It seemed out of character for her. This was the woman who would have died for Light Yagami; who twice shortened her lifespan by half each time on his behalf; who withstood torture for weeks on end in his defence; and who killed indiscriminately, in truly mind-boggling proportions of mass slaughter, to impress him or else cover his back.

Yet Misa wouldn't leave an unguarded penthouse, when every clue at her disposal hinted at a showdown moment for Light. She stayed put because it was pretty.  Though, to be fair, Light did tell her to remain there for the time being. Though since when did directives like that figure, if Misa had any inkling that her erstwhile fiancé might need her.

We barely needed Death Note author Tsugumi Ohba to state what was obvious.  Misa Amane was sidelined at the end, as he didn't 'have a situation in which to fit her'. (How to Read: Death Note 13)  Just like Mello, Misa was simply bundled out of sight, however out of character the requisite actions and decisions, in lieu of her creator to pen a plot-line that accommodated all personae dramatis.

Perhaps it was hoped that we wouldn't notice.  We did.

Do you agree with this reading of the situation?  What do you think would have occurred had Misa Amane been in the Yellow Box warehouse?  Would Light's mental disintegration have shaken her devotion to him, thus saving her from the suicide that finally constituted Misa Amane's departure from the Death Note story?

To all extents and purposes, was Misa now immortal, barring accident or, you know, jumping off a bridge as she eventually did?  We know that she wasn't actually immortal, because she did die.

We can also be certain that a date did appear above her head, and that it could change, because Rem knows immediately upon meeting Misa that she'd made the eye deal again with Ryuk.  For the second time in Misa's life, her remaining years had halved.  But therein lies the rub - Misa should already have been dead on both occasions when her life-span was thus curtailed.  She should have died on the day of Gelus's self-sacrifice in her stead.

For shinigami, prematurely ending a human life by writing their name in a death notebook evokes its own reward.  That time stolen from their victim is now added onto the death god's own life-span.  If the newly deceased human should have lived another twenty years, then the shinigami authoring their demise is now assured an extra twenty years to their own tally.

Misa did not kill Gelus directly.  She did not write his name in her death note (which anyway didn't belong to her until shortly thereon). However, by Gelus writing the name of Misa's would-be murderer in that same book, she inadvertently became the cause of the shinigami's disintegration into dust.

If that was the case, we can calculate the dates displayed at any given time above Misa Amane's pretty brow.  But only if we assume that she received no extra life from the two shinigami, otherwise all but the first and last dates must remain unknown.

Misa Amane is the archetypal It Girl; she has charisma in abundance, especially before a camera, and in life can delight just about everyone she meets. Give or take those with broader concerns (for whom she poses a distraction and a nuisance), like her lover Light, locked in fatal bouts of gladiatorial competitiveness with whichever Wammy boy offers the fight.

Death Note 13: How to Read describes Misa as having tremendous screen presence, resulting in a plethora of offers for film roles. This is coupled with beauty and a physique in great demand for modelling in top fashion magazines.

The actress and model knows well how to use such charms. Her flirtation with Higuchi Kyosuke prompts him with ease to divulge information that will ultimately lead directly to his death. Misa's coolness under pressure and ability to read social cues and situations with aplomb is also very much in evidence during the Yotsuba arc.  Hosting an impromptu private party for the company's executives, Misa's able to help Matsuda affect his escape. Assessing and playing her part with barely a tip off regarding what was about to follow.  She took it all in her stride.

It's not surprising then that the aforementioned Death Note manual affords Misa Misa top marks for charm, social skills and initiative.  Don't let the big, batting, innocent eyes foll you, Misa Amane is one canny lady.

That conclusion is borne out in canon time and again, yet belied in the graph's piddling 3/10 ranking for her intelligence.   There are equally low points for creativity, despite the canon Second Kira seeming quite resourceful.  While her Genki Girl style outbursts does concur with the mid-range score for emotional strength.

