If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

If you aren't a fan of psychological/philosophical anime, then this probably isn't the show for you. It also isn't what I'd call a 'fun' anime...but it deserves praise for what it is - a pretty fantastic psychological anime. It's not really the type of anime I binge watch, i needed to take time to savour each episode and by the time the ending had rolled around I was extremely impressed with how Death Parade handled its themes. It asks questions like: what makes us human? And deals with the purpose of emotions and memories...they are pretty straightforward yet incredibly complex themes that I felt it did a good job exploring. Overall, this isn't for those who don't want a slower yet thought-provoking anime, but if you like psychological anime this may be one you really enjoy.

This anime will grab your full attention from the start and never let go. It begins with a couple arriving after their death in an unknown place where they are to be judged on whether they deserve to be reincarnated or sent to the void. In order to be fairly judged, they must play a game. It is during this game that their hidden darkness is brought out. At the end of the game the arbiter will make the decision on who will be reincarnated and who will be sent to the void. The main intrigue in the show is that none of the people have clear memories and it's throughout the game that these memories are brought to light. The memories can make a person react very differently, as they realize how they've been hurt in life and how they feel in general about the life they lead.The show does have it's issues. The existence of the arbiters is somewhat explored, but never fully explained. Why do these beings exist? They don't even know that themselves. There's also a god-like character who's purpose is never discovered. These flaws don't stop this from being a great show however. I highly recommend this anime if you like psychological thrillers and want to delve into existentialism a bit.

it is a philosophic anime ... no action ... no plot twist .. just kept waiting for something to happen .. but nothing very surprising really did happen ...but it is a kind of an anime that makes you go thinking about the reason you are living .. and makes you understand the human nature.. felt like it is a time wasting anime .. but worth understanding at the same time .. mixed feeling .. if you want some action and mind twisting then this anime is not suitable for you at all .. but if you want some drama .. then i think it is a good one... i wanted to rate it 4 or 5 .. but i was really shocked and surprised by the 8.2 rating .... felt like a lot of other underrated anime worth more rating than this one

When people pass away on Earth, they are immediately transported to a place called Quindecim, a fancy 90-floor hotel that serves as a waiting place between Heaven and Hell. At Quindecim, to determine where their destination is, the people have to play a game, ranging from Twister to bowling and even Old Maid, and throughout the game, they receive memories of they died and crucial moments from their lives. Overseeing the games are human-like beings known as 'arbiters' and Decim, the main character of Death Parade is one of them. A pale, white-haired bartender, Decim is cordial, courteous, and considerate, but to describe him as warm-hearted would be a huge mistake. The other main character is a woman with black hair and red eyes who doesn't remember her real name (It's revealed later in the series) so is called "Onna". Onna serves as Decim's assistant, providing new insight in tough situations while pointing out the flaws in the arbiter's system. Throughout the series, Onna helps Decim to realize there's a different way, a better method, of judging the deceased and, more importantly, to express his emotions, something entirely unprecedented for our super-serious young bartender. It's not obvious early on but, later in the series, Onna's acting dominates Death Parade, especially in episodes 9 and 12, and, in the end, she solidifies herself as this anime's most memorable character.Misaki, an actress that arrived at Quindecim in episode 4, once said, "Holy crap, this show must have a serious budget." Death Parade's amazing animation, something expected from a 2015 anime, inspires a reaction like Misaki's every time, and the soundtrack is easily one of the best I've ever heard. The series showcases the same couple of songs but its blend of soothing jazz and classical music always pleases me (Death Parade's greatest exhibition of musical excellence is in the unforgettable sequence in episode 11, where an ice skater and an extremely emotional piano piece glide across a vast ice rink in perfect harmony). One of my favorite things about Death Parade is its theme song, a fast-paced, synthesized-pop number containing lyrics that alternate between English and Japanese. For some shows, the opening is the highlight of the series, but for Death Parade, it's one more great aspect in an anime full of them.Quindecim is not only the home of our two main characters, Decim and Onna; it is the residence of tons of other characters as well. Nona is Decim's boss as well as the owner of the establishment, a demanding young woman requiring perfection from her subordinates, and a petite but powerful arbiter that induces fear and respect from the other characters. Quin is the brains behind the arbiter system, a likable information processing worker with an eye-patch and an unbridled love for alcohol. Clavis is my personal favorite, a relatively minor character with green hair, an easygoing demeanor, and a job as elevator operator. Ginti is the red-haired hothead with a sadistic side to his personality who serves as an intriguing counterpart to Decim's cool, calm, and collected appearance. Death Parade's supporting cast, while some don't receive as much detail as they should (*cough* Clavis *cough*), is overall a fairly fleshed- out crew of characters.I think every great series needs an equally great villain, but Death Parade is lacking in that department. In Paranoia Agent, Lil Slugger was a villain symbolic of society's struggles whose very existence was a mystery. In Black Cat, you loathed Creed Diskenth but his charm, his passion, and his uniqueness made him an interesting character to say the least. Death Parade's main antagonist (or the closest thing the series has to one) is an elderly arbiter named Oculus, the creator of the arbiter system with a strongly-held belief that arbiters don't have emotions (to him, they're but disposable dummies) and that humans are ultimately worthless. When Nona, who Oculus is technically superior to, rebels against his system and alters the rules of the arbiter, Oculus' answer to being undermined by his subordinate is not to kill Nona and anyone associated with her ideals, as any legitimate villain would've done, but to engage in a philosophical debate with Nona and to "keep an eye on her." This is an unfair comparison to make, but do you think Johan Liebert would've done the same thing if he were in Oculus' shoes? The Oculus issue, a run-of-the-mill first episode, and the fact that some of the stories of the deceased folks entering Quindecim didn't contain as much detail as I expected, are the reasons why I can't include Death Parade on any all-time-greats list. For what it's worth, I enjoyed watching this series (I especially loved the way Death Parade concluded the series) and, while it's not the best anime I've ever seen, Death Parade is a favorite and I'd say this is the greatest anime of the year.