Death Billiards Review - I am Reviewing a Show About a Deadly Game of Pool.

I looked this one up before watching too discover it to be, essentially, an anime short that came from a project run by Madhouse too fund new creators. The show itself was apparently received strongly enough that later on an anime based on it, Death Parade, was created. Now I have not seen Death Parade, but considering the nature of Billiards, I don't believe it should be a necessary watch too understand it.

And that was correct, as Death Billiards is a standalone watch. There is plenty left unanswered, but that's not because there was ever intended to be, but because you as the viewer are intended to figure out how things are meant to play out for yourself. And that is where things get a bit hard to talk about.

The show sees two men, a man in his early thirties and an older man who is likely nearing the end of his life, who both appear in this strange bar. Both men are unaware of how they got there, but are told a few things about their situation:

1. The Bartender cannot tell them where they are at.

2. They are advised against not playing the game at all.

3. The game they play will be decided by roulette after they agree to play.

4. They will stake their lives on the game, though no more info is given than that.

5. They are unaware of what the winner and loser will receive.

As you can guess from the title, the game they are playing is Billiards. Of course, though there is a twist to how the game works. Something I won't go into details on, but there is clearly something supernatural going on during this match, and the rules at play are not really obvious when you go in.

Despite the focus being on a billiards game, this show is surprisingly well animated. It's only about twenty minutes long and a small project, but the details and shots really are fantastic the whole way through. Just from a visual standpoint, it's clear to see why they decided to base an anime on this, it really is wonderful to watch in motion.

And the show does a great job at giving you enough information to piece together what's going on and tell you a lot about both men without any heavy exposition dumps. Their reactions to what's going on, the flashbacks to their lives prior to this point, it all mixes together to form a fantastic picture and manages to end on a note that leaves you wondering exactly what happened, but not in a way that makes you feel cheated. The show is more interested in letting you come to your own conclusion on the outcome rather than telling you the creator of the shows own morality and views.

I will say that while it's stand alone, it really does have me interested in giving Death Parade a shot down the line. If you get the chance to watch this, it's a great way to spend half an hour of your life. I wish I could go into more detail than this, but anything else really would be spoiling what's going on.