(Seras): Hello, I’m Seras.
(Mira): And I’m Mira. Welcome to Project Nitsuj.
(Seras): Today me and Mira are going to be doing a joint review of the very popular and great anime known as Death Parade.
(Mira): Consider by many to be one of the best animes of 2015. Death Parade offers us a unique and interesting take on the afterlife and the deep and complicated psyche of humans. But before we get into this anime it’s best to talk about the history of this anime first.
(Seras): Unlike most animes which are based off of mangas and videogames, Death Parade is instead an original idea created, written, and directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa a young director who worked on the storyboard for a number of Bleach episodes. He finally made his directorial debut with the movie Arata naru Sekai which got a lot of mixed reviews. In 2013 he decided to create his own short film called Death Billiards a film in which two people mysteriously enter a bar and play Billiards with the bartender hinting that they’re playing for their lives.
(Mira): The film was produced by the powerhouse studio Madhouse (Devil May Cry, Death Note, and H.O.T.D) for Anime Mirai 2013 a festival in Japan where young animators come together and show off a short film of their skills. Out of all the entries the two shorts that really stuck with people were Little Witch Academia from Studio Trigger and Death Billiards. After seeing how big a hit Death Billiards was Madhouse and Yuzuru decided to make a whole series about it and in 2015 they debuted the anime making it as I said before one of the best animes of 2015.
(Seras): And today we’re here to look at it. Why us? I wanted to review it for its dark yet meaningful tone.
(Mira): And I wanted to review it for its deep and psychological journey into the human mind and afterlife.
(Seras): Therefore, we’re the best AIs to review this anime. Let’s get this parade started and take a look at Death Parade.
Opening and Ending Theme
(Seras): The opening for this anime is “Flyers” by Bradio and this opening really catches you off guard. With the title of this anime you would expect to hear a dark and sad opening but instead the opening is bright, loud, energetic, and catchy. We see the characters dancing, smiling and having a good time all while we see a few disturbing images in the background. It definitely doesn’t fit with the series but it’s just so catchy and fun to listen to that you just don’t care that it’s out of place in an otherwise dark anime. Bottom line, love the opening.
(Mira): The ending is “Last Theater” by NoisyCell. This is where we get the dark and sad stuff. It’s slow, dark, sad, and sets the mood perfectly for what we just watched. It’s like the ending is breaking down the walls of the human psyche and revealing the true nature of a particular human. Will what we see be beautiful or will it be ugly. Who knows, it varies from person to person. In the end I liked it.
Episodes 1-4
(Seras): The anime starts us off with a man named Takashi and his wife Machiko exiting an elevator separately from each other. These two are newlyweds who have no idea what’s going on or how they got to where they are (too much moonshine will do that to you). After walking a hallway they arrive at the bar Quindecim run by the bartender Decim voiced by Tomoaki Maeno (Naotsugu from Log Horizon). He explains to them that they’re about to play a game in which they will put their lives on the line and they can’t leave the bar until the game is finished (alright sounds fair. Except for one little problem. What the hell is going on here!?). Of course the couple are confused by this and refuse to play the game so they try to leave but can’t find a way out. They return to the bar where Decim shows them what happens to people who refuse to play the game (Mira: They get frozen today and put on display for everyone to see). After seeing this they agree to play the game (Mira: I don’t blame them) and after a selection via roulette they play darts where they both get 7 darts and the person who scores the lowest points wins. But here’s where the game gets all Saw on us. The parts on the board are all body parts and whichever part they hit the other person will experience a sharp pain in that body part (and doubles count for twice the pain). So they play but Takashi receives a hint from Decim that they