Ranked #1523

Shinigami no Ballad

I'm the first to write a review about this lovely anime?

Surprising. Well, Shinigami No Ballad is pretty much this: There's a shinigami named Momo, and if you don't know what a shinigami is.. it's basically a death god. A god that takes people's lives. So she's all around watching people and judging who's life she's going to take next. But the thing about this is, there's more to just that.

Each episode is based on one or two people, sort of like mini stories about each person, and the reason why they've been chosen to take their lives away is based on what they've been doing, or what they wish for, or the fact it is really their time to go.

It's really a nice, sweet anime to watch. Honestly, 6 episodes wasn't really enough.. it could have gone on for at least another 6. Momo is a really sensitive character, considering her job is to take lives away, but in the anime, she says "I cry for them". Each story is really touching, I think the first episode got me into it straight away because of the story.

It's short, which I personally think is a downfall to the overall score I'll give it, because I think it's enjoyable, and the music is pleasing to the ear. But I would say the stories are pretty good to watch, I guess it depends on everyone's preference. But, give it a go and see how you like it. read more

Shinigami No Ballad is a 6 episode series consisting of 6 short stories (each story 1 episode long).　The main premise of the story is centered around a Shinigami named Momo and the people she deals with.　(By the way, A Shinigami is a ‘gatekeeper” to the afterlife’)　While there were great moments in the　individual stories, I found the series as a whole to be rather lacking.　Although all of the story premises we’re great, the last 3 episodes suffered from a bad case of “cheesy storytelling”.

Story 3.8/5
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The first 3 episodes we’re brilliant. The stories we’re all done very well with a great “mystery” aspect to them.　Granted, its difficult to pull of an effect story in 20 minutes, but from the first moments, these episodes we’re quite enthralling. (4.5/5)　Now, where this series suffers (and gets a much lower score) is in the last 3 episodes.　As stated above they suffered from a case of “cheesiness” and seemed rather predictable and bland.　If they had maintained the same momentum as they had with the three preceding episodes, the series would have been MUCH better off.

Characters 2.2/5
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Not good. It honestly felt as though it could have been the exact same character playing in each episode.　There were no “defining characteristics” that made individuals stand out from episode to episode.　Nothing memorable or exciting in the character department.

Sound 3.5/5
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The music and sounds were very fitting and well executed most of the time.
There we a few moments when the style seemed out of place with the atmosphere, but by-and-large, a job well done.　The musical style is your typical anime-esque type background music. A helpful bout of strings, piano, and electronic keyboard create a classic anime atmosphere.　The sound effects were very standard and casual, but well placed and executed.

Art 4/5
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It would be silly to expect complex animation or art style in an anime as simple as this one.　Though the art wasn’t exceptional, it did fit the style of the story perfectly and had a rather unique feel to it.　Job well done.

Overall 3.5/5
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In the end, Shinigami No Ballad was a rather decent anime.　The first half of the series excelled with excellent plots and storytelling. I just wish they had stuck with it for the last half as well.　Although not extraordinary, the anime as a whole was an enjoyable watch and certainly not a waste of time.

Recommended to anyone who wants to see a series that light-heatedly experiments with the idea of death and reflection on ones own life.
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