I can't believe how incredibly long it took for Death Note to get a North American release. A year ago, I was in Tokyo, trying to tell myself that it was perfectly reasonable to buy the DVD of Death Note despite the fact that it was fifty bucks, didn't have subtitles, and was a region 2 DVD. But I was desperate. The movie had come out in 2006, it starred two of my favorite Japanese actors, and I knew the story was incredible after reading the manga. 5000 yen later, I was the proud owner of an incredibly awesome movie. However, since my Japanese is rudimentary, I could only pick out a few phrases here and there, and never really figured out what was happening on my screen, except for the fact that it was a whole bunch of crazy Japanese awesomeness.
FINALLY, Warner Bros. Japan has released Death Note for North America. It's packed with great extras, and yes, subtitles! After watching the film again I was only further convinced of it's greatness. Death Note is the first film of two in the series, and I just found out that Warner Bros. will be releasing the sequel very soon, with a short theatrical release in mid-October!
The story of the first film revolves around a college student named Light Yagami. Light is extremely gifted, but he has a coldness towards humanity. He's played perfectly by Tasuya Fujiwara, who was the lead character in my favorite Japanese film of all time, Battle Royale. Light is disgusted with the way society deals with criminals, and just as he's reaching his breaking point, he comes upon lone notebook that just appears on the ground. Light soon discovers that the notebook belongs to what the Japanses call "shinigami", who are demons that control death. He also learns that when you write someone's name in the Death Note, they die of a heart attack 40 seconds later. The possibilities and the power granted to Light cause him to slowly but surely lose his grip on reason, as he begins to administer his own form of justice, killing off criminals by the hundreds. Eventually he begins to believe that he is a new god, and will create a perfect world.
Enter the police of Japan and a super-secret agent known only as "L". L, played by Ken'ichi Matsuyama, is another gifted youngster whose quirky habits and large brain make him mesmerizing on screen. Matsuyama plays him like Donnie Darko mixed with a little Crispin Glover. In fact, Matsuyama's portrayal of the character has gotten him an enormous following in Japan, and there has already been a movie spinoff of Death Note that centers entirely around L.
What ensues is a thrilling cat and mouse battle of the wits between Light and L, as the audience is left to choose what side of the battle they lie on. Light is using his power to kill criminals and create a better world, but he also doesn't hesitate to stop anyone who gets in his way. It's a gift of a moral quandry, wrapped up in a police thriller, with a supernatural bow on top.
