Inoue
Music byYoshihisa Hirano
Hideki Taniuchi
StudioMadhouse
Licensed by
Madman Entertainment
Viz Media
Manga Entertainment
Original networkNippon TV
ReleasedAugust 22, 2008
Runtime100 minutes
Live-action

The best detective in the world, an eccentric genius named "L", works with the Japanese police, as well as Light's own father, to find out Kira's identity and catch him. He suspects all along that it's Light, who, as a part of the police department, works alongside L in the investigation. It becomes a contest of wit and intelligence between L and Light, both of whom are very clever. At one point, Light temporarily gives up the Death Note, along his memories of it, as an ally continue writing the names of criminals. This "proves" to the police that he is not Kira. However, he later gets the Death Note back and kills L with it.

After L dies, his successors, two orphans named "Mello" and "Near", take over the Kira investigation. Near is a child prodigy who clearly mirrors L, and Mello is an impulsive, antisocial teen obsessed with one-upping Near. Mello refuses to work with Near and leaves the orphanage, joining the American Mafia; Near forms a task force to catch Kira. In the end, Near proves that Light is Kira, leading to Light's death.

Besides the manga and anime, Death Note was also made into a light novel, various video games, two animated films, a live-action television drama, a musical, and several live-action films.

References change

  1. "The Official Website for Death Note". Viz Media. Archived from the original on 2017-10-27. Retrieved October 27, 2017.

Other websites change