L: Change the World

Last updated
L: Change the World
L - Change the World (2008 film) poster.jpg
Film poster advertising this film in Japan
Directed by Hideo Nakata
Written by
Based on
Produced by
  • Seiji Okuda
  • Nobuhiro Iizuka
  • Takahiro Kobashi
  • Takahiro Sato
  • Tadashi Tanaka
Starring
CinematographyTokusho Kikumura
Music by Kenji Kawai
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures Japan
Release dates
  • 9 February 2008 (2008-02-09)(Japan)
  • 29 April 2009 (2009-04-29)(US)
Running time
129 minutes
CountryJapan
Languages
Box office $35.99 million

L: Change the World (stylized as L: change the WorLd) is a 2008 Japanese thriller film and a spin-off to the Death Note film series. [1] 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. It is set during the events of Death Note 2: The Last Name .

Contents

The film is directed by Hideo Nakata, and it stars actor Kenichi Matsuyama as the character L Lawliet. [2] Furthermore, child actor Narushi Fukuda stars as Nate "Near" River, while child actress Mayuko Fukuda plays the role of Maki Nikaido, a character who does not appear in the original manga. [2]

The film was first released in Hong Kong on 7 February 2008. It was subsequently released in the Japanese box office on 9 February 2008. [1] Additionally, two different versions of the film were shown in the United States on 29 and 30 April 2009 respectively.

Plot

In the final 23 days of L's life, he takes on one final case involving a bioterrorist group that aims to wipe out much of humanity with a virus. The virus has an infection rate that is one hundred times the infection rate of the Ebola virus. During this case, he takes a young boy with a gift for calculations, the sole survivor of the virus's use in a village in Thailand, and an elementary school student named Maki Nikaido under his wing.

Dr. Nikaido later receives 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 to her. He destroys the antidote and injects himself with the virus. 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 and escapes. She eventually finds L's headquarters. However, the group manages to track Maki down, forcing L, accompanied by Maki and the boy, to run away in a high-tech crepe truck; Maki had also injected herself with the virus beforehand and tried to use her infection to murder Kujo out of hatred for her father's homicidal death, but there were no signs of infection throughout the journey of the trio's escape. The trio also received the help of FBI agent Hideaki Suruga during the escape.

They escape to Nikaido's research partner Dr Matsudo's lab because they need his help to recreate the antidote. Initially reluctant, Matsudo agreed after sensing L's determination and after running some tests, he found that the reason Maki did not show signs of infection was because of her low blood sugar, and the virus was unable to infect her rapidly enough since it depends on sugar to do so. When they did not seem to get to any closer to achieving a positive outcome for a cure, the boy had solved a mathematical puzzle left behind by Maki's father, which turned out to be a crucial hint to making the antidote. Using this hint, and upon hearing from L that the boy was the sole survivor of the Thai village which the virus destroyed in the start of the film (he was possibly immune), Matsudo decided to try using some of the boy's blood for a test to create the antidote. During the tests to create the antidote, Maki was kidnapped by Kujo and her accomplices when she sneaked off and attempted to murder Kujo to avenge her father.

With the help of the boy, L manages to acquire the antidote just as the terrorists are about to take Maki, who started to show signs of infection, to the US to spread the virus. L stops the plane and gives all the infected passengers, including the surviving terrorists, the antidote. Maki then tries to kill Kujo out of revenge, but L stops her, telling her that killing Kujo would not bring back her father. Kujo and the terrorists are then arrested. Maki wakes up in a hospital, fully cured, with her stuffed bear next to her and a recording from L telling her to have a good day tomorrow. The film concludes with L leaving the young boy in the care of Wammy's House, the orphanage where he grew up. Before leaving, L christens the until-then-unnamed boy "Near."

After the end credits, L is seen back in his room eating a chocolate bar and leaving momentarily. The film ends with the words "L Lawliet, Rest in Peace" on a black screen.

Cast

English Dubbed Cast

Production

The spin-off of the film series Death Note was announced on 29 May 2007. [3] It was announced that the shooting of this film took place in the summer of 2007. [3] A trailer was also posted to the film's official website. [3]

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. [4]

The theme song of the film is "I'll Be Waiting" by Lenny Kravitz.

Release

L: Change the World was first released in the Japanese box office on 9 February 2008. [5] It was screened on 398 cinema screens throughout Japan on its opening day. [6] On the same day, this film was also released in Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand. [5] [7] It was subsequently released in Singapore on 21 February 2008, and in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2008.

L: Change the World had a limited two-day screening in the United States. [8] Two versions, a subtitled version with Japanese audio and an English-dubbed version, were shown on 29 and 30 April 2009 respectively. [8] The latter version had the same voice actors doing the voice-over as the other English-dubbed versions of Death Note. [8] This film was released in the US by publisher Viz Media. [8]

The film was released on DVD in the United States on 18 August 2009.

