he critically acclaimed and fan loved Deathnote series has stood the test of time,being enjoyed by new fans ever since its original run over 10 years ago. Deathnote was a manga/anime based around Light Yagami, a Japanese student who gains the power of a death god, now vowing to become god of a new world as Kira. However, his ideals are challenged by L, a detective set on preventing such action. The catch is, no one knows Kira’s real identity, and Light intends to keep it that way.

Death note has always been seen as a great way to get into the manga/anime medium, and has been enjoyed by many regardless of their preferences. However, since its original run, fans were left in the dark with deathnote content. The only content they were given was a terrible live action adaptation. With this movie, fans were terribly worried with a new deathnote One Shot chapter being released, concerned on whether it would match the same energy of the original. To many fans pleasant surprise, this one shot chapter was nothing sort of amazing. And a certain main character, Minoru Tanaka, took the Internet’s heart by storm.

         The chapter released early February, and only had around 80 chapters. Being a One Shot(a single chapter update and not a continuous storyline), many fans were anxious to see what type of deathnote story can be made with only 80 pages. With the original creative team behind the story, a lore changing story was delievered . 

    The story centers around Minoru Tanaka, a student similar to the original Light Yagami, and is given the deathnote by fan favorite death god Ryuk. Us as an audience need to catch up since apparently Minoru has already been plotting for 2 years. A quick flashback enlightens us on his moment being granted the deathnote, and now we get to see his true intentions. The story gets into full gear when Minoru shocks the reader, claiming he’ll use the life controlling deathnote, without writing a single name. To not spoil anything more, let’s just say Donald Trump also  makes a surprise appearance.

        The story was engaging, and provided a different look at the world of deathnote. It was short, concise, and left readers wanting more. So now the question arises. What’s next?

        Fans are now left to speculate on what the creative will do next, if anything even will come next. Some fans are hopeful for a direct sequel to the original series, either following the main character Light’s journey in the shinigami world, or someone else picking up the Kira mantle, which was seen in this one shot. Along with that, some fans are hopeful that these one shots become a regular occurrence, exploring small stories involving future, or even past users of the deathnote. The original story left much to mystery about the deathnote, which was more of a positive than anything, but it would be nice for fans to get some more details about the inner workings of the shinagami world.

Johnathan Garcia, Sophomore, stated “ I was only a casual fan before, but now reading the one shot, I’ve gotten more invested in the story, and I can’t wait to see more.” Luis Aranda,sophomore, stated quite the opposite, saying “I was never really into it, and I don’t think I’ll be giving it any new chances”

          While this one shot defied everyone’s expectations, it left both longtime fans and its new audience craving more. Seeing that the creative team still has the magic that made the original genre defining, it might not be pointless to wait for a new chapter in the future.