Today I will be talking about one of my favorite fictional characters of all time: L Lawliet, the world's greatest detective from the manga/anime/movie/etc. series Death Note!
 |
| L's first true anime appearance |
Profile
Alias: L
True Names: L Lawliet
Species: Human
Sex: Male
Ethnicity: 1/4 Japanese, 1/4 English, 1/4 Russia, 1/4 French or Italian.
Date of Birth: October 31, 1979 (manga), 1982 (anime)
Age: 22 (Death Note: Another Note––the prequel novel), 24-25 (every other version).
Height: 5' 10, 1/2' (Only an inch and a half taller than the caucasian average, which most people seem to forget. Sorry, bit of a pet-peeve of mine. Fan fiction writers constantly call him tall; he's not that tall, considering he's 3/4 caucasian.)
Weight: 110lbs.
Actors Ranked
(This list only includes actors I have watched. The full list available on the Death Note Wiki.)
Kappei Yamaguchi: the original Japanese voice actor in the anime. I watched the English dub, so I don't have much to say about him, but I wanted to note him since he's the original voice actor.
Alessandro Juliani: voiced L in the English dubs of the anime and three of the Japanese movies: Death Note (2006), Death Note II: the Last Name, and L Change the WorLd.
Juliani's best moments: His inclusion of the line, "Yes, that would be dark" in response to Misa saying, "I couldn't live in a world without Light." Bonus: the line, "This is my first time babysitting; I don't think it's going very well" from L Change the WorLd dub.
Kenichi Matsuyama: played L in the three Japanese live action movies listed above. He also did the Japanese voice of Gelus in the original anime.
Best moments: He has so many; I don't know which to pick! Let's say how cute and friendly he is in behind-the-scenes videos, because I mostly watch his movies dubbed. Because of this, what I think of as his best lines are actually Juliani's. In the behind-the-scenes videos, Matsuyama is always bowing to people in an adorable way and is cute with his child co-stars from L Change the WorLd.
Kento Yamazaki: portrayed L in the Japanese TV drama. His is probably my favorite interpretation of L. I was wary about the changes the drama made, but they actually worked. Yamazaki plays L much more trickster-like and has a sadistic streak that his other incarnations lack, which makes him much more obviously "slightly evil."
Best moments: probably when he purposely directs Light into a wall while directing him through the Yotsuba headquarters. Another option would be his serious conversation with Near while they put together a puzzle.
Jarrod Spector: provides L's singing voice on the English demo album for Death Note: the Musical.
Best moments: Spector's duets with Jeremy Jordan's Light are phenomenal. Spector hits high notes that give me chills.
Best Literary Moments
L has a few hilarious moments that never made the transition from page to screen because they are from spin-off novels or one-shots. So, here are a couple of my favorite L moments that never got adapted.
L Change the WorLd (novelization): L and his companions, Agent Suruga and Maki, are trying to sneaking through government check-points, and they do this by disguising as a family on a road trip. This entire scene is hilarious, but the highlight is that L wears a feminine wig and lipstick and continually weirds out Suruga by calling him "honey" repeatedly. I often find this scene popping into my head randomly, and I crack up every time.
Death Note: Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Case: L makes one in-person appearance to Naomi Misora in this novel, and it is probably one of the funniest scenes he's been featured in. According to the novel, Naomi is the one who introduces him to the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. L does some research on his own but decides he needs to see it in person at least once.
He approaches Naomi outside a subway station and tries to give her a hug. Because she has no idea who he is, she defends herself and sends him flying down a flight of stairs. I was laughing for five straight minutes when I first read this.
Best Fan Fictions Featuring the L
Some of the best incarnations of L I have seen actually come from fan fictions I have read on Wattpad. To honor these writers awesome work, check out these fantastic stories!
Death Note: Game Over (An AU fanfiction) by Thrudi –– follows the story of how Death Note could have ended if the Shinigami King decided to bring L back to life to finish the Kira Case. Thrudi also has a couple clever one-shots that you should check out if you like Game Over. Link to "Game Over"
Highlight: This story contains the best scene of psychological torture I have every read.
Bean by LxNaomi –– shows what Death Note could be like if L had a little son named Bean. Link to "Bean"
Highlight: Bean's origin was done really tastefully (which is unusual), and Bean is so freaking cute!
L's Sister (Death Note Fan-Fic) by pokenaruto58 –– this was the story that got me reading Death Note fan fiction in the first place. Inserts the author's OC, Clare Lawliet, into the Death Note story with humorous results. Link to "L's Sister"
Highlight: Clare asks L what like-liking someone means, and L chokes on a glass of water he was drinking.
Wammy's House by Bladrinito –– this story is set in an alternate universe were Near, Mello, and Matt help L and Naomi Misora solve the Los Angeles BB Murder Case. Link to "Wammy's House"
Highlight: Mello and Matt's endless shenanigans.
At the Heart of Justice by LxNaomi –– Yes, LxNaomi has two entries on this list. This one is an alternate universe where the Kira Case never happens, and L hires Naomi to work with him personally and act as his eyes in the field. I usually try to avoid romance fan fictions (because there are far too many R-rated ones), but this one is a good rated romance. Link to "At the Heart of Justice"
Highlight: Contains the most awesome and intense stabbing scene I have ever read.
Conclusion
That's my character profile and favorite moments for L Lawliet. Let me know what your favorite L moments are in the comments. Thank you for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment