Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God

Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God, alternatively Death Note: Rewrite ～The Visualizing God～ (DEATH NOTE リライト ～幻視する神～, Death Note: Riraito ~Genshisuru Kami~), is an animated feature-length film condensing part of the Death Note anime series. The film covers the first half of the series, and the second half is covered in the film Death Note Relight 2: L's Successors.

The film is a "director's cut" of the anime series, in this case meaning a heavily condensed version of the original anime episodes.

Although the Japanese version was named "rewrite", the North American version was released as "relight".

The film aired on Nippon Television in Japan on August 31, 2007, and it was released on DVD on March 19, 2008. In the USA, the DVD was released on June 23, 2009.

Plot
The film begins in the Shinigami realm with an unnamed Shinigami seeking out Ryuk, complaining that the Shinigami realm is boring and is in search of a good story. In return for the story, he brings him a Shinigami apple. Ryuk accepts a Shinigami apple for his tale, which turns out to be the first half of the Death Note anime series. After Ryuk is done telling the story, he tells himself (and reminiscing to Light) that Light wasn't a god back then. He then realizes that the Shinigami left and tells him, "Go ahead, why not? Maybe you'll meet an incredible guy and see something you'll never forget for the rest of your life. Wouldn't you agree… Light?"

New scenes and changes
The film mostly uses original scenes from the anime, but it includes some additional scenes and changes, mostly to replace longer events with shorter ones to fit the content into a feature-length film.


 * The opening with Ryuk and the unnamed Shinigami is new for the film.
 * There is a new scene where L shows Light the Kira videos in a private theatre.
 * There is a new scene involving Light Yagami gloating over L's grave.
 * During the 26th episode, the death of Yotsuba member Reiji Namikawa is depicted as either a heart attack or something that causes bleeding from the mouth. However, in the film, he is killed by Light in a car accident after L's funeral.

Trivia

 * This aired on television just two months after the anime's final episode.
 * Many fans believe that the unnamed Shinigami may, in fact, be Light Yagami due to them sharing many similar characteristics.