Death Note, the popular manga series turned live-action movie from Japan, follows the story of a bored young genius and his discovery of a supernatural book called the Death Note, which has the power to take the life of anyone whose name is written in it by the owner.
The sinister storyline has now influenced a real-life turn of events at a high school in the United States, where a self-styled “Death Note” was found, containing the names of 17 students, including the dates of their deaths and the manner by which they would be killed.
The Death Note-inspired notebook was discovered by a student at Nashua High School in New Hampshire last week. School officials responded by holding a meeting with the parents of the 17 students mentioned in the book and sending emails to families to inform them of the incident, but many parents say students were aware of the list earlier and didn’t say anything due to fears they might end up on the list as well. The identity of the book’s owner has not been revealed.
Parents were understandably concerned by the existence of such a list, regardless of the book’s lack of supernatural power. Danielle Charest, the mother of one of the girls named in the notebook, took to Facebook with claims that the school is not treating the incident seriously. Charest said that her daughter was included on the list due to a “dirty look” that was given eight years ago, when the students were in the second grade. Her daughter is now concerned for her own safety and, like many of her schoolmates, says that she doesn’t want to return to school.
Charest is outraged that the school is attempting to placate parents by explaining that the book is based on a Japanese anime and is not a direct threat to anyone. “We cannot stand by and accept this type of behavior,” she writes. “I don’t want Nashua to be the next Columbine because we didn’t take a death threat list seriously.”
School officials have responded to the mother’s questions by assuring her that the event is being handled according to district policy. At this time, the matter is being investigated by the school administration and appropriate disciplinary action is yet to be enforced, while counsellors are working to help students and their families feel safe again.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a death list inspired by the manga has been found in the United States. While they appeared with some frequency between 2008 and 2010, resulting in suspensions, expulsions and two arrests, this is at least the fourth incident to occur this year, with elementary and middle schools in Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Connecticut being affected.
With another live-action Death Note movie due to be released in 2016, there are fears that these lists may appear again with more frequency as a result. While the Japanese franchise has a loyal following both in Japan and abroad, the capacity for the kill-list to be re-appropriated by children and teenagers in the real world remains a genuine cause for concern, and as a previous call for a district-wide ban on the manga in New Mexico’s Albuquerque Public Schools was voted against in 2010, how authorities will respond to these threatening types of lists in the future is yet to be seen.
Source: Yurukuyaru
Top Image: Ebay UK/cheaper-than-cheaper
Insert Images: Ebay UK/bluerinco, Ebay US/uncletommall, Facebook/Danielle Charest, wikiHow