Rewrite

Kazamatsuri, a modern, well-developed city renowned for its burgeoning greenery and rich Japanese culture, is home to Kotarou Tennouji, a high schooler least privy to the place's shared values. Content to fill his pockets with frivolity, the proud and nosey boy whiles away his time pestering the self-proclaimed delinquent Haruhiko, and indulging in his amorous feelings toward the oddball Kotori.

Equipped with the superhuman ability to permanently rewrite any part of his body to multiply his strength or speed, Kotarou is naturally drawn to the supernatural. One special meeting with the lone member and president of the Occult Research Club, the "Witch" Akane Senri, leads to Kotarou reviving the Occult Club by recruiting Kotori and three other members: the clumsy transfer student Chihaya, the strict class representative Lucia, and the unassuming Shizuru. As Kotarou unveils hidden secrets of each member of the Occult Club through their shared adventures, he will inevitably encounter a fate that only he might be able to rewrite.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Rewrite is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key, a brand of VisualArt's. It was released on June 24, 2011 for Windows PCs and is rated for all ages. Rewrite is Key's ninth game, along with other titles such as Kanon, Air, Little Busters!, and Clannad.

The game ranked as the best-selling PC game sold in Japan for the time of its release, and charted in the national top 50 twice more afterwards. There have been four manga adaptations based on Rewrite published by ASCII Media Works and Ichijinsha. Comic anthologies, light novels and an art book were also published, as were several music albums.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Episode Videos

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Rewrite:Side-Terra
Sequel:	Rewrite 2nd Season

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Characters & Voice Actors

Tennouji, Kotarou

Main

Morita, Masakazu
Japanese

Kanbe, Kotori

Main

Saitou, Chiwa
Japanese

Nakatsu, Shizuru

Main

Suzuki, Keiko
Japanese

Konohana, Lucia

Main

Asaki, Risa
Japanese

Kagari

Main

Hanazawa, Kana
Japanese

Senri, Akane

Main

Kitamura, Eri
Japanese

Ootori, Chihaya

Main

Shinomiya, Saya
Japanese

Ootori, Sakuya

Supporting

Konishi, Katsuyuki
Japanese

Yoshino, Haruhiko

Supporting

Yanagita, Junichi
Japanese

Esaka, Sougen

Supporting

Touchi, Hiroki
Japanese

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Staff

Oowada, Tomoyuki

Producer

Kananiwa, Kozue

Producer

Kamei, Hiroshi

Producer

Shioya, Yoshiyuki

Producer

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Opening Theme

	1: "Philosophyz" by Runa Mizutani (eps 2-4, 6-7)
	2: "End of the World" by Anri Kumaki (eps 8-12)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Sasayaka na Hajimari (ささやかなはじまり)" by Runa Mizutani (eps 2-3, 6-7)
	2: "Koibumi (恋文)" by Nagi Yanagi (eps 4)
	3: "Sunbright (サンブライト)" by Ayaka Kitazawa (eps 5)
	4: "Word of Dawn" by Aoi Tada (eps 8-9, 11-12)
	5: "Itsuwaranai Kimi e (偽らない君へ)" by Nagi Yanagi (eps 10)
	6: "Yami no Kanata e (闇の彼方へ)" by Runa Mizutani (eps 13)

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Reviews

Sep 24, 2016

MozillaFennekin

Not Recommended

Since Rewrite is a visual novel by Key, a lot of people will compare it to the likes of Clannad, Angel Beats, Air Cannons, etc. But, I propose some new comparisons.

1. Shitcom, because both are pretty shit comedies.
2. The sensation of hitting your head against a brick wall for six hours.

If you enjoy either of these, then Rewrite might be the perfect show for you. Otherwise, I consider it one of the worst anime of 2016: a fucky jambalaya of overdesigned characters, dumb memes, and a plot that was probably written by someone putting a bunch of sticky notes on a dartboard and writing in ...

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Sep 24, 2016

Stark700

Not Recommended

Rewrite, one of Key’s most prominent visual novels getting an anime adaptations? This almost feels surreal, right? I’ll get straight to the point. While the idea of Rewrite finally getting an anime has been a dream for Key fans for many years, it may also be somewhat a tarnished reality as we realize what we’re really getting. After finishing the show, it’s more than just tarnished. Much more.

On paper, Rewrite follows a lot of standard Key formulas you’ll recognize easily if you’re already familiar with their work. The slow paced story from the beginning, generic character personalities, and supernatural phenomenon are just a few to ... name. However, one thing this adaptation didn’t fully embrace is its ability to move the audience. What that literally means is its inability to make the viewers feel tearful unlike some other series. (ex. Clannad After Story) Some may question that it would be unfair to compare Rewrite to other Key’s works but in reality, the adaptation really has more humor than it should.

From the first few episodes, we meet Kotarou Tennouji, the male protagonist. He gets involved with his school’s Occult Club where we meet the other female characters. They range with different personalities and all more or less oddball characters at first. The real catch though is that they are also involved in some kind of darker plot that unfolds as the series progresses. But on paper, the first few episodes doesn’t reveal much of itself as it tries to get viewers to familiarize with the franchise. In essence, the main female characters will likely be a hit or miss to get attached to. Most of them are stereotypes like the school council representative type or the redheaded tsundere. Meanwhile, the series does also introduce a mysterious character from Tennouji’s dream, a young girl with ribbons that seemingly kills him. Perhaps this is where viewers will get intrigued by the show.

