Death Note: O Último Nome

A little long, but the ending to this movie was definitely better than the ending in the anime.

Death Note 2 is a brilliantly done movie. It's the thriller that other movies wish they could grow up to be. I can't think of any major flaw with it. The acting was good, unlike some other Japanese movies which have good plots or ideas which are watered down by poor acting or special effects. It did feel quite stretched out though, it's more than 2 hours long. But that only made the plot that much more twisting and kept the audience guessing. There were some scenes that were a tad clichéd, but it lacked the predictable plot twist that we're so accustomed to in so many Hollywood flicks. The pace was brilliant and kept the movie fresh.Even though it was longer than 2 hours I barely felt it. It's a very entertaining and carefully thought out movie. The director did not screw it up by trying to outdo the anime or manga, and it didn't go up its own butt with social commentary. It was immensely thrilling, engaging and fiendishly clever. A very good movie from Japan, especially after years of poorly made horror films trying to ride on The Ring's success.

Death Note II picks up right where the first installment left off, with Light and L locked together in partnership. Only a new notebook and shinigami appears, bringing Kira II into the equation, complicating matters for Light while providing him with a means to overcome L.

This film betters the first film by offering more twists and superior plotting. Erika Toda as Misa Amane nails the shallow pop idol role, while providing ample comic fodder to divert us from the mind games. Shunji Fujimura as Watari ups his game here. Light has to face the consequences of his actions and the questionable nature of some of his choices. Ken'ichi Matsuyama shines again as the idiosyncratic L. There are more laughs, more questions, more surprises, and a satisfying climax this time round. No one in their right mind will watch this before watching the first, and if you liked the first you'll want to watch this. Rest assured, it does not disappoint.

It seems that every live action derivative of a manga/anime that I've seen has been barely watchable at best.

These movies on the other hand were entertaining to the end. They stayed with the main plot as much as possible and delivered the memorable dramatic scenes with new live action flavor, but changed the plot without opening holes and delivered a new, believable conclusion.

I didn't like Fujiwara much in the lead role- he's not dynamic or conniving enough to bring the role to life. Quite often his face seems to "give it away" when his role calls for a solid and impenetrable exterior.

Matsuyama, however, takes on the ridiculously difficult role of "L" and absolutely rocks. Vocal tones, strange postures and movements, appearance, mannerisms, all breathe life into what was one of the best characters ever to grace manga shelves. My only complaint was the over-decadent manner in which he ate his candy- it seemed a little contrived, as opposed to the more matter-of-fact noshing done by the manga/anime character during his investigations.

Thay certainly could have done a lot worse, and they took enough film time to do the series justice. Can't wait for the American version.

Death Note: The Last Name is the sequel to Death Note, an anime adaptation. However, does Death Note: The Last Name follow in Death Note's footsteps or should this movie be in the Death Note? The story is very good and continues on from where the first movie left off, the characters are brilliantly written and the acting was great as well. The scenes were brilliantly executed and the CGI was also very good, especially for the Shinigamis (Death Gods who own the Death Note). I thought that Tatsuya Fujiwara did great as Light but Kenichi Matsuyama stole the movie as L, who acted and behaved exactly how the character in the anime did so it was nice to see the movie stay faithful to the series in some ways. The writing was very good and the dialogue was great too. All in all, it's like the anime series with some welcoming changes.

I enjoyed this sequel, I thought that it wasn't going to be as good as the first movie but I would say that it was on the same level, if not, better. The story basically continued on and it managed to keep the balance of the characters and their stories and how they all interact with each other. The acting was very good and I think the CGI was great. The designs for Ryuk and Remi were brilliant and they haven't changed them from the series (well, except for the fact that they're in 3D). I think that, even though they have made big changes from the Death Note story, they've pulled it off and they've done a good job making the story into two movies. This movie is great, it has everything you liked about the first movie in this and more. If you like Death Note, you'll be happy with this.

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