Reviewing Anime With Tinker

Death Parade

***Anime information***

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 12

Episode length: 24:00

Genre: Game, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller, Drama

Viewers rating: 8/10

Opening: Flyers

Ending: Last Theater

Plot: After death, there is no heaven or hell, only a bar that stands between reincarnation and oblivion. There the attendant will, one after another, challenge pairs of the recently deceased to a random game in which their fate of either ascending into reincarnation or falling into the void will be wagered. Whether it's bowling, darts, air hockey, or anything in between, each person's true nature will be revealed in a ghastly parade of death and memories, dancing to the whims of the bar's master. Welcome to Quindecim, where Decim, arbiter of the afterlife, awaits!

Death Parade expands upon the original one-shot intended to train young animators. It follows yet more people receiving judgment-until a strange, black-haired guest causes Decim to begin questioning his own rulings

***personal input***

Personal rating: 10/10

Opinion: One of the finest anime that the industry has to offer. Not only was it the absolute best psychological anime I've ever seen, but one of the best anime in general, and certainly one of my new favorites. Now allow me to tell you why, I present my review of Death Parade!

Primarily, we begin with the plot. The idea itself was interesting, in fact it was the reason I pursued the show. I enjoy stories in all mediums that take common and rather boring topics (Religion for this example) and add new and intriguing spins to them. The anime took the rather bland ideas of death in religion, picked out the basic ideas, and built onto it from there, making what I had yet to understand was an amazing story.

And. Not only did the anime begin with this really cool idea, but it continued to add it's own equally interesting elements into the mix as each episode went by. Introducing things such as arbiters, judgement trials and even games cosmic pool!

Now. I will say that, despite how great the story was, it certainly was lacking in some areas. While we did receive some if most splendid character developments with the two primary characters, I felt that the rest of the cast, my favorite character Nona, included were lacking any serious character development. I'll use her as my example. She clearly had a major role in the story, setting up all the pins so that they could be knocked down. (She was also cute AF) But I didn't get the opportunity to learn very much about her character. As I felt that the anime was really lacking with developments outside of Decim and our "protagonist".

And I found that towards the end of the series, the show took that much darker turn that I was expecting it to take. Many people that I both liked and hated were killed off in a sense. And the last episode, despite my lack of tears, was one of the most emotional scenes I've experienced in anime. It was a rollercoaster and it destroyed my emotions.

However, with such a splendid idea for a plot and the grand execution that the series had, as I said, this is by far the best psychological anime I've seen. Anime like these give the underrated genres a better name. It provided a fantastic look into the minds of other characters and showed us just how crazy people can be. The insight into other's thought with such accuracy was another thing that really allowed this anime to stand out.

Moving onto some of the other elements of the show; I was pleasantly surprised by the slightly different however gorgeous art style that the series graced up with. There were small details in the characters and environment that would help me distinguish this from the average art style that most anime are packing. Things like eyes for example. Simple and small detailing that make this series style special in it's own way.

The magic, like most of everything else was over the top. Having a funky opening that gave the show a more might hearted feel towards the beginning. An ending that, despite being in English, gave my goosebumps and made me want to turn my volume all the way up while it played. And the piano OST! My god the piano music for the series was so good! Some of the best! Your lie in April should take notes.

And finally the characters. If it wasn't apparent, I adored the cast of this anime. From Decim, the emotionless man who I enjoyed watching grow as a person, to the ever so attractive Nona. Who was very much best girl. I felt that every last character had something to make them a bit more special than your average cast, and with some of the more major characters, there was some of the best developments I've ever seen.

As previously stated, I did dislike the lack of development with the side characters, but I digress. We can't win them all.

So, in a nutshell; this anime is amazing. Defiantly a jewel, most certainly one of my new top ten anime of all time. I loved everything about it and think that it shouldn't be overlooked by anyone. Of course, genres might be an issue with some people. However, if you do skip over it you're missing out on something amazing.

Favorite character:

Nona

Favorite part:

***Average***

Plot: 98

Op: 94

Character's: 93

Art style: 94

Enjoyment: 98

Death Parade average: 95 (A level anime)