[Winter 2015] Death Parade

[KingRin]

Death Parade

Synopsis

"Welcome to Queen Dekim." What greets two unsuspecting guests is a strange bar, Queen Dekim, and the white-haired bartender, Dekim. "From here you two shall begin a battle where your lives hang in the balance," he says to introduce the Death Game. Before long the guests' true natures become apparent. As a matter of course, at the game's end Dekim is revealed to be the "arbiter." Dekim's judgement on the two guests is...

Information

Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Not yet aired
Aired: Jan 10, 2015 to ?
Producers: Madhouse, FUNimation EntertainmentL
Genres: Game, Psychological
Duration: Unknown
Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)


PV

I'm liking the music in the PV. I like Madhouse stuff. I hope it's good.
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[Skip Class]

I'm thinking of hitting this one just for Madhouse and the trailer seems is interesting. Doesn't seem like the type of stuff I'd normally watch, but we'll see :pp

 

[Akiba]

It looks like a mashup of Another, Black Butler, Bahamut, and Haruhi. Interesting.

 

[Weeaboo Name]

Death Billiards was kinda interesting, although I'm not sure if I care enough to watch an entire series. Might see how it goes.

 

[Bounsweet]

I actually just checked this out the other day and was deciding if I wanted to add it to my "plan to watch" list or not but opted out of it. I love Madhouse like no other but it doesn't really seem like my cup of tea. I'll wait until it's a few episodes in and check out the general reviews/reactions probably.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

I'm with Lap on this one...
I liked Death Billiards but I'm not sure how full series will work...

 

[derozio]

First episode is out and it was pretty much the best I've seen from this season.

Spoiler:

Whether or not Machiko actually cheated is left sort of ambiguous. Sure, she COULD actually have done that and her snapping at the end could be her speaking the truth. But then her behavior at the initial part of the episode where she still forgave her husband after he hurt her and she wouldn't have minded losing as long as he doesn't hit her belly - it kind of hints towards the opposite. That she never was lying. And all that she said at the end was still spoken out of love for her husband - to finally make him snap out of his sorry state (he was nothing like he initially was - no longer the person SHE loved). Even if it meant angering him and just making him hate her in the process.

The fact that the guy is sent for reincarnation while Machiko is sent to the "void" is also interesting. IF she didn't cheat, the fact that the husband got to live again while she didn't doesn't really seem fair. But the "void" could be a place contrary to what we people consider hell - it could be just that, a void, a place where there's no suffering. According to some beliefs, "life"/reincarnation itself is a punishment for the souls. It makes sense then.

And IF she did cheat, then her getting sent to the "void" could be considered a bad thing and not a way of setting her free I guess? I mean for all I know, "void" could actually be a place where you're banished for eternal torment and suffering. I don't know, it all depends on how the show itself perceives this "void" - the story behind the "void" would determine how I ultimately feel about the decisions that Decim takes, really.

On one hand, I LOVE how ambiguous it is while still giving off ample hints for either sides of the argument. On the other, I still feel like I'd like to know more about the things that this show deals with. Being a little more clear may just end up taking away a bit of charm from it, though.

>Baller OP that throws you off
>amazing visuals
>pretty good ost
>explores humanity's dark sides
>things are left ~sort of~ ambiguous.

I'm really, REALLY liking what I've seen so far. Can't wait for episode 2.

 

[Skip Class]

Can't believe I haven't commented here yet. Episode 2 is coming out in just over 11 hours so I'm pretty hyped about it.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I started watching episode 1.
More or less I decided to on the basis that it was Madhouse and had the theme of Death games which is always quite interesting to me. I had no clue what the plot was since I have never even heard of Death Billiards up until after I watch the first episode.

When I first started gathering my Winter seasonals, I thought only Assassination Classroom would rise to the top as my favourite, but Death Parade is really hitting out along side it.

I think it's the first time I've been really pulled deeply into an anime. The game scenes were pretty damn thrilling. Of course since it wasn't said that they had already died till (near the end of the game?), the whole darts hitting different body parts on the board was really killing me on the inside. Him purposely going for her stomach containing her child .... just damn.

Especially with things left ambiguous, it just really makes you think.

Too excited for episode 2! Can't wait to see what the next death game and the next two players have in store for us!

 

[Saki]

I really liked the first episode! I will have to watch the second after it airs/is subbed.
I think it's a good anime to watch if you enjoy thinking about anime as much as watching it, it's not for the SOL lovers so much (unless you're one of those people who just watch every single anime - then you will probably like it :P). It's got a good psychological thriller vibe to is, and the art is fairly interesting - although I prefer something a bit less harsh usually. Music is interesting, and concept is dead on.

Spoiler:

I wonder if the anime will keep a similar structure to what we saw in the first episode? Will it be a lot of verdicts on people and a bit of a glimpse into characters, or will someone arrive there who ends up staying and walking us through the plots and/characters? I am super curious to see where it goes. I loved how they used the masks to show us where the man and women were headed. Also holy, it was creepy/scary to watch x.X I love the entire who is good, and who is evil theme in any anime so I definitely love it here as well~

 

[Skip Class]

Looking back on the thread I really have to watch the original Death Billiards!

Episode wasn't as great as the first since it was just the first episode retold from Nona's point of view. I really liked how in the first episode that things were left ambiguous, so I don't exactly know what I'm feeling right now with everything being explained.

Maybe the introduction to Nona being given to Decim to help him out because he's made mistakes (like sending Machiko to the void) in the past.
I am curious to what Nona is going to get up to in this series and how her relationship with Decim will develop overtime. Also about where she came from because she woke up there not knowing anything.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

Looking back on the thread I really have to watch the original Death Billiards!

