You might like this anime if:
-You like great, dark stories
-You enjoy watching a battle of wits rather than strength
-You like anti heroes
-You are looking for a show to get sucked in for hours
-You like psychological thrillers
You might dislike this anime if:
-You like watching action packed anime
-You prefer lighter stories
-You want something with a fast pace
Story: 9
Death Note's story is as good as they come. It has everything you could ever want out of one: twists and turns, tragic events, cliffhangers that make you want to keep going and a fantastic ending. There is a slight problem however. Without spoiling anything, after certain events occur, the show's story starts to crumble like a cookie. While I never had any problem with it, I have to say that the quality of the story dropped quite a bit towards the end. Let's be honest though. You can't expect it to be at this high of a level for 37 episodes, and quite honestly I prefer the direction the anime took instead of all of the ones that the fans wanted. I feel like I just had to mention this though, as anyone who watched Death Note has basically the same opinion on those episodes. Overall I don't feel like the story had me dissappointed at any point, even with the quality drop.
Art and Animation: 8
Art is okay. Some scenes go above the norm and few character designs stand out. Other than that there is not much to say about it. It does it's job well. Animation on the other hand is really smooth. The movement of the characters is fluid and it feels surprisingly natural. There are moments where they don't feel like that, but those are intentional.
Sound: 9
It's rare to find such a fitting OST. It really feels as if every piece was written with intent of using it in the specific scenes they were in, specifically the chants, that send chills down your spine, and that's hard to pull off. Also, extra points for the openings. They are awesome in so many ways. Endings are good too, but my goodness the openings.
Characters: 10
This show's characters are so believable that it blows my mind. Maybe they are not realistic, but predicting what a person would do in any of the situations presented by the anime is impossible. Sure, people may shit on the characters from the last episodes, but I found even them believable. I will not talk about any of the characters that appear later in the anime, but they are all great and they make you feel exactly how the anime wants you to fell about them. Instead, let's talk about Light, who is one of the best anti-heroes I've ever seen. His development as Kira is truly a feat to behold. For the whole time you don't know if you should root for him or againts him, and because of that every event leaves a huge impact on you, since you don't know how to feel. If I'll say more I feel like I'll spoil someone so I'll just stop at this spot. The characters are amazing that's all.
Enjoyment: 9
I adore psychological thrillers, and Death Note is easily one of the best ones I've ever seen. It does everything with so much care, that it blew my mind. If not for few mistakes it would probably be right up there as my favourite. But even with them I enjoyed watching it immensely.
Overall: 9
Death Note is a must watch. No matter if you don't like the genre, no matter if you don't think you will like it, just give it a shot. I can guarantee you will not be disapointed. I feel like this anime should be seen by anyone in the world, no matter if they like anime or not. It's that good. While watching it, I felt like I was watching an adaptation of some Stephen King book. That alone is something that should make you want to watch this anime if you haven't already, even if I told you to do so at the beggining. What, are you a rebel or something?
