Mar
25
2007
Death Note : The Last Name
Posted by luna6
Movie : Death Note: The Last Name / Desu nôto: The last name
Release Date : November 3, 2006
Country : Japan
Director : Shusuke Kaneko
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken’ichi Matsuyama
Runtime : 141 Minutes
Editor Rating : 6.5
(44 Votes, User Rating: 8.93)
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Plot Synopsis :Light Yagami has now joined the team in pursuit of the serial killer known as Kira. Although L still strongly suspects that Light is the killer known as Kira, he goes along with the plan perhaps to better monitor the activities of Light. Meanwhile Light Yagami is still trying to find out the real name of L so he can kill him off with his Death Note.
To further complicate matters, a new rash of killings has occurred all over the world, claimed by another person as Kira. Light and L are both perplexed by these killings. Light Yagami first learns the identity of the other Kira and now they join forces to get rid of L. Will L be able to solve this puzzle before he is killed?
Movie Review : Following on the heels of Death Note, comes the sequel Death Note : The Last Name. In this second installment of the Death Note series, the same cast of characters return and the film quickly picks up where the first one left off. Viewers wont’ get much of a summary or montages explaining what transpired in the first episode. I believe this was mainly due to time constraints as the film runs an already long 141 minutes. I also have a hunch that most people won’t have a problem following the story, but may enjoy the movie more if they are familiar with the first Death Note or the original manga itself.
What lessened my enthusiasm for Death Note : The Last Name would have been the lack of one on one mind games between Light and L. In the first movie, this would have been my primary reason for enjoying the film. There was always this intense chess like match between Light and L going mano mano. Although the two are still going at it in the sequel, more sub-plots are introduced which diluted the intense one on one feel of the original. The new sub-plots concerned two characters who came into possession of the Death Note. These two characters were Misa (who worshiped Light) and Takada (a vengeful news reporter), who were fun in a campy way, but took away from the intense mind games between Light and L.
Throughout the movie L seemed to always be one step behind Light and even (gasp!) lost an actual chess match with Light in the beginning of the movie. I was surprised by the imbalance in intellect between the two, but then with the conclusion of the film, I realized L was doing the good ole rope-a-dope for most of the film. This led me to believe that he intentionally lost the chess match, probably to boost Light’s ego and possibly to let his guard down a notch. Clever dude.
Although the plot was complex with multitudes of double crosses and betrayals a few head scratchers did appear :
1.) When Takada was being monitored by hidden video cameras, they all saw her talking to herself (while in actuality she was talking to Rem the God of Death). Yet, why didn’t L and the police force notice the times Light and Misa talked to themselves when they were being videotaped ?
2.) When Misa returns to L’s HQ’s with the supposedly fake Death Note, why did Light see Ryuk the God of Death after touching her notebook?
Even with those quibbles, Death Note : The Last Name did provide for a fun movie going experience in the manner of a suspenseful and at times campy movie. The movie should have ended with the final showdown between Light and L, but the movie labored on - perhaps to stay faithful to the manga. Although the length of movie felt long and the intense one on one mind games between Light and L were less apparent in the sequel, Death Note : The Last Name is still worthwhile to check out. If nothing more than as a fun diversion from whatever is occupying your time.
buy Death Note : The Last Name from YesAsia
Cast:
Tatsuya Fujiwara - Light Yagami
Ken’ichi Matsuyama - LErika Toda - Misa Amane
Takeshi Kaga - Soichiro Yagami
Shido Nakamura - Ryuuk (voice)
Shigeki Hosokawa - FBI Agent Ray
Shunji Fujimura - Watari
Shin Shimizu - Kenzo Mogi
Sota Aoyama - Tota Matsuda
Magy - TV Director
Michiko Godai - Sachiko Yagami
Itsuji Itao - Hikima
Nana Katase - Kiyomi Takada
Miyuki Komatsu - Sawa
Ai Maeda - Ayako Yoshino
Hikari Mitsushima - Sayu Yagami
Ikuji Nakamura - Ukita
Jun Okazaki - Festival Goer
Masahiko Tsugawa - Police Chief Saeki
Sakura Uehara - Saeko Nishiyama
2006 Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews |
Comments
13 Comments so far
Moshi2, movie nya bagus banget kira & L itu kren & smart kpn bikin movie tpi pemeran nya sama ya!!
ARIGATO GOZAIMASU (DYAN INDÖNESIA)
light see ryuuku at the end of the story for perhaps one reasons:
the watch contains a paper of the ryuuku’s original death note who is taken no by misa (he killed takada kiyomi with) and is now capable of see him again.
and contrary to the non-reedited pilot of the manga, the cover of the original death note is on the “false ” (only pages of the notebook were changed)and the real death note has now a false cover with the good pages of the real notebook. by touching the cover on the real death note on the false notebook is sufficiant for light to see ryuku!
Btw…anybody that is interested, there is going to be a spinoff of Death Note called “L” which will be released in Japan on February 9, 2008.
Will have Ken’ichi Matsuyama reprising his role as “L” along with Erica Toda (Misa Amane) and Shunji Fujimura (Watari).
“L” website
“Why didn’t L and the police force notice the times Light and Misa talked to themselves (while in actuality they were talking to Ryuk the God of Death) when they were being videotaped ?”
I haven’t seen all of the second film yet.
In the case of when Misa yells “Kill me” L thinks that she is talking to the police. She is actually talking to Rem.
Davey: The manga explains that there is no heaven or hell. Humans that die become nothingness.
okay davey: Light goes to neither heaven or hell.. he goes to the same place where everyone else goes to this…. thing.. (I dunno) cuz Ryuk said “Death is equal”
I actually like this movie… it is again a summary of the manga..
I totally love this! I really like Yagami Light and Misa! Oh, I also like L! They’re so cute (Light and L)!
I could be wrong..but my understanding is that L would go wherever other human folks would go. The Death Note gives persons special powers…but doesn’t transform the person into Gods, still humans with a powerful weapon/tool etc…
okie… i have been googleing it after i seen the movie…where does light go after death ??? does he become a death god him self??? or is he in limbo between heaven in hell…or stuck in a eternal blackness to live out the remainder of time its self???
i would like to say that out of allte Jaapanese movies i have seen (i have only seen 2 Azumi and Death Note)
Death Note was pritty good, i crided in Death Note t2 The last name.
it was so sad.
the 3 B’s
bad acting
bad movie
bad subs
3.5 out of 10 !
I would agree with your assesement that Death Note : The Last Name is not as good as the first Death Note, but I don’t think this was one of the worst sequels ever.
Personally the worst sequels I have seen would be (with the original being very good/great) :
Battle Royale II
Azumi II
My Wife Is A Gangster II
..Infernal Affiars III would not be very far behind those first three movies mentioned.
Although Death Note : The Last Name is far from being a classic or one of those rare sequels comparable or greater than the original (like Infernal Affiars II or Memento Mori 2), I still thought Death Note : The Last Name was a fun movie to watch. Campy - yes. Terrible - not at all.
This has to be one of the worst sequels I’ve ever seen. I hold the first one as a personal classic…I was hyped for the second one and for the first twenty it was great having the female being the Kira but man did they mess this one BIG TIME.