Death Parade – 05

Death Parade 05-6

Best Billiard ever: of the Solar System!

Apologies for the late post but this is my last week before I start work so I was busy adventuring around the city. Coming back to Death Parade, both Kara and I have been wishing for the world building explanation since episode one and we finally got it with this episode. Similar to episode two, we glimpsed the cogwheels behind the system of death and its strenuous traffic management.

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This series has never been a fairy tale but when a children’s story suddenly invades your screen, you do sit up and gawk. The story was so sweet that the transition to Onna was a bit disconcerting but as we know, necessary. I had the feeling of ‘things are not right’ since the unusual beginning. Same with the fact when Decim replaced their usual game board with the picture of Chavvot. Was this a trick by Nona, who knows the full story or is the story a depiction of Onna’s past? Something that she doesn’t remember herself because of the memory wipe? I think, Onna and Chavvot are very much connected, to the point that they might be the same person. Maybe her sense of empathy comes from living a soundless life and observing more than a normal human being. Nona definitely seems to have the key to her memories so we’ll have to see how things roll out.

At least, for now we know how Onna became Decim’s assistant. By remembering being dead after arriving at Quindecim, a rare disposition after entering such an establishment. I’m not sure what caused Nona to take away all her memories and putting her up as Decim’s assistant but there must be a reason. As we have not been given much reference, Onna seems to be special in some way because everyone else we have met in the Death department, were put in their respective positions by Oculus, the flowery oldman (his beard and hair design are sure funky). Hopefully, we will know everything about her by the end of the series. I’m just glad to get these puzzle trinkets in the process.

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The glimpse of behind-the-scene cogwheels was quite interesting as well. Like I theorised before, Quindecim is not the only establishment rather part of a very large system, where multiple arbiters are open for business to judge the incoming traffic of dead people. This system is presided over by Oculus, who’s supposedly quite close to God, who has been gone for a while. This is not the first time we have seen an absent God in a supernatural series. This explanation seems more convenient than having one. But anyways, everyone is doing their part in the Death department for the life and death cycle via reincarnation and joining the population of void.

Nona seems to be an important operative for Oculus, running the invigilation on all the establishments. She seems to be the right hand woman for Oculus in extra responsibilities but I do wonder if she has her own bar as well? Whatever the case maybe, there was no game this episode rather a ruse by Nona to test out Decim’s judgement and faculties. He didn’t pass the test and in process, we got some amazing action via Ginti, the crazy bartender who is more brawn than brain. I have been looking forward to his arrival as he’s voiced by my favourite Yoshimasa Hosoya (Hyuuga in Kurobas, Shichika in Katanagatari, Juu Denpateki no Kanojo). And I was not disappointed.

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We have two crazy bartenders in this season now (Shizuo included), so there should be lots of fun for the viewers. The interesting fact about the fight was Decim taking Ginti serious after he attacked Onna. It’s clear as day that he has some feelings for her. From the way he was shocked and almost lost it for a bit with Ginti to the gentle way he handled her after she fainted. I’m not going to ship them together just yet but there is something going on here because there is a Jimmy in Chavvot’s story. This could just be a parallel to the children’s story but hopefully, we will find out more in time.

Extra Parade Gifs

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A highly entertaining episode yet again. The Chavvot angle was surprising but full of hints for Onna. Is Jimmy Decim? I’m still thinking over this fact but it seems he’s not unless he was human in his previous life. The origin of arbiters are still quite vague, you see. But, with the introduction of Ginti, it’s also clear that not all Arbiters are serious to their bones. Everyone has a distinct personality, including the cheeky lift operator, Clavis. I really want to know more about the characters but more so now about Onna and why she remembered she was dead unlike any other? Do you have any theories to share?

Preview

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Enjoy, Ginti the Arbiter, next time.

About

The Boss lady of Metanorn, who makes it all happen. An animanga enthusiast, who watches/reads almost anything that strikes her fancy. Just beware of her Death Perception and always keep her happy. Regularly found at @KyokaiTM & #[email protected].
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32 Responses to “Death Parade – 05”

  1. BlackBriar says:

    Before I get to my comment, I’ll pass along some information that’ll get your attention:

    Diabolik Lovers Gets 2nd Anime Season, Stage Play (2nd season of anime adapting Rejet’s video games for women to feature Sakamaki, Mukami brothers).

    I have no doubt you’ll pass this news onto Karakuri.

    K Anime’s 2nd TV Season to Premiere This Fall

    • Karakuri says:

      Ahaha, I was aware of DiaLovers getting a new anime! I’m also kind of excited to see what they do with Dance with Devils, since that seems to be along the same line. Though maybe that’s not as vampire-related for your interests xD.

      • BlackBriar says:

        I have no idea what Dance with Devils is but I’m willing to keep an open mind. Besides, it looks like I’ll be getting a lot of vampire-related anime this year, starting with Spring 2015.

      • BlackBriar says:

        Ahaha, I was aware of DiaLovers getting a new anime!

        I’m on neutral ground where Diabolik Lovers is concerned but the fan base should brace itself. Expect relentless incoming bashing from white knights/moral police.

