Death Note II: the Last Name is the sequel to the phenomenal hit live-action movie Death Note, based on the hit manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The Death Note live-action DVD, released in September 2008, was ranked as #1 in Japanese Films in North America and #34 in the Live-Action category. As the sequel of Death Note and once again directed by the renowned monster filmmaker Shusuke Kaneko, Death Note II: the Last Name concludes the titanic battle between the two geniuses Light and L. The DVD is distributed in North America by VIZ Media.

Death Note is the story of Light Yagami, a very smart young college student and son of a Police Detective. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the “Death Note”, lying on the ground. The Death Note’s instructions claim that if a person’s name is written within it, that person shall die. Light is initially skeptical of the notebook’s authenticity, but after experimenting with it, he realizes that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, a Shinigami (Death Reaper) named Ryuk, Light seeks to become “the God of the New World” by passing his judgement on those he deems to be evil or who get in his way.

Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of the International Police Organization and a mysterious detective known only as “L”. L quickly learns that the serial killer, dubbed by the public as “Kira”, derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the word “killer”), is located in Japan. L also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a game of psychological cat and mouse between the two begins.

This story is one of the best examples of how the Manga/Anime genre coming out of Japan is crossing all boundaries of story telling. The film is not a detective story or whodunit, but rather a true suspense film about two highly intelligent young men trying very hard to fulfill their own destiny. Early in the first part, Light is a vigilante and can be viewed with a rather sympathetic eye, but that fades quickly when he becomes corrupted by the absolute power he has and the belief in his own righteous mission. L is a recluse and very cold and calculating and lacks a human nature that would make the audience support his cause.

The depth of both characters is well explored and visually portrayed. The film does make some changes from the Manga and Anime versions, but the changes do not lessen the impact of the story line. All of the major characters are well thought out and brought to life in the film.

Although, it would be well advised to see the first installment of this story. One could easily understand what is going on in within the first 15 minutes. Any lover of suspense would enjoy this film and many who are just fans of good moves will want to spend the time to get to know these characters better.

Death Note II: the Last Name is well produced and well acted. I found myself getting more involved as the film progressed an trying to figure out what Light and L were going to do next. You always know who the killer is, the real question is how does L know and what is he going to do to catch him. With every twist and turn, this story delivers more and more depth. It is a must see.

ComicsOnline gives Death Note II: the Last Name 5 out of 5 Shinigami’s icy touches.