Death Note's Misa Amane cannot be underestimated, but then perhaps we shouldn't ask too much of her either.  And, of course, none of this accounts for her propensity to kill at will and whim, but mostly for her intense, jealous and all consuming passion in love with Light Yagami.

In any case, being an unpredictable blood type already produces one strike against Miss Amane.
 
Why is the AB blood type known as the ‘split personality’ blood type? Well, it is associated with being both shy and outgoing, and serious yet not. AB people are known for having one personality that they show to the ‘outside’ world, and another personality they show to the people who are closest with them.

They are known for being a bit delicate and not being able to stand having too much pressure put upon them.  They are known for being rather sentimental but also quite strict with themselves.

Considering how different Misa’s character is depending on who she interacts with, it is absolutely no surprise that this description fits her to a T. Sometimes she can come off as quite ruthless, while other times she seems warm and loving towards Light Yagami, her love interest (of a sort) in the manga.

Due to her status as an Idol, which necessitates a persona to show to the world, it is unsurprising that her regular personality is ever-changing as well.

Veterans will know the score by now, however here is a recap for those needing the links to hand, 0r new to these kinds of events:

• General submission page - all the media via which you may message us or submit content as files;
• Cosplayer Questionnaire - to be answered by Death Note cosplayers (particularly those with Misa costumes) in order to advise others wanting to follow suit;
• Fan-art Questionnaire - to be answers by Misa Amane artists and/or those creating Death Note artwork per se, who are happy to pass on tips to newcomers in the Death Note fan-art communities;
• Fan-fiction Writers Questionnaire - to be answered by Death Note fan-fiction writers (Misa storytellers especially welcome) ready to extend the baton to those new authors coming through;

We have about four items ready for publication already, which demonstrates how on the ball some of you are. Everyone else, this event started yesterday, where's your Misa Amane articles, essays, analyses, images, photographs, tales, recipes and all the rest already?  Off you go!  Contribute now!

Many thanks to all who took the time to voice their thoughts on Death Note News' Month of... feature. In addition to airing viewpoints on various items relating to the running of the site, and how we deliver content to you, via the completion of last month's reader survey.

All comments have now been read. Some whilst blushing and feeling suddenly very coy; others forming a cringing addendum to our discussion agenda and/or directly onto a lengthening To Do list.  All were very helpful and wonderfully appreciated upon receipt.

There were a few pointers requiring acknowledgement, answers, action or announcements, including the results of who will be featured at the centre of future Death Note Month of... events. I'm here to bring you fully into the loop.

Ask.  We're always good for welcoming new writers, or other talented folk, into our team.  If it's a regular column that you wish to pursue, then hunt down Matti to discuss what you have in mind.  Either way, our contact page has a plethora of ways to contact us.  In this instance, an email (via the form) is probably best.

Everything has been collated, tidied up, formatted and emailed to the requisite Death Note actors.  Each acknowledged receipt of the questions and indicated their intent to answer as many as possible.

In short, we're confident that all (but possibly one) remain winging their respective ways to us and will be made public quickly thereon.

Another individual thought having a 'what if' month would be interesting, as in 'what would have happened to the characters if Light Yagami hadn't received his Death Note, thus the Kira case never occurred?'   I have to say that my imagination has been running overtime in pondering, since reading it posed there.  But could we pull off a whole month of it?   Probably.  Maybe another format would work better.  It's one of those added to the staff agenda for mulling over.

Nearly all of you indicated that yes, you would like to see a Month of... focus being the forthcoming Death Note movie, released at the end of October 2016.  Of those, one person voted for November to be the ideal month.  The rest of you didn't mind, as long as it happens.

All excepting the single respondent who said no full stop to that and indeed everything about the Month of... events.  He/she really didn't like it and wished it would go away.  Your views have been read and noted.  Thank you for them.  Unfortunately, you were outvoted by your peers.

