Pingtung County Government officials recently issued instructions to elementary school teachers, asking them to heed any negative influence on students who immerse themselves in reading Death Note, a Japanese manga series that has recently grown in popularity on campus.
The manga describes a high school student who decides to get rid of evil in the world after he accidentally picks up the God of Death's notebook. The supernatural power surrounding the notebook kills anyone whose name is written in it, according to the manga's storyline.
As the Death Note centers on the topic of death, a film -- based on the cartoon book -- was prohibited in some countries, and its TV program is only allowed to be broadcast late at night.
In Taiwan, the film has been classified "parental," the second-lowest rating, requiring individuals under 12 to be accompanied by parents or other adult guardians and restricting children under six altogether.
The owner running manga bookstore said that Death Note is popular with students from fifth graders to senior high schools students.
A fifth-grader said that he and his classmates all read the manga without their teacher knowing, do not find the storyline frightening and enjoy reading it very much.
Officials from the Pingtung County Government's educational bureau have called on school teachers to keep an eye on their students for any negative influences the manga might have on them.
The officials also urged the teachers to strengthen talks on appreciation of life.
Hsu Wen-bin (許文彬), executive-general of the Publication Appraisal Foundation, however, was not of the opinion that Death Note is bad for students.
Since it is unreasonable to classify books or to ask parents to read the manga with their children, Hsu said the best solution is for parents to provide answers that children might have while reading the mangas.
Tongli Publishing, the publisher of the manga's Chinese version in Taiwan, said the manga actually has educational meaning as the main character receives his share of punishment in the end of the story.
Saying Death Note is a good teaching material on the values of good and bad, life and death, comics commentator Jojo suggested teachers try to understand why students like the manga rather than over-reacting and implementing a ban.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS