Jason watches "Death Note II: the Last Name"

Thanks to Fathom Events, I got to see the sequel to the manga adaptation I saw at Asianfest.  First, a few notes.  First, it was projected on digital video instead of film.  Probably doesn't make much difference to most people, but there's a clear difference from the front row.  Not distracting, but a distinct step down in look from the film version I saw of part I.  Second, after the credits it included a special bonus making-of video, which wasn't really that special.  Fanboys will like it, but I was bored, tired, and just wanted to go home.  Third, it was dubbed instead of subtitled.  This was the only distracting part, as it had been so long since I've seen a dubbed movie (everything in film festivals is subtitled).  I have no idea if it was bad dubbing or good dubbing, but dubbing definitely made it cheesier. 

Okay, as for the story.  As we ended part 1, Light Yagami (Kira, the deadly force of justice with a death note) was just meeting and teaming up with L, the brilliant detective tasked with tracking down Kira.  Meanwhile, a second Death Note is given to Misa Amane, a young singer who witnessed her whole family die.  She's Kira's biggest fan, and starts killing not just criminals but anyone who criticizes Kira (and she goes by the name of Kira II).  She's also sold half her life in order to get Shirigami eyes, which let her see people's true names.  Light is horrified by her murders, but intrigued that if she can arrange for her to meet L, he can learn his true name and kill him.  So an intense cat-and-mouse game begins.  Surprising twists always (usually) kept me guessing, and it was really a brilliant, clever way to wrap everything up.   I'm definitely glad I saw it.  Although I haven't gotten around to reading the manga or seeing the anime yet.