Death Note Movie (completely biased) Dissection
Death Note movie is a sweet and sinful treat, just like L's yummies. (Of course, the anime is even more heavenly, but that's another thing.)
The gala premiere invitation card. Official DN font. *__*
I was at the local DN movie gala premiere on Oct 11 and needless to say, I was bouncing with excitement. (Literally bouncing while taking photos with the promo stand, insisting that I stand on L's side.) I have been wanting to see it for ages, but just can't seem to find a dl of the second half. O__O L-sama seemed to hear my prayers and blessed me with the tickets. So, decked in the official DN colors of white and black, I drooled at Matsukawa Kenichi while specks of doubt disappeared.
Doubts, because I was uncertain how the characters will be brought alive. Honestly speaking, the first part of the movie was pretty disappointing to me.
Raito became an university student and was given a *gasp* girlfriend (she has a significance later though). I thought I will at least get to see him in that gorgeous (and rapeable) school uniform. His personality also seemed to be slightly different. In the movie, he picked up the DN after discovering the problems in the justice system, meaning he has a more righteous motive for using it. However, Raito didn't have that preconceived notion, he can be said to be a clean slate.
Another thing that I couldn't stand was Raito being stupefied. For gods sake, he actually wrote in the DN in the middle of a crowd! O___O That was just so not Raito. He wouldn't do something as careless like that. But otherwise, I would say Fujiwara did a good job personifying Raito. He isn't as "pretty" as the anime Raito (Fujiwara's face was a tad too chubby too), but he did captured some of that seemingly innocent facade well. And he did express the emotions in the eyes well.
L, though, was just a delight to watch. I was already in love from screencaps and clips of Matsuyama Kenichi as L before, but after seeing him in action, damn, I was right in putting L in my list of hawt seme gods. <3 Matsuyama really brought alive the character. When he first appeared to Yagami-san in that white shirt and blue jeans, with that scruffy look of his and scratching his leg with his other foot, I went into ecstasy. Him jumping onto his couch, holding the teacup with only two fingers, skewering pastries after pastries (and offering one stick to Yagami-san), sleeping on the sofa nibbling on his finger... Now that's L. The only complaint I have is his hair and eyebrows, but that's really no big deal. I even find Matsuyama's slighty English accent of pronouncing Japanese really suitable too. Yes, you should know by now that I am completely BIASED. :p
As for the plot, I can only remember bits and pieces from the manga, but I would say that besides simplifying the plot, which is inevitable for a movie, it stayed loyal to the manga. The only divergence was the addition of Shiori, Raito's girlfriend. Her appearance and subsequent death made Raito looked even more evil (and psycho) and that, of course, led to L being even more righteous-looking. That inclusion is a rather major alteration to me, as Raito never did brought any harm to people he loved in the manga. Is that an attempt of the producers to propel L to a higher pedestal? Maybe... But this divergence did lead to the intense first meeting of Raito and L, which was certainly more interesting than in the manga. When L brought out the bag of potato chips (which Raito was using in his room to hide his DN), I was grinning like mad. Now, that's some seme power.
On the whole, I am still pleased with the movie, which explains my "high over DN" mode now. (Fanfics fanfics!) And I can't wait to see the next movie. The chained scenes! *________* It is kinda irritating that they showed L falling off his chair in the trailer (which leads to me wanting to cry thinking of THAT chapter). I am also hoping for not just a sequel movie, but a few more so that the cute Mello and Near can appear. They can't possibly let Raito win just like that, can they? O__o
I was just talking to a friend about a possible American remake of the movie, which is also stated in Wiki. But that would be just dumb. I never did understand why Hollywood producers will wanna do that, and not just let the original stay. -_- Like the recent movie "The Departed", they never even explicitly state that it was a remake from the Hong Kong film.
Something funny I noted in the cinema. Two Raito and Misamisa cosplayers were doing this little skit, going around the cinema threatening people to give up their seats. However, it was during the middle of the show, when people gasped at certain scenes, that I realized that the majority of the audience might not have known what the two cosplayers were doing after all. O___o The majority did not actually know what is DN is talking about after all, I actually overheard someone saying she thought DN was a horror film. I guess not knowing the plot is good, in that you will be really surprised and captured by the movie (unlike me, who can't help babbling to my friend), but I was pissed that they were laughing at L-sama. ;__; Yes, NOBODY can laugh at L. Bleh. *sticks out tongue*
Read the manga, watch the movie, chase after the anime. They are really worth it. ^^ Hey, L alone is worth it.
