>>23593113
Honestly, I'd personally go with the latter, like with the case of Kira killing everyone during Moon battle, but there are inherent problems to both, and I think they should be accommodated equally. Some nerds consider the directors' opinions as more important, while others look at the "official" books released by the IP holders. This is the problem with fictional shows, after all, they are fiction. In cases of clear conflict, like whether MS tonnage listed in databook is canon or not, both evidence should be listed as it's still an "official" take on the canon, and the reader can then decide on what they'll believe. Some side releases might have a lot of influence from the original staff, while others have none - and in both cases, the information or opinions might have changed.
For example, in 0079, the North American city where Garma died is unknown to us, as the show never told us where it happened. There have been many different conflicting accounts about this from booklets to games to side stories, ranging from Seattle to Las vegas to New York, and I don't know what Tomino has ever said about it.