Death Note-L: Change the World (Fourth Cultural Event/Extra Credit)

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(Not with the awesome Alessandro Juliani voice-over for L that I watched it with, but still really good all the same.)

Okay, so I went to see the third Death Note movie, L: Change the World.

Oh. My. God. *-*

And here I suspected that it would be...just bad overall, because it's a side-story that doesn't have much to do with the original plot to Death Note. The series consists of twelve manga (thirteen, if you count the How to Read), and thirty-seven episodes, so they had to chop the series in half when a particular character died to fit it into two movies. In doing so, they had to alter the ending a bit by taking advantage of other rules of the Death Note notebook...

Gah, I don't want to spoil too much. But in my overall opinion, the first movie was good. Second movie was...okay, but a little disappointing, since I found it didn't quite hold up to the quality of the second. Maybe it was just because they seemed to have more deviation from the original series with the ending in the second movie than with the first movie overall. But anyway, because of this, the major lack of relation to the original plot, and because some of the things I had seen in the trailers...Near/Nate River being played by a Thai boy when he's actually an albino, lack of Mello with a seeming-replacement of him by use of a Japanese girl named Maki, ect.), I thought it would turn out to be crap. But, being the major L fan that I am, I couldn't pass up going to see this.

How incredibly glad I did go to see it, too.

While the movie is based on the anime/manga Death Note, the movies are actually live action, and there isn't anyone better they could've chosen to play the role of L than Kenichi Matsuyama. And of course, once again he has managed to dominate the screen with a stunning performance. The movie plot-wise could possibly be accused of being a little cliche in plot (although I haven't seen other movies with the plot), where a group of hardcore ecoterrorists try to unleash a deadly virus upon the world that's about as deadly as ebola and at least ten times more infectious than influenza. Trust me, it's not pretty. And the case needs to be solved in less than twenty-three days, due to certain circumstances of L. But the elements of L just...being L make it all worth seeing.

For instance, his hot pink getaway van 'Angel Crepe' with all the latest up-to-date technology as well as a crepe-making machine and plenty of sweet condiments. The Batmobile has got nothing on this thing. And then him babysitting the kids... XD I don't think a better portrayal could've been pulled off to emphasize L's social awkwardness than Matsuyama/L's completely lost expression and desperate shifty eyes for a nonexistent person to take over the babysitting when the kids start crying, as well has his offers of skewered sweets and manhandling of the kids whenever trouble appeared (aka practically carrying Maki under one arm at one point and putting Near in a closet.) And since L normally tends to be a detective that works behind a desk more than on the field (although he does get out a bit and even plays some tennis and fight using capoeira in the anime/manga), there were the movement scenes that couldn't be denied of a good cackle-such as the hunched-over figure of L attempting to run into the boatyard, trying to stand up straight (and walk that way), riding a bike, and sitting on the train/swinging around on the hand bars on the ceiling like a monkey while people just stared with total 'Wtf?!' expressions. And the epic action scenes of plane-jumping and so on are just awesome.

It's also great getting to see more Whammy kids (genius orphans raised to be L's successors at a place called Whammy's House) like F and K, even if they are just movie incarnations. The babysitting scenes earn their cuteness and the scenes portraying L's relationship with his late surrogate father Watari earn its drama, but to keep it from being too much sap it swings into action scenes with the terrorists and a tad bit of gore with virus victims, so it all balances out in the end. You also get to see some of Japanese culture, such as cosplay cafes, Japanese sweets (green tea flavored bean paste?!), and some of Thai culture (even though the scenes of it at the beginning of the movie are brief.) Making it even better, you get to see some behind-the-scenes clips when you stick around after the movie.

And of course, there was candy throughout the movie. Plenty and plenty of candy.

For those that aren't familiar with the series or even the other movies, I definitely recommend this movie. For those that are fans of the series and/or movies, and especially for those that are fans of L/Kenichi Matsuyama...go see it. That's all I have to say. Just go see the movie-you will not be sorry. Even though the hardcore fans might be slightly disappointed at the lack of mind games the series is known for, it's packed with action and plenty of L scenes. The masterful acting skills of the actors (Kenichi Matsuyama especially), the unique quirks and twists thrown into it, all of that makes this movie a definite work of art.

   

Kenichi Matsuyama as L in Death Note-L: Change the World (above), the second picture (below) of him with Mayako Fukuda as Maki and Narushi Fukuda as Near.

The actual L from the Death Note series.

The actual Near from the Death Note series (albino! Not...Thai... o.O;; )

Oh! And my proof for being there... They didn't have a poster at the Tinseltown theater in Fayette, however, I'll have a picture of my ticket up soon. In the meantime, here's a picture of the title screen I took with the cell while waiting for the movie to start.

