Things I liked about this anime:
Light makes for an amazing protagonist, like something out of shakespeare (I'm not exaggerating either, watch the dang show), and L is a superb antagonist. In fact, the story for the most part is amazing! The soundtrack is memorable, as the # number of listens on my iTunes shows. From episodes 1-27, I was well invested, and the whole season concluded beautifully.
As for the second season, I didn't like it as much, but Light's monologue near the end is one of my favourite monologues of all time. If I were a man, this would be the monologue I'd do for auditions. It's that good.
The dub is also really good, and if you're like me who tries to prioritize dubs over subs so that you're not forced into always reading the subtitles so you can properly watch the show, I'd certainly recommend it over subs.
Did I mention this was my first real manga/anime? (Outside of 4kids dubbed anime, and that horrid Inuyasha anime, but that's for another day) I mean I may not view Death Note with as much awe as I did when I first read/watched it, but this is where it all began for me, into my decent as anime trash.
With that said, there's reasons why I don't have it at 10.
Things I didn't like about this anime:
The second season had some things going for it, Mello was cool, Mikami's a ham and cheese platter, and I liked seeing the downward spiral of some of the characters. I am NOT A FAN OF N however, simply because he seemed too perfect. Every clue was handed to him basically, and I never got a sense of character from him. I admit part of that comes the nature of the events of the season 1 ending, and that Light's plan didn't take into account the possibilities of heirs, but still, it never felt like N was really challenged. Nearly everything seemed obvious to him.
But for those who think I'm being blindsided by the awesomeness that was season 1, don't worry- this next issue was around since episode 1.
The poor views on women.
While not as bad as Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Naruto or pretty much any anime where fan-service is king, I was surprised during my most recent viewing to see that women were either victims or portrayed as catty bitches bickering over Light.
Misa was wasted as a character. They made her start on such a high note, to the point where while I heard fans hated her, I couldn't see why.
And then she loses all intelligence once she meets Light. And NEVER GETS IT BACK. Sorry Misa, but I'm with the fans here.
The only female character who doesn't go through any of this bullshit is Rem, and I can give some credit on how they handled her during the end of season 1.
With all that said, due to the amazingness of everything else, I am willing to forgive its flaws and round my rating of 8.5 to a 9 for rating purposes.
Conclusion: A must watch, dubbed or subbed is fine.
PS: If you're like me and thought Naomi Misora was wasted as a character, there's always Death Note: Another Note...
