Death Note
The notebook looks like ordinary stationery. The series behind it is not for children.
Techbox, Thessaloniki
First, the notebook – because it is the best seller
It is the product almost everyone comes here for, and it deserves one moment's thought.
A Death Note replica looks like a plain black school notebook. That is deliberate – in the story it is meant to pass unnoticed.
But the series it comes from is a psychological thriller about a student who uses it to kill. It is brilliantly written and among the most respected works in manga – and it is aimed at teenagers and up.
A younger child could easily take it for ordinary stationery. Worth knowing before it ends up in a school bag – not because the object is dangerous, but because the story behind it is not a children's story.
The original – not the Western film
In 2017 a Western live-action film was released. It changed the lead character, his name and the setting.
It was poorly received, and among people who know the series it is generally regarded as a misreading of the material.
Everything anyone actually wants is from the original manga and anime. If you are buying for someone who knows Death Note, that is what they mean – and that is what the products here are drawn from.
Everything is already finished
The manga ran from 2003 to 2006 and is twelve volumes. The anime is thirty-seven episodes. Both complete.
Nothing is left hanging and nothing is still being written. The character list is final, which means a collection can genuinely be completed – rare among the series people collect.
For readers there is also a twentieth-anniversary edition of the manga, which makes a strong gift for someone who only watched the anime.
A new live-action series has been in development for some years, from the makers of a well-known streaming show, described as an entirely new take. No cast and no date have been announced – so nothing you buy today will be dated by it.
The three faces you will see most
The detective. The most collected character – recognisable from his crouching posture alone.
The shinigami with the grin. The most striking as a figure, and the easiest to recognise across a room.
The student who finds the notebook – the centre of the story.
You will also see Misa, and later in the story Near and Mello.
What to choose
- Replica notebooks: the best-known product of the franchise – note the age guidance above.
- Figures & Funko POP: L and Ryuk are the most requested.
- Manga: twelve volumes, complete – a collection that can actually be finished.
- Apparel: mostly black and understated, teen and adult sizes.
- Posters & art prints: the artwork is among the most striking in manga.
- Keyrings & small items: affordable gifts.
The safest choice: a figure of L or Ryuk. Both are instantly recognisable to anyone who knows the series, and unlike the notebook they carry no chance of being mistaken for something else.
Age: teenagers and up. A psychological thriller with a serious moral question at its centre – not violent for its own sake, but not a children's series either.
Same audience: Tokyo Ghoul, Attack on Titan and Chainsaw Man.
Frequently asked questions
- What age is Death Note for?
- Teenagers and up. It is a psychological thriller about a student who uses the notebook to kill – brilliantly written and widely respected, but not a children's series. The replica notebook looks like ordinary stationery, which is worth thinking about before it ends up in a school bag.
- Is the 2017 film the same thing?
- No. It was a Western adaptation that changed the lead character, his name and the setting, and it was poorly received. Everything fans actually want is from the original manga and anime – which is what the products here are drawn from.
- Has the story finished?
- Yes, in 2006. The manga is twelve volumes, the anime thirty-seven episodes – both complete, with nothing left hanging. A collection can genuinely be finished, and there is a twentieth-anniversary edition of the manga.
- Is a new adaptation coming?
- A new live-action series has been in development for some years, described as an entirely new take rather than a continuation of the 2017 film. No cast and no date have been announced – nothing you buy today will be dated by it.
- What is the safest gift?
- A figure of L or Ryuk – instantly recognisable to anyone who knows the series, with no chance of being mistaken for something else.
