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Review: ‘Death Parade’ peacefully wraps up after 12 emotional episodes

Death Parade, which streams on FUNimation and Hulu, has finished broadcasting after 12 straight episodes. It is unknown if there are plans for a second season even though the final episode, which streamed on Friday, leaves open that possibility.

I hope that is the case because the last episode leaves me wanting more.

This is a unique anime series that makes you think about the “good” and “bad” that you have done in your life because your deeds ultimately play a role on whether you go to Heaven or to Hell. I found this series to be a great way to have a theological and ideological debate on the present life and the afterlife.

As a practicing Buddhist, Death Parade resonated with me.

When I watched each episode, Death Parade made me think about Psycho-Pass because they have much in common.

Watching Death Parade made me want to watch the anime short, Death Billiards, which the series is adapted from. The series has a level of unpredictability that keeps you hooked. You have your main cast of characters in Death Parade, but they take a backseat as the series focuses on the “guests.”

Most of the episodes are almost self-contained, but it helps if you watch all episodes in order.

STORYLINE

I will start by saying that Death Parade has a unique storyline, which I thought was a mindblower ever since the first episode.

The setting of Death Parade mainly takes place in the Quindecim, which is operated by Decim. It is one of many bars in this tower, where guests must play “Death Games” to determine their destinations: reincarnation or void.

Each bar receives two guests at any given time.

Guests that appear in the bars let alone Quindecim are people who die simultaneously. They put their lives on the line through these games, where they are designed and rigged to draw out the darkness in their hearts.

The games are programmed to do so, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the winner ascends to Heaven.

Decim is an arbiter, who is a being that passes judgment on the competitors.

One pair of guests leave and another pair enter to play those games. I was expecting a billiards game, but I was shocked that Death Parade chose to have guests compete in many different games like: bowling, fighting games, air hockey, and twister.

The arbiters’ job is straightforward: draw out darkness and pass judgment.

But Decim questions his job and contemplates that the method they employed is flawed. He starts to think that way when his boss, Nona, assigns a mysterious Black-Haired Woman to be his personal assistant.

The story progresses and Decim starts to second-guess his decisions. He comes to the realization, with Nona’s help, that the current method is flawed and that the arbiters may have been passing unfair judgments on the guests.

It reminded me of the Sybil System from Psycho-Pass, which proves to be incredibly flawed in application.

There is a strong plot in Death Parade, but the story is more character-driven. It has to be character-driven because of the random guests.

CHARACTERS

I loved the characters in Death Parade.

Decim, Ginti, and the Black-Haired Woman got my undivided attention.

I was always curious about the Black-Haired Woman and her reason for being at the Quindecim. She serves as an emotional counterbalance to Decim, who is simply doing his job.

Ginti serves as an excellent antithesis to Decim.

Death Parade portrays Decim as calm, but Ginti as fiery and uncaring. In layman speak, Ginti can be a complete @$$hole. That proves to be true when he tricks Mayu, his “new assistant,” into making the wrong choice that sends her to the void.

I found the guests to be interesting because they are crucial to driving the story. There are many I sympathized and cheered for, but there were many that I couldn’ care less about. One example than I can use is Misaki Tachibana, from episode four, who was a reality TV star.

Watching her made me dislike reality TV even more.

Misaki has a very dark heart, which grew from the terrible choices that she made. I was disgusted at the fact that Misaki kept hiding behind her children for sympathy. Her opponent, Yousuke Tateishi, got my sympathy because I could relate to him.

I was glad that Misaki got sent to Hell and that Yousuke got sent to Heaven. Misaki’s situation was the main reason I thought that episode four was emotionally intense.

Shigeru Miura and Mai Takada from episode three were revealed to be good people with no darkness in their hearts, which proved that both guests could ascend to Heaven.

Episodes 8 and 9 proved that both guests could descend to Hell. I was emotionally torn after watching both episodes because Shimada and Tatsumi were sent to Hell, which I did understand. The reason I was torn is that Shimada was avenging the brutal assault on his sister and Tatsumi was avenging his wife’s murder.

OVERALL

Stories that center on the concept of the afterlife usually interest me as long as there is an original angle present.

Death Parade delivers on that front.

This is one of the best anime series of the 2015 winter season and I would recommend that anybody watch it. I think theology, philosophy, anthropology, and sociology students would get a kick out of watching Death Parade.

The story gives a unique idea on the possibility of playing any game to determine if you go to Heaven or Hell.

Quindecim does not discriminate.

I give Death Parade an S+.

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