Death Note

"Nearly all men can withstand adversity. If you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln

Death Note is the story of a brilliant high schooler, Light Yagami, that stumbles upon a "Death Note", a notebook dropped by a shinigami named Ryuk, who seeks entertainment from the human world. When Light discovers the power of the Death Note - the power to kill anyone whose name and face he knows by writing their name in it - he quickly decides to become God and pass down vigilante judgment on criminals. Only, not everyone supports him in his goals, and the greatest detective in the world, known only by the alias of L, resolves to track down and bring "Kira" (killer) to justice.

Status

Manga: complete. (108 chapters.)

Thoughts

Since the action is mostly in the characters' heads, I strongly suspect the manga makes for a better experience (though I haven't watched the anime).

Anyways. The pinnacle of intensity in detective shows, a highly entertaining cat-and-mouse game. The second arc is...questionable in quality when compared to the first (for starters, N is likely to be a lot more annoying), but it still plays out for nice drama.

Do note that there's almost nothing else of interest, so if you aren't hooked soon after starting, you probably won't miss the rest.