Rating: 7/10
The movie poster in the cinema and the promo board. The apple seems to be floating... O__o
October 2006
The gala premiere invitation card. Official DN font. *__*
I was at the local DN movie gala premiere on Oct 11 and needless to say, I was bouncing with excitement. (Literally bouncing while taking photos with the promo stand, insisting that I stand on L's side.) I have been wanting to see it for ages, but just can't seem to find a dl of the second half. O__O L-sama seemed to hear my prayers and blessed me with the tickets. So, decked in the official DN colors of white and black, I drooled at Matsukawa Kenichi while specks of doubt disappeared.
Doubts, because I was uncertain how the characters will be brought alive. Honestly speaking, the first part of the movie was pretty disappointing to me.
Raito became an university student and was given a *gasp* girlfriend (she has a significance later though). I thought I will at least get to see him in that gorgeous (and rapeable) school uniform. His personality also seemed to be slightly different. In the movie, he picked up the DN after discovering the problems in the justice system, meaning he has a more righteous motive for using it. However, Raito didn't have that preconceived notion, he can be said to be a clean slate.
Another thing that I couldn't stand was Raito being stupefied. For gods sake, he actually wrote in the DN in the middle of a crowd! O___O That was just so not Raito. He wouldn't do something as careless like that. But otherwise, I would say Fujiwara did a good job personifying Raito. He isn't as "pretty" as the anime Raito (Fujiwara's face was a tad too chubby too), but he did captured some of that seemingly innocent facade well. And he did express the emotions in the eyes well.
L, though, was just a delight to watch. I was already in love from screencaps and clips of Matsuyama Kenichi as L before, but after seeing him in action, damn, I was right in putting L in my list of hawt seme gods. <3 Matsuyama really brought alive the character. When he first appeared to Yagami-san in that white shirt and blue jeans, with that scruffy look of his and scratching his leg with his other foot, I went into ecstasy. Him jumping onto his couch, holding the teacup with only two fingers, skewering pastries after pastries (and offering one stick to Yagami-san), sleeping on the sofa nibbling on his finger... Now that's L. The only complaint I have is his hair and eyebrows, but that's really no big deal. I even find Matsuyama's slighty English accent of pronouncing Japanese really suitable too. Yes, you should know by now that I am completely BIASED. :p
As for the plot, I can only remember bits and pieces from the manga, but I would say that besides simplifying the plot, which is inevitable for a movie, it stayed loyal to the manga. The only divergence was the addition of Shiori, Raito's girlfriend. Her appearance and subsequent death made Raito looked even more evil (and psycho) and that, of course, led to L being even more righteous-looking. That inclusion is a rather major alteration to me, as Raito never did brought any harm to people he loved in the manga. Is that an attempt of the producers to propel L to a higher pedestal? Maybe... But this divergence did lead to the intense first meeting of Raito and L, which was certainly more interesting than in the manga. When L brought out the bag of potato chips (which Raito was using in his room to hide his DN), I was grinning like mad. Now, that's some seme power.
On the whole, I am still pleased with the movie, which explains my "high over DN" mode now. (Fanfics fanfics!) And I can't wait to see the next movie. The chained scenes! *________* It is kinda irritating that they showed L falling off his chair in the trailer (which leads to me wanting to cry thinking of THAT chapter). I am also hoping for not just a sequel movie, but a few more so that the cute Mello and Near can appear. They can't possibly let Raito win just like that, can they? O__o
I was just talking to a friend about a possible American remake of the movie, which is also stated in Wiki. But that would be just dumb. I never did understand why Hollywood producers will wanna do that, and not just let the original stay. -_- Like the recent movie "The Departed", they never even explicitly state that it was a remake from the Hong Kong film.
Something funny I noted in the cinema. Two Raito and Misamisa cosplayers were doing this little skit, going around the cinema threatening people to give up their seats. However, it was during the middle of the show, when people gasped at certain scenes, that I realized that the majority of the audience might not have known what the two cosplayers were doing after all. O___o The majority did not actually know what is DN is talking about after all, I actually overheard someone saying she thought DN was a horror film. I guess not knowing the plot is good, in that you will be really surprised and captured by the movie (unlike me, who can't help babbling to my friend), but I was pissed that they were laughing at L-sama. ;__; Yes, NOBODY can laugh at L. Bleh. *sticks out tongue*
Read the manga, watch the movie, chase after the anime. They are really worth it. ^^ Hey, L alone is worth it.
Rating: 7/10
The movie poster in the cinema and the promo board. The apple seems to be floating... O__o
October 2006