From a standard viewpoint, the storytelling of the series bounces between acceptable and awful. There are some episodes that nails the coffin when it comes to creativity while others makes you feel like it’s a forced chore to finish. As an anime original viewer, I confess that the show itself is underwhelming particular with characters such as Lucia. The way their own story is set up not only feels rushed but lacks concrete feelings. It’s hard to feel what they are going through with the pacing especially from the buildup and ultimately doesn’t really satisfy what its intentions were. On the other hand, some other background storytelling such as with Shizuru (the eye patch girl) feels it’s done right because of the more tragic mood. Still, with the show being just 1-cour, you really shouldn’t expect a full adaptation of each girl’s story. In fact, this particular anime actually develops into a more mysterious plot that unfolds with connecting events. Unfortunately, the insert episodes of the girls’ routes doesn’t do much justice and weighs down the show overall.

As Rewrite retains a lot of comedy, there’s also the mysteries that carries over the course of the show. I already mentioned about the strange ribbon girl from Tennouji’s dreams. However, we also get the main setting that itself is a mystery. The series takes place Kazamatsuri and has quite a lot of hidden secrets, some that ventures into the supernatural realm. Being the curious guy that he is, Tennouji is drawn to these mysteries as he has a supernatural ability of his own. A major turning point revolves about the utopia-like environment and where all sorts of strange occurrences takes place. When one of the students at Tennouji’s school goes missing, that’s where we realize Rewrite can be darker than it seems. We are also introduced to factions that have conflicts with each other and some of the girls from the Occult Club are involved. Tennouji himself also begins to display inhuman talent with his own Rewrite ability. And finally, we also learn a lot more about the mysterious ribbon girl that appears in Tennouji’s dream. It’ll take patience for viewers to eventually get to the main meat of the plot and if you’re the type that sees Key as an insufferable product, then this will be a hard show to follow.

Perhaps storytelling isn’t just what Rewrite emphasizes on though. There’s also relationships, connections that tries to be meaningful. Tennouji develops several important relationships with others including Lucia, Kotori, Kagari (the ribbon girl), among others. However, the show itself seems to focus on that mostly on the surface level. Because of time restraints, they aren’t concretely developed as you’ll anticipate. Oh and it’s easy to forget about characters like Haruhiko when his role in the show seems to be mainly comic relief. And romance? That part is mostly teased at and hard to really appreciate if it’s even there. At best, character relationships are subtly memorable but because of the mediocre buildup, they aren’t very memorable.

Adapted by studio 8-bit, the show itself is underwhelming when it comes to visual quality. The characters look blend while it does retain Key style features such as the moe-eyes, feminine parts, and surreal-like atmosphere. However, the action is more of a disappointment. Well to be honest, the action was never a main attraction in the show anyway and the brief segments where we see that isn’t so appealing either. There’s not much fan service in the show except with the blushing and that one episode where Lucia puts on a maid outfit. Oh yes, a maid outfit.

On the other hand, soundtrack for Rewrite is impressive. Well, not in the impressive that it’s a masterpiece but definitely hits the key points. The theme songs offers choreography that fits the show quite right while the OST is mysterious as it should be. Even during comedic moments, the music seems to fall in place naturally. Furthermore, character voice expressions are well delivered if you compare to their characters from the VN.

So in the end, what should you really take for granted from Rewrite? It’s pretty much a popcorn entertainment that’s perhaps only easy to watch if you come with an open mind. For those with high expectations, it’s probably a good idea to drop the show as it seems to appeal to a broader audience, beyond the visual novel fans. I think Rewrite tried to take a risk and although it partially succeeds, there’s more failure. In the end, it’s a nice show to pass time with for fun but not something to talk about for years to come. Oh and season 2 has been announced for the love of God, let’s pray for a better sequel.

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Sep 25, 2016

BrDrawolf

Recommended

Have a great story and long stories like Key usually get them done, are priceless to see in animation, this one, even with its own factors, it's one of them...

The characters are the basis in all stories, and in this one the characters have a great color because each one tell its own story and with that, the story change itself to its true colors.

The sound and art are nostalgic to the novel, even the 3D sprites, and the usual BGM, so you gonna have a great environment with the luxury of a visual novel material in animation.

The story, good this animated route, it explain ...

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Apr 19, 2021 5:50 PM by ImperfectBlue | Discuss (38 comments)

TV Anime 'Rewrite' Gets Second Season for Winter 2017

The final episode of Rewrite announced that a second season will air for Winter 2017. The second season is currently listed as Rewrite: Moon Arc and Terra Arc. The o...read more

Sep 24, 2016 8:24 AM by Stark700 | Discuss (107 comments)

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Poll: SPOILERS Who is the main heroine? sanata50lbsb - Jan 22, 2016	15 replies	by yingruiz »» May 21, 12:54 AM
Poll: Rewrite Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Aug 20, 2016	166 replies	by cringeylazy »» Jan 23, 2:38 PM
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Rewrite

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