chadd28 - 2016-10-10 18:40:01

Original hasta decir basta. Personajes muy profundos y cercanos, trama espectacular y original, diseño de personajes y escenario muy bueno. Merece mucho la pena verlo y seguro que Death Parade merecerá también la pena.

norbert.rempel - 2015-01-09 08:32:06

Story

We've seen manystories that revolve around the concept of Darwinism. A game that holds a maintheme of survival of the fittest. Many animes and manga hold a similar plot tothe point where some stories come off as generic.

 But this storyholds a certain theme about life and the survival part takes a back seat. Asfar as I can tell from this OVA or whatever you want to call it, the concept ofthis story encompasses two individuals whom are dead, play a game that is dictatedand monitored by a bartender with white hair and his cute assistant, which I'vetaken a strong liking to. 

The bartender doesn'tsay too much, he doesn't explain how this game works which adds more mystery toit, thus us, the watchers more intrigued.

 Although thereis little to no information about this game there is still something to begained. It’s a game, there must be a winner and the winner by logic, must berewarded. 

In the last scenethere is two elevators where the two main characters will enter. Above theseelevators are two masks. The one on the left presents itself as evil, dark red,fangs with horns. 

The one on right iswhite with a stoic expression on it. This indicates that the winner enters theone on the right and the loser enters the one on left. One is rewarded, one ispunished. However I do hate the concept of heaven or hell, it is quite areprehensible idea but for this story I might brush it aside. 

And it is solelybecause this is a very character driven story so the elevator scene was thelast thing on my mind. The concept is unique, the way the events transpired wasvery entertaining. 

This story reallydescribes and discovers all the strengths and weakness of human beings, the badand the ugly. It is quite a beautiful concept. But overall what I got from thestory is live life to the fullest. 

Animation

I’m biased when itcomes to Mad house but then again, who isn't? They produced so much goodcontent. From Death Note, Hunter x Hunter (2011), Btoom, Parasyte etc.

 They have a goodtrack record and they added another feat to their legendary list. The animationis fluid and beautiful. The scenery for the bar was elegant and vivid, thecharacters were unique and when it came to certain scenes the animation justexploded.

When it came to fightscene with the Gramps and the man it was quite the fight. The emotions could beclearly scene and I felt like I was dropped right in the story. Simplyfascinating. 

Characters 

For only twenty fiveminutes, the characters were phenomenal. Fleshed out and within minutes I wasalready sympathizing with them. For some series it takes me like 3 or fourepisodes to even give a shit about them, by the end of this, I swore I’ll neverforget them.

 Gramps, hischaracter was good, however it didn't impact me as much as it should of.However the man, his character was impact - full as all hell. A flawed man, buta good one. He represents the everyday man.

A man of trial anderror and when under pressure he questions himself but in the end he stands upfor what he believes and says fuck you to whoever tries to belittle him. Thatis what he felt at that very precise moment. 

Overall Enjoyment

 I simply loved this OVA. It wasbrilliant. Some might ridicule me for being so bias but who cares? It was anawesome start to a great series. A story that reflects on life, no matter whoyou are, live life to the fullest. 

ciara12 - 2014-12-30 21:34:06

With the anime TV adaptation of Death Billiards, titled Death Parade, looming on the horizon, I took some time to watch the original 25-minute movie and write a review for it. I was extremely pleased by what I saw. I definitely did not expect what I got from this movie.

Death Billiards is an impressive feat. The story it tells has many twists and turns within such a small time period, yet doesn’t seem rushed at all. The hidden message is surprisingly simple: live life to the fullest. The way it ends leaves a lot of questions, but also leaves plenty of room for viewers to speculate and guess until the show comes out. I personally love this aspect of the movie, because instead of throwing some confusing concept or answers in your face, it lets you fill in the blanks with whatever you want, whether it be simple or complex. And with Death Parade premiering on January 8th, all of our questions will be answered at some point.

Death Billiards also sported some impressively deep characters and fleshes them out thoroughly and allows them to develop. Once again, a great feat for 25 minutes, though I do wish the bartenders had a bit more develop, as I feel as if there is much more to them than what the movie showed.

The animation is amazing. I love the unique art style and the action scenes are smooth and well choreographed. I cannot find a single flaw in the animation. It’s just beautiful. The soundtrack is also quite remarkable, fitting the scenes well, whether they are dramatic or calm, and the music also sounds great on its own, although there aren’t very many tracks.

Overall, Death Billiards is a psychological staple in the anime universe that you just can’t miss out on. It’s complex, intelligent, and it makes you actually think and draw your own conclusions. Even if you aren’t a fan of the psychological genre, I still suggest you watch it.

Final Conclusion: 10/10

huel.lavon - 2014-11-22 23:04:07

Death Billiards is a short film that came out in February 2013 in the "Anime Mirai" competition, animated by Studio Madhouse. It was released along with the popular Trigger short, Little Witch Academia, which was rather enjoyable. The best short produced in this competition was undoubtedly the subject of this review, due to smart writing and a thought-provoking premise.

For me, watching this short felt like I was trying to interpret a famous painting, except the art is moving to create a story (if that makes any sense). Everything is kept intentionally vague, until the big reveal at the end that was perfectly executed and fit so well with what the movie was trying to convey. The characters are also not your typical anime characters; they're adults, have their own regrets and grievances, or they're just indifferent overseers of the transpiring events. There are no high schoolers, and the realism behind these characters, especially considering their limited screen time, is incredible. The presentation is wonderful. Studio Madhouse is known for its fantastic animation, and this movie is no exception. The production values were obviously high, and the attention to detail is very apparent. The overall design is also very unique and eye-catching, with The Bartender's character design being a personal favorite of mine. The music fits, but isn't incredibly memorable.Overall, if you haven't seen this short yet, you're missing out on a near masterpiece. If you've seen it and loved it, let's all join together and be excited for the full-length anime that will be released in January 2015.

Until then.