Viral ‘Death Note’ Short Gives Anime A Millennial Makeover

Death Note stands as one of anime’s most popular series, but its serious tone doesn’t sit well with everyone. Now, one fan is pushing against the somber series, and they created the perfect short to show what a Death Note can really do.

Or, in this case, the book may be better called Dance Note.

Over on Twitter, Cilvanis shared their own take on Death Note, and it’s nothing like the live-action film Netflix shared. The comedian questioned what the series would’ve been if Millennials made it, and the gag shows Light Yagami bring about a new kind of world.

“There are too many people in this world who can’t enjoy themselves because of things like work, school, and physical limitations. But I am going to change all of that,” the guy promises before Ryuk rallies him on. The short goes on to show scenes of people going about their daily lives, but that all changes when Light puts their names in the notebook.

In an instant, the victims hold their hearts as if they were dying, but they pop up fast. Rather than dying, the Death Note makes those whose names are written in it bust some moves, and the short shows all sorts of dances. The bystanders can be seen whipping and flossing while Light grooves in a dark room with Ryuk. And, honestly — who knew the Shinigami could dance like that??

Is this the kind of Death Note you would like to own? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

For those unfamiliar with Death Note, the original series was created by Tsugumi Ohba with illustrations by Takeshi Obata. The series’ synopsis can be read here: “Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But will Light succeed in his noble goal, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?“

Tsugumi Ohba’s original manga originally ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 2003 to 2005 for 12 volumes. The series has since inspired an anime series, several video games, an animated film, a novel and most recently another live-action adaptation. The live-action film was released on Netflix in 2017 and had a mixed reaction from the Death Note fan-base.