Death Note had some of the best use of tension and actually showing smart characters be smart I've seen animated or otherwise. The fact that there is so little action and yet I was enthralled with it is a testament to the writing.
Yes, I'm aware its risks did eventually push the show into a bit of a corner, but I still admire it for not being predictable for the majority of the way.
I feel like discussing Rick and Morty is like Breaking Bad again. They're good, but I never clicked with the levels of praise and obsession fans give them. Rick and Morty in particular feels like a collection of references to hundreds of characters, ideas, stories, and themes I've seen before. Council of Ricks for example had to be the writer showing his love of Hickman's Fantastic Four and the Council of Reeds. It's well done, but there is that back of my head "oh yeah, that is like this book/movie/show/etc. I remember".
