Death Note Series Profile - All About the Death Note Anime Series

A bright young student finds a mysterious notebook that gives him power over life and death.Based upon the manga by writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata, Death Note was first seen in the serial Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump in December 2003. The manga ran for 108 episodes, ending in May 2006. It was picked up by director Tetsuro Araki and animation studio Madhouse, and premiered in Japan on October 3, 2006, with 37 episodes. Death Note was then acquired by VIZ Media, who offered it via online download while the series was still running in Japan. It premiered in the U.S. via Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block on October 20, 2007, and was released on DVD on November 20, 2007.
The Death Note anime series closely follows the manga storyline, and in fact, has been lightly criticized for not including more filler material that anime adaptations are so well-known for. The anime also mirrors the heavy dialogue of the manga series, which often forces any possible action scenes to give way to "still" moments of characters pondering their next move.Death Note is currently being released on DVD and, at this writing, is about half-way through the series with Volume 7 to be released on October 28, 2008.Thriller, supernatural, horror, fantasy, mystery

Learn more about anime genres and themesVIZ Media, Madman EntertainmentOT (Older Teens)

Learn more about anime and manga age ratingsDeath Note is a supernatural thriller series that zeroes in on a very delicate question: is all life worth saving or are there some that we'd be better off without? When Light Yagami discovers the Death Note, he realizes that he has the power to decide who lives and dies and what do you know? Maybe the world would, in fact, be better off without so many criminals. With his purpose in place, he sets out to give "Good" the upper hand by using the Death Note to knock off some pretty unsavory people. But the police apparently think otherwise, and send their best detective, L, to find out who's behind the killings.

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The result is battle of wits as L struggles to track down the serial killer who always seems to be just one step ahead. The manga and anime series have been hugely successful in both the U.S. and Japan and has also spawned a wide variety of collectible Death Note merchandise including a reproduction of the original Death Note itself, complete with rules for use.

Nominated for Best Manga at the 2006 American Anime Awards, Death Note was also adapted to two live-action movies, the first of which was released in Japan in 2006 by Warner Bros Pictures Japan. Focusing on episodes 1-9, the movie originally had a PG-13 rating, but was changed to an R rating when it hit the U.S. due to some of the language content. VIZ Pictures held a two-night only premiere on May 20 and 21, 2008 at 300 select theaters across the U.S. The movie will hit the DVD shelves on September 16, 2008.

The second film, Death Note: The Last Name, continues the story and takes viewers through episode 25 and L and Light's final confrontation. Like the first movie, The Last Name will premiere in a two-night only event at 400 theaters across the U.S. on October 15 and 16, 2008.

It should also be noted that a third spin-off movie, L: Change the WorLd, was directed and released by Hideo Nakata to cover L's last 23 days as he tries to solve the Kira case. The movie was released in Japan on February 9, 2008.

Death Note is grisly, gritty and in-your-face bold. What would you do if you could rid the world of evil? Does it matter that you'd have to knock off a few lowlifes to accomplish your goal?

If you liked the manga, then you're going to love the series.