Review of Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have completed watching Death march and while care has been taken to minimise story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned. Saving girls and Sightseeing in a fantasy world with Satoo and friends Based off a popular light novel series of the same name of which im also a fan off Death march is a fantasy and adventure anime that gives us the opportunity to see what will happen if rather than a teenager from the modern world would be trapped in a game that theywere playing that a game programmer in his mid-twenties would fall asleep after a death march and wake up in a world that looks very much like the game that he had designed. What will be cooler than that you ask. How about finding that you have not only been transported to a new world, but you have also somehow reverted back to how you looked when you were a teenager while still retaining all the memories of his older self. The first episode of the series did a great a job at both introducing the main character and the main setting that this new world that he been deposited in made use off and while slow at first made up for it by being relaxing and laid back.

Taking place in a fantasy setting reminiscent of western medieval themed RPG’s is a world that is populated by all sorts of races and creatures each of which have their own views, cultures and customs. Here Humans are but one race but rather than exist in harmony with other races they instead treat them with suspicion and fear where even the slightest spark would cause scuffles to break out over prejudices and hatred that humans have towards beast folk. Outside of the walls of the cities is a large expansive world that while having varied terrain also features dangerous creatures like wyverns as well as curious races like the ratmen and the elves that do all they can to survive in a hostile world where both demons and magic exist. The overall story of the series follows the adventures of Ichirou Suzuki a 29-year-old programmer from the real world that after falling asleep after a long days work find’s himself in a unfamiliar world and his attempts to both find a way to unlock the mystery of both this world and find a way back while also taking the time to experience and explore this new yet seemingly familiar world that he had been dragged into. Joining him on this quest will be a host of characters that include the cunning but surprisingly kind Arisa, The caring and steadfast Liza and the brave and hardworking magic soldier Zena as they embark on a journey to solve the mysteries of this world while also having an enjoyable road trip that is filled with laughter, unique encounters and crazy new inventions that while common in the modern world are like something from a legend in this new world.

Ichirou Suzuki

Ichirou Suzuki voiced by new voice actor Shun Horie of Juni Taisen fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of the series. Initially a programmer from the real world that was in his late twenties that reverted to how he had looked when he was a teenager Suzuki who within the series takes on the moniker of Satoo is someone that can be said to be typical for someone his age in that while he works hard to accomplish the tasks that were assigned to him that will benefit him and his friends he doesn’t do it to gain fame but rather to ensure that he and his friends are able to benefit from it. Despite his tendency to avoid either causing trouble to others and causing trouble to come to him his actions almost always causes the letter to come to him causing no small number of headaches for him. A hardworking, kind and caring person by nature Satoo is someone that approaches each situation calmly and rationally always trying to be diplomatic and fair to all he encounters. While cautious to a degree Satoo is also someone that is both intelligent and fast thinking and able to come up with many ingenious solutions to problems that they encounter as he travels the world. While outwardly carefree and generous to all he encounters Satoo is someone that can be seen to be both dutiful towards his allies and understanding of the circumstances of others. He is also shown to be extremely perceptive easily able to determine when something is awry and thus allowing him to create countermeasures that will deal with them. In this Satoo is someone that while a good tactician and well versed at ordering others is also someone that also tries hard to see the bigger picture something that is important whichever world you are in. While wary of causing trouble to himself in the beginning Satoo is also someone that can be seen to have a strong sense of morality and in line with this Satoo is someone that dislikes seeing injustice of any kind take place in front of him and will actively try to help those in need even if this would cause trouble for him. This is best shown in his freeing of Liza, Tama and Pochi and his taking in of Arisa and Lulu into his party.

