I'm really not happy with the portrayal of female characters. I do kind of like Misa Amane, but she's the most prominent female character and is a pretty but not-too-bright model who is motivated entirely by her love for Light. Kiyomi Takada, another prominent, is described as stupid despite her good grades and is also strongly motivated by wanting to be Light's romantic partner. Naomi Misora and Halle Lidner have potential, but don't get a lot of time spent on them. Maybe one of L's heirs could have been female?

Yeah - I do like Misa but the lack of other significant women makes her portrayal so much worse. Naomi Misora's great but brief, like you said. I think one of L's heirs being female would've helped a lot; Death Note to me is one of those series where everyone's male unless they have a reason to be female.