Death Note Marathon

For me, a good fiction is something that will leave a deep impression upon me even after I finished watching or reading it. The last time it happened, it was around the end of last year after I read several chapters of NANA manga. I couldn't stop thinking about it to the point that I made a post to analyze the storyline. This past weekend though, my boyfriend and I had a Death Note movies marathon. I guess it happened again, I was too impressed by the movies and now I can't take my mind out of it xD

The first and the second movies, Death Note and Death Note II: the Last name, were based on the Death Note manga. I haven't finished reading the manga, but I can tell that there were some differences between the manga and the movie. I guess the movie was made different in order to tell the storyline more effectively and to dramatize it even more. To rate the storyline, I will give an A+ since it was so puzzling and captivating. You can't guess what's gonna happen next and it makes you wanting to know more and more.

UPDATE: The movies were unpredictable and kept me in suspense because I had never read the manga or watched the anime before. If you have done either one or both of them, it might not be that exciting for you anymore since you would have known the outcome of the story.

I had never read the manga before I watched the movies, so I wasn't sure if it was going to be good. I only knew what my friend roughly told me, it was about a book to kill people. It sounded like a horror story to me, so I was never interested in watching it. The library close to where my boyfriend lived just happened to have the movies, I decided to give it a try. I asked my boyfriend to watch it with me just in case it was really a horror movie (not that it would really make any differences whether I was watching it alone or with him, oh well... xD) Anyway, even for both of us who didn't know anything about it, I think the director did a good job in introducing the characters and telling the story.

About the main character, most of the times I thought of Kira as this crazy psycho guy, but there were other times I was amazed by his intelligence. I often thought, "This guy is smart! What will he do next?" or even "What?! What is he thinking? I don't understand him at all" It was kinda sad though when Kira was captured. Not because I was a supporter of him, but because I could empathize with the people around him. These people trusted him so much, but they were left disappointed when everything was revealed. The last scene in the second movie really drew out the sadness ;_;

About the other characters, L gave me the impression of a creepy guy. Hahaha... The way he sat, the way he picked up a phone, the way he stood, the way he ate sweets, they were all so creepy. My boyfriend and I kept laughing at his eccentric behaviors. Hahaha... Of course I also often thought "Man, this guy is also smart! What will he do next?" and something like "Who's gonna win? Is it him, or Kira?" In any case, my favorite character is not either Kira or L. It's Ryuk! His appearance was scary, but a devil that screamed "Eeeeeeeee????", now that was funny! There were his other antics that were so funny and refreshing, by the end of the first movie, I was already fond of his character. Hahaha...

The third movie, L change the WorLd, was not based on the manga (at least that's what I think), but it was using several pieces out of the manga, such as Naomi's case and the name Near. My boyfriend did not like this movie as much as the first and the second ones because this one is more predictable, but I really like it a lot! It showed L's emotions that were more humane: feeling anxious waiting for 'the time' to come, confused over what to do when he suddenly had to babysit a boy, and the feelings of care that he developed for the little kids, etc. I must say that Matsuyama Kenichi portrayed the character really well. Oh, before I forget, I should point out that there were more humor in this movie! No matter what, I definitely recommend this movie as well. It's not necessary to watch the first two Death Note movies before watching this, but it will be more interesting if you do.

After watching L change the WorLd, I became a fan of L too. Hahaha... I guess after watching those unknown sides of him, it was more easy to empathize with him (and to erase those creepy feelings that I sensed out of him). Now that I think about it, I think it was this movie that left a deep impression on me, particularly the last scene. I kept thinking about the Death Note storyline and characters, and now I have started reading the manga as well. So then, was it L that made me intrigued to read the manga? Oh dear... xD