Let's start off with the beginning of the episode, the OP of course! Having not scene Death Billiards, I had no idea what to expect. The OP led me to believe that the show would possess a rather light and comedic mood, similar to that of Amagi Brilliant Park. The OP is deceiving as it is good. It is explosive and colourful, which I suppose you could say the two characters were. I don't think it really the type of song that I want to listen to at the beginning of every episode, but it is a very solid OP and could be used for any of the light comedies airing.
Next, is the actual episode review. Holy Crap! This episode was insane and although it is called "DEATH ParaDe", it's not exactly what I expected. The episode succeeded in doing many things properly. First of all, Madhouse definitely delivered with some spectacular animation. It isn't quite at the level of Fate/Stay Night UBW, but then again, they don't have aren't the unlimited budget works. If I had to compare it to Madhouse's other anime superstar, Parasyte, I would say that the art is better. The colour palette chosen for Death Parade is just so good. The dark shades of purple and black with the crisp and bright colours set the atmosphere just right. Next, in terms of the background music, it was pretty epic. The church-like, somber, opera music fits perfectly with the mood and reminds you what is going on. It has almost a Death Note type of feel to it, with the epic music and presence of a life (or after-life I suppose) altering game.
Anyways, now we get to the good stuff. Busting out the elevators of doom and gloom are Takashi and Machiko, a married couple that unknowingly have fallen into the afterlife and will soon have their fate decided. An arbiter (he looks like a butler, so I'll just call him that), Dekim informs them that they must play a game before they can leave the room. After serious hesitation, Takashi decides to play the game, in hopes that he will a find a way to out of this world. Each player (Takashi and Machiko) is given 7 Darts to throw at a dart board. The person to score the most points after 7 throws wins. One problem: The board is scattered with pictures of rancid and twisted body parts that, on contact, will cause extreme pain to that organ. At first each of them takes turns hurting each other with the throws and genuinely feeling sorry. After a couple pain-throbbing throws Takashi remembers that he can just miss the board and nothing will happen; however, this comforting love doesn't last long. Takashi also starts to remember his past and Machiko does too. The each realize that the other has potentially wronged them. Subjects of infidelity, grievance, trickery are the leading causes of their insanity. The two proceed to have a blood bath of dart throwing and literal heart-pounding. The net result is that goal of the game is reached. Machiko reveals that she cheated on Takashi and the her baby isn't his. Unknowingly, Machiko is sent to the "Void" , while the enraged Takashi is sent for Reincarnation.
The animation and voice acting was spot on. I could feel the emotions of the characters were hit one after the other by metaphorical slashes to the heart.What's really amazing is the amount of development in such little time. I really cared for each of the characters and often switched sides all the way through to the nail-biting end.
There are many questions that arise. Who are the other lot of characters shown in the OP? Will we see the two ever again in a future episode? Is it possible the perfectly innocent couples meet the same fate?What happens if you choose not to play? Will the show be truly episodic? How will the show continue to top each weeks new episode? What is amazing about this kind of suspense is that it gets you thinking. Instead of just leaving an excruciatingly, painful cliffhanger at the end the episode concludes itself and still has you asking for more.
In terms of constructive comments, I don't have much. My only minor complaint is that the flashbacks seemed too whitened out, to the point where some parts were completely whited out. This is probably because of the nature of the flashbacks, but it's kinda disappointing that I couldn't get more of the gorgeous art.
Anyways, this show definitely exceeded my expectations and undeniably be one of the premier, if not #1, new-airing anime of the season! As always don't forget to Comment, Follow, Like, and CYA!
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