01/02/2009
VIZ Pictures has announced the highly anticipated release of "Death Note II: The Last Name" Death Note II: The Last Name, the eagerly awaited second and final instalment of the Death Note live action films, is based on the manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The DVD, released by VIZ Pictures and distributed in North America by VIZ Media, will offer both the Japanese dialogue with English subtitles or the English dubbing by the same people who voiced the anime series. The bonus features are the special "Making of Death Note II" and the original Japanese trailer. The DVD of the first Death Note live action movie, released in September 2008, ranked as the #1 Japanese film in North America, and placed #34 among live action films. The sequel, in which Light Yagami and L conclude their battle of wits and wills, is to be available February 10, 2009. It will carry the suggested retail price of US $24.92. Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of VIZ Pictures, perfectly encapsulates the dilemma at the heart of both the anime and the films, as well as the original manga: "Is Light Yagami a crazed serial killer or merely society's self-appointed solution to crime?" Considering the great worldwide popularity of the manga, anime, and the first film, he says, audiences are waiting eagerly for the sequel. "As interest in Death Note continues to grow," says Horibuchi, "we invite fans to delve into the psychological drama of this newest release from VIZ Pictures."