Everything in, it was overwhelmingly positive and extremely helpful.   Even the person who hated the feature told us nicely!  And we were really pleased with the wide array of places where people are finding Death Note News. Particularly as one source was apparently the Archangel Mello pointing this way with his fiery sword.

As for the one who asked if being in the Mello/Matt fandom counts - YES!  Yes, it does.  Most important part of the whole Death Note fandom Mello and Matt.  Though I might be biased, given what I write.

Lots of fabulous suggestions here.  We had Mello, Beyond Birthday, Mikami, Sayu, ALL live-action tellings together, L, Shingami (collectively), Naomi Misora, the LABB murders, and the movie thumbs up for a month closer to the release date.

We've decided to start with the one garnering the most votes in that survey.  Admittedly to the mild surprise of all here, though we're game for everything. Bring it on!   Therefore I can announce that June and July look like this, with more made public when we've finished tatting with the list:

By tomorrow, we should have their submission and questionnaire pages up and ready.  In the meantime, do feel free to send in things using generic tools for contributing content, or mentally amending questions pertaining to another character asked of Death Note fans writing, creating art or donning cosplay.

Also by tomorrow, we should actually start Death Note News' Month of Misa Amane.  Three items in already.  Get a head start on the crowds by chucking in any relevant content now.

Welcome seekers after sama, kana and qi!  You won't be the first to want to reverse your life's fortunes; otherwise embrace words to change the world; take steps to transform yourself into a hero; divert humanity away from its current perverse course; perfect its core that all may sing together - refraining from discordance, aligned in peace and harmony; gain insight into the working of the universe; realize your dreams; reach for the stars; sail across the cosmos and converse with the divine; enchant and charm Kannon at the gates of wisdom; seize manna from the Gods; invoke matter from the kether; traverse the mysteries and become God of this New World.

It's not unknown.

But no matter what foolish idea inflames your passion and ignites your will.  Before you take your first steps onto the path of making it real, you will need some guidance.  Sound the intro, maestro!  And enter The Magician.

In ancient Persia, the Magos were the learned members of the priestly caste, adept at astrology.  They could give you the overview of your life and destiny, as it was written in the stars, taking in the knowledge of what constellation was on the ascendency or ruling within a certain house. It was up to you what you did with that information and how you let it guide your lives.

Over the centuries, their spiritual descendants have been known as the adepts in a variety of other fortune-telling, mind expanding, soul perfecting or perception enhancing skills.  For example, those magnificent seekers delving into the Kabbalah/Cabala/Qabala as scholars, scryers, practitioners, occultists, alchemists, diviners, philosophers, Hermetic code-breakers and ceremonial magicians.

Enlightened beings who know The Way and what it might mean for you.  But if it's shared - and done so entirely, selectively or else strewn with misinformation - and how that translates into relevancy for your own life's destiny, only a Fool can know in passing through the realm of the Magi.

The Death Note itself can be seen as falling right into the realm of The Magician.  In fact, it's practically the Three Magi represented here in the notebook, as its role is considered in relation to Light Yagami.

Firstly Light has to find the shinigami's notebook, which serves the dual purpose of opening his eyes to the existence of a world beyond his own and highlighting its possibilities. Hitherto unconsidered (or disbelieved) realities are presented as a pathway upon which to forge his own destiny.  It's the Tarot Magician as gatekeeper, signpost and luminary of higher knowledge.

However, its also the Trickster, or Charlatan, insofar as the falling Death Note serves Ryuk's agenda first and foremost. Its presence on Earth is set to alleviate the shinigami's boredom.  Light will pick it up and, primarily believing it an elaborate prank, use it to the detriment of his own future.  Not only will it curse his living years, but condemn his eternal being into the dissolution of Mu.  This ultimate destination for Death Note users means that a destiny is foisted upon Light Yagami, manipulated by ignorance and curiosity into foolishly using it without fully translating all of the rules beforehand.

