Death Note Wiki talk:Guide to Canon

Splitting the Rewrites and L novel
I would like the make the argument that the Rewrites take place in their own continuity. As it is stated in the article, the Rewrites have far too many plot revisions. I would also like to point out that some of the rules of the Death Note do not apply in the Rewrites.

For instance, in Rewrite 2, one of Mikami’s victims is killed in an unnatural manner. A rule in the Death Note states that if someone is sentenced to die in a manner that is impossible for them to physically (or mentally) achieve, they will simply die of a heart attack. This rule, however, is still very much relevant in the anime. When Light tests the notebook in episode 4, he proves that someone would be unable to even write “I know L suspects the police” because it would be beyond that person’s capacity to do so.

 I would also like to argue that the L: Change the WorLd film novelization takes place in its own continuity, separate from the rest of the film. This is not only due to the plot changes, but the information provided in the dust jacket explicitly states that the novel is an alternate retelling of the events of the film (there is also a description provided on Amazon that says the same thing ). Mikami Teru 23:04, March 13, 2012 (UTC)

 Allright, the novel will be seperated. And I agree, the second rewrite was way too far out of bounds to be considered canon to the original anime. I think we need to better define what the Rewrites are intended to be. I keep seeing them billed as "directors-cuts", but "directors-cut" usually implies the work contains additional scenes or slightly altered scenes, rather than an actual rewrite of the plot. We could just call them rewrites, but that doesn't really explain their overall purpose (the director was bored? lol). Is there any information from the director on what his intentions were, or what he considers the Rewrites to be in relation to the original? MarleneZ.    Talk    01:47, March 15, 2012 (UTC)

It's actually rather unclear. Some advertisements billed the first Rewrite as a "retelling" of the first half of Death Note from Ryuk's perspective. Another ad called it to be the "complete conclusion".

 What I do know for sure is that the Rewrites were meant to be a deviation from the original anime. I have the first rewrite on DVD and it features a series of interviews "Death Note Rewritten" and Kenichi Matsuyama, the voice of L, was featured. He reveals that the anime and Rewrites were indeed meant to have a different ending, perhaps indicating that the anime producers simply wanted to create an alternative ending for the series- one that felt more complete than the one in the anime, but one that did not necessarily replace the one in the anime.

 I can't find the "Rewritten" special anywhere on YouTube, but if you can find a copy of the DVD, I would recommend watching it because it sheds a lot more information concerning the creation of the Rewrites.Mikami Teru 04:48, March 15, 2012 (UTC)