Death Note is a thriller of the highest order, I'm sure Dean Koontz, Stephen King and Naoki Urasawa are proud of Tsugumi Ohba's accomplishment within the genre of supernatural/psychological thriller. I also saw somewhere on the web that a person listed Death Note's genre as chess master, I feel that is a fitting description as well.
When I watched Death Note the first time the only animations I had previously seen were a Gundam and Initial D; that is to say I had no idea what anime was about. Boy was I taken by surprise by the very dense philosophical questioning the watcher is subjected to. I felt as though the questions of morals and values, of right and wrong, were intense enough to allow for personal growth in the audience. We know reality TV doesn't lead to personal growth but the same can be said for most fiction. Point being that it is a rarity to see television that can be a catalyst for psychological or philosophical growth, thank you Death Note for keeping it real within the realm of the unreal.... fiction.
I enjoyed Death Note, I was displeased with the ending, but let us be honest. It only could've ended one way, and so that is the way it ended.
Best Attempt at being Spoiler Free.
Story: The beginning is flawless, dark and smooth. As the story becomes more complex it becomes more desirable until "N" No one likes "N". There is even redemption to "M," but none for "N". I didn't love how it all ultimately went down, but I am of the belief that it had to happen that way.
Art: Very Good, no coomplaints
Sound: Both English and Japanese Voice Actors were on point. English Voice Actors were really on point all things considered.
Characters: Light, L, Ryuk, Misa Misa and others were all fantastic. But no one likes "N"
Enjoyment: Excellent, drags at the end, but still excellent and definitely worth seeing through.
Overall: 10, a top anime, I don't think that's a refutable statement
