Being the Death Note fan that I am, I searched tirelessly for more Death Note after the anime ended. That included the live action movies, Death Note special and one shot. So you can imagine that I was pretty excited when I found out there was more Death Note out there in the form of ‘Another Note: LABB Murder Cases’. I was practically squealing (grunting if that makes me sound more manly) at the thought and immediately placed this on my plan to read list. Of course, no one told me this was a novel and not a manga so you can say that I
...
was quite surprised when I saw this at my local bookstore.
Story:
The title, Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases was a bit misleading. The entire story itself is in fact, a bit misleading. I immediately dreamt of some kind of back-story in which another human had taken hold of a Death Note prior to the events of the actual story and that it would be some kind of buried, post-Kira incident. It was no such thing. Instead, LABB Murder Cases is in fact more of a detective novel that focuses on nothing more than a not-so-ordinary serial killer who has managed to peak L’s interest. Soon, Naomi Misora is offered to work alongside L in order to solve the case.
The murder cases themselves are quite typical. Naomi Misora and L working together in order to apprehend the murderer is quite typical. All in all, if that was all the story amounted to, this novel would be too typical to carry the name ‘Death Note’ in it. While the first few pages of the novel will interest you, you can expect to be lulled into a bit of a slow investigation at first, only interesting because you are given more of a glimpse at the way Misora thinks and how she meets L for the first time. It does however, soon become interesting as familiar psychological warfare begins. Saying another would spoil it, but be assured that the novel does carry the same psychological manipulation / investigative deductions that Death Note the series carried. The ending the novel sets up is surprising. The way you are misled throughout the novel is done brilliantly. It loses points however, due to some unbelievable aspects of the story and while it is a good story, it lacks the depth and special something a 10/10 would have. 9/10
Characters:
While L of course plays an important role in the novel, he is not in fact, the main character. Instead, the novel gives us a closer look at Naomi Misora prior to the actual story and her relationship with L which is actually quite interesting. Misora who is given such a crucial, albeit short role, in the Death Note series was an interestingly strong character who some might say deserved more. This novel does just that and gives us an excellent look at the Misora’s deductive abilities in addition to her personality which is hidden during the course of the actual series. While in the series we only see Misora as the cool, serious, ex-FBI agent bent on tracking Kira, the novel allows us to see past her serious attire and focus on some of her more human traits.
Furthermore, readers are given a glimpse at Mello as well for he is in fact, the teller, the ‘writer’ and narrator of this story. Not only does this again, give us more insight into a character who meets an end quite quickly, but also gives us a look into the Wammy House, L’s origin, and the way he and the others perceived a future as L’s replacement. 9/10
Overall: I didn’t take much of a look at art because this was a novel. Overall it was an interesting read. It doesn’t have a Death Note in it and there is no Kira seeking to build a utopia, but the psychological / mystery aspects of Death Note are still there. Characters we know from the show are expanded and given a chance to show their true colors in this novel. Finally, the novel builds itself a great climax to end it off and to the casual readers like me who prefer having the answers laid out for them instead of trying to solve them as most mystery fans would do, be ready for a surprise. Death Note Another Note did not need another Death Note to make it a hit. It is a unique experience for Death Note fans, although I would say that only a Death Note fan could understand and enjoy the novel to the extent that I have. My only complaint is that some portions of the story is quite unbelievable and almost ridiculous. 9/10
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: DEATH NOTE アナザーノート ロサンゼルスBB連続殺人事件 More titlesInformationType: Novel
Volumes: 1
Chapters: 7
Status: Finished
Published: Aug 1, 2006
Genre:
Mystery
Serialization:
None Statistics Ranked: #3032 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #500
Members: 36,583
Favorites: 914 Resources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 9 / 9
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Aug 22, 2008
Being the Death Note fan that I am, I searched tirelessly for more Death Note after the anime ended. That included the live action movies, Death Note special and one shot. So you can imagine that I was pretty excited when I found out there was more Death Note out there in the form of ‘Another Note: LABB Murder Cases’. I was practically squealing (grunting if that makes me sound more manly) at the thought and immediately placed this on my plan to read list. Of course, no one told me this was a novel and not a manga so you can say that I
...
