anybody understand it at all

Look at it this way... try to repeat each episode at least one more time if you don't understand it... it's bound to clear things up a bit at least...

But in totaity, there's nothing not to understand...

 click to show spoiler

There is this high school student who got a notebook that when whoever's name is written on it will die in a matter of seconds of a heart attack otherwise specified.

He wishes to gt rid of criminals with it and create a new world where he is god.

However, he has encountered some obstacles aong the way.

That including his Father, a Mysterious guy named L, and two other people at the farther part of the story:

 click to show spoiler

When L dies...
We get M and N
Mello and Near

and another unexpected thing occurs:

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Mello dies
Near apprehends Light
Light dies because ryuk wrote Light's name down his Death Note

end of story

of course the additional stories are great in weaving the entire story... it shows how great the minds of the 3 people in the story are. Light, L, and the other person as stated in the 3rd spoiler (second spoiler in the spoiler).

That's it... sorry if i summarized the story too much... But watch the whole thing... It's really really great!

After you watch like...the whole anime, the story get better, obviously.
I don't remember him having like 15 girlfriends either..
And i remember the story being easy to follow =\
So i don't know what to tellyou

I think that Death Note is way overrated. It gets freaking boring after some episodes. Although the manga was pretty good, it kept me entertained for some months. I haven't seen the live movie of Death Note yet, i have heard that its pretty good. Has anyone seen it yet?

yeah, the movies are pretty good. You'd probably like them better than the anime, since it does move a lot faster ( it would have to be to fit everything in). The story is basically the same, except some parts are very different to the manga and anime

Well this has probably been said a million times, however the story really tells itself. You need to understand Light's thinking pattern from the very begining to know what will happen in later installments.

About the movie, however, i've tried watching it. sure there are some things that are in the anime and manga, but other things are simply a bit overdone, or downright wrong.

 click to show spoiler

After all, light doesnt tell ryuk he cant eat apples in a supermarket/convenience store it is on the road, Ryuk doesnt scream when he hears this he only argues and tells why he has to eat apples, L only says "Bang" once not once for every member of the task force, L screams before falling out of his chair in the anime and manga, not the movie, and when L and Light meet in the movie, L is eating chips, which he is never seen doing in the anime or manga

My manga references could be wrong, since ive never actually read them thoroughly, so if ive said wrong information, please correct me.

Well really hes using the girls for his plan thats the only reason he ever dates or is going out with a girl to use them to get rid of L or to do something for him.

I dont get it either.
I watch random episodes so im pretty lost.
when i do watch i can barely understand what they are talking about

bassicly what hes trying to do is rid the world of criminals and all the things he does are just means to accomplish that goal