Death Note

LIGHT 8. it can’t possibly a hot take for me to say that the best parts of Death Note are tied to how obstacles are resolved. the obstacles are difficult — so difficult that a solution only becomes evident after its been revealed by the show. and yet, the solutions are never infuriating. the show excels when its characters are smart (and, as such, i despised misa amane and touta matsuda). near the end of the story, the detective work done by near isn’t fully explained (in comparison to how in detail L’s speculations were) — but then again, it’s saved by the introduction of teru mikami and kiyomi takada. oh, and i’m happy that Death Note was less philosophical than i’d anticipated it to be, rather, it’s focused on detective work — exploiting technicalities, calling bluffs, toying minds, and uncovering tricks. it’s unashamed to take things to a comedically elaborate level, and it somehow manages to (for the most part) preserve the thrill when it truly matters — two great examples being the mini-tv inside the chip bag (as one of comedy) and raye penber dilemma (as one of thrill). and it was important for my enjoyment of this series that the dips in quality were neither near the beginning nor the ending, which will hopefully help to prevent Death Note from aging poorly.