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Death Note L's 36th Birthday (In Memoriam) at Hallowe'en

31/10/2015

5 Comments

 
Can you imagine Death Note's L at 36?  That is the age the Wammy detective would have been today according to the dates given in the manga.

Of course, fiction's great shame is that he never made it. Nevertheless, his life was lived in our imagination. His death too. We can imagine him whole and living still. 

So what would he have been by now?  How might he have appeared?  Tidied up and far less slovenly, or slumped further yet under the burden of a mind the size of several large planets?   Etched permanently into the public spotlight of fame?  Or yet more a hermit than he was at 25, when he shuffled off this mortal coil courtesy of the Shinigami Rem?

Come on - what does the head canon say?

Thoughts on an AU Death Note L
at 36 Years Old

A friend once famously said to me that your thirties are like your twenties again, but without the neurosis.  I have to say that I concur.  By your thirties, you're old enough that you don't secretly still think of yourself as a kid, but young enough that no-one expects you to grow up. Least of all yourself.

There's much more confidence and - circumstances notwithstanding - most folk have much more money than they had a decade ago.  Probably more responsibility too, particularly in the realm of home-life - where there's an increased likelihood of running your own home, possibly with little lives reliant upon your good sense and kindness.  All of which heightens the risk of having to hold down a proper job.

So how might all of this apply to L Lawliet on his 36th birthday?

I'm not entirely sure any of it would.  He's already stinking rich by his early 20s, when he lived the events in Death Note.  L didn't come out to solve cases for less than a million in reward money, according to Another Note. Plus he had staff who answered to his every whim and will.  Adults who followed his directives, whilst simultaneously caring for the gifted and talented youngsters of Wammy's House.
Death Note's L manga drawing with cake
Death Note anime L
Could he have had much more confidence in his own abilities?  L would quite happily instruct world leaders, decision makers, law enforcement agencies and other powerful people the world over, and feel himself entitled through dint of superior intellect to do that.

It's often played bordering upon arrogance.  Criminal arrogance at that, when we factor in his propensity to order the televised death of one prisoner (Lind L Taylor) and torture of others (Light Yagami and Misa Amane). 

Also in Another Note, Mello implies that L was responsible for the demise of several private investigators - not only the trio named, but hundreds casually collated as a number - as he took their detective codes.  Am I the only one who read that as physical killing?  Or otherwise causing to stop breathing?

Add eleven years more to that mindset and I can see only one of two options - either L's confidence crumbled under the rigours of life and perspective, or it grew into yet more terrible proportions.  There was always little difference between himself and Kira, with regard to their worldly outlook and serial killer tendencies, which is what made the battle between them so intriguing.

How Might L Look at 36 Years Old?

If your head canon allows for Kenichi Matsuyama to remain as L for the rest of his life, then we can imagine how the Death Note detective might age.  At least until thirty years old, because that's how old Kenichi is now.  Just watch the actor age, then extrapolate six years more.

What Might Be AU Death Note L's Life on his 36th Birthday?

Assuming that L's survival meant that he beat Kira, then the world would be his oyster - even more so than at 25, when he could command Interpol and Japanese police officers for the asking.

Yet success in that case couldn't have been easy.  I'm not talking about the clash of minds itself, as L appeared to be thoroughly enjoying that, right up until Kira cheated via deployment of a suicidal shinigami.  I'm talking about the terrible cost of succeeding in such circumstances. 

L would have had a taste of meeting a mind akin to his own.  Then losing it.  What happens after that?
Light and L in 2015 Death Note TV adaptation
Victory might feel rather hollow without the thrill of psychological battle and a strange kind of kinship.  It could leave him regretting emerging quite so triumphant, and that's a potential dent in his confidence.  If nothing else came along quickly to fill the void, then life might seem to have lost its sparkle.  Demotivating L to the point of potentially throwing in the towel on his detective career.

All kind of directions open up then.  He might take refuge in simplicity.  Becoming a doorman like Christopher Langan - US man estimated to have an IQ as high as 210, thus too clever to tie up his time doing a job that denied him time to think upon his own current interests.

L might sink under cynicism.  Seeking something and finding nothing to the point when the pressure causes his psyche to collapse under its own negative perceptions.  Whole plot bunnies here in L becoming a parody of Beyond Birthday's own dark parody of L himself.

Or he could strike off in another avenue of inquiry and become a brilliant scientist, theologian, philosopher or emulate Wammy as an inventor.  Any number of possibilities here, limited only by his imagination, as delineated by the fan fiction writer.

But whichever way he turns, trouble is being stored up in the background.

Death Note's Wammy's House When L is Thirty-Six

Death Note Wammy House kids listen to L
It's one thing telling a bunch of 12-14 year olds that they're being trained and competing to become L's heir and successor, but what happens when they're 22-24?

Particularly when they have the intellect to potentially hold the L title in their own right.

We have a precedent in reaching adulthood as a Wammy kid, being told that your only reason to be is to wait in line as L's back up.  Beyond Birthday turned serial killer in an attempt to lure L out.   A took his own life.

So what of those remaining at Wammy's House in this alternative Death Note universe, wherein L didn't die and therefore Near, Mello and Matt emerged to take over the Kira case? 

It ended badly for A and Beyond Birthday, but they were both working alone.   Near and Mello have already shown that they can 'surpass L', if they join forces.  They just have to mature enough to put aside their manufactured rivalry as a distraction from their own enforced position on the detective code conveyor belt.  Mello and Matt have already proven that they can work together.

Whether singly, in pairs, groups or en masse, surely L is going to suffer an onslaught of grown up Wammy kids rebelling against their childhood rendition and expected adult position; stepping out of the fold, or else buying into it and seeking him out with the succession in mind.  Regardless of whether their predecessor still occupies the position into which they've been raised to succeed.

After  all, L's own benchmark was to take the code, no matter what and - if the implications in Another Note hold true - those Wammy heirs have been tutored from childhood to consider cheating and/or murder a valid avenue to winning.  The back up(s) are coming to bite him in the precedent.

Those are my musings.  What do you think L and his world would look like, if he had lived long enough to celebrate his 36th birthday today?