As the series goes on and more of Satoo’s personality is revealed it can be seen that Satoo is someone that believes greatly in the elements of free choice and will not try to force people to obey him but merely explain to them what will happen if they do not listen something that goes well with his personality. While trying to avoid trouble and entanglements that will drag him down as the series progresses and Satoo adds more and more girls to his party this sense of trying to avoid responsibility for them gradually disappears and is replaced by a desire to keep his friends safe from harm a responsibility that Satoo is serious about. While someone that can be considered OP by the standards of the world’s inhabitants it can be seen that Satoo is someone that dislikes drawing attention to himself and works hard to hide the power that he has opting to instead to mask it behind his creative use of tactics and strategies when pressed into combat. While very basic for the most part Satoo’s use of tactics emphasises on the personality traits and developments that define him namely his desire to protect his friends and allies from harm while trying to minimise the number of casualties while simultaneously maxing out the success rate. While a creative strategist Satoo is also someone that is noted to be someone that’s also creative and makes use of this to craft various types of items that he uses to experiment with various subjects in his quest to both understand this new world and at the same time make their road trip that much more comfortable. An interesting aspect of the relationship that Satoo forges with his friends and fellow companions is the fact that its more akin to a family than a party which is especially apparent in his view of Tama and Pochi as his kids and Arisa and Mia jostling for the role of the main girl. This is an aspect that I particularly liked as it resonated well with the road trip theme. The character of Satoo I felt was an interesting character that had some good development as the series went on and I felt that his voice actor Shin Horie did a great job voicing him.

Arisa

Arisa voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Aoi Yuki of Youjo Senki and Rokka no Yuusha fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Satoo’s fellow travelling companions. An 11-year-old human girl that was formerly a slave Arisa is a girl that can be said to be someone that has a lot of guile for someone her age. A polite, intelligent and cunning young woman Arisa is also someone that was also fast thinking and maintained a positive attitude at all times even when subjected to abuse by others that she often retaliates with her sharp tongue. While haughty and somewhat self-confident on initial appearance as Arisa interacts with the rest of the party it can be seen that Arisa is someone that is not just responsible and loyal to her friends but also someone that is also kind and caring and willing to deal with problems before they affect them. While Arisa’s behaviour in the beginning was similar to her former station as a noble it can be seen that she displays attitudes that are atypical of nobles such as her desire to avoid seeing innocents get hurt as well as the lack of prejudices towards other races something that I really liked about her character. In line with this is Arisa’s ability to reduce even complex problems to very basic ones that can be understood by anyone showing her determination to help others understand to the fullest.

In the beginning of the series Arisa was noted to have a fierce desire for Satoo as she fervently believed that they were meant to meet up. Despite the repeated rejections by Satoo Arisa’s advances on Satoo never ceases as the series goes on showing how determined she is with this endeavour. In line with this Arisa is shown to have great pride on the fact that she’s the self-proclaimed main girl within the group that she often rubs against her nearest rival Zena to the amusement of Satoo and the group. The character of Arisa I felt was an interesting character that despite her relatively young age is someone that is mature for her age and like Satoo is able to see the bigger picture of something. While one would expect that a former noble would still retain some of the arrogant nature that nobles usually have Arisa instead displays none of this being both kind and caring to others and not caring about the races that they belong too. While her position of the main girl within the party is a self-proclaimed one I felt that her kind and caring personality more than gives the right for her to be that role within the party. I felt that her seiyuu Aoi Yuuki really did an excellent job in portraying the character of Arisa.

Liza

Liza voiced by veteran seiyuu Minami Tsuda of Classroom Crisis and Guilty Crown fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Satoo’s fellow travelling companions. A member of the lizardkin demi-human race Liza in the beginning of the series was a kind, caring and calm person by nature that while remaining quiet tries hard to be a responsible leader to her fellow slaves by leading them and keeping them out of trouble. As a result of being a former slave in the beginning Liza was noted to be someone that was easily put off by the kindness that Satoo shows her and had a tendency to try to take responsibility for actions and as a result disliked her master doing things for her as she feels it should be the other way around. In line with this Liza was also noted to be someone that was obedient and loyal and always asked for permission before she did anything. As a result of this nature, she was noted to hide her true feelings on matters behind her mask of obedience. However, despite this, it can be seen that she is also someone that while risking her master's displeasure is also someone that’s not afraid of offering her own opinions on matters a fact that Satoo learns to appreciate as the series goes on. While initially very timid and obedient to her master as the series goes on and as she gets to know Satoo as a person better this nature of hers starts to disappear and Liza starts to more assertive and confident while learning to express her thoughts and questions more openly than before.

Zena

Zena voiced by veteran seiyuu Rie Takahashi of Re Zero fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Satoo’s friends that he makes after coming to this world. A 17-year-old minor noble Zena is a brave, considerate and hardworking person that tries hard in everything that she does whether in being an effective magic soldier for the military or in helping her friends. A polite and understanding person by nature Zena is also someone that believes greatly in righteousness and is someone that is always willing to defend the innocents from harm no matter the threat arrayed against her. While a noble Zena is shown to be someone that has none of the arrogance and prejudices that such people usually have as she treats people with care and respect no matter the race that they belong too. A prominent trait of Zena’s that stem from this is her determined efforts to not stand out from the others something that is the opposite of what a noble would do. This is something that I felt added charm to her character.

