death note 4

There has been a successful anime, a trio of movies, various games and even a musical, but one form of media the Death Note series has been noticeably missing is a TV drama.

But just like an entry into the infamous Death Note itself, a one-line news report revealed that a live-action drama was finally in the works. And we’ll be seeing it a lot sooner than you think!

It’s been nine years since writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata finished their thrilling story of Light Yagami and L that answered the question, “What would you do if you could decide who died and when?” For Light, the easily bored high school genius, he wanted to use the Death Note to cleanse the world of all evil, or what he judged as evil. His nemesis/counterpart, the eccentric, candy loving detective L, strongly opposed the killings, and tried to do whatever he could to stop “Kira”, Light’s alias.

death note 2Image: Death Note Wikia

With a continually strong fan base around the globe, it’s a bit of a surprise that a major announcement appeared between panels of a comic and with it, the only information that’s been released so far: a July start-date for the series.

What can we expect from the TV drama, though? The anime followed the manga storyline quite closely, while the live-action movies had a delightfully unexpected twist that kept true to the original manga but also kept it fresh for those familiar with the series. The musical is set to premiere on April 29 so it’s not yet known how the duel between Light and L will play out. Since it has been nine years since the completion of the manga, there has been plenty of time for writers to come up with variations on the plot to keep fans on the edge of their seats.

Casting news has also been suspiciously absent. Who will we see starting in the titular roles? The actors from the live-action movies haven’t played those parts for almost nine years, so it’s likely that they will cast new actors. Whoever they bring in though, will have a tough time trying to surpass Kenichi Matsuyama’s performance as L.

More information will certainly be released in the coming months, but who would you like to see portraying the star characters Light and L? Are you excited about the TV drama or should Death Note write its own name down? As always, let us know in the comments section below!

Source: Hachima Kikou
Featured Image: gaia online