5 Comments

Masataka Kubota: Best Actor Award for TV Death Note's Kira

29/10/2015

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Masataka Kubota Best Actor 86th Television Drama Academy Awards

Masataka Kubota Best Actor
for Kira in Death Note
Death Note actor Masataka Kubota clinched the title and trophy for Best Actor in Japan's 86th Television Drama Academy Awards.

He won the award for his portrayal of Light Yagami in the 2015 TV drama Death Note.

The Japanese Drama Academy Awards are organised by My Television Weekly magazine. Unlike famous counterpart galas elsewhere - like the Oscars - they are held quarterly and without any great, spectacular ceremony.

A triparate pool of the magazine's own jury, assorted television journalists and the general public - all nominating and voting - each determine the winners for each category.  The trio's results are then collated into an final overall score and ultimate ranking.

In an 86th Drama Academy Awards which otherwise saw Democratization sweep the board, Masataka Kubota held off two of that show's leading actors in order to take the top spot trophy. 

According to the judges' comments, his transformation from 'mediocre' student to manically obsessed killer was how Masataka managed to impress as Kira. It was an 'acting of the eye', echoed in his 'eerie' facial expressions, compelling all to keep watching to witness the 'gradual flowering of its genius'.

Masataka Kubota's Kira took first place as Best Actor in both the public vote and the TV reporters' panel. My Television Weekly's in-house jury had him positioned fourth.

Masataka Kubota Best Actor Speech at the 86th Drama Academy Awards

Unfortunately without subtitles, here is how Masataka Kubota received his Best Actor Award for Light Yagami in Death Note 2015 television drama.
If anyone would like to proffer a translation - or the general gist in summary - we'd all be very grateful. 

Japanese readers may also enjoy Walker Plus's interview with Masataka Kubota upon winning Best Actor for playing Light Yagami. No-one else will, as the translation programs absolutely scramble it beyond all comprehension. Yes, we'd love to know what he said there too.  Thank you in advance.

Kenichi Matsuyama Also Placed In 86th Best Actor Category

Of further Death Note interest was the presence of Kenichi Matsuyama in the running for Best Actor, usually right behind Masataka Kubota. 

Which is probably quite ominous in the Death Note fandom mind, considering that Kenichi is best known to us as L in the live-action movies.

However, in this instance, he was there for his role in the Japanese drama Dokonjō Gaeru.

The readers voted him second; the reporters fifth; and the magazine staff placed him at joint second with Democratization's Kenichi Endo.  Nevertheless, Kira won this round.
Kenichi Matsuyama as L in Death Note

Kenichi Matsuyama as L

TV Drama Death Note in Television Drama Academy Awards

Kento Yamazaki as Death Note's L

Kento Yamazaki as L
Wondering otherwise where Death Note came in the Television Drama Academy Awards?   It was there, but to no great array.

My Television Weekly's readership voted the Death Note TV drama second in the Best Show category.  But neither the magazine's jury nor television journalists factored it in at all.  Death Note didn't place overall.

The readers also placed two Death Note actors in the Best Supporting Role category.  Kento Yamazaki came fourth as L, while Yutaka Matsushige's Soichiro Yagami found fifth place.  But neither they, nor any other actor from the drama featured elsewhere, thus missing out on the collated acclaim.

Beyond that, there were no other accolades for Death Note (2015) in the 86th Television Drama Academy Awards.

Congratulations, Masataka!
0 Comments

Free Comic Giveaway in Global Halloween Comic Fest 2015

29/10/2015

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Halloween ComicFest 2015 logo
This might be worth checking out.  At the very least, it's free comics from participating stores on October 31st - L's birthday.

I don't know if it has a damn thing to do with Death Note, but I had the heads up from Viz Media - the North American distributors for Death Note manga - so you never know.

We're taking about Halloween ComicFest 2015, held on October 31st (obviously), purportedly worldwide. 

From what I've seen - granted, in a most cursory look - there's an emphasis on North American stores.  But I did chuck in my own local, non-American area into the store locator and came up trumps with two options from which to choose.  (Or visit both, if free comic greed overtakes my need to limit travel costs.  As it probably will.  I've been known to cross many, many miles in pursuit of a good story.)

The country list, while not exhaustive, does indeed appear quite extensive.

Death Note Cosplayers, Get Yourself to ComicFest 2015!

In addition to the bonanza in comics given away free, Halloween ComicFest 2015 will see other events taking on a global scale.  Most notably the HUGE and self-proclaimed GREATEST Halloween Costume Contest Ever.
Halloween Costume Contest ComicFest 2015
Also known as a fabulous opportunity for Death Note cosplayers to dress up, hang out, have fun and potentially get very rich on prize money.  Worth digging out the old costume glad-rags and giving it a go? 

Or putting a Death Note cosplay together brand new with just two days to go - nothing like leaving it to the last minute, but at least it puts you ahead of the game in terms of the year's usual array of comic conferences and conventions.

If any of you do participate in this way, please do share your pics with us, so we all get to enjoy the greatness.  We might even feature them in a Death Note News gallery!

Here's Spiderman to tell you how to enter your Death Note costume in the contest:
Basically, you turn up at a participating store (with or without your cosplay in full regalia) and pick up one of the freebie comics in the giveaway. 

Then take a photograph of yourself in costume holding said comic - it must be clearly visible, presumably for potential use in future marketing materials - before heading on-line to fill in the form and submit the picture.

Finally, beg, bribe, blackmail or otherwise persuade all of your friends, family and fans to vote for your entry into the competition.   Sit back and await riches, fame and fortune resting on the laurels of your fabulous Death Note cosplay.  (Or any other costume obviously, it's just that this is a Death Note  website, hence we're duty bound to push you in that direction.)

Oh! And send a link for your picture to us, or send a copy via our contact channels for extra international acclaim.  Good luck!
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Guide to Pronouncing Wammy House Names from Death Note and the Fan-Fiction of MRSJeevas

28/10/2015

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Wammy's House Death Note
Ever puzzled on how to pronounce a Death Note Wammy kid's name?  Worse still, there is no anime to fall back upon if you're stuck on how to say the name of an original character from the Wammy House.

