"Welcome to Quindecim."

I need to tell someone about this anime. I need to shout about it from the rooftops. I need you all to understand how I feel about this show. Death Parade is nothing short of a masterpiece as you can see by the awesome dancing.

Death Parade was a show that I started watching with no real understanding of the story. I had seen Funimation promoting it on their website and on their YouTube channel so I added it to MyAnimeList under 'Plan to Watch' and started it up after finishing Amagi Brilliant Park (which I rated a 6/10 btdubs).

Let me start by saying that Death Parade walks the line of being a slow starter. You have to watch at least 5 episodes to truly get a feel for whether or not you're going to be interested in the over-arching story and characters since it's borderline episodic in the beginning. Don't be fooled by it's initial repetitious format; it gets way better. The story itself is one that isn't totally new but it is a fresh new take on some tropes and principles that have been around not only in anime but in mainstream media too. The synopsis is as follows:

After death, humans are either sent to the void or reincarnated. But for some, at the instant of their death, they arrive at Quindecim, a bar attended by the mysterious white-haired Decim. He challenges them to the Death Game, wherein they wager their lives and reveal their true natures. Decim himself is the ultimate arbitrator of who wins and who loses, who will go to the void, and who will be reincarnated. (source)

The characters have super interesting design and the kind of personalities that you start to like right away, Decim being the exception. Something about his apathetic tone of voice and cold demeanor put me off at first but fear not: he became my favorite character as the story progressed.

I never felt bored watching this series and I finished it in the span of two days. You can be as involved in the story as you want to be, judging for yourself whether certain characters deserve the void or not. Death Parade also poses some very poignant questions about human nature which I found to be incredibly thought provoking. There is a little dry humor thrown in every now and then as well to balance the dark subject matter (the OP may be the most upbeat part of the show). 

In conclusion, Death Parade is one of my new favorites. It was a series that made me feel every emotion. I laughed, cried, got angry. That's the kind of experience I want to have when I invest my time into an anime. I want to be entertained but not mindlessly (well, sometimes). I'm literally waiting with bated breath for the blu-ray and I think I've suggested this show to everyone I know.

W A T C H  I T ! ! ! !