As Light continues to kill criminals, the world at large starts to take notice. People take to calling the unseen force "Kira" and devote websites to him. The U.N. brings in a mysterious, freelance detective known only as "L" to find and capture Kira. What follows is a war of wills as L and Light try to stay one step ahead of the other. In the process, Light's father, the Japanese police, the FBI, and even a "second Kira" are all caught in the crossfire.
Death Note could have easily been a disturbing horror series (imagine what someone like Jigsaw could do with a Death Note) but it works well as a suspenseful drama/mystery. The show has a very dramatic feel from the use of choral music in some scenes to surprising camera angles. There are times when it almost veers into self-parody (a scene involving Light and a bag of potato chips has to be seen to be believed) but the show doesn't take itself too seriously to keep it from being entertaining.
Apart from the sometimes twisty plot, the various character relationships are what makes this show good. The unusual connection/not-quite-friendship between Light and Ryuk is unique. Ryuk stays pretty neutral but is amused by what Light does. He's the only person Light can talk to about the perils of being Kira, although that doesn't stop Light from trying to manipulate him when he needs to. Then, there is the relationship between Light and L. The two of them are similar in that they are brilliant minds who can't be themselves and must stay a bit detached from the rest of the world.
The animation, done by famed studio Madhouse, is pretty good for a TV series. The character designs match the manga well and the color palette is surprisingly varied at times for a show like this. The English dub is solid with good vocal performances all around. If there is one gripe to be had, it is about the opening menu on each disc. The menu takes far too long to get to the main screen. Fortunately, it can be skipped.
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