Death Note II: The Review

Hello all! I realize I haven't posted a review in a while, but, as promised, here is the review for the movie Death Note II: The Last Name!

This movie's official release in the United States was yesterday, October 15th at 7:30 PM. Tonight at 7:30, the last showing will be taking place, and I'd recommend all fans and non-fans alike to go see it. There is a bit of confusion regarding the rating, since it is not rated, yet treated like a rated R movie. Luckily, I was able to get in without a problem.

This movie is a continuation of the movie Death Note, in which Light Yagami finds a notebook that can kill someone simply by having their name written in it. He soon decides to use the notebook to rid the world of evil, and gets a visit from the bored shinigami (Death God) Ryuk. He soon becomes known as "Kira", the Japanese pronunciation of "killer". The world's greatest detective, L, soon steps in to catch the murderer behind the sudden heart attacks killing criminals everywhere, and it becomes a battle of wits as they get closer and closer to victory. Who will triumph?

This movie concludes that story, and introduces other important characters such as Misa Amane, another Death Note owner who is in love with Light, and Kiyomi Takada, who is given the Death Note later in the movie. It continues to show Light's true evil and how merciless he really is.

I watched the original anime, and it is very different. After all, they can't fit the entire plotline in two movies. Near and Mello do not show up, and instead it is L himself who faces Light to the very end. They both meet the same fate, but with very different circumstances than the original story. I liked how Sayu, Light's younger sister, was given a slightly bigger role in the movie, even though she is of little use to the plot.

I'll admit, certain actors were not all that convincing. Erika Toda did do an amazing job as Misa, though she is portrayed as not as much of an airhead as she is in the original series. The best actor, I thought, was Kenichi Matsuyama, the actor who played L (though I may be a little biased). He perfectly captured all of L's quirky mannerisms, such as his love of sweets and his crouched way of sitting. The audience couldn't help but laugh as he drowned his sweets in syrup while discussing serious matters, or when he wore a mask to hide himself.

Sometimes, when a series gets made into a movie, the movie can't live up to the fans' expectations. However, this movie lived up to them and more. It's a complex story that shows a battle between two geniuses, with some comedy and action thrown in too. I'll admit, it would've been better had it been subbed, not dubbed. But perhaps this is simply a preference of mine. All in all, it was definitely worth watching.

Overall rating: 5 stars

Check back, more reviews soon!

-S