Aug 31, 2021
Before starting the review of the novel... Spoiler Warning for those who haven't read the novel.
Hmmm where do I start? There are so many things to talk about. First of all... Let's talk about Mello being the narrator. Unfortunately, him being the narrator did not make any sense nor made the narrating any different. The story told in Another Note takes place in 2002, L dies in 2004. Mello was 15 when L died, and he was still in Wammy's House. So, when did L see Mello and tell him the story about Beyond Birthday and 2 others? It does not make sense. In the book, Mello ... 
Nov 18, 2013
After watching the anime, I wanted more about L. He was the best character and didn't deserve such an ending. He was my favorite character, yet we didn't learn much about him. So, I read this and I enjoyed it. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the characters were very unique, one in particular, and the story had a natural vibe to it. It was easy to read and connect with the main character. The twist at the end was amazing and I love it when Mello would take you aside to explain things a bit better. It was an amazing
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Sep 18, 2017
No, this has nothing to do with the Death Note universe, except for the reminiscence of the already known characters L, Misora Naomi-san and, the storyteller, Mello. So, to all the Kira enthusiasts out there, make no mistake - your hero, your god is not here!
But, error not, nonetheless this is a great story. Written by Nisio Isin (Monogatari series, Medaka Box) and illustrated by Obata Takeshi, the artist behind Death Note (though little there is to be appreciated, solely some cool, shady portraits, now and then), BB Renzoku Satsujin Jiken is a dazzling tale holding a secret thirsting to be revealed. It is an ... 
Jul 17, 2010
I actually didn't hear about this novel until I read something about it in Anime Insider (before they went under). Then I started seeing fanart of Beyond Birthday, and that just made me want to read the book even more. When it finally came out in Barnes & Noble, I was so excited, I nearly squeed right there in the manga aisle. Initially, I was expecting some sort of epic showdown between L and BB, and though it didn't turn out that way, I wasn't too disappointed when I got to the ending. Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of the author's style of
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Apr 13, 2018
Death Note: Another Note was my ray of hope in my search for more official DN related works after I watched the anime and bought the entire manga. Out of curiosity, I just looked up the BB murder case for fanfictions, but I ended up finding this book instead, and I immediately bought it By the way, this book isn't manga, this is a novel written by Nisio Isin, of Monogatari fame, so my hopes were quite high. Again, did not disappoint.
STORY - 8 This is related to Death Note, so what else can you expect? This story isn't about Light, in fact, it has nothing ... 
Mar 26, 2013
Although I'm not the biggest fan of Death Note, I still decided to give this novel a shot. And even though it was a tiny bit disappointing I'm still happy I read it.
When I picked it up I was expecting it to be more like the original series with a lot of mental sparring and what not, but instead it takes the straight mystery route and follows our main character Naomi as she tries to uncover the truth behind a string of murders in LA. Story 8/10 The writer managed to cram everything in to only 1 volume, which I think is a shame as some length ...
Jul 18, 2016
I just finished reading Another Note and I was blown away.
This book is, to me at least, brilliant masterpiece. It captures Death Note's characteristic genius through new eyes - those of a very human, very intelligent character. I found my own thought processing, views and theories lined up with Misora's in a stunning way, backing the book that much more riveting to me. Short and sweet - or not so sweet in the case of the subject matter. Another Note is a compact story filled with detail yet without drag. Much like the original Death Note story, it makes readers think; use their brains like the characters do. By ... 
Mar 16, 2016
This 7 chapter novel is a rather quick read, but that doesn't make it bad. Overall the story was well paced. Plus who doesn't like a published fanfiction of the well loved death note?
Story: 9 Damn this story was good, during mystery stories I like to try and figure out the mystery too, but this was just a mystery within a mystery. At times there were parts I got a bit mind blown at but that's hardly a bad thing; it's not like conclusions were jumped to either it was well thought out. Art: 5 Well, I, mean it wasn't bad. Oh boy do I love classic ... |
