Story - 10/10 (A+)
At first you might think "Oh woop-dee-doo. A notebook. How uninteresting." Hush, or else your name will be written. lol. Jokes aside, the originality of it all is so amazing. The only thing that isn't original is the whole Shinigami deal, but that's not a big deal. Every episode feels like 10, it's just so long and full of suspense around every corner. You won't be disappointed for a millisecond.
Animation - 10/10 (A+)
Beautiful, just beautiful. Every scene is decorated with such vibrant displays of wonder. The animators make every little detail stand out so well, you can't help but notice it. When Light writes his first name in the Death Note, the way they made it look was full of horror and suspense. I was even somewhat frightened for a few seconds. That's hard to do.
Sound - 10/10 (A+)
This is one of those rare occasions where the english dub is just as good, perhaps better, than the original. If you still have negative views on dubs, than you really need to watch Death Note's dub. Brad Swalie nails it as Light, calm and collective to everyone else but maniacal and plotting on the inside. Even that one laugh from the last episode was nailed. Mamoru Miyano, can you beat that?
Characters - 9.6/10 (A)
Well, this is what stopped it from getting a perfect score: The whole Yotsuba Arc and it's characters. I didn't think they were meaningful to the plot, including Higuchi. Just felt like they wanted to stretch the episodes out a little bit. But as for everyone else, it blends perfectly. L as the mysterious detective who's known for always catching the criminal, Misa Amane: the idol-wannabe with a soft spot for LIght and AKA the Second Kira, Ryuk: the malevolent shinigami with no cares about anything. Rem, the somewhat mother figure to Misa. All these kinds of characters wouldn't normally fit together, but Death Note made it happen.
Enjoyment - 10/10
Watch this freaking show. Dub or Sub, heck go for the dub first. Once you start watching it, you will not stop even when the show finished. There's a special OVA and two Live-action films to accompany your need for Death Note. If your tired of shounen animes like Bleach, Naruto or tired of fanservice shows like Rosario + Vampire, than watch this. It'll blow you away.
Overall Average: 9.92/10 (A+)