A few individuals from the He Moves Me Differently forum (Mello/Matt fan-fiction community) met up in Skype last night.  That was the subject which soon emerged, particularly from Lua, who understands a dozen languages and therefore is quite keen on getting these things right.
The upshot was a video guide, which has just been uploaded onto YouTube to take the mystery out of pronouncing Wammy House names. At least as they appear in the It Matters series, though a fair scattering also turn up in Death Note, whence they were lifted in the first place.

Even if you don't know the stories wherein many of these characters derive, you may be able to correct the pronunciation of their names, particularly if you speak Congolese-French, Azerbaijan, Greek, Croatian and one or two more.
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Nathaniel Overthinks Death Note #01: Kant and Confucius in Death Note via Soichiro Yagami

26/10/2015

4 Comments

 
Beginning today, a brand new Philosophy of Death Note column
by Nathaniel Brown for Death Note News.

Death Note News Column: Nathaniel Overthinks Death Note
The morality of Death Note is curious thing, not least because the complex themes Ohba raises in his manga are unintentional.

When examining the themes of Death Note we as a fandom have a lot of input. Death Note is the perfect slate for a variety of interpretations because Ohba himself didn’t have much in mind outside his desire to entertain his readership. When interviewed he said that he saw a magazine article about the themes of the series he stated that it was “too difficult for me to understand”  and the creation of the “deep philosophical themes” of Death Note were a by-product of their desire to entertain, not the other way around.

He’s even on record as saying “some people may have been taking the series too seriously”!  (Which in writing this article I’m probably falling into the category of). He was pressed about this topic and did eventually say “no human has the right to pass judgement on another’s actions. No one should play God”; but this seems to be retrospective analysis rather than something he had in mind while writing the series.
 
Nevertheless, whether Ohba intended to or not his series raises many valid ideas and paves way for multiple readings; not just the one I’m about to offer. The risk in approaching Death Note is to view it with too strong a Western perspective when characters like Soichiro Yagami are so clearly eastern. Nevertheless, it’s through this lens I will (partially) view it because of my greater familiarity with Western philosophy.

The three main ideologies characters could be argued to have in the series are Utilitarianism, Confucianism (with a touch of Kantianism) and Nihilism.  We'll start this month with the middle one.

Death Note's Confucian Soichiro Yagami (and Kant)

Death Note's Soichiro Yagami: Manga, Anime, Takeshi Kaga and Yutaka Matsushige

The Confucian faces of Soichiro Yagami: (clockwise from l) manga, anime, Yutaka Matsushige (TV)
and Takeshi Kaga (live action movies)
Light’s father Soichiro Yagami is a fundamentally eastern character with a highly Confucian mind-set. Confucianism (similar, but not identical to the Western philosophy of Kantianism) emphasises collective duty to the whole of society and that the ends never justifies the means!

Soichiro values his family above all other things, and his duty as a police officer next. He was the first to agree to stay on with L after the police force stopped investigating the Kira case, and his guilt in saving his daughter lead him to accept the Shinigami eyes and ultimately die for his cause. He risks his life numerous times during the Kira investigation and his passion for justice makes him an incredible workaholic (his family often had to deliver clothes to him because he worked such long hours, this caused Light to meet Naomi while he was delivering them to him; too her eternal misfortune).

Ohba has stated that Soichiro Yagami is the only “good” person in Death Note.
 
Despite his dedication to catch Kira, he has his limits of what he perceives as morally permissible to do so and he certainly doesn’t espouse the idea “that the ends justify the means”. This objection is revealed multiple times throughout the investigation; most notably when L wishes to allow criminals mentioned by Yotsuba to die in order to incriminate the organisation. Soichiro opposes on the grounds that “even if they are criminals” it’s unethical to allow them to die even if it is to solve the case.  To make this clear, they arguably stand to gain more by allowing these criminals to die (and to be fair, we aren’t talking about purse snatchers here in most cases) since if they can apprehend the Yotsuba Group, more people will be saved from Kira.

Looking it at it from a more Kantian perspective all humans have an intrinsic value, and can never be a means to an end because their intelligence and sentience makes them an end in of themselves meaning things such as murder and lying (which Light does with impunity) never acceptable.
 
The song sung by Soichiro in Death Note the Musical - Honour Bound and Bound by Honesty - has a distinctly Eastern feeling to it; enhancing his Confucian and Japanese associations.
At the heart of Soichiro Yagami’s character is a man who struggles between his duty to his family and his duty to remain impartial as a police officer. This ultimately leads him to consider committing suicide after he’s forced to hand over the Death Note to Mello to get his daughter, Sayu, back. 

Other versions of Death Note enhance this very Japanese perspective further. In the Death Note  drama, Soichiro Yagami commits suicide with the Death Note after uncovering his son’s identity as Kira. This harkens back to the honour killings that were once common in Japan; most infamously with Kamikaze pilots. Since Soichiro Yagami cannot bring himself to kill his son (that would be a violation of his duty to his family) he kills himself since he failed in his duty to raise a morally upright son.
4 Comments

Three New Feature Writers for Death Note News

26/10/2015

1 Comment

 
A trio of Death Note News columnists are about to come on board, with the first being posted later on today.  Yep, that's right. You wait two years for one, and three of them turn up at once!  It's all very exciting.

So who have we got for you?

Nathaniel Overthinks Death Note

Death Note News: Nathaniel overthinks Death Note Philosophy column banner
The first monthly column will be penned by New Zealander Nathaniel Brown - a man who subscribes to several Schools of Thought.  At least when he's applying them to Death Note.

A thinker and a philosopher, Nathaniel will be leading us through some of the great theories and worldly perspectives across the range of human experience.  But doing it all through the lens of Death Note characters, plot-lines and whatever else from manga, anime or live action might illuminate the angle taken.

It might be Aristotle, Descartes, Confucius or whomever, depending upon the month, but what I can guarantee is that it'll be enjoyable. 

No Philosophy degree needed to read and contribute to the debate. Just a willingness to join with Nathaniel as he over thinks Death Note, all in the name of fun.

Look for his inaugural column in an hour or two from now.

Death Note Musical References with Lucas King

No idea if that's what the column will ultimately be called, as this welcome to the team is very fresh, and we're yet to fine tune the details.

Yet Lucas King himself is no stranger to Death Note News.  He's guest blogged before and orchestrated for himself an instant fan-base, when he composed those missing Death Note themes for Matt.
Lucas will be taking a wider view of the musical array in Death Note tunes - from soundtracks to tributes, across the spectrum of canon, fanon and all the rest. Probably.  Like I said, it's early days yet and anything still is possible.

