I like that Ryuk makes it obvious that he’s on neither L.’s nor Kira’s side. Seeing his reactions to the world around him was a lot of fun! I especially loved the scene when Light told him he’d have to go without apples for a while because his house had been bugged with cameras and Ryuk absolutely freaked out! He comes off as genuinely likable and funny. Nakamura plays Ryuk as the rogue, cackling Shinigami and I actually really like his performance. Let’s start with the voice actor, though. Ryuk’s section might be a little longer than the others, because there’s more to cover than just the voice actor’s performance. It’s a small thing, but it really made his character all the more special and eccentric. The voice synthesizer and single “L” on the screen looked exactly like it did in the manga. Little things like him being asked to be called “Ryuzaki” by the investigation team or his habit of sitting in chairs with his knees raised were really nice to see.Įven when he wasn’t on screen and we only saw the laptop he used to communicate with the rest of the police force, I appreciated the smaller details the film got right. I like that the writing really stuck to the manga with the smaller details. I really appreciated his performance, as the writing for him was faithful to the manga and really worked to build up his character. Matsuyama plays the character as this reclusive genius who is obsessed with sweets. L.’s character is pretty much exactly the same as he was portrayed in the manga, being behind closed doors at first before revealing himself to the task force late in the first film. I’ll talk more about the scheme when I discuss his girlfriend in a bit. I was surprised at just how far he went, but the scheme showed how evil he was, and I really appreciate that the film got that right. This, in turn, works in building him up as the maniacal, cunning genius he was in the manga. Light’s plan to get on the Task Force – once revealed – shows him as heartless and uncaring toward others. However, things get complicated when Light kills the FBI agent tailing him in order to escape suspicion and the agent’s fiancée witnesses his death. This scheme is hinted at when Light asks his father if he can be involved in the Kira investigation early on in the film. Light from then on launches a scheme to find and eliminate the real L. deduces from this that Light cannot kill unless he has the name and face of the person he wishes to murder. has a death row inmate pose as him on television, Light kills him. allows us to see that Light’s pride and arrogance guides his actions as Kira. The introduction of the reclusive detective L. Tatsuya Fujiwara plays Light well, showing how he balances being Kira the killer while still maintaining a certain degree of likability when he is around his other family members and friends. Light is introduced as a law student who supports Kira publicly while actually being him behind closed doors. Light Yagami (played by Tatsuya Fujiwara) It lets the viewer know right away what the Death Note is and what it does, explaining the rise of Kira before we even get a glimpse at the main character behind him. The opening of the film is actually one of my favorite parts of it, with the audience being treated to Light writing names down in the Death Note and the resulting deaths of the criminals. Part I of the duology handles the introduction of Light Yagami as the cold-hearted killer Kira. embarrasses Light on live television by proving that he is unable to kill him, Light launches a scheme to get on the police task force to kill L. When the police get involved with trying to figure out who Kira is, Light finds himself in a struggle with the enigmatic detective L. The film introduces the string of heart attack deaths targeting criminals as the mysterious godlike persona known as Kira. Part I opens with Light Yagami writing names in the Death Note and the resulting demises. But it is the story of Death Note and I found myself excited as I went along for the ride. Part I of this duology is engaging, intense, dark, and I loved a lot about how it handled the story of Death Note. The CGI used for the death gods isn’t great and the special effects need work but – despite all that – I found myself caught up in the story of Death Note all over again. At least it tries to capture the spirit of the original source. I saw the 2017 Netflix live action film and – unlike that disaster of a film – this story is faithful (for the most part) to the manga.