Death Note

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Lore & Background

The story is set in Chichibu, where 18-year-old Shinnosuke Kanamuro (nicknamed Shinno), an aspiring guitarist, is dating Akane Aioi. Shinno is also friendly with Akane's 3-year-old sister Aoi, and the sisters support Shinno's band. Akane plans to move to Tokyo with Shinno after graduation, where he’ll pursue a career in music. However, the girls' parents are killed in a car accident, and Akane changes her plans, choosing to stay in Chichibu to raise Aoi. Thirteen years later, Aoi is an aspiring bassist who plans to move to Tokyo after high school, while Akane works for the city hall. Masamichi Nakamura (nicknamed Michinko), the drummer of Shinno's former band, also works for the city hall. Michinko is planning to hold a music festival to boost the city's tourism, and the main performer is the famous enka singer Dankichi Nitobe. One afternoon, while practicing bass alone in the hall, Aoi encounters Shinno from thirteen years ago. Frightened, she runs home to Akane and awkwardly asks her about Shinno. Akane admits that she has not heard from Shinno since he left, and is not even sure if he is still alive. This leads Aoi to believe she had seen Shinno's ghost. Later, the sisters reluctantly help Michinko in welcoming Dankichi Nitobe, and they are surprised to see a grown Shinnosuke as the guitarist of Nitobe's backup band. Aoi then returns to the hall with her friend Tsugu (Michinko's son), where they confirm that the young Shinno has a physical body but is unable to leave the hall. Tsugu hypothesizes that Shinno is an ikiryō (living ghost) born from Shinnosuke's strong unresolved feelings. Shinno then asks Aoi to help bring Akane and Shinnosuke together, believing that doing so will return him to Shinnosuke's body. However, this proves to be difficult as Shinnosuke is rude, arrogant, and does not get along with the Aioi sisters—a different person from the Shinno that they once knew.

In Their Own Story

Aoi runs home to ask Akane about the boy she saw, but Akane reveals she hasn't heard from Shinno since he left thirteen years ago and isn't even sure if he is alive. This leads Aoi to initially believe she saw a ghost. Later, while welcoming Dankichi Nitobe for the festival, they discover a grown Shinnosuke working as Nitobe's backup guitarist. Aoi returns to the hall with Tsugu to confirm that the young Shinno has a physical body but is trapped there. The young Shinno asks Aoi to help reunite him with his older self and Akane, believing this will return him to his 31-year-old body. However, reconciling them proves difficult because the young Shinno clashes with the sisters due to his arrogance. Meanwhile, Michinko harbors a crush on Akane, having divorced a cheating wife, while Aoi's classmate Chika dreams of dating someone in a band.

Reader's Guide

To understand the film, note that it was announced by the Super Peace Busters team on March 21, 2019. The soundtrack is composed by Masaru Yokoyama, with theme songs "Her Blue Sky" and "Mellow Blue" performed by Aimyon. Production credits include Aniplex, Fuji TV, Toho, and Story Inc. The film was distributed by Toho and released in all Toho Cinemas on October 11, 2019. It ranked #4 in its opening weekend, earning ¥68.5 million in three days, reaching a total gross of ¥440.5 million (approx. US$4.04 million) by October 28, 2019. Home media releases followed on June 10, 2020. Streaming rights include Netflix starting in October 2024 with an English dub, and HBO Max streaming it in Southeast Asia from November 19, 2024, until its removal on September 1, 2025. Extended media includes two novels by Mio Nukaga (one screenplay-based, one illustrated) and a spinoff novel by Saginomiya Misaki, plus a three-volume manga by Yaeko Ninagawa serialized from 2019 to 2020.

Did You Know?

• The film's creative team Super Peace Busters previously worked together on Toradora!, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, and The Anthem of the Heart.
• The film is set in Chichibu, Saitama, which is Mari Okada's hometown and also the setting of Anohana and The Anthem of the Heart.
• The theme song and ending theme song, both performed by Aimyon, are titled "Her Blue Sky" and "Mellow Blue" respectively.
• The film ranked #4 in its opening weekend at the Japanese box office, earning ¥68.5 million in three days.
• Two novels and a three-volume manga series were released as extended media for the film.