Death Note: Another Note - The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases

Our esteemed Andrew Cunningham did a wonderful job translating this novel. Feel free to take that as indicative of editorial bias, but since he's not going to promote it here, someone else has to.

Spin-off products for wildly successful properties tend to be toss-away attempts to cash-in on popularity before a fickle audience moves on. Rarely, something actually good does fall out of the orgy of capitalism, however. Nisioisin's Death Note novel is one of those surprises.


The decision to frame the novel as a tangential prequel to the manga and anime series gives it the space to develop. Even so, it is the limited scale of the story itself that allows it to feel like a natural addition to the family instead of cheap exploitation. There are no ridiculous cameos or strained attempts to touch on characters that have no place. Instead, the reader is given a remarkably grounded, intimate story in the Death Note world. Even if there never is any actual Death Note in it.

That story is remarkably simple: L has a personal stake in a serial murder case in LA and he recruits FBI agent Naomi Misora to serve as his agent in the hunt for a warped, rogue genius from the orphanage that was set up to groom his successor. The writing style is similarly simple and straightforward; very fast and easy to read but capturing the overwrought and almost baroque plotting and counter-plotting atmosphere of the manga. The book's real strength and power, however, is in context when compared to the original source. The mystery itself isn't the most compelling, it is framing of the characters against those in the manga and the expectations that the reader brings with them from the manga that really makes the novel work.

The physical production of the book also makes it stand out. A slick hardcover with striking design, beautiful slipcover and cloth bookmark, the Death Note novel stands out. Each chapter also features a quasi-abstract piece by Takeshi Obata and the book itself opens with a color plate prefaces by translucent paper. The whole book has an air of dignity that fits very well with the pseudo-gothic aesthetic the manga and anime maintain.

Marrying the over-the-top spectacle and self-aware ridiculousness of the manga with an intimate scope and grounded writing style, Death Note: Another Note is highly recommended for anyone familiar with either the anime or the manga.

Wikipedia : Andrew's write-up on the old Eastern Standard wiki : Amazon

Faust, volume 1

First, it should be noted that our very own Andrew Cunningham translated a good chunk of this book. Feel free to interpret that as indicative of a deep-seated editorial bias. Hopefully he can provide some insight into the behind-the-scenes production process.

With a bright, vibrant cover, Faust collects a number of very divergent short stories (and excerpts from longer works) into one volume. Names like CLAMP and Takeshi Obata draw some attention and recognition while the reader is introduced to wonderful gems from Nisioisin and Otsuichi. In addition to short stories, it also includes a handful of brief manga stories. It's mission statement is to collect "the best in cutting-edge Japanese fiction" and, for the most part, it succeeds.

In many ways, Faust is a collection of "anime short stories," carrying both the good and bad connotations one would expect. "Drill Hole in My Brain" by Otaro Maijo explodes with manic energy, its incredible sexual symbolism only barely contained by a surreal Moebius strip of a story. "Outlandos d'Amour" by Kouhei Kadano (Boogiepop) is all that one would expect of the author, delivering a story of weird creatures and magical powers hidden in the shadows of the world, with hints of some larger conspiracy looming over everything.

For all the good stories, however, the are others that fall a bit flat or, in the translation from a visual anime medium to prose on the page, reveal in stark relief the tired cliches near-endemic to the hobby. The excerpt from the xxxHOLIC: ANOTHERHOLIC novel is somewhat interesting as a counterpoint to the anime and manga, but carries too many of the same affectations to really be compelling. Some of the other stories (like "The Garden of Sinners") read like a typical, generic anime concept.

In addition to the short stories, there are also a few rather dry essays and a handful of manga, most of which are printed both in color and grey-scale. All the included manga are brief and self-contained, almost impressionistic. It is an interesting glimpse at kinds of manga that are rarely brought over to the US.

Ultimately, Faust would be worth the price of admission for "Drill Hole in My Brain" alone, but the collection as a whole provides a sampling of Japanese pop and genre fiction that is more than the sum of its parts. While each story might not be amazing, they constitute a slice of the fiction and "light novels" that anime fans hear about in relation to some of their favorite anime but rarely get to actually see for themselves. For that reason alone, it is highly recommended to everyone.

based on one volume : Wikipedia : Amazon