Death Note began as a Japanese manga series that was published between 2003 and 2006. It was hugely popular and spawned 3 live action films, an anime series, novels, video games and other merchandise. The anime is virtually identical to the manga, while the films’ plot deviates in small but significant ways.
The new novel Death Note: L, Change the World from VIZ Media is based on the third live action film. For those of you who may not have heard of it, Death Note follows the case of a “Righteous” Serial Killer called Kira who targets criminals and the corrupt. The mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of those “Judged” by Kira catches the attention of the world’s greatest detective, a mysterious unseen figure who goes by the name L. Kira appears to be able to kill anyone from any distance simply by knowing their name and their face, something easily learned from television, newspapers and the Internet. Based on the first reported incidents, L’s search for Kira leads him from the U.S. to Japan.
Once in Japan, L puts together a special team where everyone’s true identities are kept secret in order to prevent Kira from being able to target them and thwart their attempts at stopping his “Justified” killing spree. As crime and violence drops around the world, Kira becomes elevated to savior in the minds of many people, further complicating L’s efforts to capture Kira. When Kira acts on information that was not released to the public and then begins to target those who are investigating him, L begins to suspect that the person behind the killings is the gifted university student Light Yagami. Light is not only the son of the local Police Chief and interested in Law Enforcement but has used his brilliant deduction skills to assist the police in several high profile crimes. He has a strong sense of justice and has become disillusioned by the increasing crime and corruption in the world around him. L recruits Light in the effort to track Kira not only because his brilliance rivals L’s own but because he continues to suspect that Light truly is Kira. As events unfold, L discovers how Kira is able to kill his victims: by writing their name in a Death Note, the notebook used by Shinigami (death gods or grim reapers) to end human lives.
Death Note: L, Change the World takes place over a 20-day period after the resolution of the Kira case. If you’ve seen the films, the events in this book occur between the final showdown and the ending scene of Death Note II: The Last Name. Just as most films adapted from novels have significant differences, Death Note: L, Change the World has significant differences between this novel and the film version of the story. The plot of the film is generally followed but some events in the film are referred to rather then shown in the novel and others are left out entirely. There are also characters in the film who are combined with others, changed or absent in the book.
First of all, I have to say the book is gorgeous. The back and front covers are decorated edge to edge with full color illustrations featuring L. The dust jacket is a heavy, transparent vinyl with the gold-lettered title stamped into the cover and illustrations on both the front and back inside covers where liner notes usually appear. Another full color illustration of L graces the first “page” of the book and has a transparent vellum overlay that includes an image of Light offering him the Death Note. There are several illustrations in the index of the book and the top of each page includes a graphic timeline so you can track the days with a glance, as time is very important in the events of L, Change the World. There’s even a satin ribbon to mark your place as you read. This high-quality volume will make a beautiful addition to your Death Note collection.
As for the story, L, Change the World covers L’s final case before passing the L mantle on to someone new. After having finally unmasked Kira, L is called upon to stop a global epidemic when a bio-terrorist group called Blue Ship steals a virus that they plan to use to destroy a significant portion of the human population, to “save the Earth” and create a better place for humans. Akin to Ebola but 100 times worse, those infected begin to develop lesions and bleed from the eyes, ears, nose and mouth as it rapidly progresses once it leaves its two-week incubation stage. L is on the run from the terrorist group and the FBI, and in the company of a little girl who holds the key to creating the antivirus.
In the midst of this cat-and-mouse game, where everyone seems to have a double agenda, there is also an underlying theme of redemption. As the characters face difficult choices, some based on hope and others on hopelessness, L stresses that while “even a genius can’t change the world alone,” each of us can play our part in making things better.
While the novel is only 188 pages long, it definitely covers a lot of ground and contributes greatly to the Death Note storyline. L, Change the World provides not only more background information about the mysterious Wammy House, the orphanage for gifted children where L grew up, but a little bit more about L’s background. We also gain insight into L’s thought process and see a side of him that wasn’t present, or only hinted at, in the anime and films.
After having seen all 37 anime episodes and 3 films, as well as a fair portion of manga, reading L, Change the World was the first time I truly liked L and felt any empathy for him, even moving me to tears. While the films and manga focused on his odd behavior and deduction process, L, Change the World gives you a peek into his thoughts and feelings as well as his logic.
While the book is significantly different from the film, I think it is a much better story. The characters, their motivations and the plot line are all more complex and have a good message as well. It is a bit melodramatic and even a tad bit silly at times, but that should be expected since it was also commonplace in the films and anime. Because of L, Change the World, I’m seeing the entire series with a new perspective and might want to revisit it soon as a result of having gained that perspective. I’d also be very interested in reading more Death Note novels by M, the mysterious author of this tome, as I feel that L, Change the World is a great contribution to the Death Note saga.
You can learn more about or purchase Death Note: L, Change the World and the rest of the Death Note series at the VIZ website and watch the anime series at Hulu.