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

This book is a prequel to the Death Note series. It covers the Los Angeles BB Serial Murders that are briefly mentioned in the manga. It tells of the first time L ever worked with FBI Agent Naomi Misora—arguably his greatest collaborator.

Essentially, its narrated by L's protégé, Mello. He starts out by trying to write about the case like he was writing a true crime report; very straight forward and speculative. But a short time through, his tone changes to that of a novelist. He ends up writing down what the characters are thinking or feeling. Only occasionally does he catch himself and revert back to the other style. Mello even interrupts the story at various points when he has a problem with how he worded a certain sentence or how he had a character speak. This all provides some quirky, self-aware humor at parts where the book risked becoming too over-the-top. Also, it was an interesting way to provide a backstory when it was needed.

The story is about a killer loose in Los Angeles, and super-sleuth L trying to solve the case. Along with Naomi, a former FBI agent, he helps the LA police solve the grisly crimes. In typical Death Note fashion, things get complicated...

Product Details
Hardcover: 176 pages

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 1 edition (February 19, 2008)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 142151883X

ISBN-13: 978-1421518831

Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.6 inches

Potential Problems
First, is the fact that when you compare the book to the events established in the original manga, some contradictions are revealed. Neither Mello nor the real author try to explain these discrepancies.

Second, when you get to the last chapter and realize what was at stake if the mystery wasn't solved, the whole thing seems like wasted time—both for you and for L. Although L admits in the manga that he's childish and hates to lose, his reasons for getting involved in the BB case make him come across as uncharacteristically petty.

Third, the names of most of the characters are unbelievably stupid. Some examples of actual names include "Backyard Bottemslash", "Blues-harp Babysplit" and "Quarter Queen". The problem was that they weren't used in a comedic manner, and they really weakened the parts of the book that we were expected to take seriously.