don’t have to hit the targets they just have to throw the darts and miss (a clever loophole but will they use it?). Sure enough they begin to miss on purpose with Takashi in the lead but his hand “slips” (I don’t know a part of me thinks he did it on purpose) and he causes Machiko pain and she returns the favor by scoring double points with a hit in the eyes (now that was on purpose). This causes suspicion to swell up in Takashi but it quickly gets dispelled when Machiko tells him she’s 10 weeks pregnant (why do I feel like these two are lying to each other?). When he goes to throw a dart he begins to remember his wedding day and how he overheard Machiko’s friends talk about how Machiko is fooling around with another guy behind Takashi’s back (Mira: No class those girls). This causes Takashi to hit a target that causes pain in Machiko’s stomach and he begins not trusting her at all. He soon picks up the last dart that isn’t his (hey the rules never specified he could take his opponent’s darts. Way to use that loophole) as he’s about to throw Machiko stops him saying it was her other friend they were talking about not her and she grabs the dart, throws it, and nails it in the center which happens to be the heart (they say love hurts). With this Machiko wins the game and we find out that the two are actually dead. They died in a car accident which was caused by Takashi who was suspicious that his wife was cheating on him (and look where it got you two). Decim explains that they’re in purgatory and that Quindecim passes judgment on those who have passed on however only those who have died at the same time are invited to the bar and they play a game to decide who gets reincarnated and who dies forever (Mira: And here I thought Quindecim was just an inconvenient place to grab a drink). Takashi begins to go crazy on us (don’t see why, this whole mess is his fault. You didn’t trust your wife and because of that got yourself and her killed) so Machiko plays the villain and pretends she had an affair behind Takashi’s back to make him look good and her look bad. The plan works as Takashi is sent to Heaven to be reincarnated while Machiko is sent to Hell (was is the right thing to do? I cannot say. Was it the noble thing to do? Who knows? But one thing I can say for sure is that Machiko truly loved Takashi. More than he’ll ever know).
Episode 2 serves as a prequel and an aftermath to episode 1. We start off by first meeting a lovely woman who we’ll call Kurokami the new assistant for Decim. She’s voiced by Asami Seto (Asagi from Strike the Blood). After falling unconscious and waking up in an unknown location with no memories including her real name she’s greeted by a small-haired girl named Nona voiced by Rumi Okubo (Hibachi from Mushibugyou). Nona tells her to follow her and she willingly goes along with her not questioning anything (well at least she’s trustworthy. (Mira): That, or just plain gullible). They take a train and arrive to an underground station where they take an elevator up to the 15th floor which is where Decim’s bar is at (Mira: This is a very inconvenient bar. (Seras): True, but the drinks and prices are great). Once there we see the events of episode 1 unfold from the viewpoint of Kurokami and Nona. We see that the dead bodies Decim showed Machiko and Takashi weren’t real bodies they were just mannequins that Decim created (he needs a new hobby). We also see how Takashi really did hit the board on purpose during the game of darts because he was afraid of losing and scared of what would happen to him (called it) and it turns out that Machiko really did cheat on Takashi but it was only a one-time fling and she regretted it. Kurokami even makes the observation that Machiko was acting when she played the villain. Something that Decim didn’t notice (Mira: Really? You couldn’t tell she was acting? This guy is like Spock from Star Trek when it comes to reading emotions). So just like everyone out there concluded Decim sent the wrong person to Hell and even he is mighty shocked at how stupid his mistake was (//youtu.be/m5RtlpXsl8k). A few other things we learn in this episode is that the point of the games is to help draw out the inner most emotions of the guests that way they can pass a more accurate judgment and all the memories of the guests are transferred to the arbiter before the guest arrive.
