Updates, discussion, events and news about Death Note.
Death Note News
  • News
  • Death Note Month of...
    • Kira Month
    • Matsuda Month
    • Misa Month
    • Naomi Misora Month
    • Wammy Month
  • Death Note Interviews
    • Drew Nelson Interview
    • No Need to Stay Interview
  • Death Note Gifts
    • Death Note Books
    • Death Note Cosplay
    • Death Note DVDs
    • Death Note Music
    • Death Note Accessories
    • Death Note Mugs and Water Bottles
    • Death Note Christmas Gifts >
      • It Matters Death Note Christmas Gifts
    • Character Stores >
      • Death Note Light Yagami Gifts
      • Death Note Matt Gifts
      • Death Note Mello Gifts
      • Death Note Teru Mikami Gifts
      • Death Note Misa Gifts
      • Death Note Naomi Misora Gifts
      • Death Note Wammy Gifts
  • News Summary
    • On This Day in Death Note
  • About
  • Contact
  • News
  • Death Note Month of...
    • Kira Month
    • Matsuda Month
    • Misa Month
    • Naomi Misora Month
    • Wammy Month
  • Death Note Interviews
    • Drew Nelson Interview
    • No Need to Stay Interview
  • Death Note Gifts
    • Death Note Books
    • Death Note Cosplay
    • Death Note DVDs
    • Death Note Music
    • Death Note Accessories
    • Death Note Mugs and Water Bottles
    • Death Note Christmas Gifts >
      • It Matters Death Note Christmas Gifts
    • Character Stores >
      • Death Note Light Yagami Gifts
      • Death Note Matt Gifts
      • Death Note Mello Gifts
      • Death Note Teru Mikami Gifts
      • Death Note Misa Gifts
      • Death Note Naomi Misora Gifts
      • Death Note Wammy Gifts
  • News Summary
    • On This Day in Death Note
  • About
  • Contact

All the latest information about Death Note: reports, gossip, releases, analyses, speculation and discussion.

Death Note news articles

Urals Teen Suicide Led to Calls to Ban Death Note in Russia

28/2/2014

10 Comments

 
Hobo CTN news report about Death Note suicide girl in RussiaHoboCTN news report linking
Russian teen's suicide
with Death Note
It's always tragic when people die young. But when its suicide, then the tragedy, anger and guilt go into overdrive.

That's when the blame games really kick off, and a year ago this week, it was Death Note in the frame.

On February 20th 2013, a fifteen year old girl leapt from the 13th floor of an apartment building in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Her suicide note simply read, 'I don't want to live anymore'.

What drew the ire of her distraught parents towards Death Note was where the missive was left - on a pile of four volumes of the manga.

There was apparently no other link. She didn't write, nor tell friends, that Light Yagami had told her to do it.  Nor did she seem to have any avowed affinity with Naomi Misora. It was just the position of the suicide note that made the link.


However, the teenager's bereft parents quickly blamed Death Note for making suicide seem so enticing.

That fury was channelled into a protest against the manga. Russian parents soon began campaigning for President Vladimir Putin to ban Death Note outright from the country.


Does Death Note Promote Suicide?

No. In my opinion, it really does not.

The parents protesting in the Urals stated that the story 'arouses an interest in death'. But so does living. And I'd argue that this particular manga actually warns against death.

As a Death Note fan, I know that there's nothing in the story to spark any wish to end your life. It's a dark tale, but those who die stay dead.

There's no fantasy Other World to entice the lost and lonely like, say, the Annwn of the Mabinogion or the Tír na nÓg of the Tain. The only supernatural realm present in the narrative is the home of the Shinigami, but mortals don't go there. It's for the Death Gods alone.

For a manga story so concerned with death and destruction, there's not even a single ghost. This isn't Bleach.

On the contrary, the only Fate mentioned for humans beyond death is Mu. That is the nothingness, the loss of all existence, for those who touch a Death Note. As for everyone else, the Death Note universe and its implied philosophy is completely silent on the matter.

If anything, Death Note is all about survival. People do reckless things, but the narrative is ultimately about a lot of individuals going out of their way to stay alive. If life wasn't so precious, then nobody would have cared enough about Kira to try and stop him.

My heart goes out to this girl's parents, and all others who loved her. They all have my profound condolences. But I'm hard pushed to think of anything in Death Note that could have inspired that leap, even if read through the twisted interpretations of extreme distress.

What do you all think?

Was Death Note Banned in Russia?

No, it wasn't.

