L: Change the WorLd
Encyclopedia
is a 2008 Japanese film that is a spin-off
to the Death Note film series
. Although the film is inspired by the manga Death Note
that was written by Tsugumi Ohba
and illustrated by Takeshi Obata
, it follows an original storyline. The film is set before the ending of Death Note II: The Last Name, which features the film version of L's death.
The film is directed by Hideo Nakata
, and it stars actor Kenichi Matsuyama as the character "L". Furthermore, child actor Narushi Fukuda stars as Near, while child actress Mayuko Fukuda
plays the role of Maki Nikaido, a character who does not appear in the original manga.
The film was first released in Hong Kong
on February 7, 2008. It was subsequently released in the Japan
ese box office on 9 February 2008. Additionally, two different versions of the film were shown in the United States
on 29 and 30 April 2009 respectively.
. The virus has an infection rate that is ten times the infection rate of the Ebola
virus. He takes a boy he names Near
, the sole survivor of its use in a village in Thailand
, and an elementary school student named Maki Nikaido under his wing.
Dr. Nikaido later received a sample of the deadly virus which destroyed that village in Thailand. His assistant, Dr. Kimiko Kujo, reveals herself to be the leader of the organization that created the virus. Dr. Nikaido, who has created an antidote to that virus, refuses to give it her. She later kills him, and she is convinced that his daughter Maki has the antidote formula.
Under the pursuit of Dr. Kimiko Kujo and her assistants, Maki runs escapes. She eventually found L's headquarters. However, the group manages to track Maki down, forcing L, accompanied by Maki and Near, to run away with a high-tech truck. They also received the help of FBI agent Hideaki Suruga during the escape.
They escape to Nikaido's research partner's lab, because they needed his help to recreate the antidote. Using Near, L manages to acquire the antidote just as the terrorists are about to take an infected Maki to the US to spread the virus. L stops the plane and gives all the infected passengers, including the terrorist, the antidote. Maki then tries to kill Kujo for revenge, but L stops her. The film concludes with L leaving Near and giving him his "real name".
was revealed on 29 May 2007. It was announced that the shooting of this film took place in the summer of 2007. A trailer was also posted to the film's official website.
Director Hideo Nakata told The Daily Yomiuri that he wanted to reveal L's "human side," which had not been explored in the Death Note
series.
ese box office on 9 February 2008. It was screened on 398 cinema screens throughout Japan on its opening day. On the same day, this film was also released in Taiwan
, Korea
, Hong Kong
and Thailand
. It was subsequently released in Singapore on February 21, 2008, and in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2008.
L: Change the World had a limited two-day screening in the United States. Two versions, a subtitled version with Japanese audio and an English-dubbed version, were shown on 29 and 30 April 2009 respectively. The latter version had the same voice actors doing the voice-over as the the other English-dubbed versions of Death Note. This film was released in the US by publisher Viz Media
.
The film was released on DVD in the US on August 18, 2009.
L: Change the World is the 10th highest grossing film of 2008 in Japan. According to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, this film earned a total of 3.1 billion yen in the Japanese box office for the year of 2008.
The reviewer for Love HK Films, Kozo, describes L: Change the World as a "fan service for fans", and added that the film "is neither groundbreaking nor noteworthy". He said that although "Rabid fans of the blockbuster manga adaptations will probably find this to be a suitable reward for their unabated fandom", the "uninitiated may need to take a crash course in Death Note lore". However, he did praise this film for developing L's character.
This novel was first published in Japan by Shūeisha
, and it was released on 25 December 2007. Publisher Viz Media
translated this novel into English, and it released the novel within North America
on October 20, 2009. This light novel became the second-bestselling book in Japan for the year 2008, selling a total of 121,046 copies. It was second only to the light novel that was based on the manga Gintama
, which sold 157,754 copies.
". The photo book was released at the same time as the release of this film. The photos in this book was photographed by Mika Ninagawa, who reportedly came up with the idea of releasing a photo book. The photos were taken during the period from August to September 2007, and they were taken at locations like Shibuya Center Gai and Hanayashiki Amusement Park
in Asakusa
district.