Episode 3 is a real tearjerker for some folks out there. This time we focus on two young college students one being Shigeru and the other being Chisato who comes from the Miyazaki family (Mira: You know I often wonder what Hayao-san thinks of his family name being used in this anime?). This time around the two are playing bowling with each other’s heart (and I don’t mean that figuratively I mean they are literally using each other’s heart to bowl. It’s both symbolic and sexual at the same time). During the bowling game the two begin to remember their past and how they’re actually childhood friends who used to play together with each other until Chisato moved away unfortunately. Shigeru decides to make a wager that if he wins Chisato has to go on a date with him (oh I’m so sorry for him) because he has a crush on her and she also has a crush on him so she throws the game on purpose (Mira: Oh that’s beautiful). Once the game is finish they finally remember that they died in a bus accident and have passed on (Mira: Oh that’s sad). But despite being dead Shigeru still wants to go on a date with Chisato and Decim gives it to them (scene here: //youtu.be/H7OuDGfR3bw) where they have a great time together, catch up with each other, and pass on into the afterlife where many of us (including myself) believe they both went to Heaven to be reincarnated. Also, here’s the twist at the end, that’s not Chisato but instead Mai, Shigeru’s other childhood friend who always had a crush on him (wow two girl childhood friends there’s something you don’t see everyday) but never caught the eye of Shigeru so she had plastic surgery done on her to make herself look like Chisato in the hopes of getting Shigeru’s attention. However, here’s the second twist to this story Shigeru knows that it’s really Mai and he still wants to go on a date with her. In his heart he realized how much Mai wanted to be with him but never paid any attention to her. Now, he has a chance to correct his mistakes and live out his final moments with his best friend and make her wish come true (wow. Just wow. This has got to be one of the best love stories I’ve heard in a long time).
(Mira): Episode 4 focuses on a man named Yousuke who is an otaku and a woman named Misaki who is a reality TV star and a single mom of 7 kids (so this is what happens when the Kardashians meet that one show that used to focus on the life of the 8 kids). The two think they’re on a hidden camera show so they go along with Decim’s act and are forced to play a Street Fighter arcade rip-off with them as the fighters in horrible form. Yousuke wins the first round which gives Misaki a headache and she begins to remember her past. It turns out she was in a number of bad relationships with different guys which always ended with her getting smacked (Seras: Bitch this chicken is cold *smack*) and getting another child. In the second round Decim begins to draw out the darkness in their souls (or more like force it out of them) by sabotaging Yousuke and making him lose the second round. In Yousuke’s past we see that when he was young his mother didn’t like him (Seras: Like him? She wished he was never born) and his parents were always arguing. Eventually they got a divorce but the father got custody of Yousuke and remarried however Yousuke never warmed up to his new mother. In the final round Yousuke and Misaki go all out and Decim plays his hand again this time sabotaging Misaki who takes exception to this and begins bashing Yousuke’s head into the screen knocking him unconscious (Seras: Damn! She’s cold). She realizes what she’s done and tries to get him help but Decim tells her to continue the game so she begins beating Yousuke’s character (slowly). But somehow Yousuke gets back up, continues the game, and ends the game on a draw. After the draw they realize how they both died. Yousuke died by committing suicide for no reason (I mean it, his stepmom wasn’t mean to him or anything, he was just fed up with living). Misaki’s is a little harsher. After finishing up work her manager made a schedule for her ahead of time without her notice. This upsets Misaki greatly because she had plan to spend time with her kids but now has to cancel it disappointing them and making it seem like she’s a terrible mother. She slaps her manager (wow you think for a person who’s been slapped her whole life the last thing she would do is slap someone else) and the manager gets back up and chokes the bitch out with a cloth. After they both remember their past they both burst out into tears and Misaki almost has a scuffle with Decim. In the end Yousuke is sent to Heaven while Misaki is sent to Hell (Seras: Not gonna lie this could have gone either way).
