The Death Note manga ran in Shonen Jump magazine from 2003 to 2006; the anime aired from 2006 to 2007. I got into it in 2007 or 2008, and I've revisited it many times over the years. It remains one of my favorite things to this day!
It has a lot to offer, I think, and has a really interesting balance of drama and camp and intrigue and violence and themes that make it appealing to an incredibly broad audience. Death Note is no longer an enormous fandom, but it's never gone away, either, and it has a powerful cultural presence even in the US. Iconic and classic!
Since a lot of people liked Death Note as children and it has always had a particularly strong appeal to kids in the 12-15 age range, it is often the butt of jokes & considered embarrassing/cringey and bad. Additionally, a lot of people don't remember it particularly well and/or didn't read it especially closely. I think that's a shame!