An original composer of Death Note music himself - albeit from the fandom community - Lucas King's occasional column for Death Note News promises to be insightful, expert and downright entertaining.  Find it in the future and enjoy.

Death Note Tarot Tales with Tarot Mikami

Death Note Near with Tarot Cards
Near makes up stuff
with a tarot deck
Talking about looking to the future, do you recall that moment in the Death Note anime when Near laid out his tarot deck and turned them over to shocking symbolism? 

There was Death staring straight back at us. Chilling in any context but one which habitually has a Shinigami prancing about in full view upon our screens.

Also utterly erroneous in its reading, according to long-time connoisseur of these cards and Death Note fan, Tarot Mikami.  Loving the play on words in that pseudonym there!

'Probably monthly',  her Death Note News column will explore the genre and story through the literary device of the Fool's Journey. Along the way, you'll learn how to read tarot cards, not only with reference to Death Note - though that's how we'll come to understand it - but using any deck you care to handle.

We'll also find out why Near's tarot scene was all about the imagery and nothing to do with the reading (well, who would have thought...?).  Sneaky boy.

Death Note Tarot Tales with Tarot Mikami will appear anon, almost certainly within the next couple of weeks.  Another fabulous new insight into our favourite manga universe.

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Full Showing of Japanese Death Note Musical on YouTube

22/10/2015

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Death Note the Musical televised on WOWOW

Original Japanese cast for Death Note the Musical televised on WOWOW
It was only a matter of time before fan uploaded recordings of a televised Death Note the Musical performance showed up on-line.

Several individuals have done just that on YouTube, though I imagine it won't be long before the copyright holders shoot them down. Especially if DVD sales are a thing in mind for the future.  But first check out the trailer, as shown on WOWOW Channel in Japan, to advertise upcoming theatrical performances of the musical Death Note on TV.
Trailer for WOWOW Channel Death Note the Musical on television October 17th 2015

Watch Death Note the Musical in Full on YouTube

The full versions of Death Note the Musical production shown below were all captured from the Japanese WOWOW TV airing on October 17th 2015.  It stars Kenji Urai as Light Yagami, alongside Teppei Koike (L), Fuuka Yuzuki (Misa Amane),  Ami Maeshima (Sayu Yagami), Megumi Hamada (Rem), Koutaro Yoshida (Ryuk) and Joji Saiga (Soichiro Yagami).

Apologies if you read this at a later date and some/all are removed.
Alternatively:
All that you hoped it would be?  Up for going to see Death Note the Musical in your own theatres, should it be translated into your native language and arrive in your country?

Find more Death Note News articles about the Death Note Musical via our Pinterest board:
Follow Matti's board Death Note the Musical on Pinterest.
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New Look Death Note News?

20/10/2015

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Death Note News October 20th 2015
How the website looked at the time of posting
You might have noticed one or two changes around here.   Like the entire look of the place, and links in the store that actually go where advertised.

In truth, I'm going to have to ask you to bear with me, while I do much tatting in the background in order to achieve greatness.  Or at least a website which looks great and does all that you'd wish it to do.

You'll probably see things change several times over the next few days, as  test things out, tat with the CSS, play with pretty apps and basically find out what is the best I can do for you with the tools I have to play with here.

However, another way to look at this is your big opportunity to influence the way Death Note News looks.  A designer, I am I.  I can code you any algorithms; write you any number of articles. But ask me to work out which colours look most fabulous where and what font should accompany which section, and I'm crying for my Mummy. 

Who wouldn't help a great deal, as she's not an artist either.

If you know your hues and other aesthetics, or you're eagle-eyed enough to spot all the bugs, or you're just certain what works or doesn't work when you see it, then shout up.  There's a comment box below with your name on it (once you type it in), all opinions and advice gratefully received.

In the meantime, just know that great things are afoot in the background and please be patient if things aren't always as planned.

And in other news, utterly coincidentally, we have two new writers coming on board for Death Note News columns. More about them in the upcoming weeks, but it should be wonderful!

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Teeny Tiny Cute Death Note Origami to Craft in Time for Halloween - Tutorial

19/10/2015

1 Comment

 
Origami Death Note ornamentsReplica Death Note origami
by Paper Kawaii
Ready for Halloween (or L's birthday, as we like to call it in these parts), Paper Kawaii has produced a free tutorial on how to create decorative Death Note origami.

The art of paper folding (ori = folding + gami = paper) seems quite fitting as a craft through which to master your homage to a Japanese manga.  Itself culturally being so thoroughly linked with Japan.

Paper Kawaii's origami Death Notes are miniature affairs. Perfect for stringing together ornamentally, scattering about the home or presenting as Halloween Death Note gifts to friends.  Not to mention making unique Trick or Treat tokens to hand out when folk come knocking at your door.

However, these origami Death Note decorations are functional too.  The pages do turn and names can be written inside. 

The larger of the two sizes demonstrated - in the Death Note origami tutorial - could be turned into a fandom photo album too. Preserve picture mementos for Halloween or whatever other time of year you choose to use it!

How to Recreate Death Notes in Origami

Embedded above is the origami Death Note tutorial, as created by Chrissy PK of Paper Kawaii. However, you may be as well to visit her own website - where not only will you find extended instructions for crafting Death Notebooks, but plenty of other origami tutorials too.

Like this adorable Pikachu origami 3D figure.

You can't believe how tempted I am to enquire whether she'd create an origami for Deontic. I know I'd give that a go! But how would I even explain what that might be?  Any ideas, those of you who know what I'm talking about?
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Death Note's Mello in Garfield the Movie?

18/10/2015

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Death Note News reader Mira has a question for us:
Is it true that there's a secret Death Note reference in Garfield the Movie? A nod to Mello, sneaked in by a set designer or something, because he was a fan?  I didn't believe it, but then my friend showed me the picture and it got me wondering. Thanks!
Let's see this picture please!  I asked via email, and the return had it attached.  It was indeed Mello in Garfield the Movie.  Unequivocally, without a doubt, Mello large and stark in the background of that big, orange cat.
Mello in Garfield the Movie
I doubt any of us are going to argue with that.  But the big question remains - is it OUR Mello?  Did a Death Note fan on the Garfield set ninja in a nod to the Mafioso bad boy Himself?

