concedes that "they are completely true to the character". The reviewer ended by questioning "whether this enthusiasm [of the viewers] arises from the film itself, as opposed to its relationship to the broader Death Note phenomenon.". The reviewer for Love HK Films, Kozo, describes L: Change the World as a "fan service for fans", and added that the film "is neither groundbreaking nor noteworthy". He said that although "rabid fans of the blockbuster manga adaptations will probably find this to be a suitable reward for their unabated fandom", the "uninitiated may need to take a crash course in Death Note lore". However, he did praise the film's development of L's character. Merchandise TV spinoff A spinoff of L: Change the World focusing on Touta Matsuda was announced to air on Japanese television. Sōta Aoyama reprised his role of Matsuda for the shooting of the theatrical film. However, all of his scenes were cut to be combined with additional scenes shot later to create the TV special. Novel On 9 November 2007, it was announced that the film L: Change the World would be adapted into a light novel of the same name. The writer of this novel was not revealed, though it was credited to "M", a pseudonym of Mello, one of L's successors. Although the storyline of the novel is based on the film, additional scenes not present in the film are included in the novel. This novel was first published in Japan by Shūeisha, and it was released on 25 December 2007. Publisher Viz Media translated this novel into English, and it released the novel within North America on 20 October 2009. This light novel became the second-bestselling book in Japan for the year 2008, selling a total of 121,046 copies. It was second only to the light novel that was based on the manga Gintama, which sold 157,754 copies. Photo book Actor Kenichi Matsuyama released a photo book of himself using the identity of "L". The photo book was released at the same time the film was released. The photos in the book were photographed by Mika Ninagawa, who reportedly came up with the idea of releasing a photo book. The photos were taken during the period of August to September 2007 and were taken at locations like Shibuya Center Gai and Hanayashiki Amusement Park in Asakusa district. References External links 2008 films Death Note 2000s Japanese-language