    • Kyokai says:

      Yeah saw the K news. More Sugitan is always good.

      • BlackBriar says:

        Now if only the movie “[K]: Missing Kings” was available somewhere to download. I want to see that before the second season starts.

        • Kyokai says:

          It will be released on DVD/BD on 22nd April so expect it to be available after that. Movies always take time in getting to the international end-users.

  2. skylion says:

    I don’t know if the character in the tale of Chavvot is connected to Onna. I found that the name is connected to Jewish apocrypha and/or Jewish oral law, or a learned response to oral tradition by a scholar. It deals, in principle, in whether or not an unborn child has a soul.

    Which, given the first story (and only two elevators) might be a clue for the future.

    But is Nona giving it a good study? She seems rather casual with the book, as if she just wants to remind herself of something…

    • skylion says:

      Oh, and kudos to the writers and animators for not including Pluto as a planet. But taking some kudos back for including our moon as a planet…

    • Kyokai says:

      Oh, I wasn’t aware of this apocrypha. A very interesting theory about Machiko’s child then, who could be Onna. It is after all strange for a soul to remember being dead and Onna seems to be an exception.

      As Nona wiped her memory, she might be onto some discovery but we shall see how this plot point plays out.

      Good planetary alignment but they didn’t really have to include moon but oh well.

      • skylion says:

        Well, they couldn’t play 9-ball with only eight planetary bodies..so I guess our Moon got included for…reasons…

        • Kyokai says:

          For completing a specific number. xD

          • skylion says:

            But why our Moon? That’s what I’m thinking about. Why not Europa..where we may find life in it’s oceans that are under miles of ice…

            • Highway says:

              Because ‘the moon’ is significant to the history of humanity. Europa is far less important.

              And who said that it was just ‘planets’ on the pool table?

            • skylion says:

              When the squidy Europan overlords come…you will rue the day you said it was less important.

              And..true…there is one star on the table…

  3. BlackBriar says:

    Everyone, including me, is swooning over that awesome looking pool table. Too bad they don’t actually exist. If they did, they’d most likely cost a fortune.

    Not that the episodes prior to this were bad but it was a nice change of pace to break free from episodic pacing and inject some plot to make the arbiter’s world more interesting. It’s already been so with its ominous aura. Ginti makes a nice rival for Decim who probably operates in completely different manner when making his judgments. Yoshimasa Hosoya is a perfect fit for his seiyuu. At this moment, I can’t think of anyone better suited to voice a hothead like him. That shounen-like battle he sparked came out of nowhere and even got Decim, who’s usually calm, cool and collected, riled up enough to oblige him.

    So Onna is human and an amnesiac so she doesn’t remember her name. At least now the no-name thing is justified since it was bugging me ever since finding out what they’ve been calling her. Her disposition is the entire opposite of every customer in Quindecim (Knowing who they are but not realizing they’re dead). Given that this is a first time occurrence, I can see why special treatment is allowed to her since Nona is undoubtedly researching her at the same time.

    The death business is a business like no other and I don’t mean morticians and such. Nona has been part of it for 82 years, huh? She looks good for her age. 😉 The numbers Castra gave were staggering and difficult to swallow. Plus her workplace with blood constantly dripping into wine glasses was creepy. Over 7000 deaths each hour. Hopefully the rate of births on Earth is on par with those of the deceased.

    • Highway says:

      If it’s our earth, the 2014 estimated raw birth rate is 4.3 births per second, which works out to 15,480 births per hour. The population of the earth increases by something just short of 100 million per year.

      • BlackBriar says:

        Amazing that in spite of the alarming number of deaths year round, the planet is still vastly populated.

    • Kyokai says:

      A good development for sure and I welcome it more so in future. But we are definitely getting another game-riddled episode next.

      The death stats were quite awesome. I love the details of all rooms in Death Parade, the design of the blood collecting wine glasses to that bony staircase was quite ominous. I can’t wait to find out more.

  4. BlackBriar says:

    I forgot to mention. Decim is pretty badass with those wires. They’re precise, frighteningly OP and he doesn’t make any physical movements at all. The wires are used for everything. The guy must be channeling Walter C. Dornez.

    • Kyokai says:

      The wires must be part of his power, something similar to the water element (?), that Ginti used. On another note, we need more badass characters like Walter in anime of today.

  5. BlackBriar says:

    We have two crazy bartenders in this season now (Shizuo included)

    Let’s put it to a vote. Who has the shorter fuse? Ginti or Shizuo Heiwajima of Durarara!!

    • Kyokai says:

      I’d bet on Shizuo for now as I know more about him. We definitely need to know the limit of an Arbiter’s powers and of Ginti’s to be sure.

  6. Highway says:

    I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed:

    • skylion says:

      …it’s your long standing enmity of bunnies…

      I did laugh a bit at that moment when the camera was on one of the band members who sang part of the response. It’s like, oh the camera is on me now, I should say something….

      • Highway says:

        It’s more the ‘random clips of music’ nature of the song. There’s no cohesiveness at all, no resolution to the parts, just jamming a bunch of figures together, and putting a 30 second long solo in.

        The 90 second version is much better as a song.

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