Trip to the High~ Pictures shall be soon to come.

Over the weekend I went to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. So, for the questions that need to be answered, let's see...

A work that reminded me of something or someone in my life: the photograph by Thomas Struth titled 'Paradise.' It's a forest shot that reminds me greatly of the forests back in my home state, Washington. I couldn't help but to pass by intentionally while wandering through the museum.

A historic work: the Terracotta army excavated from China, which dates back to 210 BC. I particularly like this exhibit, simply because it's so old and shows a window into not just a different time, but a different culture, as well. Not to mention the expert craftsmanship and original details on each of the statues...

Liked but not for home: Gerhard Richter-11-Scheiben (11-Panels). It was an interesting piece, with eleven glass panels stacked against each other that gave a sort of blurred, distorted look. However, it would be a bit bigger than practical to keep in the home.

Shocked! Shocked, I tell you! And this is what it was: Two works, actually. The first thing was Jimmy Lee Sudduth's work 'Woman with Glasses.' It looked odd, yes, but what caused more surprise for me was the list of materials used. Mud, sugar or syrup, and paint on plywood. I can barely even imagine how one gets that to work. The other thing was Thorton Dial's 'Heckyll and Jeckyll: Pleasure for the People. The red and white colors really jumped out, and the work itself seemed to jump out literally. It was sort of a mess of stuff, but really cool. Both of these works were found in the folk art gallery, by the way.

Woman with Glasses by Jimmy Lee Sudduth

Something that felt sad: Robert Henri's 'Lady in Black Velvet.' Honestly, I don't see how this work couldn't feel at least somewhat sad. The woman is dressed in all black, like in mourning or preparing to go to a funeral. It makes you think and wonder.

Something I liked: Edward Ruscha's contemporary piece 'Home Power.' It looks like a photograph, but apparently it was done with acrylics. I liked this piece because when I first saw it from a distance, it looked like a spooky haunted house. Even though when you come closer and see the title of it, it looses some of the creepiness, but the first impression is awesome. The darkness that surrounds it gives off the eerie feeling of the unknown.

A work that taught me something I don't know: Soon to come...

What I noticed about the contemporary and folk arts: Okay, here goes. From what I happened to notice, there seemed to be a lot more materials used in folk art that one could get easily, like at a department store. Howard Finster's work 'MyFather's House are Many Mansions #4,392' uses a bunch of plastic toys, for instance. There was another work that seemed to use a lot of rhinstones and beads glued to make a person (will put up the name and artist to this if I can find it, by the way.) The folk art also seemed to indulge heavily in religious themes and surges of abstract and uncontained inspiration, such as Hallelujah Gate (another artist I can't remember) and Dial's 'Heckyll and Jeckyll: Pleasure for the People.' The contemporary art on the other hand seemed a lot more refined, some using oils that would be bought at an art shop that would be specifically more for that. Using mirrors like in Richter's '11-Scheiben' and other such materials also seemed to relate more to the industrial world rather than the world at home.

The most meaningful part of the trip: Soon to come~

I'm Having Another Catharsis

Night

In the velvety darkness

The stars twinkle and shine

Like hundreds of diamonds

Around a gold crescent moon

Magic fills the air

Mystery tingles every nerve in the body

Unlike

The bustling day

Some people sleep

Some people do not

Admiring the night

And the quietness

Within

Behold the magic

Of the night

And listen

To its song

I'm having a Catharsis

Color of Autumn

Color in the trees

On every single leaf

Red, gold, orange

Fluttering by

Soaring like faeries

In the wind

Young

But ancient

Like the sunset and sunrise

Glowing like fire in every heart

Signaling to every ghostly spirit of nature

To a new beginning

Art and Human Psyche

While not a visual art, I do dub this as a literary art that plays well on the human psyche. This book is called 'Death Note-Another Note: LABB Murder Cases.' With its twists and turns, it causes a person to question their own mind and their sense of semiotics, and gives some insight into a rather dangerous mind...

Art and Human Nature

For art and human nature, I chose a painting of an infant. If human nature is the basic makeup of a human being, how much closer could one be than to a newborn child?

The painting was found here, done by Jennifer Branch.

Art and Human Behavior

This is a ceremony over in Japan known as the tea ceremony. As well as being a ceremony, it is also practiced as a sort of art form. I believe this works well in explaining how human behavior can correlate with art, as the tea ceremony upholds the elements that tend to influence the culture of everyday life in Japan: politeness, courtesy, grace, and humbleness.