wgoyette - 2015-04-03 23:18:45

seemed bad at the start but it let's you see death from a new perspective, it's nice.

edna.stiedemann - 2014-01-31 10:16:12

To begin, I was not expecting this series to be that great.

I initially viewed it on the basis that it was 6 episodes in length.

I took "Shinigami no Ballad" more seriously after watching "House of Five Leaves", and learned the director - Tomomi Mochizuki - had directed both series. "House of Five Leaves" left that much of an impression on me.

The script writer Reiko Yoshida also had some influence on my decision, as she has written a lot of great scripts for many series such as Aria: The Natural, Major, Kaleido Star, and so on.

Like Aria, this series is episodic, you can literally watch any episode at any time, they're self contained.

Reading the synopsis and watching the first episode, you expect the series to be about what it is implying, a Shinigami taking the souls of people ready to leave this world. But this series is surprisingly more than a Shinigami taking a life every episode.

It has a lot to do with getting over death, or living your life to its fullest as you never know when the "end" will come.

This series is about a Shinigami who looks like a cute girl wearing white, her name is Momo. She's not your average Shinigami, she likes to appear before the souls she will take and let them know that they should start living life to its fullest, or she may even appear before the family, or a sibling[s] of the deceased, as the deceased had some "regrets" before leaving. Since people obviously find it hard to believe this cute girl is a Shinigami [despite her floating in the air and carrying a giant scythe around], she frequently flashes her ID card reading "Shinigami 100100" as proof.

She has a "sidekick" named Daniel, and he's kind of a quirky individual. Oh yes, he's a black cat with a bell around its neck. Most people believe she's a Shinigami after the cat starts talking.

Daniel usually calls Momo a crybaby, because Momo does exactly that. You will see it in episode 1.

Much like "House of Five Leaves" - I'm referring to the calm factor - , "Mushi-shi", or even "Aria: the Natural", which sounds like a very odd comparison to a show like this, but you'd understand if you've seen it. "Shinigami no Ballad" is calming and unusually touching.

This is in no way a horror, at all.

After finishing the last episode, I was actually sad that this very well directed series was over, and wanted to see more of Momo's adventures as a Shinigami.

The aesthetics fit the mood, the music was calming, and for the most part, the acting was very good.

I did not feel there was anything that was left out after each episode, except for in the 5th episode. Each episode is written and directed extremely well. You would think the slow pace would leave things unfinished, which is not the case here.

If there were a few things that put me off, some of the acting was a little too laid back at times, actually it was like they weren't even trying.

The idea of the Shinigami being a cute girl with a cat seems a little too generic when it comes to anime, but you get used to it after a few episodes.

Lastly, the series with its very slow pace and calmness, can be boring to some viewers.

Also the eye-catch is so unfitting and macabre that I burst into laughter every time I watch it. It does not fit the mood at all. Although there's a unique picture on the eye-catch for each episode, that's a nice edition, even though I only noticed it after 3 episodes.

___

To conclude, this is a series, if you have any inclination into "Shinigami no Ballad", and don't mind the slow pace of anime like "House of Five Leaves", "Mushi-shi", or "Aria", this is a great story to delve into and enjoy to its fullest, as there are only 6 episodes. You can watch it like it's a long chapter by chapter film.

A surprisingly calm and touching series about death. It is not a horror in any way.

Keep pursuing your dreams! ~ Wynn

P.S.

[This show is currently rated at #2478 on MAL]

Just because a series rating is not over 100 does not mean it is bad in any way (it can also be true that it is bad though), but the same goes for the fact that a series rated at 100 does not mean it is good.

I recommend reading the reviews that do not spoil the series as well as seeing if the synopsis agrees with your taste. But you can still be missing out even after not agreeing with any of those points.

So basically you just have to get lucky, and hope for the best most of the time.

ashly.jakubowski - 2013-05-18 10:39:35

"Shinigami no Ballad" is a collection of six laid back short stories about an emotional shinigami Momo observing and often meddling in the lives of those who had to deal with the death of someone dear. For a show centred around death, "Shinigami no Ballad" is neither dramatic nor exciting. Its episodic stories all share a similar contemplative mood, and there's a common underlying theme of living life to the fullest. It's a melancholy, relaxing kind of show that gently opens your eyes and lets you appreciate what's around you that little bit more. However, the stroll-in-the-park pacing means that it isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. I was watching the 2nd episode whilst eating dinner, and found that episode to be boring; the remainder I watched without doing anything else, and found those enjoyable. So it seems to me it's probably the kind of series that requires undivided attention in order to be enjoyed, even for a viewer as patient as myself.Though not spectacular in any department, "Shinigami no Ballad" is also a show that doesn't really do much wrong. It's likely to bore a lot of people out there, but I personally have a soft spot for this quiet, unassuming show.