Episodes 5-8
Episode 5 opens up with Kurokami dreaming about a children’s story where a boy named Jimmy who lives in a winter theme village spots a girl (who has the creepiest smile I have ever seen) outside and befriends her. Later on we find out that the girl is deaf (but she still has that creepy smile (Seras): That needs to be explained) so Jimmy let’s his actions speak for him. He rolls around and plays in the snow smiling and everything getting her to know he wants to play with her and she comprehends his message (Seras: Couldn’t he have just written it down on a piece of paper or something. (Mira): It’s cuter this way). Kurokami wakes up from the dream and goes to work where Decim senses something strange about the guests. The guests this time around are a rude middle-aged man and a little boy (I’m gonna need to see some ID to verify his age before letting him in). The middle-aged man somehow remembers being here, goes crazy, grabs a pair of chopsticks, and threatens to kill the boy (Seras: Go ahead, he’s already dead, you should know that by now). Decim apprehends him only to discover that the boy has knocked out Kurokami and isn’t a little boy at all but instead Ginti another arbiter and idiot who can’t stand Decim. He’s voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya (Kojo from Strike the Blood). Ginti demands to know why Decim hasn’t passed judgment on Kurokami knowing that she’s human (wait what!?). (Seras): Yep, that’s right, Kurokami is in fact human. She came to the bar a while back with full knowledge of her death so Decim couldn’t convince her to play a game. Rather than send her off Decim asked Nona if he could get an extension on her judgment and she allowed it. They took away her memories and made her Decim’s assistant where he can pass judgment on her. (Mira): I don’t believe this. There’s actually story in this anime. Anyway, Ginti fights Decim (wow, to think we get shonen action in this series) in a short fight until it gets interrupted by Nona and Clavis the elevator attendant (scene here: //youtu.be/wD4EZs4D8oo). We find out this whole stunt was a test for Decim to test his skills as an arbiter and wouldn’t you know it he failed miserably. The middle age man is just a puppet but because Decim was too focus on him he never realized that he received no memories from the boy which resulted in Ginti going wild and destroying the bar (Seras: Nice going. The more you fuck up the more we look like rockstars).
In episode 6 we follow Ginti and see how he does his job as an arbiter (and I have to admit it’s nice to follow someone else around. (Seras): I’m just glad to be in a different bar. This one’s brighter and has a different theme). We see that unlike Decim who tries to take an interest in his guest and actually shows respect to them Ginti is colder, short-tempered, and shows no respect to his guest (and he wonders why he doesn’t receive a big tip at the end of his shift). The guest this time around are a high school girl named Mayu (Seras: Who seriously wears too much make-up. She looks gaudy) and Harada an idol from Mayu’s favorite male idol group and her idol (wow she hit the jackpot). As you would expect Mayu goes all fangirl on us drooling over him and everything (hmm~ that boy does have a nice body. (Seras): Hey, eyes the anime not the boy toy) and Harada just sits there taking it all in while being nice to her when really he can’t stand her. They move on to their game which is Twister (Mira and Seras: The hot spot! (Mira): That was good. (Seras): Yeah perfect sync, I was just trying to be funny. I didn’t know you were gonna say it too. (Mira): Same here) and at first the game is normal with nothing all that much happening except for Mayu fangirling over Harada (scene here: //youtu.be/BpWnqGfr_C8). As the game goes on they start to get tired, Mayu has to pee, and Ginti decides to start getting serious and torture them. From now on, each spot has an effect. Red spots makes the mat incredibly hot, green causes powerful wind to shoot up at them, blue freezes the entire mat as well as the competitors (//youtu.be/nC8zz95rm8s), and yellow sends the game into sudden death where the loser falls down into a pit full of spikes (it’s the green one I’m most afraid of). Realizing that one of them is going to die Harada decides if it’s gonna be someone dying it should be Mayu (oh you ass) but in a shocking turn of events Mayu decides to sacrifice herself to save Harada saying how much his songs have helped her through all her hard times. She falls but Harada saves her saying she’s help him out as well with her fan letters (Seras: Yes, all of them being about how much she wants to rape you) but she slips through his hands and falls down on the spikes which aren’t spikes at all and she wets herself. They then remember everything including their deaths. Harada was a womanizer who played with the hearts of his fans which eventually caused one of them to commit suicide. The sister of the suicide victim wanted revenge so she seduced Harada and left a bomb in his room which killed him (well that was dark). Mayu’s death is a little bit funnier. She just slipped on some soaped and hit her head (Seras: A tragic death yes but a funny one nonetheless that fits her character). Rather than seeing who goes to Heaven or Hell, Harada holds a concert for Ginti, Mayu, Clavis, Decim, and Kurokami (who are there for some reason. Scene here: //youtu.be/3ctEWMPHVaM).
