Death Note and Death Note: The Last Name
Death Note; Death Note: The Last Name (デスノート, 2006)
Director: Kaneko Syuusuke
I’ve seen the first Death Note movie months ago, but I wasn’t able to write anything about it, until I watched its second installment, Death Note: The Last Name. I’ve heard that there were lots of changes made in the movie, so I decided that I have to watch the first film again, and then check out the second one.
There were, in fact, some significant differences in the movie and in the original comic (I didn’t bother watching the anime), which could be disappointing to some people. But despite of the changes made for the silver screen, I enjoyed watching Death Note and Death Note: The Last Name. The execution of the movie was good. I even liked the CG-ed Ryuk and Rem, although I’ve read some reviews that say that the computerized images of the shinigami were ugly. I think casting Matsuyama Ken’ichi as L was freaking brilliant. I had some apprehensions about Toda Erika’s performance as Amane Misa, because I was expecting a more bubbly and more ditzy-looking actress. But in general, she performed well.
The only problem I had was that I am not sure if I would like Fujiwara Tatsuya’s portrayal of Yagami Light. He definitely looks like Light, but with his acting… Uh, I guess it’s a so-so. Maybe because I keep on comparing him to Matsuyama (because him as L… it’s like pulling the character out of the pages of the comic book), and that I cannot imagine him in an anti-hero role. I cannot say that his performance was lacking throughout the film (the last part of Death Note: The Last Name was damn good), so I don’t know what to make out of his performance.
Personally, since I hated the idea my favorite character was defeated easily in the middle of the comic’s story, I was happy with the ending of Death Note: Last Name. It was depressing in a way, especially how lives are taken away just like that. I like how the movie dealt with morality and society; how justice are brought, delayed or denied.
Technorati tags:
Death Note, Death Note: The Last Name, Fujiwara Tatsuya, Matsuyama Ken’ichi, Kaneko Syuusuke
Angela Solis grew up in the Philippines before moving in to Canada in 2003. She became a Canadian in 2006. Angela is 22 years old and an alumna of University of Manitoba with a degree in Psychology. She has been blogging since 2002. She maintains a 
June 12th, 2007 at 4:41 am
i’ve seen some parts of the first movie. i honestly didn’t like the casting of Light Yagami. it wasn’t as striking as the one in the comics. but maybe it’s just me.
June 12th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I like the comic book as well. Gusto ko talaga si Matsuyama dito sa film.