Episode 8: "Death Rally"

This week's episode of "Death Parade" returns to the death game format with new knowledge of mechanics and a thought provoking twist: can you effectively pass judgment on a complex situation?

It should be no question by now how great of an anime series that "Death Parade" is proving to be. It has fantastic animation, great characters, impeccable themes, and of course, an extremely interesting story. That being said, unless "Death Parade" derails massively, my future reviews will be more analytical rather than critical.

After last week's episode offered audiences a deeper understanding of the structure of Quindecim, moving back to the death game format now offers a more complex layer into looking at the mechanics of the humans who have died, and Decim's job to judge their personalities. The twist this week has to do with judging humans who have murdered people while still alive.

But they had their reasons.

Or did they?

This death game looks to be a two episode occurrence given not only the complexity of the judgment that Decim must make, but also because audiences now know that he is unlike most aribiters and has been made to feel emotions. Basically, in an episode where not much physically happens, a lot of the initial status quo of previous death games has been complicated by the deeper understanding of arbiters.

"Death Parade" miraculously handles all of these new elements with the same impeccable expertise it has done so far and sets up for what may be a philosophically shocking conclusion in the next episode. I won't say what my prediction is, save for, the underlying theme of the meaning of life might get prodded by way of Tatsumi the detective and Shimada the older brother.

Overall, "Death Rally" was a slower more subtle and yet incredibly beautiful look at the complex emotions of fear and revenge. If there's any negative criticism about this episode, it is that it is a bit of a cliffhanger that maybe won't sit well some more impatient viewers. But when you look at the smaller beats in this episode (Tatsumi's personality as a man who seeks justice juxtaposed with Shimada, who has been served many injustices, the concept of buried memories, seeking revenge and justice), "Death Rally" might be one of the most conceptually fulfilling death games so far.