(Seras): Episode 7 serves as good backstory into some characters. We start by learning that arbiters cannot stop making judgments (it’s their reason for existing in the first place so why stop?), they cannot experience death because that would bring them closer to being human (true. Trust me, I should know), and finally they cannot have emotions because in truth they’re dummies whose sole purpose is to pass judgment on those who have died. After learning these rules we cut to Decim who tells Kurokami about Quin the original arbiter of Quindecim (Mira: And a drinker) who works in the intelligence department. Their job is to sort out the memories of humans and deliver them to the arbiters (sounds like the perfect job for you Mira). We also learn from Decim that arbiters forget their guest when they leave (Mira: No human emotions) and the bodies of their guest are really just dummies that get tossed away after the judgment has been passed. However, Decim keeps the dummies as a way to remember his guest because he’s the only arbiter who somehow has human emotions and has a great respect for people who have lived meaningful and fulfilling lives (Mira: That’s a creepy yet sweet hobby he has). We also learn that Mayu is still around and hangs out with Ginti in his bar driving him crazy (you know you love her).
Episode 8 is business as usual. Two new guest have come to Quindecim. One is Tatsumi a detective and the other is Shimada a worker but here’s the real twist to these guests, one of them is a murderer (woah killers in the bar. Have the gun on standby). The two are forced to play air hockey (not really all that scary. (Mira): That is a long hockey table) where we take a look into the two’s past. Shimada’s parents died when he and his sister were young but they continued to live with Shimada going to work right after high school and doing his best to provide for his sister (Mira: What a nice brother). However, someone began stalking his sister and one night assaulted her when he was out (and we see what she looks like after the assault. There’s bruises and marks all over her body and she looks terrible). Shimada tried going to the police for help but they said they couldn’t do anything to help him (than why wear a badge if you’re not gonna do anything?). Tatsumi’s past is also quite tragic. His wife was murdered and Tatsumi became obsessed with finding who the killer was (Mira: Well played anime. Either one of these two can be the murderer). Because of the game going so long they use up their time limit and Decim still hasn’t been able to make a judgment yet. This forces him to raise the stakes of the game by using link. From now on the pucks will represent body parts and if a player scores on you you’ll feel pain in that body part. Kurokami ask Decim if she can see the memories of the guest and he gets permission to show her them where the anime ends on a suspenseful twist. They’re both murderers.
Episodes 9-12
In episode 9 the story of Tatsumi and Shimada continue where we see exactly how they both became killers. Tatsumi found the guy who killed his wife, tortured him a bit and then killed him (cold). Shimada’s is a little more straightforward and amateur. He just found out where the guy lived, ringed his doorbell and just killed the bastard with a knife (very School Days like). But Shimada wasn’t finished. It turns out the person who stalked his sister had an accomplice and when that accomplice came by Shimada killed him and died on top of him (Mira: One has to wonder what the neighbors were doing while all of this was going on). Shimada wins the game and it gets revealed that the accomplice was Tatsumi only he wasn’t an accomplice he was simply watching the guy and waiting to make a judgment on him. It gets confusing here but basically Tatsumi went a little crazy after avenging his wife and became a killer himself saying it was his job to pass judgment on people and create situations where he would have all the right to kill them even if that meant standing by and watching someone innocent get attacked (Mira: That is so messed up. (Seras): Yeah even I’m a little disturbed by that). Once Shimada finds all this out he wants to kill him (jokes on you he’s already dead) so Decim gives him the knife and Tatsumi’s pucks saying he’s free to give him as much pain as he wants. Kurokami no longer able to stand all of this (Mira: Thank God someone has a conscience in this anime) tries to stop Shimada from committing such a terrible act. She even berates Decim for his actions saying that humans aren’t as complex as he thinks, they’re all fragile beings and it actually gets to him this time. Kurokami’s action seem to stop Shimada but Tatsumi eggs him on and he gives into his hatred and destroys all the pucks (scene here: //youtu.be/fwdVoFTMj7w, well he’s going to void). At the end we don’t know who went to the void and who was reincarnated (I do hope Shimada was the one reincarnated and not Tatsumi).
