Title: Death Note - The Last Name Release date: 11/3/06 Genre: Supernatural drama Cast: Fujiwara Tatsuya, Matsuyama Kenichi, Nakamura Shido (voice only), Kaga Takashi, Toda Erika Plot: In the sequel to the first Death Note movie, the game between Light/Kira (Fujiwara Tatsuya) and L (Matsuyama Kenichi) continues. This time Kira finds himself a partner in idol Amane Misa (Toda Erika). With two Death Notes on earth, will L be able to prove the connection between Light and Kira? What is good: It is enjoyable watching Light and L trying to outwit each other. What is bad: Since this is mostly psychological, there isn't a lot of action going on. Overall rating: A Overall: I really enjoyed the first Death Note movie yet I was disappointed that there wasn't more interaction between Light and L. This movie definitely delivers that. While lot of the first movie was familiar to me since I watched part of the anime, I knew almost nothing about the sequel as it takes place in the episodes I haven't seen yet. I love watching Matsuyama as L. In my opinion, he was the absolute perfect choice in casting. I can't say too much else about the movie without giving away big spoilers. If you are a Death Note fan, you definitely have to watch this.

Title: Death Note
Release date: 6/17/06
Genre: supernatural drama
Cast: Fujiwara Tatsuya, Matsuyama Kenichi, Nakamura Shido (voice only), Kaga Takashi
Plot: When a human's name is written in a Death Note, that person will die. Light (Fujiwara Tatsuya) finds a Death Note and, disbelieving of its powers, begins writing the names of known criminals in the book. Soon those people mysteriously die of heart attacks. Light deems himself the God of Justice, silently killing any criminals that he can find. The police attempt to figure out why prisoners are dropping dead in their cells when the genuis L (Matsuyama Kenichi) joins them in their investigation. Thus begins the game of cat-and-mouse between Light and L.
What is good: The CG for the Death God Ryuk is absolutely stunning.
What is bad: There may be a few things that could have been explained a bit more to help those who haven't seen the anime or read the manga.
Letter rating: A

Overall: I haven't read the manga version of Death Note but I have seen some of the anime. This made a really good transition into movie form. In the anime, Light flaunts his genius but in the movie, he's a little more subdued about it. He knows that he is outwitting the police yet he doesn't brag about it to Ryuk. I liked the slight changes they made in L's character as well. In the anime, he was a bit more eccentric. In the movie, he seems to be just hopped up on caffeine and junk food. Ryuk's animation is breath-taking. He is a bit jerky when he's laughing but that was probably the intention. One of my favorite scenes with Ryuk was a simple one where Ryuk and Light are walking up a slight hill. Before you can see either character, you see the tips of Ryuk's wings. It shows the amount of thought that went into his animations. I would recommend this movie to just about anyone. While it involves death, there isn't a lot of blood so even those with a weak stomach should be able to handle it.