Nearly 20 years after its release, Death Note remains one of the most popular Japanese works in the world. A true reference to the world of manga, this Shonen signed by Tsugumi Obama and painted Take Obata has captured a large portion of his audience and is a passion challenge for many anime lovers.
His dark and skillfully crafted scenario plunges us into the depths of the human soul as a teenager gains the power to kill anyone whose face and name he knows using a simple notebook. The image of the pen and notebook has never bothered the viewer so much. And yet, did you know that resuscitation of Death Note victims was possible from the beginning?
It’s hard to believe, but the manga of the Oba / Obata duo did not always follow the adventures of Light Yagami and his deep aversion to the criminals of this world. Indeed, a pilot focused on a completely different character was first introduced to the public before it underwent many changes.
In this chapter, a thirteen-year-old named Taro Kagami finds an infamous notebook. Thinking it’s just a diary, he writes down the names of two fellow stalkers and accidentally kills them. Encouraged by Ryuk – the god of death as we know him in the Death Note – whom he meets a few days later, Tarot uses his new power to kill school abusers.
Ryuk and Light Yagami
This is the first difference with the final work. Ryuk, as Shinigami, does not urge Death Note owners to use it. This is partly what complicates Light’s psychology, as he acts independently and according to his moral beliefs throughout the story, unlike Tarot, who sees him only as a tool of revenge.
Far from the psychopathic personality of his heir, Tarot feels guilty for his actions in keeping his dead comrades in nightmares. Then Ryuk offers him a strange accessory: a death gum. Using it to remove a name from a death record – provided it was written quite recently – allowed the laptop victims to be resurrected.
“Death Eraser” in the pilot chapter of “Death Note”
Used several times in this pilot, the idea of this eraser was abandoned by its creators because they did not like the idea that every death could be repaired. Many issues would actually have lost their flavor if the Death Note effect had been corrected. Death must have been fatal in this world as well, so as not to impair the capabilities of the notebook and that the hero’s actions would have had really dire consequences for the rest of history.
With access to this rubber, Light Yagami would not be as genius, selfish, and cruel strategist as we know him. And without the shadow of constant and irreversible death on top of them, the cat-mouse game he has with L would not really be so exciting.
Death Note can be found in full, VO and VF, on DNA platform or paper version in 12 volumes at Kana Editions.
Source: allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