(Mira): In episode 10 Decim goes to Nona where he questions the judging system and says he is unable to judge people fairly (we made it folks. It took us 10 episodes but we finally made it. Someone finally questions the system). But it’ll have to wait (son of a bitch) as Kurokami’s extension is almost coming to an end and her body is beginning to fall apart. Decim has no choice but to judge her and Nona sends a special guest to help him in the judgment. The special guest that Nona sends is an old lady named Sachiko (Seras: Calling the master onii-chan while blushing says it’s Kurokami’s mom. (Mira): You’re on). The game this time is Old Maid and Decim is joining them where we see that the cards are all illustrated with people or things related to the players. The game begins and for a majority of the game no one talks it’s just music setting the mood and everyone playing the game (Seras: It’s. . .quite relaxing actually). Sachiko wins at the end where she figures out she died and she’s not upset or sad about it, she’s lived a full life and is at peace with dying, she carries no regrets whatsoever (wow, so far she is the best character in the show). Decim and Kurokami continue the game where Kurokami remembers her real name Chiyuki and she loses the game to Decim. Sachiko gets sent away for reincarnation (good for her she deserved it) and Occulus who’s kind of like the manager here finds out that Decim has human emotions.
In episode 11 we get quite a sad story involving Chiyuki and her past. In the episode we find out that she’s actually a figure skater and a very good one. We get treated to a very dazzling and breathtaking figure skating scene where Chiyuki’s past gets revealed. She started figure skating at a young age winning her first trophy and continued to do it all through high school. When she finally went professional she had a knee incident (ohh~. Just sends a chill down my spine) which forced her to retire from skating all together (scene here: //youtu.be/W4Kg3K6zZ48). She soon fell into a depression not because she stopped skating but because she felt she lost everything that mattered to her (Seras: So basically skating) and finally committed suicide. After skating and having a nice chat with Decim (where it’s hinted he might have fallen in love with her) they share one last drink together where Decim drugs the drink and knocks her out (didn’t take Decim for a rapist). In plot B of the episode we see Ginti give Mayu a chance to bring Harada back (oh that’s nice of him. (Seras): Wait for it) however she has to send someone else to the void (Seras: In this case Light from Death Note. I’m not kidding. Look, it’s Light. Scene here: //youtu.be/TiuQJi48SFc) in Harada’s place (oh you son of a bitch. (Seras): Haha! Nothing is ever as simple as it seems). Not wanting to send anyone else into the void Mayu sacrifices herself to the void in order to be with Harada again (scene here: //youtu.be/oI3-etOOX5E, what an amazing side character).
In the final episode Decim takes Chiyuki down to the lowest level of the tower where he brings her back to her world as a ghost who can’t interact with the world (oh tease). Decim returns Chiyuki to the house of her mother who is still broken up about the death of her daughter and even blames herself for her daughter’s death because she couldn’t understand her (this. . .this is so sad). Decim offers Chiyuki a chance to return from the dead all with a push of a button but in return someone in the world must take her place (Seras: Could be her mom, best friend, the neighborhood boy down the street, the mailman, or that idiot who keeps trolling people on Youtube). At first it seems like Chiyuki is going to push the button but she remembers all the guest who passed through and just can’t push the button realizing that just like she values her mom someone else in the world values another person’s life. She then breaks out in tears as does Decim who for a split moment of time becomes human and it gets revealed that this whole event was a part of Chiyuki’s test (scene here: //youtu.be/rxDYwX3HQhE, we found the tin man’s heart). None of it was real (*chuckles* None of it was real. Ohh~, I’ll be right back *Mira leaves the room and goes outside causing havoc*. (Seras): Now I have to admit this was a good fake out and conveys Chiyuki’s character. *A man screams in the background* Chiyuki has seen the darkness of society and knows that for every Sachiko out there in the world there’s a Shimada in the world. *A car crash can be heard outside as people scream in pain* Chiyuki could of easily push that button and gotten her life back but realizes trading in a person’s life for your own life isn’t right. You only get one life in this world folks. I suggest you guys make the best of it and live it to the fullest. *Mira returns* (Mira): Okay, I’m back). Decim reveals that the level they’re on is the puppet dumpster where all the bodies go (looks like a missing set from the Saw movies) and they return to the bar where Chiyuki says farewell to Decim and goes up to Heaven for reincarnation (scene here: //youtu.be/LNAE54T9mcI). As the credits roll we see things return to normal, Decim knows how to smile now, and a new rule is established that forbids arbiters from working hand in hand with humans.
