Ten years after the last DEATH NOTE film, sequel DEATH NOTE: LIGHT UP THE NEW WORLD continues the series’ success at the box office, grossing over S$530,000 in just 6 days. The Death Note story has captivated audiences worldwide with its sensational setting that involves a supernatural notebook (the ‘Death Note’) that kills anyone whose name is written in it.
DEATH NOTE: LIGHT UP THE NEW WORLD takes place 10 years after the final confrontation between Kira and L which resulted in their deaths. Again, Death Notes are sent around the world, and a ripple of mass murders caused by the Death Notes occur in the United States, Japan and elsewhere.
A new Death Note task force is set up, helmed by Mishima (Masahiro Higashide), and aided by famous private detective Ryuzaki (Sousuke Ikematsu), who is the rightful successor of L. They discover that 6 Death Notes currently exist in the world, and that a cyber terrorist by the name of Yuki Shien (Masaki Suda) is trying to gather all of them, under the guise of being ‘Kira’.
Fans of the Death Note series will no doubt have an affinity for L but since his death, his duties have been taken over by Ryuzaki, who has L’s genius DNA (they don’t use the word ‘child’ though). Despite that, don’t expect Ryuzaki’s personality to be as quirky as L’s – of all the characters in the film, it seems his presence is the weakest. It could be because he doesn’t say or do much for most of the film and wears a weird mask. Much of the investigation is also shouldered by Mishima, who happens to be a Death Note otaku.
The plot of the film is rather simple (or convoluted depending on how you look at it). After Kira’s death, his devoted follower, Yuki, is on a mission to collect all 6 Death Notes in order to finish what Kira started – basically to kill criminals without judgement. His whole mission was to gather the 6 Notes and meet ‘Kira’ at a pre-arranged site dictated a decade ago.
Along the way, the cat-and-mouse chase between the Death Note squad and Yuki (who has all the Death Notes) is peppered with enough action and mystery – who is Kira? – to keep you entertained. However, there were also some questions raised.
For instance, the hunt for the 6 Death Notes – which were supposedly spread around the world – almost all centre around Japan (basically just Tokyo). And while we get to see other Shinigamis (Death Gods) that are associated with each Death Note, including a roach-like female that’s attached to Ryuzaki himself (yes, he owns a Death Note), we only get to see one Shinigami (Ryuk, who appeared in the first film) even though Yuki has 4 of the Death Notes in hand.
Issues of trust and betrayal seem to be the theme of the movie, and things get all confusing when Ryuzaki reveals the whole plot… right at the end. It’s a surprise conclusion that basically reveals that nobody is who they think they are. It appears that Mishima’s role is a lot bigger than anybody ever expected. We’re not revealing any spoilers, but it’s fair to say that the ending will leave you with a big WTF moment.
DEATH NOTE LIGHT UP THE NEW WORLD is now showing in cinemas.
