In the Death Note story, there's a creepy universe parallel to ours. It's where the weird Death Gods live - each one is different but they all have the power to kill humans by writing their names into their Death Note books. But, when the bored Death God Ryuk lets his Death Note fall into the hands of Light Yagami, a brilliant student, he starts something big. Death Note in hand, Light decides to make the world a better place by killing all the criminals so people will be afraid of committing crimes. Before long, even without anybody discovering his identity, the mysterious killings earn him a cult following and the title "Kira, the God of the New World." Soon the police get on the case with a mysterious detective called "L" on their side and a deadly game of cat-and-mouse begins! Starting as a manga, the Death Note story became incredibly popular, growing into an anime and even into a two-part live-action movie! Here's a look at the characters, the DVD and a special look at something that you may not think about as enjoy the incredible story.

Death Gods, Models and Mystery Men

Here's a look at the heroes, villains, killers and victims of the Death Note story.

Light Yagami - A brilliant law student who gets the Death Note and begins killing criminals. He becomes "Kira, the God of the New World" and is the main character of the Death Note story.

Ryuk - A Death God, also known as a Shinigami, Ryuk dropped a Death Note in front of Light to stir things up and, basically, to amuse himself. He loves apples and can fly right through solid walls in our world.

Misa Amane - A teen idol and star, she worships Kira. When she gets a Death Note, Misa uses it to contact her idol.

L - A brilliant weirdo who loves sweets and hates shoes, L is a world-famous detective but nobody knows who he is. L talks to people through the laptop Watari carries around.

Watari - An older man who represents the mysterious L. When people call for L, he appears.

Soichiro Yagami - Light's father and a high-ranking police officer, Soichiro leads the Kira investigation.

Rem - Another Death God, Rem appears to Mina and gives her a Death Note.

Raye Penber - A US CIA agent sent to Japan to track down Kira.

Naomi Misora - Raye Penber's fiance, she is an ex-CIA agent who has worked for L in the past. She's smart, strong and very brave.

Sidoh - A bug-like Death God and the original owner of Light's Death Note, Sidoh isn't very smart and gets tricked a lot.

Near - An L-in-training, Near is younger than the first L and loves playing with dolls and cards.

Mello - Another L-in-training, Mello rides a motorcycle and eats a lot of chocolate.

From Manga to Anime to Live-Action on DVD!

The live-action Death Note movie has arrived! Parts one and two are available on DVD in the US and, by the end of October, in Canada too. If you act soon, you might even be able to find it in theater! Each part of the Death Note movie is about two hours long and they pack the massive story in pretty tight. It means a lot of stuff gets left out, and the budget isn't great so it feels fairly cheap. But, it's a great chance to see the characters from the manga and anime come to life. And, it's rated PG-13 so it's surprisingly harsh and violent - they even have Ryuk swearing! (Ok, that's actually REALLY funny to watch) If you like Death Note, the movie is a lot of fun to watch and here's where you can find the US theater shows.

www.fathomevents.com

The Voices of Death

Originally filmed in Japanese, Death Note has been dubbed into english by voice actors for the anime and live-action movie. In Vancouver, BC the local Anime-Evolution club had teamed up with the local theater manager Sacha to organize a Death Note event with the local voice actors. Here they are, the voices behind the characters of Death Note - from Ryuk to Light and more.

Michael Adamwaite as Raye Penber
Brad Swaile as Light Yagami

Michael Dobson as David Hoope
Kristie Marsden as Sayu Yagami

Heather Doerksen as Kiyomi Takada
Vincent Tong as Tota Matsuda

Shannon Chan-Kent as Misa Amane
Brian Dummond as Ryuk

Nicole Oliver as Naomi Misora
Ellen Kennedy as Sachiko Yagami

Trevor Duvall as Shuichi Aizawa

A Note About Death Note

Death Note is an exciting story that gives you a chance to see both sides of a story about good and evil and watch as someone starts out with good intentions but becomes a horrible villain. One thing that really stands out about Death Note though is how the girls are treated badly. They don't get beaten up or anything, but they're shown as weak, not very smart, and really dependent on guys to get anything done. Misa even tells Light/Kira that he can kill her if she's no use to him! Get a grip girl! How abusive do you want your boyfriend to be, really? And, the only female character who shows any strength and stands up against the male characters, Naomi Misaro, meets a gruesome end. Do yourself a favor and think about it as you read or watch Death Note.

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