Anything there sound like the blood type personality of Matsuda in Death Note?

However, it may behove us not to seek too deeply through that list of Blood Group B personality traits for Tsugumi Ohba's inner thoughts about Matsuda.

It may be enough to know that Touta Matsuda was intended to be a genki character in the Death Note manga and anime.  There is a tradition within the genre that a) there is at least one genki persona and b) that individual is categorized blood type B.

Genki is a Japanese word which simply means 'energetic' or 'enthusiastic'.  These anime trope personalities are often (to the point of usually) female, hence the label 'genki girl' being quite prevalent amongst fans.  We're looking at the kind of person who squees and bounces through scenes with an over-abundance of cheerfulness, enthusiasm and energy, that should tag them as blood type amphetamine and e numbers, rather than a mere B.

They run where they could walk; they wave their arms wildly around when they speak; they gabble incessantly, with a gushing regard for the subject of their speech. Their confidence is unparalleled and their determination absolute. They're often the comic relief in any given story, inserted when the narrative is in danger of becoming way too dark.

For most given points in the Death Note story, we should be looking at Misa Amane as the archetypal manga/anime genki here. But maybe Tsugumi Ohba is unconventional too.  As she was assigned blood type AB instead.

Is Matsuda for you the Death Note genki personality?  And if so, is that why he was given blood type B in his characterisation?

However, it's this very Matsuda who carries the final judgement against Kira in the tides decreed by Near; and the 'inept' officer's impetuous daring with the Yotsuba Group gave L the breakthrough there that he needed; not to mention another swift bit of Touta sharp shooting in the Mafia den saw Soichiro's life prolonged (albeit briefly) with Mello fleeing bereft of his Death Note and all alone; plus all the random, workaday instances of bravery, loyalty, duty and query against the will and supposed wisdom of his peers (always a more courageous path than running with the herd).

Given all that - do you think the enduring impression left in Urban Dictionary's mark against Matsuda is fair?

In fact, was it even enduring?  That entry was written in 2010.  Did it last?

Much more famous than Matsuda's Urban Dictionary entry is the Matsuda, You Idiot! Meme.  This one spread across the world and caused lawsuits in the process.

It all began with the airing of that final confrontation scene in Japan.  As Kira and Near faced off across the floor of the Yellow Box warehouse, things turned angry, then violent.  Next thing you know, Matsuda's firing a bullethole into Light's hand and that infamous cry comes within a twisting, contorted expression of pain, 'Matsuda Bakayarou!' 

That's variously translated into English as 'Matsuda, you fool!', 'idiot', or else something much stronger in its expletive.  As soon as it was heard in Japan, the meme began.  That was June 26th 2007, when Matsuda shot Light and the like of this took the world by storm:

While we're all familiar with the movie L Change the World - even those who wish they weren't - even long-standing Death Note fans might have missed the fact that Matsuda got his own short film in relation to it.  As these stills from the ten minute movie attest:

Broadcast on Japanese television, initially on February 8th 2008, Spin-Off Matsuda was basically made up of scenes deleted from the movie itself.  It followed the fortunes of Touta Matsuda in a story which ran concurrently with those seen with L, Maki and Near.

It starred Sōta Aoyama as Matsuda, reprising his role from the other live-action movies in the trilogy (soon to be quartet).

As with the main movie L Change the World, Kiyomi Fujii wrote the screenplay. The spin-off covers Matsuda's issues with filing a final Kira case report, and a poignant meeting with L a fortnight before the latter's known and inevitable death.

We're slowly but surely creating community Pinterest boards for all Death Note characters and Touta Matsuda is no exception.  There's a burgeoning community over there awaiting your Matsuda pins across the board.  Here is the story so far:

No real rules about what you can and can't post over there.  As long as it's on topic and colludes with all mores on common decency and sense, then we're good.  It might be a nice way to big up your articles, art, photographs, cosplay, fan-fiction and whatever else Mr Matsuda inspires in you as muse.

Come and join us on Matsuda's Death Note Pinterest board.  Invite your friends.  In response, we'll do our best to get all invitations approved in a timely fashion for Month of Matsuda on Death Note News.

They have played heroes and fools; given voice to the one and only Touta Matsuda in anime dubs, TV shows and movies across the globe.  We have collected them here in a roll call of ALL the Death Note Matsuda actors internationally.

Who for you brought to life one of the Japanese NPA's finest Kira task force officers? Who for you speaks the voice, holds the personality and/or wears the face of Touta Matsuda from Death Note?  Let's see, shall we?

