Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God

Death Note: Relight is a feature length film series that encapsulates the first half and second half of the Death Note TV series into two separate films. The films were made for people who had not seen the Death Note Anime series.

The first film was aired on Nippon Television in Japan on August 31, 2007, but in the USA it was only released on DVD on June 23, 2009. The second film was aired on Japanese television on August 22, 2008, but again was only released in the USA on DVD on October 27, 2009.

The first film is titled “Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God” and the second film is titled “Death Note Relight 2: L’s Successors”. Although the North American release was named, "relight" the Japanese version was named, "rewrite".

There were director’s cut versions with new footage released eventually for each of the films in Japan and North America. The theoretical copies were never released in Europe because Europe only ever received the director’s cut versions. However on the European DVD covers it was never stated that they were the director’s cut versions.

Death Note Relight 1
The film begins in the Shinigami realm with an unnamed Shinigami seeking out Ryuk, in search of a good story. Ryuk accepts a Shinigami apple for his tale, which turns out to be the first half of the Death Note Anime series.

There has been much speculation as to who the Unnamed Shinigami is that appears in this film. Some speculate it's Light reincarnated as a Shinigami, but there's evidence that points both to the contrary and in support of the claim.

There is a new scene involving Light Yagami gloating over a grave of his enemy L Lawliet.

Death Note Relight 2
The film contains the story of the second half of the Death Note Anime series which tells the story of the Near/Mello ark after L’s death. The opening of the film shows L about to get ready to tell the story of the events that happened after his death. In Relight 2 Mikami and Takada are the ones to kill the SPK, rather than the Mafia which happened in the series.

See further information on Death Note Rewrite 2: L's Successors