In truth, such things aren't as unlikely as they might appear.  Fans get everywhere, especially in the fandom of a franchise as long-lasting and globally popular as Death Note.

But in this instance, I'm not so sure. If it was a bit of graffiti on the wall of an alley, then maybe it would be more convincing. However, Mello's name here is quite prominently placed.  It's in eye-catching yellow and black, with lighting picking it out, and characters positioned so not to block its lettering. Practically framing it, in fact.

That suggests to me something quite fundamental to the story and no fan is going to get THAT past the director.

A quick meander over to IMDb confirms that there's a character called Christopher Mello, who will be the person actually referenced by the legend on the wall.  Actually that's him standing in the midst of the group of people holding the middle ground - facing us in the suit and tie - as played by Mark Christopher Lawrence.
Christopher Mello and Happy Chapman in Garfield the Movie
There's our fake Mello on the left. Or should I say the OTHER Mello, as he's quite legit in this particular scene.  Christopher Mello apparently being a television presenter in Garfield the Movie. Which will be why his name is so large and prominent upon the wall.

However, that picture has just embarrassingly tipped me off to the fact that I mistook Garfield in the initial image.  The feline is actually this black and white one in an orange jacket.

But at least I identified Mello!

Finally, as a clincher, Garfield the Movie came out in 2004.  Mello wasn't introduced as a character in Death Note until July 4th 2005, when he appeared in the Japanese manga chapter Zero.

Your first instinct was correct, there is no secret Mello/Death Note reference in Garfield. Sadly. Though I did stumble across this on DeviantArt and thought you might get a buzz out of it!

Does anyone else have anything to add to what I've surmised for Mira?  Or maybe you disagree with me completely and wish to make a case for that actually being a Death Note Mello nod in the Garfield movie.  Please do comment below if you wish to jump in on this one.

In the meantime, thank you for your question, Mira. 

If anyone else has anything Death Note related to ask, then just contact us in the usual way or leave your query as a comment on any news item here.
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Game of Thrones/Death Note Crossover Cosplay by Magic Missile Studio

17/10/2015

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Crossover Arya (GoT) and Ryuk (Death Note) cosplay by Magic Missile Studio
This tremendous crossover cosplay for Death Note and Game of Thrones was snapped in Sydney, Australia.  It is the brainchild of cosplay collective Magic Missile Studios - though on a second look, the tag-line actually reads 'Photographer | Graphic Design | Video Games'.  With costumes.

Permission to reproduce the image here was given by Arya, aka prop and costume maker Dashy. 

Our sassy, smug-faced female Ryuk was performed by fictional character - says so on Facebook, must be true - and cosplayer Nerdalina Ballerina. 

You can enjoy more of her Ryuk cosplay, with plenty of extra crossover pics with characters from other shows or gaming worlds, in her Oz Comic-Con 2015 photo album.  They include another Ryuk Game of Thrones moment, as the shinigami crosses over universes to take the much contested Iron Throne. 

Presumably having written off a number of Lannisters in her Death Note, in order to do so. Which can only save time for George R.R. Martin, who is very much prone to doing the same.
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Common Sense Approach to Death Note Replica Found in New Hampshire School

17/10/2015

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Nashua High School North entrance sign
With real life asserting itself quite forcibly behind the scenes of Death Note News, we're a little late reporting upon a story we saw breaking earlier this week.

Yet this has turned out to be quite a boon, as we've instead watched events unfolding in quite astounding ways at Nashua High School North, in the USA's New Hampshire.

At least insofar as these things normally turn out.

Seventeen Names Discovered in New Hampshire Schoolgirl's Fake Death Note

On the morning of Friday, October 9th 2015, a store bought cosplay Death Note(book) was discovered in the possession of a Nashua schoolgirl.

No details concerning how, when, where or why have emerged, other than it was found by administrators at Nashua High School North.

Known for its athletic achievements, this public educational faculty is located in the city of Nashua, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire.

What is clear is that the notebook contained the names of seventeen fellow students. In the fabled tradition of Kira, the date, time and manner of their (proposed) deaths was listed alongside each entry.

Naturally no-one actually died, as this was a replica Death Note and the schoolgirl wasn't Light Yagami.
Cosplay Death Note replica
Costume Death Note replica
- one of many available
to buy for cosplay purposes.
While no details have been released regarding the teenager, nor her motives in writing the names, unofficial sources* have claimed that they were her bullies. Listing them was merely a cathartic exercise by a besieged young lady.

* Comments on reports published on-line by local news agencies.

No Hysteria in New Hampshire Over Death Note

Third on the list was a classmate named Madeline Charest. As gossip about the discovery leaked amongst the student fraternity, she learned of her placement and 'in fear' visited School Principal Marianne Busteed.

The principal informed her that 'it was being handled and please return to class'.

This is the first hint - chronologically - of the common sense approach taken by Busteed and other Nashua authority figures in dealing with the incident.

A reaction which felt downright refreshing to read, when compared to the hysteria usually accompanying Death Note related 'scares' in US schools.

Just see some of the recent stories (linked right) for evidence of that. Not even accounting for the boy expelled in 2008 for writing George W Bush's name in a 'Death Note'.
June 2015: 13 year old Connecticut boy arrested by police and suspended from school after being found with a reproduction Death Note(book).

April 2014: 10 year old Tennessee boy suspended from school for two weeks, after tearing page out of an ordinary notebook and writing Death Note on the top.

February 2014: Depressed and suicidal 8th grader in Arizona submitted for psychiatric treatment after a replica Death Note is found on him at school.

Perhaps inspired by Charest's visit - especially as it foreshadowed the kind of fuss her mother could kick up - or else in line with general school policy, Principal Busteed drafted an email to parents.

Posted shortly before close of day on that same Friday, it briefly outlined what had occurred - that administrators and a 'school resource officer' had recovered a Death Note from an unnamed pupil.

Iterating that 'at no time was any child in danger', the principal explained that the costume reproduction Death Note itself posed no threat. It could easily be bought from retailers, both in real world shops and online.

