Mar 22, 2025
The Rewrite films attempt to do a lot with very little time; that said, I can only personally recommend the first of the two. Before continuing I'd like to note that if you are looking to watch these films instead of the series, don't bother; as good as the first film may be, it is not a replacement for the series in any way, and is moreso a fun way for fans of the series to easily re-experience the story in a day.
The first rewrite film covers the first half of the series, and does so relatively well. Despite cutting out content for the
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sake of time, Death Note Rewrite 1 does it's best to tell a self-contained story. This film covers the major plot beats, and does so well, taking the viewer through the first half of Death Note quickly and effectively. The viewers are re-introduced to the plot, character, and story at a very digestible pace, and the action kicks off in this retelling right away. Overall I'd recommend watching this if you want to re-experience Death Note's initial plot in an afternoon.
Now, with that out of the way, let's get to the elephant in the room, the second film. Death Note Rewrite 2 manages to take up less of the viewer's time while simultaneously having less to say. This is not to say anything in regards to the second half of the series, which shares story, but not spirit, with this retelling of the story. Ultimately. this film is, just as the first was, a quick and simple retelling of half of the story; but this time it seems the pace of the film has picked up relative to the first film. While the first film covers an entire 26 episodes, allowing the story to feel dynamic and easy to invest in, this film only covers 10, and you can feel that upon watching. The lack of content truly does make this adaptation of the story feel less like a director's cut and more like an unnecessarily long episode.
Both Rewrites add slivers of new content, retell the story in a timely manner, and cover a portion of the story each. Although both attempt to do the same thing in the same way, it is safe to say that only the first is truly worth a watch, not just for the content it provides, but also for the way it manages to tell said story; plus if you're looking for bonus content to supplement the anime, you've found it here. So, if you want to experience Death Note without the pain of binging, look no further than the Death Note: Rewrite films.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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