10 Second Anime - Death Parade - Episode 9

Death Parade - Episode 9



Decim brings out the darkness from the two killers, but the Black-haired Woman objects to the provocations.

Hmm.

The young man and the detective turned out to be directly related to each other's deaths. The detective's circumstances were especially dark, as he essentially turned into a serial killer after avenging his wife's death. He was no longer concerned with preventing crime, showing no compassion to the victims of those he hunted, requiring their presence only to make sure his prey deserved death at his hands.

 

We're supposed to make a connection with what the detective was doing and how Arbiters work in the afterlife, but I'm not buying it. Kurokami still sees a chance for these souls to find redemption, even making it clear to the young man that there is no Heaven and Hell, only Reincarnation and the Void. This is the clearest explanation of how the afterlife works in Death Parade.

 

We also saw Decim actually feeling the weight of destroying someone's soul who may not deserve it. I don't see Kurokami's empathy as having much value after the souls have appeared for judgment. They have just been put into dolls to react to stimulus set forth by the Arbiters. Their souls aren't being shaped anymore. It's their lives that shaped their souls.

While Kurokami may be concerned with saving the young man's soul, I remember how Nona and the others complain about so many souls coming in. Do so many have to go back for reincarnation if there is a dark stain that will never be removed? That is the question here for the young man's soul. He had already decided to kill someone who raped his sister and the other person who stood by and did nothing to stop it.

 

But in the commission of his revenge, he killed someone who just happened to be there. It was a coincidence that this detective was also the one who let the rapist do his work so he could kill him later. This is the darkness that Decim drew out of the young man. Given another chance to refuse to kill his target, even while constrained by Kurokami, but being provoked by the detective, the young man insisted on vengeance and reveled in its act.

 

There was a dark stain in the young man's soul, who would kill again if given the chance, which meant Decim did his job, no matter how terrible it may have felt to watch. The contrast with Kurokami's motive, to save a soul, is that the extreme circumstances may be the same way to elicit those points of light that can wash away the dark stains. We saw that with the bowling couple, so I think Kurokami is being too swayed by her own emotions. The Arbiters aren't provoking darkness. They're provoking a choice when the soul knows he's dead, that none of his actions mean anything anymore, but he still chooses light or dark.

 

I can see why Arbiters aren't supposed to feel emotions, otherwise this harsh compassion would be too difficult to act on, as we saw with Kurokami trying to interfere with the proceedings. Perhaps Nona tried to relieve some boredom with making a different kind of Arbiter in Decim, but it looks like the boring normal ways of doing things actually are the best way.

 

We're approaching the end of the season, which means it's about time to resolve what happens to Kurokami, Decim, Mayu, and Ginti. There's still a mystery to solve with Kurokami and Mayu just needs to be sent back for reincarnation. Ginti can't just keep her around like the cat, can he?