She went on to provide a context for the prop:
According to the story, the book is perceived to have some kind of magical power to cause harm to the person listed — there were several of our Titan students’ names on the list.
~ Principal Marianne Busteed, report by Kimberley Houghton, 'Death list' with names of 17 students discovered at Nashua High School North, New Hampshire Union Leader (October 12th 2015)
Before emphasizing those facets bound to most occupy the minds of parents:
Please know that the safety of our students is our primary concern, and that we will fully discipline the student who developed this list in accordance with the Nashua School District student behavior standards
~ Ibid
The school then individually contacted the parents of those pupils whose names had appeared within the pages of that fake Death Note.  Keeping them in the loop, assuring each that their child was never in any actual danger, and offering counsellors for any student who might feel unsafe at school due to the imitation Death Note.

Nobody appears to have added that said counsellors could also point out the difference between fantasy and reality, with particular regard to how owning Death Note memorabilia does not make one Kira.

Rabble Rousing Parent Facebook Panics over Replica Death Note in Nashua

None of which was enough for Madeline's mother Danielle Charest, whose hyperbolic feats of panicked conjecture and lynch mob mindset grew to most spectacular levels with each newspaper contacted.

But first she took to Facebook.
Danielle Charest - Nashua parent Facebook post re Death Note
Danielle Charest's Facebook account of
Nashua School Death Note incident (October 12th 2015)
Reading the comments to the Facebook post is quite something.  Quite a few people seemed to wholeheartedly agree with the Nashua mother's statement that this 'was in no way an unsafe situation'.

Presumably because they all thought that a shinigami MIGHT turn up and words written on a piece of paper would come true.

Though in truth, none of them were overly concerned about such things. They were all too busy equating costume notebooks with firearms, and playing armchair psychiatrists in denunciations of the schoolgirl as 'mentally unstable' or a 'sociopath'.

By the time they'd finished warming up, their calls and emails had gone out to every major news outlet, plus everyone from the local Mayor to the President of the United States (and his wife).

Meanwhile, the young lady in possession of the Death Note had reached out on Facebook to Madeline Charest, in order to apologise for any upset and assure her that she really didn't mean any harm.

Imitation Death Note at Nashua High School Sparks Social Panic in the Press

Concerned about Death Note Nashua parent Danielle Charest on WMUR9

Concerns about Death Note - Nashua parent Danielle Charest (WMUR, Oct 12th 2015)
You can't get away from the name Danielle Charest in news reports about the cosplay Death Note notebook found in the possession of a girl in Nashua. As a concerned parent, Charest ensured that she wrested her full fifteen minutes of fame from the incident.
"I think the mystery shrouding this is what's causing the alarm to parents... Parents are afraid. Kids are afraid."
~ Danielle Charest, report by Mike Cronin, 'Death Notes' (sic) book found in Nashua school raises concerns, WCVB (October 12th 2015)
Thus proving that she could neither read Principal Busteed's e-mail, nor search online for Death Note.  Unless the 'mystery' was simply when Nashua could expect a visit from Ryuk, Rem or their ilk?
"I pray with every ounce of my being that it's never something that would turn into a tragedy," Charest said. "But how do you know it wouldn't? How do you know this isn't the beginning of a tragic situation?"
~ Ibid
Because Shinigami notebooks don't work as advertised outside the pages of a Japanese manga - give or take the anime, television and movie adaptations.

Exactly the same story was repeated on WMUR News on Demand (October 12th 2015), though the editor there at least caught the typo in the headline. This version is notable because of the 200+ comments left upon it, constituting a slanging match/witch-hunt starring Nashua High School North parents and associates.

Grab your peanuts and switch your incredulity levels down low to read them. You'll need it.

Personal favourites include:
  • Momof2, who claimed her daughter didn't know why she was on the list, but it was probably because she's 'pretty and has friends'.
  • BrianHyland, who agrees that writing names down won't hurt the individual but 'writing them down in that book, is a serious matter'.
There were plenty more beyond those, but once you've waded through with your jaw gaping once, it gets pretty tedious on the return trip.

Meanwhile, my prize for best social scare-mongering presentation of the story in the press goes to Seventeen Magazine for this:
Social scare about Death Note in Seventeen

Good try, Seventeen, but a gun isn't anything like 'a book called Death Notes' (sic)

Practical Response from Police and Principal in Nashua Death Note 'Scare'

After all that frothing at the mouth, it might be wondered why the reaction to a Death Note in Nashua was deemed 'refreshing' and 'a common sense approach' way back at the beginning.

That's because - under considerable pressure from parents to act otherwise - those in charge of the situation kept things utterly in proportion.

Principal Marianne Busteed refused to release the girl's name, nor any details concerning disciplinary action carried out by Nashua High School North. If, indeed, any was judged appropriate to the situation. 

All this despite a barrage of calls and emails from parents and the press demanding that she spill immediately.

She also arranged a meeting for parents at the school on October 13th.  Then, when Danielle Charest and co began to rally people to attend and demand more answers than the principal was legally (and ethnically) able to give, Busteed simply closed the meeting to all but those parents directly involved.

Meanwhile, Nashua police officers did investigate, and representatives were on hand to answer questions and reassure at the Tuesday evening meeting.
We did not find any evidence that the student had intended to harm students or that there were any plans beyond simply placing the students’ names on the list.
~ Superintendent Mike Conrad, report by Kevin Melrose, New Hampshire high school shaken by ‘Death Note’ scare (October 14th 2015)
However, he had to admit that some parents were left frustrated, as he 'couldn't share all of the information' regarding their investigation, nor personal details about the girl in question, nor anything about potential disciplinary measures.

She's a juvenile. US privy laws protect such things, particularly if she's not been charged with anything.

He also shook off requests that the girl be constantly monitored by the judiciary, including a watch on all her digital communications across all devices. It was neither necessary nor legal in the circumstances.
I assigned multiple detectives to this; it is an ongoing investigation... We don't feel there's an on­going safety issue.
~ Nashua Police Chief Andrew Lavoie, report by Osvaldo Nunez, 'Nothing To Worry About' After High School Officials Find 'Death Note' With Names In Them, Design & Trend (October 16th 2015)
Police Chief Lavoie confirmed that no arrests had been made, though all concerned continued to take the case seriously.