The Death Note wasn't on his side, nor against him.  It's an item; a thing without judgement nor partiality.  It serves an agenda encapsulated by itself.  ('I am that I am' is the So'ham Sanskrit manta; also viewed as the Word of God in Christian mysticism; or 'As above, so below; so below, as above' in Hermetic teachings.  All very much part of The Magician's inner knowledge, and here beautifully descriptive of the Death Note too.)

Secondly, Light actually reads the rules written inside the Death Note.  Here the shinigami notebook becomes The Magician as a teacher; illuminating the arcane knowledge needed to utilize this supernatural tool.  The rules themselves inspire possible ways in which Light may now traverse in order to fulfil his projected destiny.

Even more dramatically comes that third moment of the notebook of death as The Magician in Death Note.  That's when the touch of it allows Light's mind to access his memories, previously locked away through rejection of the artefact.  Perhaps it's not quite what the ancient Magos would view as accessing the higher self, but it serves the same purpose within the storyline.  In an instant, Light Yagami's ignorance is dissolved, when the doors of perception are well and truly opened upon his past.  His destination now reached, just as planned.

Quem Deus perdere vult, dementat prius; quem di diligunt, adolescens moritu.
Those the Gods will destroy, they first make mad; and whom the Gods love dies young.

Hold on!  One missing from this listing of The Wam-Magi as read from the Book of God's New World: 

Bored out of his mind, Il Matto stayed put in Winchester, playing SuperMario and thanking the Gods of the Internet that Kira never came with cyber-terrorism on-line.  Else he'd never have been able to get away with hiding behind his lazy, mad, wise Fool routine; playing Tetris instead of getting himself killed in someone else's war.  So wise he only ever ranked third and remained forever Il Matto.  He probably wouldn't have amounted to much anyway.  Beep, beep, lulwut, nub?

Ok, I've stopped now.

I’m not really sure how to go about thanking everyone because it always feels like I’m missing someone who contributed and that’s so unfair of me. So, first, let me thank everyone involved because you guys did a brilliant work. The month of Wammy pointed a bunch of fans at an amazing topic, and it resulted in fantastic articles, great discussions and the analysis that this fandom comes up with that’s really awesome to read.

Matti, all the thanks to you for being an amazing hostess and making this site such a lovely place for Death Note fans to find. You put a lot of work into this, and, as a DN fan, I’m really happy you came up with the character of the month idea and that you’re making it happen. I’m really happy you came up with the whole Death Note News!

Not only that, thank you for writing fantastic fic focused on Watari. You do a lot and the result is amazing, thank you.

Orangepunch, thank you for the support behind the scenes. I saw maths happening and that’s awesome; it brought up more discussions, even if I can only admire maths from far far away.

Georgina Aguilar, thank you for adding beautiful fanwork to this fandom we all love and for allowing your art to be shared here.

Kinky Mattila, thank you for bringing to life a character we all appreciate in one way or another and for giving us tips so we can do it too.

CupofSquirrel, thank you for also bringing Watari out of the pages of Death Note and telling us a lot about it and encouraging more fans to cosplay.

Renchan, thank you for writing a great analysis on Watari’s blood type for us and giving us food for thought on the topic.

Everyone from the Pinterest Community for Wammy and Wammy’s House, thank you for keeping selecting and pinning stuff, grouping them in one place for all the other fans to find.

Ethereality, thank you for holding discussions with me about anything that can come up related to Death Note and that sparks the interest.

DeathNotegirl3675, for writing a great Watari fanfic to share with us.

Aerial Sky, for contributing to fandom in another awesome way and, in doing so, giving us more Watari fan-fiction to enjoy.

Tarot Mikami, for exploring the parallels of Death Note and Tarot with such depth and giving us interesting analysis to think about.

There is way more being discussed than we have time to write about in a month. That’s always a pleasant surprise.

It was fun; thank you all for making it happen. See you in the Month of Misa!!

