LogFAQs > #905402997

I guess I was due for a controversial opinion, but I really didn't like Death Parade. There were a few things I appreciated about it by the end, enough that I didn't hate it, but for the most part it was just too grim and edgy for me. I also didn't agree with the philosophical stance the world was based on but I guess I should tag those thoughts.

It started off on the wrong foot for me when it seemed like it was treating people's "darkness" as something inherent to their souls. Like that doctor in the first episode never would've freaked out if he hadn't heard something super coincidentally specific that made him think his wife was cheating on him (and, you know, if she wasn't actually cheating on him). Put that dude's soul into another life where another of an infinite set of possibilities would happen and he might've been fine. Same for the wife, and same for everyone really. Even the murderous detective was an upstanding citizen by all accounts until a random event broke him. If you'll permit me some pointless philosophizing, if we even have souls I believe they're nothing more than a foundation and the things we encounter are what truly shape us. I just couldn't get behind the whole judgment setup where they were treating it like there actually was a right or wrong answer to any of this.

Though, to the show's credit, it actually went on to explore this theme more than I expected it to. Chiyuki rightfully pointed out that he was forcing people into extreme situations and (duh) making them react in extreme ways, just like almost anyone would. It didn't necessarily say anything about their souls. It was nice seeing the story reach that same conclusion, I guess, but I was still left with the feeling that it kind of invalidated all the stories that came before it and made the whole series a little pointless. Especially since nothing really changed in the end. I dunno, all that world-building never really went anywhere.

When I first saw the premise, I hoped this would be something more like helping people come to terms with the lives that they lived so they could move on to whatever comes next. That's what Chiyuki's arc wound up being about and I thought that whole thing was beautiful, especially the skating scene where she relived her memories. I wanted more of that and less endless twists about how one person was actually more terrible than the other (also terrible) person because fate shit on them.

At the very least I hope we can all agree that the OP was amazing.
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**R.O.B.A.Z.O.I.D**