Death Note - "Rebirth"

I have heard good things about this series. It must be halfway decent, as it has spawned a pair of live action adaptations. I have sampled the first episode, and it is indeed interesting. It centers on a high school student named Light who comes into the possession of a notebook labeled "Death Note." It comes complete with instructions on how to use it to kill people. Believing it to be a hoax, he tests it, guess what happens? Well, if it didn't work, this would be a short series, no? We also learn that the book was lost by this demon/joker looking fellow. Guess I'll need to watch some more.