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
to the Death Note film series
Death Note (film)
is a series of two live-action Japanese films released in 2006 and based on the Death Note manga and anime series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The films primarily center on a university student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone...
. Although the film is inspired by the manga Death Note
Death Note
is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
that was written by Tsugumi Ohba
Tsugumi Ohba
is a writer best known for the manga Death Note. His real identity is a closely guarded secret. As stated by the profile placed at the beginning of each Death Note manga, Ohba collects teacups and develops manga plots while holding his knees on a chair, similar to a habit of L, one of the main...
and illustrated by Takeshi Obata
Takeshi Obata
is a Japanese manga artist. He works as the artist in collaboration with a writer. He has also mentored several manga artists, including Kentaro Yabuki of Black Cat fame, Nobuhiro Watsuki of Rurouni Kenshin and Busou Renkin, and Yusuke Murata of Eyeshield 21.He originally became noticed in 1985...
, it follows an original storyline. The film is set before the ending of Death Note II: The Last Name, which features the film version of L's death.
The film is directed by Hideo Nakata
Hideo Nakata
Hideo Nakata is a Japanese filmmaker.-Life and career:Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as Ring , Ring 2 and Dark Water...
, and it stars actor Kenichi Matsuyama as the character "L". Furthermore, child actor Narushi Fukuda stars as Near, while child actress Mayuko Fukuda
Mayuko Fukuda
, born on August 4, 1994 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese child actress who made her debut in 1998. She is contracted to talent agency FLaMme.Her father, Kenji Fukuda, is a drummer in the band Kasutera.- Profile :*Nicknames: , *Interests: art...
plays the role of Maki Nikaido, a character who does not appear in the original manga.
The film was first released in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
on February 7, 2008. It was subsequently released in the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese box office on 9 February 2008. Additionally, two different versions of the film were shown in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 29 and 30 April 2009 respectively.
Plot
In the final 23 days of L's life, he meets one final case involving a bioterrorist group that aims to wipe out much of humanity with a virusVirus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
. The virus has an infection rate that is ten times the infection rate of the Ebola
Ebola
Ebola virus disease is the name for the human disease which may be caused by any of the four known ebolaviruses. These four viruses are: Bundibugyo virus , Ebola virus , Sudan virus , and Taï Forest virus...
virus. He takes a boy he names Near
Near (Death Note)
, universally referred to by the mononym , is a fictional character who is one of the main antagonists in the manga series Death Note, and is a supporting protagonist in the film L: Change the World...
, the sole survivor of its use in a village in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and an elementary school student named Maki Nikaido under his wing.
Dr. Nikaido later received a sample of the deadly virus which destroyed that village in Thailand. His assistant, Dr. Kimiko Kujo, reveals herself to be the leader of the organization that created the virus. Dr. Nikaido, who has created an antidote to that virus, refuses to give it her. She later kills him, and she is convinced that his daughter Maki has the antidote formula.
Under the pursuit of Dr. Kimiko Kujo and her assistants, Maki runs escapes. She eventually found L's headquarters. However, the group manages to track Maki down, forcing L, accompanied by Maki and Near, to run away with a high-tech truck. They also received the help of FBI agent Hideaki Suruga during the escape.
They escape to Nikaido's research partner's lab, because they needed his help to recreate the antidote. Using Near, L manages to acquire the antidote just as the terrorists are about to take an infected Maki to the US to spread the virus. L stops the plane and gives all the infected passengers, including the terrorist, the antidote. Maki then tries to kill Kujo for revenge, but L stops her. The film concludes with L leaving Near and giving him his "real name".
Cast
- Kenichi Matsuyama as LL (Death Note), widely known by the letter , is a fictional character in the manga series Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Considered the world's greatest detective, he lives in secrecy...
- Narushi Fukuda as NearNear (Death Note), universally referred to by the mononym , is a fictional character who is one of the main antagonists in the manga series Death Note, and is a supporting protagonist in the film L: Change the World...
