Death Parade

After death, either Heaven or Hell awaits most humans. But for a select few, death brings them to Quindecim—a bar where only pairs of people who die at the same time can enter. Attending the bar is an enigmatic figure known as Decim, who also acts as the arbiter. He passes judgment on those who wind up at Quindecim by challenging them to a life-threatening game. These games determine if the patron's soul will reincarnate into a new life, or be sent into the void, never to be seen again.

From darts and bowling to fighting games, the true nature of each patron slowly comes to light as they wager their souls. Though his methods remain unchanged, the sudden appearance of a black-haired amnesiac causes Decim to reevaluate his own rulings.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Decim Main

Maeno, Tomoaki Japanese

Kurokami no Onna Main

Seto, Asami Japanese

Nona Main

Ookubo, Rumi Japanese

Clavis Supporting

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Ginti Supporting

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Arita, Mayu Supporting

Tanezaki, Atsumi Japanese

Quin Supporting

Shiraishi, Ryouko Japanese

Tatsumi Supporting

Fujiwara, Keiji Japanese

Castra Supporting

Yuzuki, Ryouka Japanese

Oculus Supporting

Genda, Tesshou Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Nakatani, Toshio Producer

Taguchi, Ayuri Producer

Nara, Shunsuke Producer

Reviews

Aug 13, 2024

Will2miNB

Recommended

Death Parade is an anime that stands out for its ability to explore human nature through a unique and unsettling lens. Set in a mysterious limbo, the anime presents a fascinating and surreal environment: a bar called Quindecim, where the souls of the deceased are judged through deadly games that reveal their true characters. Here, the fate of the souls is decided by Decim, an enigmatic bartender and arbiter, who must determine whether a soul deserves reincarnation or should be condemned to the eternal void.

One of the most captivating aspects of Death Parade is how it uses seemingly innocuous games, like darts or billiards, to ... unveil the darkest and most hidden parts of people. Each episode focuses on a new group of characters, each with their own stories and secrets, and through these challenges, the anime delves into deep themes such as remorse, guilt, love, and hate. The elegance of the anime lies in its ability to bring out the complexity of human emotions, showing how even the most seemingly pure souls can harbor profound darkness.

Decim, the protagonist, is a cold and enigmatic figure who initially appears devoid of emotion. However, his interaction with a mysterious unnamed woman, who becomes his assistant, forces him to confront ethical and moral dilemmas that challenge his very role as a judge. The dynamic between Decim and his assistant adds a layer of introspection to the anime, exploring what it truly means to judge a soul and whether it is possible to fully understand people only through their actions in extreme situations.

Visually, Death Parade is distinctive. The animation is elegant and refined, with a meticulous attention to detail that creates an atmosphere suspended between reality and dream. The design of Quindecim, with its sophisticated and slightly retro aesthetic, contributes to a sense of luxury and decadence, yet also unease and mystery. The soundtrack, with its blend of jazz and orchestral tones, perfectly complements the intense and often harrowing scenes that unfold in the bar.

In conclusion, Death Parade is not just a journey through the lives of the souls being judged, but a meditation on what it means to be human. With its compelling narrative, complex characters, and existential themes, the anime stands out as a profoundly moving and intellectually stimulating work. It’s an experience that goes beyond mere entertainment, inviting the viewer to look inward and reflect on their own choices, values, and the meaning of life and death.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Aug 25, 2024

SlushPuppy007

Mixed Feelings

I think that the strongest point of this show is its ability to use death games to dig into the human psyche. The first episode of this show is honestly one of my favorite episodes of anime because of how well it used the tools at its disposal to convey the complexity of the human experience. It had twists and turns that were relatable. The suspense and mystery was addicting and the ending was ambiguous enough to linger in my mind. What made that episode so good was that it was more about the game and the contestants than the hosts themselves. It should have ... just leaned as hard into that aspect as possible instead of trying to humanize and develop the hosts, because that is where this show fails tremendously.

Opening that door lead to more questions than this show has time to answer. It was doomed to fail the moment that creative decision was made, because the focus wasn’t entirely on the contestants anymore. It became a narrative mess of judges being judged on the way they were judging the contestants while also trying to build a coherent world and diverse cast of characters. All of which it failed at in spades. Everything became so disjointed and unorganized because of how much they try to pack into this short series. This results in the narrative of this show losing its spark and becoming more and more dull as the story progresses.

The death game concept delivered enough complexity on its own that there didn’t need to be anything else and the lack of answers was originally a strength, not a weakness. Leaving the world and the judges a mystery helped play into the mystery of the narrative. Adding a cast of judges, trying to build a world, and give all these answers only weakened the mystery that made this idea so interesting in “Death Billiards” and the first episode. It’s over ambitious goals ultimately ended up ruining the potential this show could have had.

It’s a shame too, because I wanted to like this show. I want to make that clear. I know there are people who watch this and defend this because they are capable of seeing the complex themes about human nature that this concept taps on. Those ideas are not lost on me. I see them, I understand them, and when this show does deliver on those ideas…it does a good job at conveying its message, but only during the death games. Never outside of them. What it does good is not enough to overshadow the over-ambitious goals that it fails to deliver on. When I review something, I feel that I am obligated to point out the flaws more than what makes it good because more often than not, it’s easier to absorb what makes something good rather than accept what is objectively bad about something.

With that being said though, not everything is bad about this show. The music is fantastic, atmospheric, and, at times, downright beautiful. When the show does settle back into its death game roots, it almost always delivers on an interesting and complex concept with twists and turns that I found very engaging to watch. Also the animation, character designs, and usage of gloomy color palettes contrasted with bright ambient lighting makes for some very nice eye candy. Realistically, it is good at everything it does outside of world building and character development. Which you could blame on its short run time, but I blame it on bad creative writing decisions. Those two flaws should have never even been a factor to begin with. Nobody asked for it after seeing Death Billiards. All we wanted was more Death Games that explore the human condition. If this had just been a collection of stories where Decim forces people to play games with no overarching story. It would have been infinitely better. Alas, this is another prime example of “We get what we get, not what we want.”.

I personally wouldn’t recommend it to someone, but I also wouldn’t deter someone from finding and watching it on their own either. I still think it’s worth watching if you haven’t seen it. What it fails at isn’t enough to make watching it an offensive experience. There is still enough good moments and ideas to keep things interesting and entertaining. Plus it’s short run time doesn’t make it a huge investment either.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jun 10, 2023

ramimanify

Not Recommended

Funny

If you want an anime that bores you to death that is death parade

from lackluster characters to dull plots and tedious story-telling it's not a good show

heads up guys
I was drawn in by the fancy style and the white-haired bartender looking suave
but sadly that is all this show got going for itself, a veneer

Also the ending didn't conclude the anime in a logical manner, I painstakingly endured till the end to see what the fuss was all about , but it is lukewarm and dissatisfying

At first the premise is promising giving us a hint about what the story is about, death ... and the intricacies of souls entering into this realm, but it could have been much more, there simply is no mystery at the core of the story, which doesn't make sense to me

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Death Parade Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Mar 27, 2015	670 replies	by INoLuv »» 6 hours ago
	Poll: Death Parade Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jan 9, 2015	841 replies	by Rithic »» Sep 6, 11:31 AM
	Poll: Death Parade Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Feb 13, 2015	454 replies	by kyota521306 »» Aug 26, 7:00 AM
	Poll: Death Parade Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Mar 6, 2015	602 replies	by 0k_Cxz »» Jul 30, 8:25 AM
	Poll: Death Parade Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Feb 20, 2015	217 replies	by Hearthos »» Jul 26, 2:13 PM

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