■DEATH NOTE(デスノート)

□概要(Wiki)

『週刊少年ジャンプ』2003年36号に掲載された読み切りが元になっている。2006年には2部構成実写映画版が公開(外伝映画は2008年に公開)、日本テレビ系列でTVアニメが放映された。

人を死なせる力のある死神のノート「デスノート」を使って犯罪者を抹殺し、理想の世界を作ろうとする主人公と、殺人を続ける彼を追う名探偵とその後継者との闘いを描く。

このような「特殊能力を使い悪事を働く人間とそれを阻止する人間が主人公」というシチュエーションが後に魔王や左目探偵EYEなどといったドラマで流行となっている^[要出典]。

単行本の初版100万部最速到達記録を持っており、2004年の売り上げは、発売から1年目で年間ベスト10に入った。12巻までの世界累計発行部数は3000万部を突破しており、一巻平均が200万部を越すのは異例とされる。宝島社「このマンガがすごい!」オトコ版では、2006年と2007年に2位を獲得した。

サブタイトルの多くは漢字2文字でつけられている。

Death Note (デスノート, Desu Nōto^?) is a Japanese manga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The series centers on Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a shinigami (death god) named Ryuk. The Death Note grants its user the ability to kill anyone whose face they have seen, by writing the victim's name in the notebook. The story follows Light's attempt to create and rule a world cleansed of evil using the notebook, and the complex conflict between him, his opponents and a mysterious detective known to the world only as L.

Death Note was first serialized in 108 chapters by Shueisha in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006. The series was also published in tankōbon format in Japan starting in May 2004 and ending in October 2006 with a total of twelve volumes. The series was adapted into live-action films released in Japan on June 17, 2006, on November 3, 2006, and on February 2, 2008. The anime series aired in Japan from October 3, 2006, to June 26, 2007. Composed of 37 episodes, the anime was developed by Madhouse and directed by Tetsuro Araki. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was released in Japan. Additionally, various video games have been published by Konami for Nintendo DS.

Viz Media licensed the Death Note manga in North America and has published all the twelve volumes from the series as well as the light novel. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable by IGN. Viz later licensed the anime series and it aired on Bionix. The live-actions briefly played in certain North American theaters since 2008. However, none of the video games titles have thus far been published in North America.

Several publications for manga, anime and other media have added praise and criticism on the Death Note series. The plot and violence from the story have been praised, noting it to be very entertaining. However, the series was banned in China due to various problems people had with children altering their notebooks to resemble a Death Note.