Death Parade

About Death Parade

Death Parade is an intriguing and introspective anime TV series that debuted in 2015. The series takes places in an otherworldly bar setting where newly deceased souls are judged through a series of games that reveal their true nature to the bartenders, who are actually arbiters in charge of deciding whether the souls are sent for reincarnation or cast into the void.

Making / Production

The series was created by Yuzuru Tachikawa and produced by Madhouse. It was originally a short film called Death Billiards, part of the Young Animator Training Project's Anime Mirai 2013, which was later developed into a full-fledged TV series.

Actors

• Tomoaki Maeno played as Decim, the emotionless and stoic arbiter who begins to develop empathy throughout the series.
• Asami Seto voiced Black-Haired Woman, who starts as an assistant to Decim with no memory of her past and ends up playing a dramatic role in the story.
• Rumi Ookubo lent her voice to Nona, the manager of the arbiters, who believes that the current judgement system might be flawed.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The title "Death Parade" itself is a play on words in Japanese. When pronounced, it sounds like 'Desu Paredo', which translates in English as "Dead Parade".
• Despite the serious premise, the anime has a surprisingly upbeat opening song called "Flyers" by Bradio, offsetting its dark theme with a lively tone.

Quotes

• "Nobody knows where life's road may lead us. We can only do our best and see where it takes us." - Decim
• "In the end, your sins will find you out." - Nona

Music, Soundtrack

• The opening theme song, "Flyers" by Bradio, adds an unexpected joyous tone to the series.
• One notable piece from the series is "Moonlit Night", a hauntingly beautiful piano piece that gets repeated throughout the episodes.