Death Parade

I am really, really excited for this one. I loved the style of the OVA and high stakes games are obviously a favorite of mine so I am going to be sad if this turns out shit. Madhouse obviously has the chops to make this great and to reproduce the cool visual style of Death Billiards plus they're on a pretty good streak with both NGNL and Parasyte so I have pretty high hopes here. It'll be pretty cool to see the Bartender again as well. A cool mysterious character to anchor the show.

Just in general I want this show to be a good. I need a good high stakes games anime in my life.
 
I have been making recommendations for Death Billiards as much as possible since it came out.
It always felt like it tapped the vein of Twilight Zone.

I hope the animation is as crisp as the OVA.
 
Wow, that was a helluva first episode.

I was curious about how well it was going to pan out when it started with them just playing darts. It didn't disappoint at all though. The tension between Takashi and Matchy was great the whole time. The threat of killing his own child, the supposed slip-ups. I love that it doesn't seem that the game itself matters at all, it's just about how they react to it.

The Bartender was a fun observer on the sidelines to this fluid-filled drama, and I also loved that there's just a piano player chilling in the background as well. We get introduced to two other members at the end, curious to see what role they will play, it seems one of them is new. I'm assuming that the game itself won't be at the forefront of every episode and there will be some running plot line.

In any case, it looked great, the characters were great, it was great.

10/10 would cover in saliva again
 
Damn, it definitely was worth the wait (I've spent one hour reading the comments and refreshing "a certain website"). I'm glad everything looked as good as it was in the OVA (if not a bit better), and the OST was pretty much great.

The only downside of this episode (I'm getting really picky here) is that
I predicted it'd be about cheating as soon as I saw the couple get out of the elevator.
but it didn't hinder my enjoyment at all. Also waiting a week for the next ep is goingt o suck a lot xD



Nope, you'll be able to get what's going on fine without it. Although i would highly recommend the OVA.

Given the little scene after the credits I think it'd be better to watch the OVA after this season.

After all the woman looked like it's the first time she's here while in the OVA she seemed more accustomed to what was going on.

But then again it's just something minor

10/10 would cover in saliva again

I second this notion :laugh:

I third it, as long as I'm not the one covered in saliva
 
01...

Loved it!

Brad nailed this so I'll just say something else.

I loved the moral ambiguity here right to the very end. Even if it seems pretty obvious that Machiko had an affair, especially with the convoluted story about her friend and whatever, her way of reacting to Takashi and the flashback scenes popping up on her head made me second guess it all a bit until the end. I'm mostly referring to the moment where Takashi is crying and spilling saliva everywhere and she looks at him in what seems to be profound shock, and reminiscing his happy face on their first date.

Then she spills the beans, but you have to wonder why she'd do that. They had just learned the true purpose behind the game, to send each of them to either heaven or hell, and I doubt she thought being a total bitch there would be her ticket to the former. A spiteful outburst doesn't really feel right either. I thought about it and the previously mentioned scene and my conclusion is that at the very end she felt sorry for everything she did to him and wanted to atone by ensuring he at least would be the one going to heaven by telling the truth and just plain being horrible to him. Her whole walking away and making faces all felt like she was forcing herself into it.

So that's what I enjoyed the most about this because even though she's been a god awful human being at the end something clicked during this whole ''game'' of revelations of theirs that made her reconsider her life choices. It's all very dark and grimy, but with a tinge of hope perhaps?

I also liked the Bartender's kind of surprised look when she finally told the truth, letting us know they don't magically have all information on these people beforehand and there is really a point to all the back-and-forth talking throughout the games, rather than just having the people in them playing out a theater piece whose finale is all but decided.


I'm looking forward to more of this, as well as knowing the whole gang. By the looks of it their dynamics might be kind of like those of Jigoku Shoujo's group, except probably more fun if that zany opening is anything to go by!


The animation was absolutely gorgeous, particularly when Takashi goes for the kill, with all the detailed movement and spinning camera. I am not expecting that enormous quality level to be kept the same all throughout the show, but even by first episode standards it looked pretty as fuck.

So... yeah, you could say I kind of liked this. J-just a lil' bit, tho...


P.S.
If you ask me, both deserve to go to hell - one for being a whore and another for negligence on the wheel. Drive safe, guys. :laugh:
 
Either one goes perfectly, really. Making him mad so he tries to kill her could also just be another attempt to make him come off as the worst of the two. Mostly I guess I'll stick with this one because of the way her face changes as the elevator closes. It kind of looks to me more like a face of regret rather than ''shit, I'm going to hell, aren't I''. Or she might just be disgusted about the saliva.

The most important thing is how it's not really cut clear at all, so it allows room for different interpretations and debate. The OVA also opted for ambiguity here and there and I think it made the viewing more interesting as well.
 