The sticking point being that no crime had actually been committed. The replica Death Note could not kill.
The student and their parents were inter­viewed and were very co­operative and open about what was going on. It was determined that no criminal threatening, nor any other crimes were committed.
~ Nashua Deputy Police Chief Michael Carignan, report by Tina Forbes, Authorities report school safe after ‘Death Note’ found, Nashua Telegraph (October 16th 2015)
Meanwhile, the girl herself has apparently been doing the rounds of calling those listed in her book to apologize. It was never meant to be taken seriously. It was never meant to be all this.

But if she's frightened them, then she's genuinely sorry.

As was said before - all quite refreshingly practical, polite and proportional in response from those central to the situation.  (Less so from those on the periphery.)

Now.  Is anyone going to deal with the fact that she was purportedly being bullied, and that's why she listed those seventeen names in her notebook in the first place? 

Just wondering.
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Ohba and Obata's Bakuman at Japanese Film Festival in Australia and New Zealand

16/10/2015

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Bakuman at Japanese Film Festival 2015Bakuman at 2015
Japanese Film Festival
Tickets are being sold for the 2015 Japanese Film Festival, which will tour Australia and New Zealand over the next two months.

Though Death Note isn't on the programme, creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata still get a showing. Bakuman will play for the Japanese culture loving Antipodean hordes.

Their semi-autobiographical tale chronicles the adventures of author Akito and artist Moritaka, as they attempt to break into the Japanese manga industry.

This was Ohba and Obata's second collaboration, which came after Death Note had completed its run.  Their live action movie Bakuman will be the version screened during the 2015 Japanese Film Festival.

Bakuman at 2015 Japanese Film Festival

2015 Japanese Film Festival logo
Bakuman will open in Brisbane on October 21st 2015, at 7pm, in the Event Cinemas, Brisbane City Myer Centre. Further showings there will be:
  • October 24th 2015, at 8.30pm
  • October 25th 2015, at 3.30pm
It then moves to Perth, where showings will be at Hoyts Carousel, Westfield Carousel, 1382 Albany Highway, Carousel. Those dates and times are:
  • October 28th 2015, at 6.45pm
  • October 31st 2015, at 8pm
  • November 1st 2015, at 4pm
In the meantime, Bakuman is off to Adelaide, where the movie will be shown at the Mercury Cinema, 13 Morphett Street, on:
  • October 30th 2015, at 7.15pm
Next it's off to Sydney, where the venue is the Event Cinemas in George Street. There Bakuman will be screened on:
  • November 5th 2015, at 7pm
  • November 10th 2015, at 6.10pm
  • November 12th 2015, at 6.10pm
In the midst of that, the Japanese Film Festival 2015 also squeezes in an airing of the movie at another Event Cinemas, in Church Street, Parramatta. That happens on:
  • November 8th 2015, at 6.30pm
Then it's the ACMI Cinema in Federation Square, Melbourne, for a showing on:
  • November 26th 2015, at 7.20pm
Before Bakuman's final Film Festival screening location at Hoyts Melbourne Central, at Melbourne Central Shopping Centre. They occur on:
  • November 29th 2015, at 6pm
  • December 4th 2015, at 6.30pm
Not much going on there for Bakuman in New Zealand then. Though, by necessity of staying on topic here, the focus has only been on Ohba and Obata's work. There's plenty more going on in the schedule of the 2015 Japanese Film Festival in both Australia and New Zealand.

Japanese Film Festival 2015 Trailer

Check out the Japanese Film Festival 2015 website for more details about what is going on in the Antipodes, and where you might purchase tickets to join in.
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Death Note Makes Top 25 Shows of the Past 25 Years in IMDb Anniversary List

16/10/2015

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Death Note anime on IMDb Oct 16th 2015
Death Note anime on IMDb (Screenshot October 16th 2015)
The Internet Movie Database is 25 years old and to celebrate it's released a list of the top ranked television shows for each year during that time. Death Note made the grade. 

The anime was the best TV show for 2006, according to IMDb, in its Top 25 TV Shows From the Last 25 Years listing based upon all-time user ratings averages.

Death Note achieved an average rating of 9.0/10 with 88,175 viewers voting. For the record, the anime is also currently ranked at number 33 for the best overall television shows. That covers all time without being restricted by years - or what else was aired during that same year.

Here is the full run down for IMDb's best shows on TV by year:
  • 2014 - True Detective
  • 2013 - Rick and Morty
  • 2012 - Gravity Falls
  • 2011 - Game of Thrones
  • 2010 - Sherlock
  • 2009 - Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
  • 2008 - Breaking Bad
  • 2007 - Flight of the Conchords
  • 2006 - Death Note
  • 2005 - Avatar: The Last Airbender
  • 2004 - House M.D.
  • 2003 - Arrested Development
  • 2002 - The Wire
  • 2001 - Six Feet Under
  • 2000 - Coupling
  • 1999 - The Sopranos
  • 1998 - Cowboy Bebop
  • 1997 - Oz
  • 1996 - Dragon Ball
  • 1995 - Father Ted
  • 1994 - Friends
  • 1993 - The X-Files
  • 1992 - Batman: The Animated Series
  • 1991 - The Adventures of TinTin
  • 1990 - Twin Peaks
Any surprises there?  Any that you watched, loved, hated or missed? 

I'm personally thrilled to spot Father Ted on there - another big favourite show of mine - plus happy to see such a strong anime presence alongside Death Note. I also really enjoyed Coupling at the time, but I'm surprised to learn it was the biggest show of that year.

Follow more of the IMDb 25th anniversary lists, events and releases on its bespoke web pages for the same.

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Edward Zo: US Death Note Movie 'no Asian Actors Considered for Light Yagami Role'

12/10/2015

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Edward Zo and Light Yagami
Edward Zo - Too Asian
for Light Yagami
Actor Edward Zo is the latest to comment on the whitewashing furore surrounding the US live action Death Note movie.

Yet his might be the hardest-hitting commentary to date, simply because it relates personal experience to back up what so many are saying about inappropriate casting bias.

Ever since a strong rumour circulated that Nat Wolff (Paper Towns, Naked Brothers' Band) will star in the Death Note US remake, there has been much dissent amongst the masses. Voices raised on Twitter and other social networks, petitions, and a lot of angry talk elsewhere.