As the series goes on it can be seen that Zena is someone that treats her duty to the city as well as to its inhabitants seriously and it is this that can be seen to be Zena’s main motivation for her life as a soldier. While someone in her late teens Zena is noted to be someone that gets nervous easily and is someone that tries hard to be of service to everyone that she meets whether or not they are from the city or not which is without a doubt her most prominent trait. Though seen far less than we see the rest of the cast I felt that Zena was a character that was well designed, and her character featured some good development. I felt that her seiyuu Rie Takahashi did an excellent job of portraying the character of Zena.

AMV

Overall the animation for the series I thought was done pretty well especially with regards to the various towns and locales that the cast visit as they really did look like something that would come from a medieval fantasy setting. The character designs for the series I thought were largely faithful to the source material which is the LN. Combat animations I thought were also fluid and the fights were well designed and developed. The outfits that were worn by the characters I felt were also well designed and helped in giving each character a unique look that worked well with their personalities to make each a unique existence within the story. In terms of music I thought that the series OST’s was one of the series strong points as it was not only appropriate to the scenes itself but also gave a somewhat relaxing and calming feeling to the viewer as they watched the cast go about their journey and as a result matching well with the sense that the anime is just a road trip with friends. This was also represented in the series opening and ending themes as well the former had the effect of drumming up excitement for the journey while the latter had the effect of a leisurely journey with friends. Voice acting for the series I thought was excellent with Arisa’s seiyuu Aoi Yuuki and Zena’s seiyuu Rie Takahashi deserving special praise for their portrayal of their respective characters.

Overall conclusion

Overall Death March was an interesting anime that while rather genetic in terms of this type of genre was still an anime that I really enjoyed watching this season with its main strong points being its interesting premise, story, characters, strong voice acting and its handling of OP characters as well as its look at more mature themes of society that we don’t readily see often. In terms of premise falling into a parallel world or being sucked into a game world is not really anything new as we have seen this plenty of times such as shown in well-known series such as Re Zero and Konosuba. However, what makes the premise for this series unique is that while the main characters for the after-mentioned series were teenagers the same is not repeated here as the mc here is someone that is both an adult and someone that is also employed as well. This helps greatly in eliminating traits that teenage neets bring to the story. As a result of the fact that the mc is an adult we also get the opportunity to see how he interacts with the members of his party which for the most part consist of children which had the effect of making them look more like a family than anything. This sense of treating the party as a family rather than as a normal party can be seen to be one of the central themes of the series something that I thought matched both the personality and theme of the series pretty well. As the mc in the series was formerly a programmer in the real world this added to the series a new sense of perspective that were unique to the mc as it allowed the mc to view challenges in this world as programming problems that can be solved easily if broken down into different parts and solved in sequence. In terms of world-building I thought that the series did an excellent job of creating a world that was reminiscent of the high class medieval fantasy world settings that were mostly associated with the west than the east. The various RPG elements in the series such as the thought operated menu and skill point activated skills while sounding complex were handled pretty well within the series and worked well with the blend of magic and swordplay that served as the series main setting. This was in turn reinforced by the sheer number of skills that were available within the series as well. Unlike other series of this genre that are mostly aimed at teenagers as its target audience since the mc for this series was an adult this gave the series an opportunity to make use of more mature themes like slavery and discrimination themes that I thought only served to enhance both the series and the mc as the latter tried to overcome the various challenges that were faced as the party went about their journey in the world in a manner more suited to someone his age.

Overall Death March was a series that I really enjoyed watching as rather than being a struggle to overcome a powerful threat that we have seen before the series as a whole felt more like an extended road trip with like minded friends and companions that the mc met along the way while relaxing and enjoying the scenery along the way. While the mc was still OP to a degree I thought that his determination to hide his true powers rather than flaunt it openly that others in his position would was a good thing and matched well with his personality. In terms of overall score, I would say that it would be an 7/10 as while the premise and story were enjoyable I felt that some of the scenes featured in the series were not executed that well and felt flat when compared to the other scenes in the series.