Death Note was translated into Russian in 2012. It had long since been available on-line in Japanese, English and many other languages besides, so this wasn't the first time that Russians per se had access to it.

(In fact, I had two Russian Death Note fans ask permission to translate my fan-fiction back in 2009. They'd long since got past the point of enjoying the canon and well into the realms of fan produced stories in foreign languages!

Blanket permission was granted for them to translate any and all of my Death Note fan-fiction. They duly did so and added it to an already bustling Russian Death Note fan forum, which was bursting at the seams with stories based on the manga.)

President Putin has hitherto ignored calls for Russia to ban Death Note anime, manga and other related media.  Hence the Russian Death Note fandom are still able to hear Nika Lenina's beautiful version of the original ending theme song.

I just wish that the poor girl in
Yekaterinburg could too.
What are your thoughts on the subject?  Could Death Note have really been a factor in the teenager's death?  And do you think Russia should ban the manga, or keep on importing and translating it?


10 Comments
MelMat
28/2/2014 11:56:42

So according to a previous blog you made, a kid in Arizona brought a Death Note to school containing all the names of kids he would like to die in it.

A year ago on Feb. 20th, a girl commits suicide all the while leaving a message on her pile of Death Notes mangas. It seems to me, people are totally missing the point- maybe if "they" (aka parents and teachers) took a step back they would actually find out what had caused them to do such things. No, instead they want something to blame because it takes the focus of "them".

Now, obviously the kid who wrote the names in the Death Note at school needs help for his wishful thinking. BUT that is on him, not the anime or the mangas.

I think it is crazy to blame Death note for any of this. And the fact they know nothing about it makes it easier. They just see the words Death Note and think "wow that is morbid."

Reply
Matti
1/3/2014 05:05:43

I can't argue with you there. Something made these kids very unhappy, and that's what those around them need to investigate.

The only vague link that I could make is that the Death Note story is very dark. It attracts people like us with a taste for horror, Gothicism and philosophical musings. I can understand why someone feeling down might be attracted to Death Note as reading matter, rather than, say, Flippity Floppity's Happy Whoo-Whoo Party with Smiling Friends.

But that's merely a symptom, not a cause.

Reply
Trish K.
2/3/2014 08:09:14

If there's no one to blame, let's blame a still thing that won't say a word. The death was a tragedy and I can't even imagine the parents' pain they go through, but that's no use in blaming everything around. Banning won't help in the age of an internet, if there won't be a book published, there are scanlations over there.

Reply
Matti
3/3/2014 03:47:12

That's what's key here, isn't it? I really do understand the fury of the parents, but it's misdirected here.

Everyone feels angry when somebody dies. Even if that person died at the age of 150, peacefully in their beds, there would be anger amongst the mourners. It's a natural part of the grieving process! But that rage is bound to increase tenfold, when the dead person is a) a teenager and b) your own child. Especially when the cause is suicide.

I'd want to blame something, anything, as long as it made sense of what just happened. But in this case, I think that they picked the wrong thing too.

All is available anyway via the internet. Long may it reign.

Reply
MelMat
4/3/2014 21:17:56

As I sat and thought about what I previously post I began a war with myself. Being a mother of a fourteen year old girl, I can see myself in these parents place. My daughter is a Death Note fan, of course not the correct fandom but I'll forgive her. She is an L fan- I know I know, I tried to convert her but it just wasn't happening.

I remember when I first introduced her to Death Note, the huge argument my mother and I had on allowing her to watch it. She stated that the name was morbid and I should not subject my daughter to things of that nature. As a devoted fan I defended it, and
after we watched it , I asked her about it. She loved it!

It all comes down to the simple fact they didn't know anything about it and made their own assumptions. Why not? With a name like Death Note of course it's going to prompt suicide, right? Yeah, couldn't have been further from the truth. BUT going back, as parent I can definitely would want to believe that it was something other than my own neglect in seeing there was a problem.

Reply
Matti
5/3/2014 06:19:08

It sounds to me like you're the coolest parent around. :) And daughter too. I love that you got your Mum into the fandom.

Ignorance is often the cause of things like this, and communication/education is the key to understanding it. As Russia has only recently received its own official translation of the manga, it's probably not that widely known there amongst the general population. (We've had it for years in English, and it's still not so widely known.)

We don't know why that poor teenager killed herself. Her parents may have done everything right, which would make their position even more tragic.

Reply
http://ledconceptslighting.genuineauditing.org/ link
4/3/2015 23:26:12

Banning won't help in the age of an internet, if there won't be a book published, there are scanlations over there.

