The 2nd Dimension

Sunday, February 06, 2005

Death Note Banned in China

From Anime News Network:

Imitating events in the manga series Death Note, Chinese school students in the city of Shenyang have take to writing death notes. The students buy special stationary and follow instructions such as "Write the cause of death and the person's name backwards and the person will die in 40 seconds."

A middle school student told the Shenyang Night Report, "Many of my friends have Death Note. When they are tired of studding, they have fun by writing down the names of teachers the don't like."

Some Shenyang schools have banned the manga and related stationary, the newspaper called Death Note, "Poison, creating wicked hearts." Others, including one major Chinese newspaper, however feel that ban is an over-reaction and is inappropriate. Some have suggested that overreactions such as these are what stifle creativity in China.

Death Note is currently serialized in Shonen Jump.

I wonder if this will make it more or less likely for this title to be licensed for release in the US.

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