As Teru Mikami peeps into the Yellow Box Warehouse and glimpses each person with his shinigami eyes, the true name and lifespan of Matsuda is revealed.  He is Matsuda Touta, whose life dates are 5 4 8 1 9 2.  However those are within the Death God calendar to which mere mortals are not privy.  Nor is there any overt hidden meaning here from the creators.  By now, Tsugumi Ohba has just indicated that numbers should be present and Takeshi Obata has inserted those which seemed aesthetically pleasing.

Touta Matsuda is billed as a fashionable young man; a typical mainstream individual excited by the latest trends in popular culture, however they manifest. This has led him to being viewed as shallow or fickle by those around him.  A man so caught up in the razzmatazz of events like the choosing of Kira's television spokesperson, that he doesn't seem to even register the distaste nor danger inherent in such a spectacle.

Tsugumi Ohba, in How to Read, states that Touta has an innocent heart (hence his loyalty and compassion in believing that Light is not Kira) and an inferiority complex. The latter is due to his constant exposure to quite brilliant people.

His excitable, hasty actions label him as somewhat of a trouble-maker within the Japanese Kira task-force.  However, these same traits may manifest as daring, courage and quick-thinking.  Matsuda is able to extract himself and others from dangerous scenarios by exploiting how others view him and through applying some of that daring speed of mind.

Also in How to Read, Matsuda's ability chart scores highly for unpredictability, with lesser scores - but still a mention - for creativity, intelligence, initiative, social skills and emotional strength.

What will we accept?  Anything really, as long as it's suitable for all ages and able to be posted in an article here.  Even if that's just a heads up on where it's lodged elsewhere.

There's more about that on the Death Note Month of... homepage, and the various ways in which content might be added is on the submissions page.

Of particular interest are essays, images, opinion pieces, whatever, which tell us something we may not have realised about Death Note's Matsuda.  A nuance in his name; a tell in the way he acts, dresses, speaks; a facet in his plot-line or history, which you'll only know if you have some obscure insight; or a detail of his characterisation which skips the masses by.

Because most people seeing Matsuda's event coming up were more than a little disdaining - what do you want a Month of a Matsuda for?  He's nondescript.  He doesn't do anything!

No, only shoot Kira and denounce Near.  So, what have you got to tell them they're wrong?  Or do you agree?  Write that instead.

As usual, we'd love to hear from Death Note fan artists, writers and cosplayers.  You each have your own page, with a questionnaire apiece, regardless of whether you do or don't cosplay Touta.  Or simply send us a photograph, gallery link or email of your Matsuda work, if you want to participate, but not bother with the sharing of secrets.

We'll post them roughly as they come in.  The last day for items to appear is March 31st 2016.

See how organised we are this month?   All the lessons learned, even if we are a bit late.

Real life is happening in abundance.  In a good way for a change this weekend, but it means that no editor will be here to post anything until Monday.  Apologies for any inconvenience caused.   I'll look forward to perusing all that you've done and sent in then.

Also there is a slight backlog in Matti responding to emails etc, because of said real life inconsiderately intruding.  Thank you for your patience and all that.  No-one will have been forgotten, though again it may be early next week before anyone answers. 

But you'll be busy anyway, writing your Matsuda stuff.

Squad Six Cosplayers were at Ichibancon, one of the largest anime and manga conventions in North Carolina, USA.  There, in Events 4 room, we held our Death Note review panel - Resurrecting L - to mark the 10th anniversary since the manga's first chapter was published in Weekly Shonen Jump.

Since then, Ohba and Obata's story has become an institution, we hope we did it justice.

Ichibancon's Resurrecting L: Death Note 10th Anniversary panel happened on January 1st 2016, at 11pm.  We should have finished by midnight, but the buzz was awesome and we were having so much fun discussing the new media developments for Death Note.  We almost ran well over time!

Here's how it all played out.  But first the cosplay and, created from scratch, a dress for Misa Amane.

Each of Squad Six Cosplayers' Death Note panel members arrived for the event in full Death Note cosplay.  Every part of which had been created especially for Ichibancon during the run up to the convention. 

Founder Lara Sizemore opted to cosplay Misa Amane.  She explained, "I chose to do Misa's Last dress/suicide dress instead of her usual ensemble as sort of a nod to our title. It took me two weeks to complete the dress but I am very proud of it. The ribbons are all appliquéd on."  She makes it sound so easy.

As for the rest, they were in Death Note costume too!

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