Reply
Matti
3/4/2015 04:40:45

Banning books never worked before the internet either. It just made people aware of the book and desperate to read it, hence a booming trade on the black market.

Reply
Dave Hall link
21/5/2018 09:21:29

I am trying to trace details about the death of Olga Trapeznikova Alekseevna who I belive died in Yekaterinburg on Friday 18th May after taking her own life. Is there any one who can help me.

Reply
192.168.l.l link
2/7/2020 09:59:20

This is very significant, and yet necessary towards just click this unique backlink:

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Death Note spoiler disclaimer
    Never miss an update - subscribe to Death Note News feed and/or check out an extended list of the latest Death Note news headlines.
    Death Note News categories banner

    Death Note News Categories

    All
    10th Anniversary
    10th Anniversary Website
    Academia
    Actors And Acting
    Adam Wingard (Dir.)
    Aiber
    Akiko-himura
    Ami-hamazaki
    Another-note
    Another-note-novel
    Anthony-rester
    Art And Fan Art
    Astrology
    Bakuman
    Beyond Birthday
    Blood Type
    Business And Marketing
    Calendar Death Note
    Columnists For Death Note News
    Cosplay
    Death Note (2003-6 Manga)
    Death Note (2006-7 Anime)
    Death Note (2006 Movie)
    Death Note (2008 Manga One Shot Special)
    Death Note (2015 Musical)
    Death Note (2015 TV)
    Death Note (2016 Movie AMG)
    Death Note (2017 US Movie)
    Death Note: Light Up The NEW World (2016 Movie)
    Death Note Month Of...
    Death Note News Digest
    Death Note Relight (2007-2008)
    Death Note Relight (2007-8)
    Death Note Relight (2007-8 Anime)
    Death Note Tarot Tales
    Death Note: The Last Name (2006 Movie)
    Death Note: Year One (Movie)
    Demegawa (Hitoshi) (Char.)
    Dr.
    Eriko Aizawa
    Events
    Fan Fiction
    Fans And Fandom
    Focus On A Fan
    Food And Drink
    Franchise
    Games And Gaming
    Gifts And Merchandising
    Gus Van Sant
    Hal-lidner
    Hirokaku-ukita-char
    Horipro
    It Matters Series
    Jump-comics
    Kanzo-mogi
    Kenichi Mikuriya
    Kimiko-kujo
    Kira Worshipper
    Kiyomi Takada
    Koji-yoshida
    L
    Lawliet-movie
    L-change-the-world-2008-movie
    L-change-the-world-novel
    Lei-k-columnist
    Light Yagami
    Linda
    Lucas-king-music-columnist
    Madhouse
    Maki-nikaido
    Manga Entertainment
    Matt
    Mello
    Misa Amane
    Morality-and-ethics
    Movies And Films
    Mrs-mikami
    Music And Soundtracks
    Naomi-misora
    Nathaniel-overthinks-death-note
    Near
    Netflix
    Nippon-television-ntv
    NisiOisiN
    Nori
    Panini-comics
    Philosophy And Theology
    Platinum-end
    Podcast
    Psychology
    Quillsh-wammy
    Real-world-death-notes
    Real World Influence
    Rem
    Rod-ross
    Roger Ruvie
    Ryuk
    Ryūzaki
    Sachiko Yagami
    Sakura Aoi (Char.)
    Sayu Yagami
    Science And Mathematics
    Selecta Visión
    Shane Black
    Shinsuke Sato (Dir.)
    Shiori Akino
    Shō Nanase
    Shō Nanase
    Shonen Jump
    Shueisha
    Shuichi Aizawa
    Site News
    Sociology
    Soichiro Yagami
    Spin-Off Matsuda (2008 Movie)
    SPK
    Squad Six Cosplayers
    Takeshi Obata (Artist)
    Takeshi Ooi (Char.)
    Teru Mikami
    Tetsuro Araki (Dir.)
    The Cosplayer Chronicles
    Toko
    Touta Matsuda
    Tsugumi Ohba (Author)
    Tsukuru Mishima
    Viz Media
    Wammy's House
    Warner Bros
    Wedy
    Yotsuba
    YouTube And Videos
    Yūgi Shion
    Yumi Aizawa
    Yuri

    Visit Death Note News's profile on Pinterest.

    Monthly Archives

    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Disclosure: This page generates income for the author based on affiliate relationships with her partners, including Amazon and VigLink.
    Site Claim and Authorship Verification: All that follows is for me to prove my authorship of Death Note News in various places. Hoop jumping stuff for me; boring for everyone else.
    Google+
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.