Death Note

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Lore & Background

The story is set in Chichibu, where 18-year-old Shinnosuke Kanamuro (Shinno) dates Akane Aioi while bonding with her 3-year-old sister, Aoi. Shinno, an aspiring guitarist, plans to move to Tokyo for his music career after graduation. However, a car accident kills the girls' parents, forcing Akane to stay in Chichibu to raise Aoi instead of following her plan. Thirteen years later, Aoi is now a 15-year-old aspiring bassist planning her own move to Tokyo, while Akane works at city hall alongside Masamichi Nakamura (Michinko), Shinno's former drummer. Michinko organizes a music festival featuring enka singer Dankichi Nitobe. During a practice session, Aoi encounters the 18-year-old Shinno from the past. Unlike a traditional ghost, this young Shinno possesses a physical body but cannot leave the hall where he appeared. Tsugu, Michinko's son, identifies him as an ikiryō—a living ghost born from strong unresolved feelings. The young Shinno is rude and arrogant, contrasting sharply with the Akane-remembered version of her boyfriend.

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 reunites director Tatsuyuki Nagai, writer Mari Okada, and character designer Masayoshi Tanaka, the trio behind Toradora!, Anohana, and The Anthem of the Heart.
• The young Shinnosuke is an ikiryō (living ghost) who has a physical body but cannot leave the music hall where he appeared.
• The movie was released in all Toho Cinemas across Japan on October 11, 2019, earning ¥68.5 million in its first three days.
• HBO Max streamed the film in Southeast Asia from November 19, 2024, until it was removed on September 1, 2025.
• Masamichi Nakamura's son, Masatsugu, is a fifth-grader who has a crush on Aoi and helps her investigate the young Shinno.