"What's wrong with her?" L questioned, frowning as he sat on the bed beside A. "Watari, why won't she wake up?"

But Watari hadn't spoken in hours. Ever since he had brought A from the coffee shop to the hotel, he had been silent. Did he know something? Had he known this would happen?

"Watari. Why won't she wake up? Is she dying?" L had an excellent poker face, but it was so tempting to let it fall. But he hadn't cried in years. Not since he was younger... He had built walls to protect himself.

The elder man sighed audibly, causing L to glance at him curiously. "She will be okay for now."

L paused, waiting for him to say something else. But he didn't. "For now? So she is dying?"

Watari's face was grave. "I was anonymously informed of this event beforehand. I thought it was some practical joke, but now I see he was being truthful."

"What are you talking about? Who called you?" L had never yelled at his father before. Not once. But it was hard not to. He had known that A would collapse like this, and he had done nothing to stop it from happening. "Who called you, Watari?" L's voice rose.

Watari had never seen this side of L before. It was hard not to be intimidated. He seemed... different. Evil. Capable of anything. "I could tell it was a man, but the number was untraceable, and I couldn't tell who it was."

"When did he call? What did he say?!" L was getting desperate.

"He simply said that A would be delivered to us in a few days time. He said her mind wasn't in the right place, and she wouldn't get better. He said she had the Thorns of Death."

"Thorns of Death?" L asked questioningly. What in the world was that?

"He said she was not who she seemed, and she was dangerous."

Dangerous. A. Dangerous. Those two words didn't go together. A would not even hurt a fly. "You're wrong. She's still the same. Just a bit more anxious and paranoid. Watari you didn't talk to her. She's still the same."

"Ryuzaki, she needs rest. Whatever this is that's hurting her, we need to leave her be for now."

"I'm staying with her. I'm not losing her again."

And Watari didn't argue, for as much as L tried to hide it, he saw that streak on his cheek. He knew L was serious. He never cried, so this had to be important.

"Tell me when she wakes up. I will do some research."

How do you go about finding plot bunnies and beginning your Quillsh Wammy story?
I try to detail almost everything in the story, so that later the reader doesn't ask themselves "Where did that come from?"

In your experience, what are the common mistakes made by fan authors writing about Watari?
I think they make Watari out of character, which is something I try hard to avoid. When he does something that I don't see him doing, it's hard for me to see that scene play out in my head.

Any last tips for anyone reading, who wishes to start writing fan-fiction about Mr Wammy?
Always write things that interest you. If you aren't interested and care about it, then the reader won't either. Just be yourself, and express your feelings in your words.

But what do we know about those orphanages?

If they were like Wammy’s House, they were spacious, barely furnished places. One could argue the children there required rooms with little to no furniture as they would use the space to play like Near does by building card towers. It’s interesting to notice, then, that the rooms don’t have chairs or even cushions for the children to sit in when they are expected to do so (take for example Mello and Near speaking with Roger and the children speaking with L).

The adults responsible for the care of the children seem to care very little for them and Roger allows a fourteen-year-old to leave his care.

The children collected and taken to his orphanages are gifted and they are trained to become the next L. Those children are raised in a competitive environment for no reason other than Mr. Wammy decided they should.

It doesn’t matter they may choose not to become L as long as they want to have the skills required to still be an option. The objective of the orphanages is not to house orphans but to house gifted children who have the potential to be L’s successors.

The autonomy of those children is denied from a very young age in such a way they grow to believe the way they are guided by beliefs they were manipulated into having are actually an expression of their own independent self.

The system in place to control and raise the gifted children at Wammy’s House does not care for the children’s needs and desires. In fact, it makes it so the children are led to believe their needs and desires are the ones the institution expect them to have, aka to become L’s successor.

If someone looks closely at Watari’s work, he doesn’t seem to be such a great man.