Reception

Box office

L: Change the World was the highest-grossing film at the Japanese box office during its debut weekend. [6] It grossed a total of ¥846 million and had 677,000 admissions during the first three days. [6] It also set the record for the highest grossing and most watched film over a two-day period. [6] 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. [9]

L: Change the World is the 10th highest-grossing film of 2008 in Japan. [10] According to the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, this film earned a total of ¥3.1 billion ($29.99 million) at the Japanese box office in the year 2008. [10] Overseas, the film grossed $6,003,340, [11] bringing its worldwide total to $35,993,340.

Critical reception

Rodney Perkins from Twitch 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.". [12] He also added that L's "idiosyncrasies seem more distracting than anything else", although he concedes that "they are completely true to the character". [12] 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.". [12]

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". [13] 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". [13] However, he did praise the film's development of L's character. [13]

Merchandise

TV spinoff

A spinoff of L: Change the World focusing on Touta Matsuda was announced to air on Japanese television. Sōta Aoyama reprised his role of Matsuda for the shooting of the theatrical film. However, all of his scenes were cut to be combined with additional scenes shot later to create the TV special. [14]

Novel

On 9 November 2007, it was announced that the film L: Change the World would be adapted into a light novel of the same name. [15] The writer of this novel was not revealed, though it was credited to "M", a pseudonym of Mello, one of L's successors. [15] Although the storyline of the novel is based on the film, additional scenes not present in the film are included in the novel. [15]

This novel was first published in Japan by Shūeisha, and it was released on 25 December 2007. [16] Publisher Viz Media translated this novel into English, and it released the novel within North America on 20 October 2009. [17] This light novel became the second-bestselling book in Japan for the year 2008, selling a total of 121,046 copies. [18] It was second only to the light novel that was based on the manga Gintama , which sold 157,754 copies. [18]

Photo book

Actor Kenichi Matsuyama released a photo book of himself using the identity of "L". [19] The photo book was released at the same time the film was released. [19] The photos in the book were photographed by Mika Ninagawa, who reportedly came up with the idea of releasing a photo book. [19] The photos were taken during the period of August to September 2007 and were taken at locations like Shibuya Center Gai and Hanayashiki Amusement Park in Asakusa district. [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>JoJos Bizarre Adventure</i> Japanese manga series by Hirohiko Araki

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly seinen manga magazine Ultra Jump in 2005. The series is divided into a total of nine story arcs, each following a new protagonist bearing the "JoJo" nickname. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is the largest ongoing manga series published by Shueisha by number of volumes, with its chapters collected in 133 tankōbon volumes as of December 2023.

<i>Marmalade Boy</i> Manga and anime series

Marmalade Boy is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Wataru Yoshizumi. It was published in Shueisha's shōjo manga magazine Ribon from May 1992 to October 1995 and collected in eight tankōbon volumes. The series was adapted by Toei Animation as a 76-episode anime television series which aired on TV Asahi in 1994 to 1995. This was followed by a prequel theatrical anime movie in 1995. The series was also adapted as a 30-episode live-action television series that was broadcast in Taiwan in 2002. A live-action film adaptation was released in Japan by Warner Bros. Pictures on April 27, 2018.

<i>Hana-Kimi</i> Shōjo manga series written by Hisaya Nakajo

Hana-Kimi: For You in Full Blossom, is a shōjo manga series written by Hisaya Nakajo. The manga was serialized in Japan in Hakusensha's semi-monthly shōjo manga magazine, Hana to Yume. The series was concluded with the Japanese release of volume 23 in August 2004.

<i>Death Note</i> Japanese manga series and franchise

Death Note is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazineWeekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006, with its chapters collected in 12 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Light Yagami, a genius high school student who discovers a mysterious notebook: the "Death Note", which belonged to the shinigami Ryuk, and grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages. The series centers around Light's subsequent attempts to use the Death Note to carry out a worldwide massacre of individuals whom he deems immoral and to create a crime-free society, using the alias of a god-like vigilante named "Kira", and the subsequent efforts of an elite Japanese police task force, led by enigmatic detective L, to apprehend him.

VIZ Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. 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 owned by Japanese publishing conglomerates Shueisha and Shogakukan, as well as Japanese production company Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (ShoPro). In 2017, Viz Media was the largest publisher of graphic novels in the United States in the bookstore market, with a 23% share of the market.

