A teenagage student in the US was <a href="http://www.nbc12.com/news/state/11719876.html">recently suspended from his Virginia school</a> after he was discovered to be writing his own (clearly labelled) "death note"; alarms were immediately raised when a teacher found the student listing and reading out the names of several of his fellow class-mates, something that's unsurprising given the US education system still recovering from the spring 2007 Seung-Hui Cho <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre">shootings at</a> Virginia Tech university.
Of course, he was inspired by the world famous Japanese franchise of same name, in which the main character can almost-instantly murder anyone, anywhere by simply writing their name in the supernatural "Death Note". The story <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-11-22/virginian-teen-suspended-over-names-in-death-note">has created</a> similiar controversies in China and Taiwan, where in certain places the franchise is out-right banned.
Of course, he was inspired by the world famous Japanese franchise of same name, in which the main character can almost-instantly murder anyone, anywhere by simply writing their name in the supernatural "Death Note". The story <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-11-22/virginian-teen-suspended-over-names-in-death-note">has created</a> similiar controversies in China and Taiwan, where in certain places the franchise is out-right banned.