Final Thoughts
(Mira): Wow so much to cover. I need to catch my breath for a moment. Seras you can go ahead with your thoughts.
(Seras): This anime truly is fantastic from beginning to end. The anime is dark with the setting being in purgatory and all the characters dead yet it still offers something fresh, different, and unique from other animes that walk along the same line of Death Parade. Their idea of purgatory is interesting. Rather than being a place of suffering as we’re taught to believe it’s actually a place of judgement where the true character and personality of people get judged. That actually makes a lot of sense. I like how they don’t try to make this a religious thing but instead a trial of seeing if a person is truly good or bad. It’s sort of like a person being an asshole on the internet but meeting them in real life and finding out they’re one of the nicest people in the world or vice versa. In the end it’s not how you act on the outside that matters but rather who you are on the inside that matters. I like how each game is different and helps reveal the nature of a person. It would have been so easy to just keep playing the same game with different characters but instead they keep it fresh and introduce a new game that does its job revealing the true nature of characters. As for the characters-
(Mira): Hey! That’s my part.
(Seras): Oh sorry. Please go ahead.
(Mira): As for the characters, they’re all great and their interactions off each other is amazing. Each one offers us a different insight into the psyche of humans. Decim is essentially a robot who has human emotions but doesn’t know what they are or how to use them. Because he doesn’t know how to use them he comes across as a cold man but in truth he’s a gentle soul. This is why he takes such an interest in his guest. He’s trying to understand human emotions in the hopes that it’ll make him a better arbiter. Chiyuki despite losing all of her memories still has her human emotions therefore she can notice things that Decim doesn’t such as when people are lying, suffering, angry, etc. and share in their pain so through her interactions and talks with Decim he slowly starts to under emotions. Their relationship and chemistry is great as the two work off each other well and open new doors for each other. It’s not just limited to just these two either, all of the guest who enter the bar have great relationship and chemistry with each other. They start off as normal people but as they start to play the game their true personality and character begins to show as Seras talked about earlier. Chiyuki said it best, humans aren’t complicated, they’re fragile. If someone hurts them they hurt them back, if someone is nice to them they’ll be nice to them in return, and when the chips are down and they’re backed into a corner they reveal their true nature. Whether it’s good or bad is anyone’s guess but that’s just another part of being human. All of the characters in this anime offer us a different insight into the human psyche and death that makes you think. Some of them are sad like Yousuke and Misaki, shocking like Shimada and Tatsumi, bad like Ginti and Harada, and encouraging like Mayu and Sachiko. They’re all different as well as right and wrong at the same time.
(Seras): The animation and music to this anime is also fantastic. The amount of attention, camera work, lighting, and detail to this anime shows that everyone working on it was very passionate about bringing this anime to life. There are even scenes where the anime has no lines of dialog yet it’s able to tell its story through great visuals and music. The music can be intense to express the emotions of the characters and a scene and it can also be melancholy to express the sad and dark mood the anime is going for. Death Parade is an anime that delivers a different perspective of life and death with different types of emotional appeal that delivers meaningful and though provoking messages and revelations with its characters and storytelling.
Final Score
(Mira): My final score for Death Parade is 9.5/10.
(Seras): I give the anime a 9/10 as it would have liked to explore some of the characters some more but for what we got I really enjoyed the anime.
(Mira): This averages out our score to 9.25/10 and going by the master’s system this evens the score out to a final score of 9/10.
(Seras): And we would like to give this anime a must watch stamp of approval from each of us.
(Mira): This truly is an anime worth checking out and if you haven’t seen yet definitely put it on animes you need to watch list. Will this anime get a second season? I doubt it as it is Madhouse who have a tendency not to do second seasons and it’s not like the anime could add anything new aside from having us follow a different arbiter around but even then it would feel like the anime was repeating its lessons. But even so, if a second season were to come out I be more than interested in watching it.
(Seras): As would I. Well that’s it for us. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
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