<i>Chibi Vampire</i> Japanese manga, light novel, and anime television series

Chibi Vampire, originally released in Japan as Karin, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuna Kagesaki. The story is about an unusual vampiress girl, who instead of drinking blood must inject it into others because she produces too much. Chibi Vampire first premiered in the shōnen magazine Monthly Dragon Age in the October 2003 issue, and ran until February 2008. The individual chapters were published by Kadokawa Shoten into fourteen collected volumes. Later an anime series for "Chibi Vampire" was also produced in 2005. This anime series has a somewhat similar but different story and ending.

<i>King of Thorn</i> Japanese manga series

King of Thorn is a Japanese fantastique manga series written and illustrated by Yuji Iwahara. It was published by Enterbrain in the seinen magazine Monthly Comic Beam between October 2002 and October 2005 and collected in six bound volumes. It is licensed in North America by Tokyopop, with the final volume published in November 2008. The series is about a group of people who are put in suspended animation to escape a mysterious plague that turns people to stone, and upon waking there appears to be only seven survivors in a world run wild—including a Japanese teenage girl named Kasumi Ishiki and a British man named Marco Owen. The survivors soon discover that the entire ruin is filled with strange, dinosaur-like creatures and other monstrous aberrations of nature. Thinking that a great amount of time passed since their arrival on the island, soon the survivors discover not only that their sleep was indeed too short to label such dramatic changes as natural occurrence, but also that the situation in and of itself is far greater than they could imagine.

<i>Trinity Blood</i> Japanese light novel series and media franchise

Trinity Blood is a series of Japanese light novels written by Sunao Yoshida with illustrations by Thores Shibamoto and originally serialized in The Sneaker. Set 900 years after an apocalyptic war between humans and vampires, the series focuses on the ongoing cold war between the Vatican, the human government, and the "New Human Empire", the government of the vampiric Methuselah. Fighting on the Vatican's side is Abel Nightroad, a Crusnik—a vampire that feeds on vampires. The novels blend science fiction, fantasy, and political intrigue, with some in the Vatican and the Empire striving for peace, and the Rosen Kreuz Order doing anything in its power to stop it.

<i>Venus Versus Virus</i> Japanese manga series & its franchise

Venus Versus Virus is a Japanese manga series created by Atsushi Suzumi which was first serialized on June 27, 2005 in MediaWorks' shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao!. The manga ended serialization in Dengeki Comic Gao! on February 27, 2008 due to the magazine's discontinuation, but the manga continued serialization in ASCII Media Works' manga magazine Dengeki Daioh between March 21 and July 26, 2008. Eight bound volumes have been released by ASCII Media Works in Japan. The manga has been licensed for English language distribution by North American–based company Seven Seas Entertainment; the first volume was released in July 2007. Later, a drama CD was created based on the manga series in October 2006. The series has since been adapted into an anime produced by Studio Hibari that aired in Japan between January and March 2007 on BS-i, consisting of twelve episodes.

<i>Stardust Crusaders</i> Third story arc of JoJos Bizarre Adventure

Stardust Crusaders is the third story arc of the manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. The arc was serialized for a little over 3 years. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from April 3, 1989, to April 27, 1992, for 152 chapters, which were later collected into 16 tankōbon volumes. In its original publication, it was known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3 Jotaro Kujo: Heritage for the Future. The arc was preceded by Battle Tendency and followed by Diamond Is Unbreakable.

L (<i>Death Note</i>) Fictional character from Death Note

L Lawliet, known mononymously as L, is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. He is an enigmatic, mysterious, and highly-esteemed international consulting detective whose true identity and background is kept a secret. He communicates with law enforcement agencies only through his equally inexplicable handler/assistant, Watari, who serves as his official liaison with the authorities. Though his past is shrouded in mystery, he has gained a reputation as arguably the world's greatest detective/criminal profiler.

<i>Death Note</i> (2006 film) 2006 film by Shusuke Kaneko

Death Note is a 2006 Japanese supernatural thriller film based on the manga series of the same title by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The film primarily center on a Tokyo college student who attempts to change the world into a utopian society without crime, by committing a world-wide massacre of criminals and people whom he deems morally unworthy of life, through a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in the pages, while being hunted down by an elite task-force of law enforcement officers within Tokyo, led by an enigmatic international detective. The film was directed by Shusuke Kaneko, produced by Nippon Television, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. The film was licensed by VIZ Pictures, Warner Bros.

<i>Gosick</i> Japanese light novel series

Gosick is a Japanese light novel series written by Kazuki Sakuraba, with illustrations by Hinata Takeda. The series includes 13 novels published by Fujimi Shobo between December 2003 and July 2011. Set in a fictional European country in 1924, a Japanese exchange student meets a mysterious, brilliant girl who only leaves the library to sleep. Her brother, a detective, relies on her exceptional mind to solve difficult mysteries. Tokyopop released the first two novels in English in North America. A manga adaptation drawn by Sakuya Amano was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age magazine. A 24-episode anime adaptation by Bones aired between January and July 2011. A collection of side stories titled GosickS was published between 2005 and 2011, while a sequel novel series named Gosick New Continent was released in between 2013 and 2016.

