Death Note Novels

[Squirrel Girl]

One of my favourite Anime/Manga/Movie have been made into books. Two of them:

 

Death Note: L change the World

Death Note: Another Note The Los Angeles BB murder Cases

 

These are probably some of the best books I've read for a long time and I must say that they are faboulous.

 

Well, what do you guys/girls think.

 

Discuss!

[Cin]

Never got round to reading L Change The World even though I own it. How close it based on the 3rd film? Because I hated that film, even though I loved Ken'ichi Matsuyama's acting, so I might not really like the book anyway.

The BB one I've read about 3 times, I love the genius of the clues, joint fav book (with Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy), not just because it's narrated by my favorite Death Note character who has been really well written. It was good to be able to read about the case mentioned in both the anime and manga when L mentions Naomi just wouldn't disappear. Dislike the fact that it was Kira who killed Beyond though. How To Read 13 references the case in it's timeline section, which to me just helps so much.

[Squirrel Girl]

Well, BB murder case was really great.

 

L Change the world is much better than the film. More action, less idiocy from Maki (still some). They mentions the BB murder case I think. Not sure.

I would say that even if you dont like the film, you would still like the book. But that might just be me.

I say give it a try.

[Cin]

I'll put it on my list. My massive list. I kept collecting book series and never getting round to reading them, thanks for the info.

[Squirrel Girl]

NP. I have read these books like 10 times each, and I am on my 11th time on BB.

 

But I also have a lot on my list (I am a bookfreak - Mostly swedish crime books though).

[Gear Fox]

considering L: Change the WorLd is set in an alternate universe (slightly), and the BB murder files are the prequel to Death Note, i'd personally prefer those. I always like how they referenced the Shinigamis throughout the entirety of Death Note canon (less so with Change the WorLd), it really tied the story together. Personally i'd wish BB continued forward in the storyline, he's probably my favourite L substitute.

[Cin]

Bit difficult given how he was bumped off by Kira, but Beyond was a good character in terms of his development.

[Gear Fox]

i like how he was included for like a millisecond in the series (down the hallway at Whammy's House, following L's death), since he could see his own remaining life span, do you think maybe he returned because he was aware he was going to die, and as such say goodbye to the others?

[Cin]

Beyond couldn't see his own lifespan which is why when he tried to burn himself alive he failed. The Shingami eyes can never show the owner their own lifespan. Or I am totally confused.

[Gear Fox]

BB could see his own lifespan near the end I believe, however could never decipher it from Shinigami time. However being pretty much equal to L's intelligence, it's possible he did in the end.  

[Cin]

Beyond Birthday died in January whilst L died in November, so it's impossible that it was B, because Kira bumped him off Jan 21st 2004 in a Californian Prison

and L died November 5th 2004 (Both are 2007 in the anime), plus this is about the novels not the anime/manga.

 

Being L's backup was what helped contribute to B's insanity. And the novel said that he could not see his numbers. Need to reconsult my notes.

[Gear Fox]

very well, also, B was only one of L's backups, the other being A, who killed himself, perhaps the loss of A, since he and B were close could have lent a helping hand in reducing his sanity.

[Cin]

B could work out death dates from the numbers. The 1st relates to when he attacked Naomi Misora in the alley. (Knowledge gained from this led to his downfall).

 

Of course, he had known when she would die - had seen how much life remained. Naomi Misora's life. It was not that time, on August 16, but  much,much later. pg 95

 

He knew the time of death of every person he met. pg 94

 

It was not particularly difficult for him to track down people with the initials B.B or to find people who were fated to die on a certain day at a certain time. pg 94

 

 

In regards to his own.

 

But he did not die, His body was stronger than he believed, and his life went on longer than he thought. The hardest part of killing someone is to actually kill them - if he had been able to see his own life, I'm sure Beyond Birthday would have chosen a different method. My poor, poor predecessor. Not only was he utterly and completely defeated, but he survived, driving home his embarrassment...he must have longed for death.  pg 169

 

The reflection of himself in the mirror. Himself. As always he could not see his own time of death. No more than he could see the death of the world.  pg 96

 

Backing up my death comment:

And a few years after his arrest, on January 21, 2004, serving a life sentence in a California prison, Beyond Birthday died of a mysterious heart attack.  pg 173

 

B is only refered to as

The second child in Wammy's House. pg 95

 A and B are never refered as only L's backup.

But for a genius like Watari, creating a fake L was easier said than done. Even for Near and I, who were said to be the closest to L...the more we tried to be like him, the closer we got, the further away he was, like chasing a mirage. So I hardly need to tell you what it was like when Wammy's House was first founded, when he was still experimenting. The first child A, was unable to handle the pressure of living up to L and took his own life, and the second child, Beyond Birthday was brilliant and deviant.

B stood for backup. pg 105

 

He... their generation was not like the fourth generation with Near and I, all the children bound only to one with the serial L. They were prototypes, never even given the L code, expected to fail.  pg 105

I don't believe A's death had much impact on B, remember:

 

Beyond Birthday lived his life unceasingly reminded that all humans would die. From the moment he was born he knew the day his father would be attacked by thugs and die, knew the day his mother would die in a train crash. Pg 94

 

 

I love Mello's mockery of the Death Note.

 

People, in other words, humans almost never grunt or moan and immediately fall over dead. Strangulation, blunt force trauma and stabbing - none of those kill people easily. Humans are surprisingly sturdy creatures. Additionally, people have a tendency to resist being killed. Nobody wants to be killed, and there's a good chance they'll try to kill you back. Physical strength in humans doesn't vary that much, and in a one-on-one fight, winning can be rather difficult. From this point of view, the ability to kill someone just by writing their name in a notebook is a flagrant violation of fair play, as I'm sure you can imagine.  pg 93

[mitchermitcher]

Never read the novels, but I'm just going to say...

 

Beyond Birthday is an addictively fun and awesome name to have and say.

[Gear Fox]

Damn Yin, i admire how much effort you put into this, think you could inspire me to work harder at college?

Anyway, all jokes aside and moving on from BB, L Change The WorLd...opinions?

[Squirrel Girl]

The book L Change the world was relaxing to read. Though it was a slow start from when the terrorist group broke into the disease lab. After that, it was great.

 

Though it was still not as good as BB. Love how it doesn't follow the movie so much. Some things are different, though I think that's cause Near isn't a small Thai boy.