Review: Death Parade “Memento Mori”

I swear, Death Parade is better than any crime drama on television today. Fuck your Criminal Minds, your CSI, Law and Order, I would watch this ten times out of ten. The take on this psychological thrill ride is in its presentation. The arbiters all know how people die, and what the people are like before they say even a word. They make the people figure out how they died and what type of person they are. If you think about it, these shows are all the same thing, pretty much.

Decim coerced Chiyuki into ice skating, so that maybe her memories come back. But, we get a flashback to when she arrived at Quindecim first. It didn’t do anything really to further anything, just shedding light on how she actually came to Quindecim.  The farther along into ice skating scene I got, it was like Decim was playing a cruel mind game with her. While you watch “Memento Mori,” look at the detail going into Chiyuki’s performance. Not only is it beautifully animated, but you see the places on her arm where she is starting to turn into a mannequin. I almost felt for her when she took a spill when the covering on her knee tore off to show the mannequin underneath.

I have a feeling this story is going to get a lot more interesting. Chiyuki’s story took a really dark turn when the story went back to her life after her knee blew out. She just sat in her dark room, lamenting on how she’s not skating anymore. The story is pretty dark, and it ends with Chiyuki taking her own life. When Decim tells Chiyuki that he wants to know how human emotions work, it’s almost like any story where a robot wants to learn about humans.

Speaking of mannequins, Ginti put Maya into a really bad situation. He gave Maya an almost impossible position by choosing who goes into the void. Either Hamada, or this new man. You can tell she was wrestling with the decision, but ultimately, she didn’t send anyone into the void. Ultimately, Maya grabs Hamada’s shell, and they go into the void to get his soul back. This was just a cruel trick to get Maya on the elevator, and Ginti ultimately sent them both down to the Void. Well, at least we know what happens when they take the elevator down. Dick move, Ginti.

I swear, guys, that Death Parade has become my favorite new show, more than Assassination Classroom, more than World Break. Madhouse crafted a god damn masterpiece with Death Parade. Every time I think this show figured out, Madhouse literally mushroom caps me. And then Oculus comes down from his god perch, and underhandedly threatens Nona. Death Parade has so many threads going all over the place now, and it was like an explosion. This is what a show should strive for. All I can say is this: thank you, Madhouse. You may have restored my faith in anime.