- Mayuko FukudaMayuko Fukuda, born on August 4, 1994 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese child actress who made her debut in 1998. She is contracted to talent agency FLaMme.Her father, Kenji Fukuda, is a drummer in the band Kasutera.- Profile :*Nicknames: , *Interests: art...
as - Shingo TsurumiShingo Tsurumi- TV :* Antoki no Inochi * Kamen Rider Fourze * Yakuza Weapon * Umechan Sensei * Ningen Konchuki * Brutus No Shinzo * LADY~Saigo no Hanzai Profile~...
as - Youki KudohYouki Kudohis a Japanese actress and singer. She won the award for best newcomer at the 6th Yokohama Film Festival for The Crazy Family. She also won the award for best actress at the 16th Hochi Film Award for War and Youth.-Filmography:-External links:* *...
as aka K - Sei HiraizumiSei Hiraizumiis a Japanese actor.Hiraizumi starred as Koichi Matsudo in L: Change the WorLd. and he also starred in Osaka Tough Guys.-External links:* http://info.movies.yahoo.co.jp/detail/typs/id119631/...
as - Bokuzō MasanaBokuzo Masanais a Japanese actor.Masana starred as Asao Konishi in L: Change the WorLd.-External links:...
as - Yuta KanaiYuta Kanaiis a Japanese actor.Kanai starred as Tamotsu Yoshizawa in L: Change the WorLd. He has also starred in Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit.-External links:*...
as - Megumi SatoMegumi Sato (actress)in Tokyo, Japan is a Japanese actress and television personality.-Television dramas:*Chiritotechin as Kiyomi Wada*Sunadokei as Ann Minase*Taiyo no Uta as Misaki Matsumae*Aru Ai no Uta as Shiami Shirai*Hana Yori Dango as Sakurako Sanjo*H2 as Satomi Nakata...
as - Renji Ishibashi as
- Kiyotaka NanbaraKiyotaka Nanbarais a Japanese comedian known as a member of the manzai duo Utchan Nanchan along with Teruyoshi Uchimura. He is the boke of the two.-Career:...
as - Masanobu TakashimaMasanobu Takashimais a Japanese film and television actor.-Career:He has appeared in over twenty television productions and ten films in Japan and other countries as well....
as - Shunji FujimuraShunji Fujimurais a Japanese actor from Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan. He appeared in the second series of Monkey as the horse. He appears in the Death Note live-action movie as Quillsh Wammy A.K.A...
as Watari - Kazuki NamiokaKazuki Namiokais a Japanese actor from Osaka Prefecture. Some of his more prominent roles have been as Shirō Jin'no/Demon Knight in Genseishin Justirisers and Shishimaru/Lion-Maru in Lion-Maru G. He has also appeared in the Densha Otoko series, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and a guest appearance in...
as - Hao Ganhane as Azetsu Mokotu
- Erika TodaErika Toda, is a Japanese actress from Kobe. She originally debuted as a gravure model at age 13.She starred in many dramas like Liar Game, Code Blue, Ryusei no Kizuna and Keizoku 2: SPEC. She has had supporting roles in many popular Japanese TV dramas such as BOSS, Nobuta wo Produce, Engine and Gal Circle...
as Misa AmaneMisa Amane, also known as the second Kira is a fictional character in the Death Note anime, manga, and film series.-Conception and development:Tsugumi Ohba, writer of Death Note, decided to create Misa to be the second Kira before the serialization began... - Asaka SetoAsaka SetoAsaka Seto also known as Megumi Ieda, is a Japanese actress who works at Foster Management. She won the award for Best Actress at the 24th Yokohama Film Festival for Travail...
as Naomi Misora - Yōji Tanaka as
- Tatsuya FujiwaraTatsuya Fujiwarais a Japanese television and film actor.-Biography:Born in Saitama, Fujiwara has had an interest in acting from a young age.He is famous for acting the part of Shuya Nanahara in the controversial 2000 film Battle Royale and continues the character as a leader of the Wild Seven in the sequel, Battle...
as Light YagamiLight Yagami, also known as is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the manga and anime series Death Note. He is an extremely intelligent, athletic, popular, but bored young man who finds the Death Note dropped by the Shinigami Ryuk by sheer chance... - Ayui Naisora as Yagure Mokotu
Production
A spin-off of the film series Death NoteDeath Note (film)
is a series of two live-action Japanese films released in 2006 and based on the Death Note manga and anime series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The films primarily center on a university student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone...
was revealed on 29 May 2007. It was announced that the shooting of this film took place in the summer of 2007. A trailer was also posted to the film's official website.
