Now this is more like it. An arcade game between two strangers with dark pasts. Excellent. But both did have a similar problem. That being they are both people who couldn’t see past themselves. It’s nice to see people react differently to the game. Here we have the two of them mistaking it for a reality tv show. But slowly realizing that something is off. The emotional breakdowns when things get dire were perfect. Misaki’s desperate bargaining and Yousukes deep regret over realizing what he gave up. Personally the most striking moment was the image of a despaired Misaki rhythmical tapping the attack button on the game after beating Yousuke unconscious. The fighting game itself was odd, like a joke game. I suppose it would be interesting to see their fighting game characters as how the general public viewed them. In Yousukes case, a typical shut in otaku. In Misaki’s a cheery vain tv actor. This marks the first game that Decim interfered with to bring out the darkness of the players. It was a curious position for him being unusually cold. But looking carefully you could tell that he truly hated it. That look he gave the device he used to rig the game at the end of the episode showed how conflicted he was about it. I really like that about his character. He’s forced to play the role of the villain and yet is still compassionate. That last hug he gave the players betraying that façade truly moved me.
But here’s the question. Did Misaki truly deserve to go to hell? Herein Lies the problem with judging with a good or bad scale. There are always people who fit into neither category. Misaki wasn’t a nice person, that much is for certain but was she evil? Not quite. In truth she is more ignorant to the feelings of those around her. She was so caught up in her problems and misery that she failed to take into account how her actions affected others. The very thing that lead to her death. Misaki had a hard life that shaped her to be who she is. If she made a better choice for a lover she might have become a completely different person. With that said, in my opinion I agree with Decims judgement. Nothing was as telling as Misaki slamming Yousuke’s face into the arcade machine. She did regret it, yes. But only after she had done the deed. There were plenty of telling things in her flashbacks and her actions. I for example found it interesting that her special attack in the game where the children came to help and the only useful one was the baby. The only one too young to recognise his mothers faults. It wasn’t her fault but her experiences had corrupted her. She was past the point of no return. If given a second chance at life I fear she would only repeat her mistakes. Yousuke however recognised his mistakes and saw what it was he threw away. Therefore he was more deserving of redemption. Still Misaki’s end was a cruel one and one deserving of pity. Next episode we get to met the red haired fellow from the opening so I wonder what he will bring to the table.
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Man that episode… Hated to see a struggling single mom get sent to hell.
I agreed with Decim’s judgement in this episode as well, and I think it’s important to note (unless the sub I read was dodgy or I’m remembering incorrectly) that these people aren’t sent to ‘Hell’, they’re sent to the Void – he just explains it as “Heaven or Hell” to those being judged for some reason. The way I see it, they can either go to “Heaven” i.e. be reincarnated, or be “sent to Hell” i.e. their soul goes into an endless void, essentially ‘deleted’ as they’re not worthy of reincarnation. Perhaps there is an actual ‘Heaven and Hell’ in the Death Parade universe but those kind of people are more clear-cut so they don’t need to be judged? (i.e. only the best/worst will go to heaven/hell) Maybe not, but hopefully we’ll find out more at least later on.
Also, I guess Quindecim & its connected areas are ‘Purgatory’ or something similar?
These ‘judgements’ are rather uninteresting until the memories start kicking in. There could have been a lot more done with the setting in this episode especially. With the hidden camera show idea, I really expected the entertainment lady to start acting hyped up and put on a camera face. Instead we got two off-screen bathroom breaks. The arcade game was bad too, the only dialogue about the game itself was pretty much only in thoughts.
It seems very half-hearted, giving us settings and backgrounds and doing nothing with it, barely correlating them with the memories and what triggers them. Very disappointed by this episode.