Death Note Rip-off Becoming Popular With South Korean Schoolchildren

According to a Japanese TV news report from earlier this week, a red notebook that is based on the notebook found in the popular manga/anime/movie Death Note is becoming a hit with South Korean schoolkids:

The notebook, which has been released under the title “Red Notebook,” does not claim any connection to Death Note, but given the popularity of Death Note in South Korea, it would be pretty hard to claim the Japanese series didn’t inspire it. Just like the magic notebook in Death Note, if you write the name of a person in the “Red Notebook” along with a description of a a horrible incident that will befall them, it is said that it will definitely happen to them. According to the Japanese report, “Red Notebook” is particularly popular among South Korean schoolchildren, who can vent their frustration against bullies by writing in the notebook about how and when the bully should die. They take a look at the inside of a “Red Notebook” written by a 5th year elementary schoolgirl, and find that she has written “I want X to die in a traffic accident so that he/she will no longer be able to say ‘elementary schoolers don’t think about anything,’ to me again.” Within one page, the girl has written the word “die” a total of 9 times. The publisher of the notebook has stated that it should only be used for fun, but it’s hard to see any good in this kind of product. I really hope it doesn’t catch on in Japan…