TV Rating: TV-14

Overall Score: 7 out 10

Death Parade is an anime series created by Yuzuru Tachikawa that came out in 2015 which has been dubbed and subtitled in English. Madhouse Inc. produced the series, but like many animes, was released to the United States with the help of Funimation Entertainment. The series currently contains twelve episodes that are each a half an hour long and a twenty-five-minute-long pilot titled “Death Billiards”. As of right now, there is no definite air date for the second season or word on whether the series was renewed at all.  

In the series, two people are sent to each bar for judgement each day with no memory of who they are or how they got to there. There they meet an arbitrator, an immortal and emotionless being, who must then make them play a randomly selected game which will determine their fate based on their actions once they slowly gain back their memory. The story follows the life of Decim, an arbitrator working at the Quindecim bar, and his human assistant, Chiyuki. Chiyuki arrived knowing she must be dead, so instead of restarting the arbitration process, Decim decides to show her life as an arbitrator because of his fascination with humans. Decim is then given a new outlook on how never being human effects the arbitrator’s judgment of the mortals.

The show utilizes a lot of bright colors in scenes that take place in the human world, however in the bar scenes violet and orange tend to dominate much of the screen due to the dim lighting and purple glass decor in the bar. In addition, there is often blood displayed in the show and violence, with many of the games accessories having a relation to the players’ body parts which is clearly explained in each game. Visuals such as god playing pool with the universe, strings to restrain the guests, and the games in general are a truly creative delight to view even when they are not necessarily the focus of the scene, adding truly stunning details to the scene.

In the introduction sequence and exit credits, the music and visuals create a very thoughtful contrast with one another. The title sequence features a large extravagant party where every character is dancing with bright colors splattered from scene to scene as a high paced song titled “Flyers” plays in the background. However, the exit screen shows Decim’s broken mannequin collection, which is hidden behind the bar, with very little emphasis on any color while a slow but intense tune titled “Last Theater” plays over the imagery. Through these images the show is easily able to show the joys of life and the sadness of death in addition to hinting at the outcome of going to the void and being given another chance.