As many of our readers probably know, in the internationally famous manga series Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, the titular "Death Note" refers to notebooks belonging to 死神 shinigami (literally "angels of death") with the supernatural power to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages.

Twitter user くにゃもん Kunyamon (@mDrkiKmmyM8ayxw), who also enjoys illustrating and creating manga, is a fan of the series. Having decided to make his own version, he wrote two words on the cover of a black notebook.

However, those words were not "DEATH NOTE"...

Reproduced with permission from くにゃもん Kunyamon (@mDrkiKmmyM8ayxw)

"My new notebook."

Instead, he wrote "DAKARA NANYA"!

For those unfamiliar with Japanese, だから何や dakara nanya is the Kansai dialect equivalent of だから何だ dakara nanda, which means: "So what?"

The Kansai dialect is often associated with comedy due to the prevalence of comedians, many of them hailing from Osaka or other areas in the Kansai region, who use it during their routines. Therefore, the tone conveyed by "DAKARA NANYA" contrasts even more with the serious tone of the original, adding to the effect.

When we asked Kunyamon why he didn't write "DEATH NOTE" on the cover, this was his reply:

"At first, I was going to take the conventional route and write 'DEATH NOTE,' but I had second thoughts when I imagined that someone might write my name in it...

I came up with "DAKARA NANYA," which is close to "DEATH NOTE" and has some of the same letters!"

Whether you call it a joke or a parody, many people appreciated Kunyamon's idea and his post elicited numerous comments such as:

  • "At first glance, I thought it was "DEATH NOTE" just because of the "D" and the "N"... What a genius idea!"
  • "I laughed out loud at school!"
  • "I want to show it to my classmates the next time I need a comeback line lol"

In the manga, the "Death Notes" are usually filled with the names of criminals but maybe the "Dakara Nanya" is filled with comic routines!


By - grape Japan editorial staff.