Article by Lua Cruz

A man like Wammy, who in many ways played a large background role in the story, would not at first glance appear to be a B-type character.  That is part of his charm, I believe, because in many ways Wammy is not a character who you can judge upon first glance. I remember being a thirteen year old girl and my first impression of him was of a butler who would not matter too much to the story. That is part of his disguise, and why he is such a fascinating character. He plays a very large role in the series, even if it is only a background one, and he is a very unconventional character.
 
Do you agree with the classification of Wammy as a B-type? Or would you argue for the even more unconventional AB blood type, as it is more of a mixed bag? Definitely share your thoughts.

While canon doesn’t linger on Quillsh Wammy on his own, Watari’s existence on itself is implied to occupy a much bigger role than what we actually see.

We are introduced to him as the connection between L and the outside world, and, as the story progresses, we also see Watari is responsible for carrying L’s orders as well as taking care of L himself. We see Watari as the liaison, the butler, the bodyguard and the assistant but we aren’t given a reason to explain this renewed inventor taking on those functions.

We are told, both in the original manga and in the L: The Wammy’s House One-shot, that Quillsh Wammy is a man of wealth.  There is no reason keeping him from paying someone to look after L other than he chose to do it himself. And as we see when L arrives at Wammy’s house, he makes that decision soon after he is introduced to L. That is a choice we are left to explain on our own.

The orphanages weren’t created out of altruism and kindness. When we see one of them, we see a place with barely any furniture and a warden who cares so little for the children he’s responsible for that he doesn’t mind handing over private information he knew could endanger them. It’s not a place for children to grow up happily and safely, neither it is a place for children to be adopted.

After L, the point of, at least, Wammy’s House was to produce a successor and there is no explanation as to why the orphanages were meant to produce something in the first place. In that case, it’s more likely L was what they were looking for and not a random child Watari decided to entertain.

Considering Watari made the decision of establishing several orphanages after World War II, his motivation could’ve been to prevent another war, to find the one mind capable of intervening and putting a stop to such horrors. If L was the answer to the question he was trying to answer with his orphanages, Watari was looking for a kid capable of saying their own methods, their own morals, were just.

In fact, we can go beyond that and consider Watari didn’t change his methods after finding L as much as he was lucky enough to find a child who already did and strongly believed what he wanted the children under his care to do and believe.

Watari forced the children under his care to abide by his own moral inclination despite their own desires but to do so believing in their own deductive skills. They were indoctrinated to believe they, too, could be justice, but only if they were the very best. Personal safety, personal happiness, mental health, physical well-being, etc… were not as important as the good of the majority, but the good of the majority was taught to them as a consequence of their own actions, their own inclinations, their own search for answers.

Not only was Watari morally irresponsible as he allowed L to do as he wished (choosing the cases and methods he pleased under the pretence of representing justice), he was also morally wrong on the orphanage system he created. If he thought the world needed a moral compass that he could provide, he, at least, knew his methods were condemnable enough he should keep them hidden.

What's your professional opinion about ready-made Death Note costumes, such as those in our Cosplay Store? Any pieces in there decent enough for a Mr Wammy cosplay? (Be honest!)
I didn't see any Watari cosplay items in your store, so I don't think these would work out!  [Ooops! ~ Matti]  Ready-made cosplay items are nice for people who do not have the skills to make things themselves.

When I started cosplaying Watari, I did not have the skills to make a suit coat, which is why I bought one from a thrift store. When buying ready-made items, the most important thing is how they fit you. If you want it to look like it was made specifically for you, you should probably go with a site that takes your measurements to make sure you have a nice fitting costume.

If not anything there, where would YOU source items to cosplay Quillsh Wammy?
I would go to a local thrift store and try on the nicest looking men's suits there.

Any last tips for anyone reading, who wishes to create their Watari cosplay from scratch?
Spend extra time on make-up and wig/moustaches. These parts of your costume will give a recognizable face to your cosplay.