Death Parade...
Death Parade seemed like something I might enjoy...
Death Parade starts out with the feel of a classic horror anthology like Night Gallery, where there are different people to meet and different stories to tell during the course of the series. Over time, Death Parade transforms from an anthology into a character study of Decim and the young lady with dark hair. There is some discussion about what it means to be human and whether or not arbiters, who are not human, can properly judge humans. There are no naughty bits. But, there is some red ink as some of Decim's guests die unhappily. Overall, Death Parade is more of a drama than a horror anthology, but, even so, I still found it very entertaining. I would give Death Parade a 4 out of 5.
Death Parade takes place in an environment where the dead come to be judged. Decim is an arbiter whose task is to entice his dead guests to play games with very high stakes, in an effort to draw out the darkness in his guests' souls, so the dead can be properly judged. One day, Decim encounters a young lady with dark hair whom he cannot judge, so, it's decided to allow the young lady with dark hair to be Decim's assistant until such time that she can be judged. As the young lady with dark hair assists Decim and learns about the behind-the-scenes work of the arbiters, she begins to have an influence on the normally stoic Decim. Of course, the other arbiters, and those who oversee the arbiters, have concerns about the human presence in their midst.When two people die at the same time, they're sent to a place that's neither heaven nor hell: a lavish bar between worlds where the stakes are high and the rules are simple: if you win you live again, if you die you're gone for good.
Decim is the bartender charged with serving the souls who enter Quindecim. He may make a mean cocktail, but his true profession is to play the role of arbiter: a judge who determines whether or not a soul is worthy of reincarnation.
To aid in his judgment, the bar's patrons are forced to play simple games laced with sadistic twists designed to bring their true natures to light. To Decim, judgment has always been black and white -- that is until he meets a mysterious young woman whose fate seems impossible to decide. His indecision shakes the very foundation of the games and raises the biggest question of all: who is fit to judge the dead?
Death Parade starts out with the feel of a classic horror anthology like Night Gallery, where there are different people to meet and different stories to tell during the course of the series. Over time, Death Parade transforms from an anthology into a character study of Decim and the young lady with dark hair. There is some discussion about what it means to be human and whether or not arbiters, who are not human, can properly judge humans. There are no naughty bits. But, there is some red ink as some of Decim's guests die unhappily. Overall, Death Parade is more of a drama than a horror anthology, but, even so, I still found it very entertaining. I would give Death Parade a 4 out of 5.