The issue being that Light Yagami is a Japanese man, who is being played by a white American half-Jewish actor. The important fact there being 'white'.

It feeds into a wider, quite repugnant tradition, whereby only white actors are cast in meaningful roles (or indeed 'roles' full-stop much of the time). Even if it means changing the ethnicity of the character in order to do so.

But one American actor - who was told openly not to bother auditioning for Death Note because he's too Asian - is hitting back.

Edward Zo's Racist Hollywood? Death Note Whitewashing YouTube Testimony

Edward Zo's video message to Hollywood is twenty minutes long, yet well worth affording the time to watch.

It's not merely a rant from an actor feeling entitled to something because of his ethnicity. It's an intelligent, multi-faceted look at the inherent racism of the film industry as a whole.

There's plenty of background, giving history and context, before zooming in on the specifics facing 'actors of colour' in Hollywood today.  Not least that there just aren't that many roles with 'layers and depths' available for those who aren't white.  Light Yagami should have been one of them.

This isn't just about an actor thwarted in a sought after part. It matters in a much wider setting.

Zo emphasizes the fact that visibility is key here. One demographic dominates the movie industry, and media per se. Whether we wish it or not, such things corrupt our perceptions of other cultures, races, classes, or whatever else feels unknown despite being part of the same human story.

Edward Zo is not Bruce Lee, nor is he Jackie Chan, yet he frequently encounters folk for whom those two gentlemen are their only frame of reference for his skin colour and features.
Actor Edward Zo

Edward Zo, not Jackie Chan, nor even Bruce Lee. What else have you got?
For Death Note fans, there's the added impetus of Zo's personal experience. A manga fan since childhood, he has long been passionate about Death Note.

Hence the excitement when he learned that a live action Death Note movie was being made in his native USA. It sounded like the kind of vehicle crying out for talented Asian-American actors. He couldn't be more wrong.

Informal inquiries, regarding auditions for his dream role of Light Yagami, led to the grapevine rustling back some unsettling news.
This would have been an amazing opportunity for an actor of colour, for an Asian actor, to take the global stage and break barriers and break stereotypes... (but) they were not looking to see Asian actors for the role of Light Yagami.
~ Edward Zo, Racist Hollywood? Death Note Whitewashing, YouTube, October 9th 2015
Despite being blatantly told not to bother applying, Edward Zo brushed aside the grapevine rhetoric enough to pursue the part through official channels. He asked his manager to submit his profile to Death Note's casting director.

He heard nothing back. Just the news that we all heard, which is that Nat Wolff is in 'final negotiations' to play Light Yagami.

No Asian actor at all, but an apple pie, ex-Nickelodeon, white American.

Not that Edward Zo has anything against Nat Wolff. He enjoyed the Naked Brothers Band and thought Wolff was great in his recently released movie Paper Towns. Nor is any of this necessarily Nat Wolff's fault.

Nevertheless, it feels, smells and looks like cultural imperialism from Zo's point of view.

Read between the lines. Meet your White Gods of Egypt | #whitewashing pic.twitter.com/fwdRKO0Ufi

— Edward ZO (@EdwardZo) October 9, 2015

Edward Zo highlights another example of Hollywood whitewashing

The Cultural Approximation of Death Note

Nat Wolff's lead role casting in Death Note conveys a message loud and clear to all Asians watching.  Summed up, in Zo's own words, as:
Our version of your story does not include you.
~ Ibid
Hollywood is happy to take stories from all over the world; authors may be any ethnicity, colour, race, creed, hail from any country, write in any language. But their tale will be told through a culturally white Protestant lens.

Thus it becomes white Protestant by tradition, as the loudest voice is usually the one most heard.

While the current highly extensive fandom is well aware that Death Note is Japanese, a whole new audience about to be exposed to a potential block-buster which swears that this is an American story.

Does that matter in the long run?  Well put it this way, when you think of Romeo and Juliet, is it a Shakespearian play set in Verona?  Original author Masuccio Salernitano would be amazed to find that his tale moved out of Tuscany and no-one today recalls that it was ever there.

And just ask the Welsh what contortions King Arthur went through after being wrestled from our grasp. Let's just say that nothing in the legend now looks like it does in the fragments that remain of our heritage.

Cultural approximation can so easily become cultural imperialism. That's the warning Edward Zo makes with regard to Death Note. Today Japanese, tomorrow white American.

Assuming it doesn't flop like other whitewashed Asian films. We're all looking at you, Dragonball Z and Airbender.

But the actor remains defiant.

Mobilizing on Behalf of Asians in Hollywood - Edward Zo's Rallying Call

In his discussion of the perceived whitewashing of Death Note in the US, Edward Zo also covers the counterpoints to such views.

Primarily, it's all about the money, which Zo disdains with reference to movies like those just mentioned, that flopped despite the white actors inserted into ethnically diverse lead roles.

Then he alights upon the second consideration - that he should put up and shut up, or else leave the country for one more open to casting Asian actors as its movie stars.

Suddenly he sounds very American.
I was born here. Why should I have to relocate, or move, to get the same privileges that everyone else does?
~ Edward Zo
Death Note's Light Yagami
Take it from a Briton, Americans really don't like being told they're liable for taxation without representation.  Nor any of its modern equivalents. Like 'buy tickets for movie presentations without being in them'.

Hard work and persistence is supposed to realise the American Dream. If no hope in its actuality exists, then the good folk Stateside tend to bite back...
Dear Hollywood, you cannot just bleach the soul out of Death Note literally and then expect the rest of us not to notice. Because we noticed.
~ Ibid
... and start revolutions.
It's up to us as young people to vocalise and to mobilize whenever we see something that is not right.
~ Ibid
And older people too.  I'm so far past young, that Edward Zo looks barely old enough to be out of diapers, but I heard and I vocalised. A life-long believer that silence means approval and no change was ever made without each of us speaking up wherever we perceive something wrong.

Especially when it seems endemic, institutionalized and so commonplace that we barely notice unless its pointed out.

Edward Zo pointed out something important here, and it behoves us to listen to what he has to say. Else nothing ever changes and this one is far bigger than even Death Note.

Books about Whitewashing Hollywood

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