And i'm calling bullshit on her being disgusted with the saliva, i'm sure if the camera stayed on her for a split second longer you would have seen a blushing "that's my fetish" face. I guarantee it!

Damn it Madhouse, this is the one point on which we needed clarity. :laugh: You guys better add that in the BDs or something.


Also, I can't stop watching the OP. Send help, please.
 
Yup, just going to confirm this was amazing.
I didn't know how much I needed some morally ambiguous high stakes games in my life, but if this episode is any indication I needed them pretty badly.

The episode is everything I could have asked for and more. Most of my thoughts about the episode have already been covered by others but I also thought Takeshi was a massive coward for going through the wedding without confronting her first, even if he couldn't at the wedding then he should have done it at some point. Instead he just stews and gets angry until it kills them both, Everything that came out of her mouth may have been lies, but he could have prevented everything by stepping up and doing just about anything.

The episode was beautiful too look at and listen to. The characters were very expressive, both the voice acting and animation were top notch. His slobbering was definitely gloriously detailed there at the end. The animation is undeniably Madhouse in style and they are on top of their game.

The OP was glorious as well. I had to go back and watch it a second time because it was that amazing. It's a fun opening that lightens up the rather heavy subject matter of the first episode.
 
Episode 1
Fuck it. I'm not leaving myself out of the loop until tomorrow watched it now.
Yeah, this was pretty awesome. Way better than Death Billiards, which I thought was just "good".
This is a serious confirmation of Madhouse's recent return to form.
Winter season is suddenly not so bad-looking anymore.

01...
Then she spills the beans, but you have to wonder why she'd do that. They had just learned the true purpose behind the game, to send each of them to either heaven or hell, and I doubt she thought being a total bitch there would be her ticket to the former. A spiteful outburst doesn't really feel right either. I thought about it and the previously mentioned scene and my conclusion is that at the very end she felt sorry for everything she did to him and wanted to atone by ensuring he at least would be the one going to heaven by telling the truth and just plain being horrible to him. Her whole walking away and making faces all felt like she was forcing herself into it.

I also liked the Bartender's kind of surprised look when she finally told the truth, letting us know they don't magically have all information on these people beforehand and there is really a point to all the back-and-forth talking throughout the games, rather than just having the people in them playing out a theater piece whose finale is all but decided.
I understood it as the Bartender not being surprised at her confession, but being surprised at her, well, sacrifice.
Because I'm pretty damn sure she understood what was going to happen, and did indeed do that in order to get him to heaven. I have doubts about the "never loved you" part being true at all. She was basically just trying her best to be as over the top as possible on the cruelty.
Regardless, I do love how much discussion this is causing! Enormous fandom value.

Oh, and did nobody see the post-credits scene or something?
Seems nobody is commenting on how there's
no heaven and hell in this setting. There's reincarnation and "the void" instead.
So no fiery pits of hell or fluffy clouds with angels and harps.
"the void" seems pretty vague, though. Sounds like it breaks the cycle of reincarnation, but that would be, you know, nirvana. Sounds a bit odd, considering the probable Buddhist inspirations.

Aaaaand here's something about the episode that could cause some fiery controversy if the anime gets the attention of the right communities:
She was pregnant. Yet it is specifically states that that room is for pairs people who died at the same time.
Do you see where I'm going with this? Essentially, the anime considers it as having been only two people who died.

Of course, there's plenty to argue against this observation, but you can see how some would indeed interpret it as such.

Next episode seems like it won't be a game. More story exposition stuff, I guess. And character introductions.
I really want us to meet the people we saw in the OP.(the old guy looks like the old guy from Death Billiards)
And naturally, the OP was all kinds of awesome as well! And a good sign this anime won't swallow itself in its own gloominess.

Oooohhh, one more thing! Something I hope we see by the end of the anime is
What really happens to the people turned into mannequins. Do they just hang there? Is that all? Did they chose to become like that? I must know!
 
I really want us to meet the people we saw in the OP.(the old guy looks like the old guy from Death Billiards)

Hahah, yeah I thought of this too, but then I remembered Nicknames' comment about how the OVA technically must have happened after this episode - if we consider the OVA and this the same universe -, which wouldn't really make sense if we suppose the old man from the opening is already around.

I like your observation about the bartender's expression, that's quite possible too. The thing I still want to believe, though, is that they - the arbiters - know about as much of the players as we do, and the final decision truly is made based on whatever goes down / is revealed during the game by the two parts. Otherwise it's just the arbiters making people suffer in vain if the judgement is set in stone beforehand anyway.

And yeah, so many mysteries about this setting, I hope we'll get to know all about it bit by bit, and in a subtle manner.

Your point about the tired fetus debate... yeah I don't think I even wanna go there, but someone on the Internet probably will in any case. I'd keep an eye on Tumblr.
 
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