After reading the entire manga and watching the first three episodes, I guarantee that Death Note will turn out to be one of the greatest anime series ever created, but you don't have to take my word for it � take Cloud's. That's what I did two years ago when a girl in my dorm introduced him to me:
Over the next week, I read the entire first arc of Death Note, and it changed my life. For example, if you've ever seen me eat an apple within the past two years, now you know why:
Then I set my desktop wallpaper to the letter L. This asshole named eBay judged me for it, but his name is eBay, so I win.
Just look at that badass screenshot. Now you know how cool my wallpaper was. Everything I do is cool. When will you idiots finally figure that out?
Death Note is about this guy named Light, who is almost as cool as me. One day he finds the Death Note, a mysterious notebook that grants its wielder the power to kill anybody by knowing his face and writing down his name. Since Light isn't a pussy, he begins using the Death Note to kill criminals, an act that some see as justice and others see as evil. Soon, the international police begin to track down Light a.k.a "Kira" using "L", an ace detective whose face and name are unknown. An intense cat-and-mouse game ensues as Kira and L race to discover the other's true identity.
The list may not be accurate since I've only seen up to episode 3, but I've read the manga, so it can't be too far off:
| Well developed minor characters |  |
| Simultaneous subplots | |
| Comical victimization | |
| Recurring random character(s) |  |
| Badass mid-episode transitions | |
| Soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura | |
| Catchy dance sequence | |
| Themes of Hatred/Suffering/Revenge | |
| Lesbians | |
| Hilarious ambiguously gay dude | |
| Stylish visual effects | |
| Dinosaurs | |
| Tournament Competition | |
| Rivalry | |
| Graphic violence | |
| A character vaguely resembling myself | |
| Pimp in a white suit | |
| Disheveled journalist/photographer | |
| Disheveled detectives | |
| Time Travel | |
| Supernatural power | |
| Fight in a Ballroom/Casino/Cathedral/Theatre | |
| Showdown in a warehouse | |
| Self-parody | |