Media

Media

Manga

The Death Note manga series was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump published by Shueisha in December 2003. The series has since ended in Japan with a total of 108 chapters. Later, the individual chapters were collected into twelve separate tankōbon. Death Note was eventually licensed for North American publication by Viz Media, and the first English-language volume was released on October 4, 2005. In February 2008, a one-shot special was released. Set two years after the manga's epilogue, it sees the introduction of a new Kira and the reactions of the main characters in response to the copycat's appearance.

In addition, a guidebook for the manga was also released in October 13, 2006. It was named DEATH NOTE HOW TO READ 13 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. 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, How To Read 13 was released in February 19, 2008.

Novel

A novel adaptation of the series has been written by Nisio Isin, called Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. 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 Serialnovel focuses on how L works. Insight was given into Watari's orphanage (named "Wammy's House") and how the whole system of geniuses such as L, Mello, and Near were put to work. Viz released the novel in English on February 19, 2008. however many retailers began selling the books as early as February 7, 2008. Murder Case" mentioned in volume 2 of the manga. Beside Naomi's character, the novel focuses on how L works. Insight was given into Watari's orphanage (named "Wammy's House") and how the whole system of geniuses such as L, Mello, and Near were put to work. Viz released the novel in English on February 19, 2008. however many retailers began selling the books as early as February 7, 2008.

Live - Action Films

Death Note was adapted into a two-part live-action film released in 2006. The two motion pictures were directed by Shūsuke Kaneko, produced by Nippon Television, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. The first movie, Death Note, focuses on episodes 1-9. VIZ Pictures released an English language version (dub) of this film in 300 select theaters for two nights only on May 20 & 21st 2008. The English language version was produced using the voices from the Death Note anime dub. The film was originally rated PG 13 in Japan, but was raised to an R rating in the U.S due to a few choice swear words used in the dub. The English language version of this film is to be released on DVD on September 16, 2008. (it will include both English and Japanese audio with optional English subtitles).

The second movie, Death Note the Last Name, picks up where the first movie ends, carrying the story through episode 25. An English version, like its predecessor, will play in U.S. theaters for two nights only, October 15th and 16th, 2008, with a DVD release likely to follow soon after.

A third movie, L: Change the WorLd, premiered in February 2008. It is a spin-off focusing on the last twenty-three days of L's life as he tries to solve one final case.

Video Games

A Death Note video game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo DS, entitled "Death Note Kira Game" was released on February 15, 2007. 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 e

nemy is (Kira will try to uncover L's identity and vice versa). This will play out in 3 phases: Investigation, where the player will discuss the case and clues with other characters; Voting, where each member of the investigation team casts a vote on who they suspect is L or Kira based on the player's performance in the previous phase; L/Kira, where the player can either focus their investigation on one member to see if they are Kira (L part) or force a member off of the team (Kira part).

A sequel to the game, "Death Note: Successors to L", was released in Japan on July 12, 2007. The storyline is based on the second part of the manga, featuring characters such as Mello and Near.

A third game, "L the Prologue to Death Note: Spiraling Trap", was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 7, 2008. The player will assume 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.

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