Queen Dequim is a bar in a corner of the world where the souls of the dead gather.
With no idea that they have died, two souls walk into the bar. Dequim, the bartender, welcomes the customers, who are clueless as to what is going on.
“I'm going to ask you to bet your life and play games,” he declares.
The souls must put their best efforts into playing various games for a chance to get out of the bar. As the games unfold, the souls' true colors are bared. What judgment will be handed down to the two?

The story centres on the bartender Dequim and his new assistant. Onna as they deal with and judge souls that die in pairs.
 The judging is done by a game. The games range from darts to airhockey and through competition, the true colour of the souls is tested and brought to light.

As emotions flare and tension between the players rise, Dequim, normally sombre, experiences these events and emotions with Onna and starts to feel something within himself.

“What is life really all about? What is man's true nature? The story unfolds as it poses these questions."

The production of Death Parade is headed by Madhouse (Death Note, Ninja Scroll, Trigun) and licensed/distributed by Funimation.

The art of the show has a lot in common with Ufotable’s work, the acclaimed Kara no Kyoukai series.
The character design is both simple and complex, compared to most anime. Clothing is basic but detailed and facial features include a prominent nose (Unlike a lot of other artstyles available).
The most extravagant piece of character design to be shown so far is in the hair of the main cast.
The set of the hotel bar, dim and trendy, can quickly explode with raising platforms and moving walls to turn into an area to facilitate one of the many games played.

The animation of Death Parade is fluid and thorough, careful attention is paid to showing emotion with body language.
It is above average and definitely stands near the top of the animation department this season.

Examples

The music is almost subdued, a jazz themed ost fitting for the tone of the set, a quiet, fashionable bar. That is, until the games begin, then the music picks up and rises in beat with the tension of the players.
The ambience is crisp sounding and well included, things like darts hitting boards, glasses clinking and string stretching add to the quality of the show and make things feel more alive.

The opening is quite deceiving, the upbeat music, smiling faces and snappy animation belie the psychological nature of the show. The nature of the opening tells of a fun show where the cast enjoys themselves

Death Parade is not a dark horse, coming from a well recieved short animation and subsequently getting a fully fledged season of production, this show has something good to give.
Airing alongside titles that have done extremely well in previous iterations this year, it's arrival to the scene is nowhere near overshadowed, it shines.

The animation, while not groundbreaking or even top class, is well above average in the first two episodes.

The plot holds a lot of promise, although, if not up to scratch, will fall down around its own head quickly. Especially if the development of the characters isn't done with care.

From the first two episodes, together making the prologue of the story, animation and story have been interesting and of high quality.

Death Parade gets a rating of 7/10.

As someone who doesn't frequent the psychological genre, Death Parade intruiges me.
I'm curious to find out just how the character Dequim, changes as the show progresses and what exactly goes on at the bar when the "customers" are gone.

Death Parade wasn't even on my radar until it began, but now I'm hooked and wanting more.
I'll be keeping a close eye on this anime for the time being and I don't think I'll ever tire of the opening sequence.