To those wondering if there is any value to this new production, seeing how there is already a live-action production before this one, the quick answer is "YES" if you like Death Note. As someone who's watched the prior adaptation, I can tell you if you really like Death Note, this new one will provide a new angle you've never seen before. You won't be disappointed. First of all, there is Yagami Light who is a Luke Skywalker look-alike in his role. In the first act, he trains to use the death notebook just like Luke Skywalker trains to use The Force. Second, the death notebooks are treated like precious-s-s-s-s commodities in this adaptation (reference to Lord of the Rings). As such, we actually get a scene where Light transforms into Gollum when he reunites with his lost notebook. Third, the central idea of Death Note is that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This theme is given front row center treatment throughout the drama. I won't even go into the superb acting, since that's already covered in the other reviews before me. And also the CGI and music are superbly done to the point of being of cinema-quality. So, having gotten the good points out of the way, here's the reason why I gave this drama a 4.5. The ending sucked. Sometimes, the good guys don't wear white (Darth Vader was the hero of the Star Wars universe b/c he be the one who overthrew the evil scumbag Emperor. Was Vader dressed in white like a certain cocky spoiled brat with too much time money and manservant on their hand?). L/Near aren't the good guys. They're the reason why countless of innocent FBI agents died trying to capture Kira. They're the real murderers. Light just offs ppl that are bad. L/Near are also responsible for making Light's younger sister the only Yagami family member left alive at the end. B/c of this, this show was like a 9.5 right until the last episode. What would have redeemed it from my 4.5/10 was to kill off Near as well, possibly the most annoying, badly-acted character in the entire series, seeing how Light was to be killed off anyways. L/Near are the false lights. In this end, the real bad guys won... In summary, I can't believe the same script writers who sustained a 9.5/10 rating from yours truly throughout episodes 1-10 just threw that all away with the horrible way the show ended. Ending sucked so bad, I am likely to suffer from PTSD wrt to J-Drama in the near future. That's b/c the writer is the God of any given work of fiction. If I was God in Death Note's world, Near would be dead at the end too b/c I'm an impartial God, not one who is partial to the authorities that saw their own members die b/c of the arrogance of certain mortals with a preference for white clothing. All in all, a show is only as good as the ending. If you're the sort that likes consistency, stay away from DN 2015. I swear all the episodes before the last one are like 9.5. IMHO, the last one just blows, made the entire series a meaningless waste of time for me in the end...