Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: The cat and mouse game continues as L closes in on Light, but Light is aided with a new ally and hatches a plan to finally write L's name in his Death Note.
Review: I may be in the minority here, but I feel this entry is much stronger than the first film. Even though both films take certain liberties with the material, I didn't mind some of the changes this time around whereas I didn't like most changes in the first film. But let's start with the negative changes since there are fewer of those and because they are mostly nitpicks of a fanboy. I won't beat around any bushes, L "winning" is the biggest change to the entire story even compared to the changes in the first film. This fundamentally alters the fabric of the story itself in such a way that it can easily rub fans the wrong way. But if you think about it, Near and Light's mistakes are what defeated him in the anime/manga, and they didn't want to drag the films into all of that so I can see why they simply chose to allow L to be the victor. And let's face it, I'd much rather see L defeat Light that those little posers: Mello and Near! At the same time, L's loophole that he uses to escape the effects of the Death Note I think are questionable. Eh, I try not to think too hard about it since I suppose it may work, but I feel a Shinigami should have more sway over the notebooks than whatever a human would write. The cartoony look to the Shinigami continues as Rem looks much worse than Ryuk does; you'd think there'd be some improvements between films, but I suppose they were shot around the same time. Something I forgot to bring up with the first movie, what's up with making one of the task force members a woman? I mean, seriously? I didn't think Japan would try to be so politically correct as to pull the same bullshit Hollywood would do. Imagine if something like "Little Women" decided to change one of the sisters to a brother, would that fly well with audiences? Maybe that was a bit of an extreme example? I can never tell! Whatever...fuck you Kirsten Dunst! And the female task member is completely useless (as are all the task members when compared to their anime/manga counterparts respectively) so what was the point exactly? Hell, Sayu does more than any of them combined! Light's death was downplayed for some reason as Ryuk casually writes Light's name and the emphasis of his death is weakened. Him mumbling some shit to his dad is not how the "god of the new world" would have done it! Finally, the pacing is rushed a bit too much as the story comes to a conclusion quite unexpectedly, but it still felt satisfying. Now for what worked well: I'll go right back to it, L winning is a welcomed change. I was honestly shocked when I saw L appear because he obviously died in both the anime and manga. Like I said in the last review, toying with the expectations of the viewer makes checking out each of the 3 mediums worth it since they tell different tales. The strong acting from all the players continues with Mr. Matsuyama killing it with his portrayal of L and Mr. Fujiwara giving a strong performance as Light. I should note that the background characters were all stronger this time around without as much overacting from extras. Even though we briefly saw her in the first film, Erika Toda does a remarkable job in bringing Misa Amane to life. I actually prefer this incarnation of Misa the most since she feels more tragic, less pathetic, and more sympathetic; the anime version in particular comes off annoying quite often. Playing up why Misa worships Kira so much enhances her character whereas her motivations are more of a footnote in the anime/manga with more focus on obsessing over Light. This is probably a good time to mention how sexy Ms. Toda is in this role! The same goes for Sayu and Takada! I'm also aware that I just complained about the addition of a female character while applauding hot chicks! Anyway, speaking of our dear Takada, I also liked the change to her character since she too was less pathetic and actually seemed a bit dangerous and even evil; I suppose the idea was that they would merge her regular character with a combination of the Yotsuba Group goons. The real Takada is an interesting character, but I never liked her devotion to Kira as it felt more of a contrivance to keep the plot moving. Lastly, I greatly appreciated the resolution to some of our characters which we definitely did not get in the anime/manga. The anime just ends with Light dead and the implication that Misa was killing herself. And don't even get me started on the epilogue and the bonus of the manga and whether that is even canon. But yes, seeing the Yagami family and Misa going on without Light was depressing, but helped the story go out in a positive way as you wonder whether the world was better with or without Kira; for some reason snowfall in Japanese films always feels so whimsical. Overall, the story is great even if there are many changes. I can understand not all fans will appreciate these alterations in the same way I do, but it still makes for an interesting watch. The acting is great and the characters feel real which sucks because it makes me dread the impending American remake and how bad they will probably screw it up! The pacing does feel rushed and the effects needed a touchup, but, for the most part, this is a truly solid retelling of the Death Note tale. I obviously recommend this strongly for those unfamiliar with the franchise, since casual fans identify more with L anyway, but the anime and manga are superior. Regardless, track down the first episode of the anime if possible and try not to get addicted!
Notable Moment: When L is walking around Light's college in a ridiculous mask followed by the shenanigans as Misa appears.
Final Rating: 8.5/10
Maybe it's just me since I'm a weirdo, but I think Ms. Toda looks even hotter with demonic eyes!