That should have been the first thing to do after watching episode 1 :P

 

[Raven Valt]

Episode one was one of those where you were like "What the hell did I just watch?" and it instantly hooked me into watching episode 2, then they went and retold it from someone else's perspective and didn't really explain what was going on that well and it just seemed like I was watching a more boring version of the first episode, now I am on the 50/50 point of whether I think this anime is going to be good or not.

 

[Rogue planet]

It makes me think of the Velvet Room from Persona. Dark, but light-hearted; plus that background music. Great stuff.

I was hoping they'd explore deeper rather than just focus on the games, and after ep2 it's looking promising.

 

[Skip Class]

Man, I really liked this episode :D

Decim you troll xD

I think this made up for the disappointment that the Assassination Classroom episode today was cancelled.

This episode didn't kill me like the first one, but it left me with the satisfying thought that not everyone who goes there will end up unhappy or got there due to some unhappy accident.

I'm really happy I caught on to this:
In the first episode Takashi who got sent for reincarnation had the white mask over his elevator and the horned mask over the other elevator for Machiko to the void.

Where in today's episode both had the white mask... so I'm guessing they both went to be reincarnated which leads a happy ending in the end.

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After the first episode I thought it always be one person to the void and one to be reincarnated, but it's a little more interesting now when both can be sent either way.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

After the first episode I thought it always be one person to the void and one to be reincarnated, but it's a little more interesting now when both can be sent either way.

That's how it was supposed to work...
I did wonder why would she get sent to hell just for that.
I'm glad they changed the concept because those two were really cute but I'm not that happy they changed it.
Paradox xD

 

[Chikara]

I think this is my favorite show this season!

Agreed with the fact that both people can be sent either way is way better than one or the other.

Spoiler:

In episode 2, I was gonna be so upset if either one of them ended up being a bad person OR if one of them had to be sent to the Void no matter what. They were so cute, holy crap ;__;...

Can we talk again about how awesome the opening is, considering the mood?

 

[Skip Class]

Spoiler: Episode 4 Preview Images

[PREVIEW HERE]

Getting ready for episode 4 coming out in a couple of hours! Seems like another couple (who don't seem to have a good relationship with each other?) The next game too is an arcade and I'm guessing it's person with the best score wins? Curious to be what the death twist to this game is and hoping it'll be somewhat as thrilling as the darts body part game. (Something does tell me it'll be as chill as the bowling game though...)

Edit:
Found a synopsis of episode 4, but spoilers including who wins the game and whatnot. So yeah, warning before you read in the spoiler.

Spoiler:

Two new customers have arrived at the Queen Decim: Yousuke Tateishi and Misaki Tachibana. Misaki is an TV entertainer and to liven up her TV show she has brought on Yousuke to cooperate. From the roulette, Arcade was chosen. The main characters in the arcade were modeled after themselves causing them some discomfort, but Yousuke ultimately wins. On the other hand, Decim needs to take action in order to make the environment worthy of a death game.

Masakazu Morita (Ichigo Kurosaki in Bleach) is voicing Yousuke Tateishi

Yuriko Yamaguchi (Robin Nico from One Piece) as Misaki Tachibana​

 

[Chikara]

Seems like another couple (who don't seem to have a good relationship with each other?) The next game too is an arcade and I'm guessing it's person with the best score wins? Curious to be what the death twist to this game is and hoping it'll be somewhat as thrilling as the darts body part game. (Something does tell me it'll be as chill as the bowling game though...)

I would have preferred that far more than what this episode ended up being, ugh ;-;

The fact that every situation is so different from the others is what keeps my interested, though. That, and finding out more and more about the Arbiters and what they have to do to get the job done.

 

[TwilightBlade]

I'm highly enjoying this show and just got a co-worker addicted to watching it. :D After just a few more episodes of a pair of people exploring the darkest parts of their soul, I'm really interested in knowing more about the arbitrators. Where do they come from, and since they're considered dead, why do they judge those that were once very alive... and where did the female assistant come from and what makes her different.

 

[Skip Class]

I like it more when the pair of people have more of a relationship to each other than just complete strangers with a tragic pre-death past. Then again both of them didn't really realise who the other was for a bit till the end in the second pairing. I enjoyed the first episode because both knowing each other and having to play a game of death where life is on the line, it's more painful to play with someone they knew and cared about.

Episode 4 was still pretty tragic nevertheless: A broken man rejecting his step mother and a woman broken by motherhood.
It was painful seeing how it was only there Yousaki genuinely regretted not giving his step mother a chance, a bit of love and just calling her "mom". She cared a lot for him, but he was blinded by his depression he couldn't see that.

Misaki was a bit more harder to take sympathy for I guess? Despite having a hard life taking care of all her children, getting pregnant at young age with it, getting married from it and ending on a bad note and later becoming a "loose woman" going through several abusive boyfriends. I just found it harder to feel sorry for her after her attitude and bad sportsmanship from the way she played the death game - especially her slamming Yousuke multiple times into the screen knocking him out for a bit. Although I question it at times, I couldn't really tell if she ever cared for her kids (and wanted to be saved for herself) aside from being the output from mutiple sexual relationships from different men.

I did really enjoy the whole concept of the game being based on the players. It'd be kinda creepy coming across to play a game hugely based on you as the playable character without your knowledge. Easier for Misaki to believe, but definitely more for Yousuke.

The last moment with Decim hugging them both was really touching though.