Title: Death Note
Genre: Drama
Director: Kaneko Shusuke
Format: Movie, 126 minutes.
Dates: 17 Jun 2006

Synopsis: Light Yagami is an all-rounder college student, living his daily life in boredom. One day, he came upon a mysterious notebook called Death Note, which enables him dispose any man he wishes just by jotting his name on it. With a blind sense of justice, he yearns to purge the world of crime and wrongdoings. Subsequently, the police hired the eccentric detective, known simply as “L” to track the killer down.

The Highlights
Story: Stays faithful to the manga.
Plot: Full of twists and turns, but too knotty and compact.
Cast: Fared well enough; memorable performance by Matsuyama Ken’ichi and Ryuk.

After the groundbreaking success of the manga since its inception in late 2003, it came as no surprise that a live-action movie was proposed soon after. Boasting an illustrious cast, the movie was highly anticipated by all Death Note fanatics. I also looked forward to it, but afterwards, unfortunately, I had mixed feelings about it.

The movie starts off with the rather eye-opening hit Red Hot Chili Peppers song, “Dani California” and the story quickly set itself into motion with random criminals dropping dead, much to be bewilderment of the police and the press. From there, the story unfolds as we venture deep into how Light came upon the Death Note and (ab)uses it to kill off criminals left scot-free. The story fortunately evaded the common pitfall of staying true to the massively successful manga down to the smallest detail. Just like the manga, the movie veils itself in full suspense and constantly keeps its audience guessing.

The same can be said for the plot as well. Intricate, riveting, and even eyebrow-raising are some of the words that can be used to describe the plot as it thickens. However, I am sad to say that this positive attribute is what, in turn, ultimately bogs the movie down. The movie covers at least 12 episodes of its anime counterpart and this renders its story convoluted. The plot becomes somewhat difficult to follow, and it’s pretty obvious director Kaneko Shusuke tried very hard to squeeze six hours worth of story into a 2-hour duration.

The cast was a mixed lot, regrettably. Fujiwara Tatsuya was rather mellow and even placid as Light, who is supposed to look very calculative and cerebral. He did not show the side of Light that made him an icon in the manga world. As a result, rather than rooting for Light to triumph at the end, I ended up rooting for L who is played remarkably by Matsuyama Ken’ichi. Matsuyama gave an unforgettable performance as the kooky detective with a ravenous sweet tooth. For that, I’ll give the two thumbs up for him only. The same goes for our favorite Shinigami itself, Ryuk who’s fondness for apples and mischievous antics made him one memorable character.

In conclusion, Death Note is a refreshing movie that would put a big grin on the face of all Death Note partisans. For the neutral viewers though, it may come off more as your casual popcorn movie. After seeing this film, I can safely say that those who are interested in finding out what the fuss over the Death Note phenomenon is all about should opt for the manga or anime first.

The Rating: 7

Reviewed by: AC