Death Note is an important part of anime history. It is a cult classic. Although the animation is great, it hasn't aged well.
Is Death Note still worth watching in 2020?
A lot of anime fans nowadays haven't gotten the chance to watch Death Note because it is old enough to slip past current mainstream titles. Gladly, it has aged well.
Death Note is an astonishing thriller that will keep you on your toes during each and every episode out of the 37 available. That means it's long enough to make the story interesting, but you won't quit before it even starts since it's not hundreds of episodes long like Naruto or One Piece.
Caveats
What happens when a highly intelligent student, bored over the world's mediocre ways, receives a weapon from the heavens? The weapon is a book. People whose names are written on it will die. The young man shall make a better world... Using that book. The Death Note.
Using all of the tools and resources available to an ordinary guy like himself who happens to be the son of a police officer who will eventually investigate his actions alongside the world's greatest detective, he sets out against a duel of wits against everyone around him to keep his identity concealed.
However, the computer technology used in the "current day" setting on the show is outdated compared to what people have today. It's from the 90's, so there are no smartphones anywhere to be seen which might look awkward to those born in the new millennium.
Because of that, by watching the show in 2020, it will always feel like the main characters have no budget at all. It kind of makes no sense now when we watch the main "antagonist" L, who is supposed to have nearly unlimited resources, mostly use just a common computer and his logic.
Throwback
To anyone who is older than 20, watching Death Note for the first time will be a blast from the past. It all seems real enough. I am 31 and I had a lot of fun throughout the whole anime.
Except not. There are is a section related to "memories" in the plot that left me bored out of my mind. It made me quit watching for years until recently it occurred to me should finish it while I have the chance.
It turns out it picked up the pace really quickly in the next episode so the rush led me to binge watching more! Thanks to this, I can now tell you to go watch Death Note if you haven't already. Unless you think you might be too young for throwbacks, of course.
Where to go from here!
Next on my to-watch list: the few Death Note OVAs and movies out there.