<i>Rosario + Vampire</i> Japanese manga series

Rosario + Vampire is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akihisa Ikeda. The story revolves around Tsukune Aono, a boy who inadvertently enrolls in a boarding school for monsters. He quickly befriends Moka Akashiya, a vampire who soon develops an obsession with his blood, and later meets other monster girls who soon take a romantic liking to him. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shonen Jump from April 2004 to June 2007, when the magazine ceased its publication. An extra chapter was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in September 2007. The chapters were collected in ten tankōbon volumes.

<i>Monochrome Factor</i> Japanese manga series

Monochrome Factor is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaili Sorano. It was first serialized in Mag Garden's bi-monthly manga magazine Comic Blade Masamune in May 2004. However, when the magazine ceased publication, the manga began serialization in the new and revamped magazine, Comic Blade Avarus, in September 2007.

<i>Himitsu – Top Secret</i> Japanese manga series

Himitsu – Top Secret is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Reiko Shimizu. It has been serialized in Melody.

<i>Guilty Crown</i> Japanese anime television series and its franchise

Guilty Crown is a 2011 Japanese anime television series produced by Production I.G which aired on Fuji TV's noitamina program block from October 13, 2011. The story revolves around Shu Ouma, a high school boy who comes into possession of an ability called the "Power of the King" allowing him to draw out items called "Voids" from other people. He is then thrown into the conflict between a quasi-governmental organization known as GHQ and a rebel organization called Funeral Parlor which aims to restore Japan's independence from the GHQ. In the process, Shu has to deal with the burden his ability puts on his shoulders and the horrific mystery of his past.

<i>Jinsei</i> Japanese light novel series

Jinsei, subtitled La Bonne Vie, is a Japanese light novel series written by Ougyo Kawagishi and illustrated by Meruchi Nanase. Ten volumes were published by Shogakukan from January 2012 to March 2015 under their Gagaga Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation was serialized in Shogakukan's Monthly Sunday Gene-X magazine from February 2014 to March 2015, and was collected into three tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation by Feel aired from July to September 2014 under the title Life Counselling TV Animation "Jinsei". Funimation licensed the series under the English title Jinsei - Life Consulting.

<i>Black Butler</i> (film) 2014 Japanese film

Black Butler is a 2014 Japanese period-style action fantasy film directed by Kentarō Ōtani and Keiichi Satō. The film is based on the manga of the same name by Yana Toboso.

References

  1. 1 2 "L change the WorLd on eiga.com". eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  2. 1 2 "L change the WorLd on allcinema". Stingray (in Japanese). Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  3. 1 2 3 "Death Note Spinoff, Appleseed Sequel Websites Launch". Anime News Network. 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  4. ↑ Kan, Saori (2008-03-23). "23 days to live". The Star . Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  5. 1 2 "「デスノート」スピンオフ、松山ケンイチ主演の「L」がクランクアップ！" (in Japanese). eiga.com. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  6. 1 2 3 4 ""L change the WorLd" starts strong". Tokyograph, Sankei Sports. 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2011-11-25. Translated from original article by Sankei Sports
  7. ↑ "Death Note Film Spinoff for Matsuda to Air in Japan". Anime News Network. 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Death Note: L, Change the World Gets a Two-Night Theatrical Run". Dread Central. 2011-03-06. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  9. ↑ "松山ケンイチ感激！「L」観客動員数200万人突破を達成" (in Japanese). 2008-03-05. Archived from the original on 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  10. 1 2 "Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan Report for Year 2008". Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc. (in Japanese). Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  11. ↑ "Box Office Mojo". IMDb.com, Inc. 2008-11-05. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  12. 1 2 3 "AFFD Review: L: CHANGE THE WORLD". Twitch Film. 2008-08-17. Archived from the original on 2012-06-28. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  13. 1 2 3 "L: Change the World review". Love HK Film. 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  14. ↑ "Death Note Film Spinoff for Matsuda to Air in Japan". Anime News Network .
  15. 1 2 3 "『デスノート』L主役のスピンアウト、小説版は著名作家がM名義で書き下ろし" (in Japanese). Oricon, Inc. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  16. ↑ "L change the world" (in Japanese). Shūeisha. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  17. ↑ L change the world. VIZ Media LLC. 20 October 2009. ISBN   978-1421532257.
  18. 1 2 "2008's Top-Selling Light Novels in Japan (Updated)". Anime News Network. 2009-01-04. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Kenichi Matsuyama to release photobook as L". Tokyograph. 2007-10-23. Retrieved 2011-11-25. Translated from the original article by Sponichi Annex
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.