L: Change the WorLd (stylized as L: change the WorLd) is a novel written by M. It is a spin-off story focusing on L after the events of the first two films in the Death Note live-action film series.
Although the novel is marketed as an adaption of the live-action film of the same name, it has a number of major differences and explicitly exists in a separate continuity. One of the changes to the novel is that Near is no longer a Thai boy and is more similar to the manga character, and he is already training under L as his successor. The novel also reveals more information about L, his past, and his thoughts about Light Yagami and the case.
Synopsis[]
Official description of the novel from the English edition by Viz Media:[1]
In an alternative continuity in the Death Note setting, ace detective L's name has been placed in a Death Note. He has twenty-three days to bring a terrorist group to justice, or they will use a deadly new virus to change the world...by killing off most of humanity.
Characters[]
The main characters listed at the beginning of the novel:
- L
- Kimihiko Nikaido, an immunologist
- Maki Nikaido, the daughter of Dr. Nikaido
- Kimiko Kujo, Dr. Nikaido's assistant
- Hideaki Suruga, an FBI agent
- Daisuke Matoba, director of NPO Blue Ship
Contents[]
The book contents are displayed on a timeline, counting down to the day of L's death. The chapters have the number of the countdown preceding the title.
Chapter list:
- 272 LA (L's Affair)
- 23 Fate
- 19 Destroyed
- 18-1 Suruga
- 18-2 Anguish
- 18-3 Plan
- 17-1 Break-In
- 17-2 Job
- 16 Kujo
- 15 Agreement
- 14 Strategy
- 13-1 Hostage
- 13-2 Exchange
- 13-3 Hate
- 13-4 Spoils
- 12-1 Joke
- 12-2 Rescue
- 11 Nes
- 10-1 Surrounded
- 10-2 Cybernet
- 10-3 Counterattack
- 09-1 Attack
- 09-2 Purge
- 07-1 Escape
- 07-2 Multiple
- 07-3 Flight
- 06-1 Arrival
- 06-2 Discovery
- 06-3 Production
- 05 Piratess
- 04 Bug
- 02-1 Kidnapped
- 02-2 Deception
- 02-3 Hope
- 00-1 Reunion
- 00-2 Friends
- 00-3 Promise
- 00-4 Journey
M[]
M is the pen name used by the author of the novel. The capital letter "M" the author uses to represent themselves is written in Cloister Black/Old English Text MT font, which is the same font used by L and Watari for their identifying initials, "L" and "W."
M is also credited with assisting with the film L: Change the WorLd.
- Note from M
“I am deeply grateful to writer Hiroto Kawabata and Toshihiko Komatsu of the NPO Biomedical Science Association for their invaluable guidance. |
Releases[]
Language | Publisher / Imprint | Format | Released | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|---|
Japanese | Shueisha | Hardcover | Dec 25, 2007 | 978-4-08-771210-0 |
Japanese | Shueisha / Shueisha Bunko | Paperback | May 80, 2014 | 978-4-08-745186-3 |
English | Viz Media / Shonen Jump | Hardcover | Oct 20, 2009 | 978-1-4215-3225-7 |
French | Kana / Dark Kana | Hardcover | Sep 23, 2010 | 978-2-505-00841-5 |
German | Tokyopop | Paperback | Nov 2008 | 978-3-86719-550-8 |
German | Tokyopop | Paperback | 2014 | 978-3-8420-1177-9 |
Indonesian | m&c! | Hardcover | Jan 02, 2018 | 978-602-428-590-6 |
Italian | Panini Comics / Planet Manga | Hardcover | Dec 17, 2009 | 978-88-6346-487-0 |
Italian | Panini Comics / Planet Manga | Paperback | 978-88-6589-158-2 | |
Mandarin Chinese - Taiwan | Tong Li Publishing | Hardcover | Feb 14, 2008 | 978-986-10-1310-7 |
Portuguese - Brazil | JBC | Paperback | 2011 | 978-85-7787-417-0 |
Russian | Azbooka | Hardcover | Aug 2021 | 978-5-389-17970-7 |
Spanish - Spain | Glénat / Editores de Tebeos | Hardcover | 2009 | 978-84-8357-537-6 |
Spanish - Spain | Norma Editorial | Hardcover | 2014 | 978-84-679-1677-5 |
Turkish | Akılçelen Kitaplar | Paperback | Apr 29, 2016 | 978-605-5381-61-5 |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The pages in the novel were designed to bear resemblance to pages in a Death Note.
- In the title L: Change the WorLd, the L in "WorLd" is capitalized; this is presumably done in order to represent L.
- The author "M" is the pen name of a real person and is not Mello, the in-universe author of Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases.
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Death Note books |
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