Story/Review: The genius detective, going by the moniker of L, first made his appearance in the J-Fantasy two part series Death Note (2006) and Death Note 2: The Last Name (2007), amidst the fanfare of an occult death register notebook - people whose names have been penciled into the notebook will meet with their death by heart attack in 23 days, unless the cause of death is otherwise specified. With such a unique premise, the movies naturally became huge box-office draws, while the character L was a fan favourite. Inevitably, L received a movie spin-off of his own. Keni’chi Matsuyama reprises his role of L, the master sleuth under the facade of childish innocence with much aplomb. Still omnipresent are the little nuances which drew fandom to the character (jumping on and off seats, squatting with both feet on stools, walking in a hunched-back position, typing via a poking manner, as well as his gluttony, just to name a few), together with the long-sleeved white t-shirt which personalises the character. You need not have caught Death Note to have an inkling of the storyline, which has basically little connection between this spin-off and the Death Note movies. The key links between the movies were effectively removed within the first half hour or so of the movie, such that audiences can focus whole-heartedly on the plot of this movie. Having inscribed his own name in the Death Note, L only has 23 days to live, and L, now on his own following the demise of his mentor, is forced out of his own seclusion into the outside world to prevent an environmentalist group’s bioterrorist attack to wipe out useless humanity in a bid to create a perfect world. As such, the master sleuth is now forced out of his shell, and has for the first time within the trilogy, shown some personal touch to the people around him, especially the two children in his accompaniment whom he has to protect - one of them being a survivor from the bioterrorist attack in a Thai village while the other is the daughter of a established scientist murdered by the terrorists, and holding the key to foil their efforts. The minute hints of a child emerging into the world are executed to perfection by Matsuyama. As the master sleuth becomes an action hero, the brains he is known for takes a ceremonial backseat in his quest to foil the villains. There is nothing particularly wrong with the movie as an action adventure - the storyline flows smoothly. However, fans of the intelligence and innocence of L will be disappointed to know that his brains took up a ceremonial backseat for most of the movie