Death Billiards | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Death Billiards

The concept of death is often an uncomfortable topic. It involves loss, regret, and myriad other emotions often directed at the deceased but can also be directed towards the self. When thinking of death, I know it’s uncomfortable, but how would you like to die?

The average person would probably say in my sleep or surrounded by loved ones, but is that the case? For some, yes, but for others, no? What about the afterlife? In the west, the prevailing thought is that a higher entity, God or another being, will welcome us into the afterlife and decide our fates. Well. Let’s suppose that our path to eternity, heaven, and hell occurs at a bar over a game of pool. Death Pool!

Death Billiards is a one-episode original anime created and directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa. Death Billards aired in March 2013 and resulted from a Japanese initiative in 2012 to train young animators on the job. Death Billiards and its creative studio (Madhouse) was one of four anime selected, and its success would result in the one-season anime Death Parade released in 2015.

Death Parade was also created and directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa. The other anime selected along with Death Billiards was Ryo/Gonzo, Aruvu Rezuru - Kikai Jikake no Yosei-tachi/ZEXCS, and My Little Witch Academia/Trigger.

If you’ve seen Death Parade, then you know the premise. Two people walk into a bar. In the case of this anime, it’s “two men walk into a bar!” If this were a comedy, I’d expect a punch line, and the punch line would be, to quote Carter in Rush Hour, “Wipe yourself off man, you dead.” Unfortunately,

Death Billiards is no comedy. It is a concise lecture in thanatology that would make Catlin Doughty proud. With its genres of Drama, Mystery, and Suspense, it’s no surprise that this twenty-five-minute seinen thrill ride comes with an R+17 rating for its use of violence and profanity.

In all seriousness, though, two men walk into a bar and have no idea where they are or how they arrived. The bar is known as Quindecim and looks like an upscale bar in many cities throughout the world. The younger man who would arrive first is already seated at the bar, and at the animes intro, we are introduced to an older man. Now to arrive in Quindecim, two people must die in the living world at the same time.

The bartender asks the duo if they remember the circumstances that brought them here, with each man giving a minor recitation as their memories are vague. It is implied that the younger man was in the midst of a passionate moment while the older was seated on his porch enjoying his day. Later on, we are treated to the actual reasons why they arrived at Quindecim.

Qindecim, a name meaning obsolete, a tax of fifteen cents, is also a play on words, as shown in the anime Death Parade. Quin being the young barmaid, and Decim, the bartender, is the greeters of the judged. Their names are never revealed in Death Billards but are indicated in the accompanying anime, Death Parade. The bar is located on the fifteenth floor.

For the visitors, their fate is governed by a list of rules. A game controls them.

[THE RULES.......]

He cannot tell them where this place is.

Second, the two men WILL play the game.

Third, the game is decided by a roulette

(later mentioned to be predetermined).

Fourth, the men will risk their lives on the game.

Fifth, they are not allowed to leave until the game is over.

Lastly, they have one hour to decide to play.

Yuzuru Tachikawa does a beautiful job showcasing the natures of Otoko and Roujin.Yuzuru Tachikawa does a beautiful job showcasing the natures of Otoko and Roujin.

Through this game, we see the true natures of the deceased and the actions that brought them to QuindecimOtoko is the younger of the two. A young man around thirty. In the living world, he was a stellar student and employee who mastered the game of pool and is confident in his abilities. Cocksure Otoko does not handle his fate well and is thrown into a fit of rage when Decim tells the duo to play like their lives depended on it.

His counterpart Roujin an older man, is calm and level-headed. The two play a game of 8-ball pool to decide their fate.Fate versus predestination is an ongoing theme of the anime, revealing that the game’s outcome was decided at the outset. The result is changed when Otoko, enraged, attacks and presumes he killed the older man, thus altering his fate. Roujin is not dead, and when Decin talks to the duo, Roujin whispers a request to Decin as the soon-to-be-judged men approach the elevator.

The elevators used both as the bars entryway and the gateways to eternal rest are beneath two Noh masks. One mask, and Oni, represents the void/hell, and the Geisha represents the gateway to heaven. Many theories exist, but the anime does not say who went where. During the credits, Decim refuses to answer Quin’s question regarding the matter, leaving Quin to call him petty.

Beautifully animated and voice-acted Death Billards sets the tone for Death Parade; for me, it displayed more emotional and intellectual content in twenty-five minutes than many anime with similar topics. While watching Death Billiards is not necessary to watch before Death Parade, it does answer a few questions that viewers may have.

If you’re interested in watching it, it is available for viewing via Youtube, and if not, I’ll be including a plethora of screenshots. I did not watch the dubbed version but will recommend the subtitled version. Asami Sato (Quin) and Tomoaki Maeno (Decim) are a delight to listen to, and they both reprise their roles for Death Parade. Death Billiards is a quick recommendation for fans of Death Parade.