I binged this in two sittings, by the third episode I was practically rocking back and forth in my seat anticipating the mystery at hand to unravel. Although it was somewhat episodic, almost every episode had a lasting impact and furthered the development of the two main characters, Decim and his unnamed assistant.

Death Parade is highly psychological, challenging what we consider to be moral, by framing how our arbiter Decim passes judgement on the deceased. Do they go to the void, convicted to drown in their sorrows, or are they reincarnated, passed onto another living soul?

Judgment must be performed hand in hand with both life and death. It is something that must be performed hand in hand with humans

Going into the show completely blind, the first episode was shocking. I was impressed by the complexity of each new person that arrived to Quindecim, the bar in which they are judged. Decim and his assistant greet each new persons that arrive to the bar, with no memory of their lives, at times not even their name. Decim holds onto their memories and has them play a game against one another under the illusion that their lives are at stake. Each game that was played which drew out the players’ true character and ‘darkest’ part of their souls was simple but unravelled the events leading up to their deaths as their memories gradually returned.

By the end of each new game, the deceased are sent to the lifts (or elevators if you rather), and sent to their respective fates; sometimes, both persons would share the same fate and both be sent for reincarnation and vice versa. I find that the first half of the series had much stronger stories. My favourites would be episode three ‘Rolling Ballade’ and four ‘Death Arcade’. At the finales, I would find myself rewinding the episode for a better understanding, and noticing all the moments of foreshadowing that was missed. I’m sure that If I were to rewatch the series, I would find signs strategically placed hinting at what is to come.

People aren’t as complex as you think they are. They’re simple, and they get sad or angry over simple things. That’s how they are.

The common theme is understanding right from wrong and the extremities of human emotions. It is stated by another arbiter, Nona, that the most primitive emotion of all to humans is fear. For that reason, when they believe that they are facing the chance of death with the game, their darkest nature is recalled. Decim’s role is to pass judgement based on the players’ behaviour, and they are provoked by methods such as inflicting pain or tampering with the gameplay.

What makes this series so intriguing is the decisions that Decim comes to. This has us questioning, was his verdict lawful? Or is morality subjective? He is an arbiter after all. We learn that in this judgement tower, there exists a hierarchy of arbiters, as well as the information bureau which handles the memories of the deceased.

Within this hierarchy, there seemed to be a measure of subjectivity and prejudice against humanity. Arbiters are not human and therefore they cannot feel. For me, the ultimate takeaway from the story is that passing judgement on a person’s life is not as simple as it seems, and empathy is vital in understanding others.