Death Note: Special One-Shot - Free to read at Viz

[icon_uk]

For fans of "Death Note", Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's (writer and illustrator respectively) seminal manga (and anime, and live action movie), which ended fourteen years ago, it was something of a surprise to hear that it's returning for an 88 page one-shot.




It's available to read for free on viz.com!

It concern's Ryuk (the demonic death entity whose magic notebook is the introductory plot device of the series) returning for a new game with humanity



And it's political targetting this time is NOT subtle



But there's a new twist to the old rules as Ryuk, the demonic entity whose notebook the Death Note is, explains...







I won't spoil what the outcome of the scene is, but it does seem like something a LOT of politicans would do.

This is, apparently, not a major plot point, just one of the most discussed scenes.

Comments

[lordultimus]

Mmm, not that political, to be honest. Maybe moreso than the previous manga, and we can all see who this is supposed to be, but it seems like it can be replaced with any politician.

Just as cynically believable to belong to the Death Note universe, however.

[lissa_quon]

Pfft he'd try to trade it - make someone else buy and pluck it off their corpse. Lets be realistic here.

[crinos]

Well what happens is that he refuses to take it, but tells Ryuk he intends to tell everyone he does have it, so that he can look like a saint for having it and not using it. Which Ryuk considers a "Shrewd" move.

So you know, this manga does in fact correctly characterize Trump as a power hungry, lying coward.

[thezmage]

I still think a true Trump would be to refuse to pay it and to take the note without listening to the rules

[crinos]

Maybe, but its equally true that Trump would be too much of a coward to try it.

Even if he did find a way around it, his penmenship is allegedly terrible, and if you don't right legibly the Death Note wont work (And in fact if you fail at writing too many times it just kills you).

[cyberghostface]

Death Note was probably the first manga I read. It was incredibly addictive although I think the second half is not as good.

[thehood]

I do prefer the manga ending though.

[deh_tommy]

I think I liked the first two movies the most.

[lego_joker]

I don't think I've ever met anyone who likes the second half better than (or even as much as) the first. The most I'll hear is that they really liked the last two chapters or so, because they hate Light that damn much.

[doodleboy]

Death Note is a better read when you just accept it's going to be kind of silly rather than the hyper-intelligent thriller we all though it was.

Although since the original Death Note ended I feel like Ohba's writing has just gotten more self-congratulatory and pompous, even without the sexism.

[thanekos]

The best illustration of that is still " So here's this new character - they've got skills, and a definite motivation to get Kira, and.. there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to solve this pretty quickly. Alright, they're dead. "

[doodleboy]

And before they died they were going to quit their job because of their husband despite being a ton further than him career-wise.

First yikes in a large series of yikes.

[luxshine]

That one is right up there with Bakuman's "Women can't understand the dreams of men"

[alicemacher]

I prefer the 2015 Japanese live-action TV series, myself. (Available on Crunchyroll.) Light's journey to villainy is much more gradual than in the original manga or anime. This makes him a more relatable and realistic character. Also, Yutaka Matsushige gives us an especially moving performance as Light's father Soichiro.

[deh_tommy]

I liked (what I’ve read of) Platinum End.

[dcbanacek]

So, I take it there are rules preventing the destruction of said notebook or encasing it in concrete and dropping it into the Marianas Trench or writing "Ryuk" down as one of the names?

Or perhaps the author doesn't believe anyone would be altruistic enough to do such a thing?

[cyberghostface]

The only way a Shinigami can be killed is if they use a Death Note to save a human life.

In the original series Light writes a fake rule saying "anyone who touches it will die if it gets destroyed" as a way to prevent it from being destroyed when it falls into someone else's hands.

[deh_tommy]

Actually, they do destroy the Note (at least in most adaptations). They just don’t do that right away due to a pair of fake rules Light wrote down promising disastrous consequences. Shinigami aren’t affected by the book’s power unless they’re specifically using said book to save someone’s life, so writing their names does nothing.

[locuatico]

Or perhaps it's because that would make for an uninteresting Thriller?
I mean, I don't go into a series like Death Note necessarily expecting for it to be about someone doing the morally correct decision. I read it expecting some wacky plan and some ludicrous BS gambit pile-up.

[icon_uk]

In most cases I'd agree, but in a story about making deals with magic users who establish rules which both sides must adhere to, to the letter, looking for loopholes is a tried and true tradtiion, and is important so you know what rules the thriller is playing within.

[thezmage]

The one thing I liked from the Netflix adaptation is when Ryuk says “you can write my name down if you wish, but I must warn you. My name has four letters. The most anybody has ever gotten was two”

[mrwalker]

Kid was pretty smart...Unless I missed something, he'd have gotten away with it if the King hadn't changed the rules on the fly.

How long he'd have had to enjoy the riches, with the Note in THOSE hands, hard to say.

As for Ryuk and apples...does the Note have to be in a human's possession for him to physically interact with our world? Otherwise why doesn't he go find an orchard somewhere and have at it?

[cyberghostface]

"does the Note have to be in a human's possession for him to physically interact with our world?"

There are a few other exceptions but that's largely correct, yes. Shinigami can only interact with the human world on specific occasions. Ryuk couldn't just visit to eat apples.

I. When the Shinigami's Death Note is handed to a human.
II. Finding a human to take possession of a Death Note should be done from the Shinigami realm, but if it is within 82 hours this may also be done in the human world.
III. When a Shinigami stalks an individual with an intention to kill them, as long as it is within 82 hours of possessing them the Shinigami may stay in the human world.

https://deathnote.fandom.com/wiki/Rules_of_the_Death_Note/How_to_Read_Rules#IV_The_Shinigami_Rules

[mrwalker]

A very belated thank you!

[icon_uk]

It's never too late for good manners! :)

[doodleboy]

TFW you discovered new game-breaking tech but then the Devs introduce a patch to nerf you.