Director Hideo Nakata told The Daily Yomiuri that he wanted to reveal L's "human side," which had not been explored in the Death Note
Death Note
is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
series.
Release
L: Change the World was first released in the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese box office on 9 February 2008. It was screened on 398 cinema screens throughout Japan on its opening day. On the same day, this film was also released in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It was subsequently released in Singapore on February 21, 2008, and in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2008.
L: Change the World had a limited two-day screening in the United States. Two versions, a subtitled version with Japanese audio and an English-dubbed version, were shown on 29 and 30 April 2009 respectively. The latter version had the same voice actors doing the voice-over as the the other English-dubbed versions of Death Note. This film was released in the US by publisher Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
.
The film was released on DVD in the US on August 18, 2009.
Box Office
L: Change the World is the highest-grossing film at the Japanese box office during its debut weekend. It grossed a total of 846 million yen and had 677,000 admissions during the first three days. It also set the record for the highest grossing and most watched film over a two day period. As of 5 March 2008, a total of 2,200,000 people went to watch the film, and the film grossed a total of around 2.5 billion yen.L: Change the World is the 10th highest grossing film of 2008 in Japan. According to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, this film earned a total of 3.1 billion yen in the Japanese box office for the year of 2008.
Critical Reception
Rodney Perkins from Twitch filmed criticized the film, saying that "it was somewhat difficult to see the appeal of L: Change the World to anyone beyond young people, and hardcore fans of the original films and the manga upon which it is based.". He also added that L's "idiosyncrasies seem more distracting then anything else", although he concedes that "they are completely true to the character". The reviewer ended by questioning "whether this enthusiasm [of the viewers] arises from the film itself, as opposed to its relationship to the broader Death Note phenomenon.".The reviewer for Love HK Films, Kozo, describes L: Change the World as a "fan service for fans", and added that the film "is neither groundbreaking nor noteworthy". He said that although "Rabid fans of the blockbuster manga adaptations will probably find this to be a suitable reward for their unabated fandom", the "uninitiated may need to take a crash course in Death Note lore". However, he did praise this film for developing L's character.
Novel
On 9 November 2007, its was announced that the film L: Change the World will be adapted into a light novel with the same name. The writer of this novel was not revealed, though it was credited to "M", which symbolize "mu", or nothingness, which is where the users of the death note ends up. Although the storyline of this novel is based on this film, additional scenes not present in this film are included in the novel. For example, this novel also reveals more information about L and his past.This novel was first published in Japan by Shūeisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
, and it was released on 25 December 2007. Publisher Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
translated this novel into English, and it released the novel within North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on October 20, 2009. This light novel became the second-bestselling book in Japan for the year 2008, selling a total of 121,046 copies. It was second only to the light novel that was based on the manga Gintama
Gintama
, also known as Gintama, is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi and serialized, beginning on December 8, 2003, in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump...
, which sold 157,754 copies.
Photo book
Actor Kenichi Matsuyama released a photo book of himself using the identity of "LL (Death Note)
, widely known by the letter , is a fictional character in the manga series Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Considered the world's greatest detective, he lives in secrecy...
". The photo book was released at the same time as the release of this film. The photos in this book was photographed by Mika Ninagawa, who reportedly came up with the idea of releasing a photo book. The photos were taken during the period from August to September 2007, and they were taken at locations like Shibuya Center Gai and Hanayashiki Amusement Park
Hanayashiki Amusement Park
is an amusement park in Taitō, Tokyo that has operated since 1853. It is operated by Hanayashiki Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. It is claimed to be the oldest amusement park in Japan.-External links:*...
in Asakusa
Asakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...
district.