REVIEW: ‘Dead Mount Death Play,’ Episode 1 — “The Resurrection”

With the world under threat from the peerless necromancy of The Corpse God, the legendary hero Shagrua Edith Lugrid, The Calamity Crusher, sets out for a final confrontation to rid the land of this unrelenting evil. But as the final blow seeks to slay the fiend, a final spell is cast that allows The Corpse God to slip from his grasp. But where has he gone to? And what new challenges await him in the new world he finds himself in Dead Mount Death Play Episode 1 from Geek Toys.

That’s right folks, it’s isekai time. In this take on the well-worn world displacement setup, we find ourselves following the villain from their fantasy world to what appears to be modern-day Tokyo. Having assumed possession of a body that was recently murdered, The Corpse God quickly finds himself contending with a blood-thirsty assassin and all the other strange elements of a world that feels nearly devoid of the magic that once gave him such great power. How Dead Mount Death Play Episode 1 handles its main character’s appearance in the modern world and his adaptation to his new surroundings creates an intriguing narrative that grabbed me far more than I would’ve expected. As I’m not one who is usually interested in stories that focus on the villain, but this episode left me intrigued as to what the main character’s actual intent will be.

It is this intrigue that does the most work in making this a compelling opening episode. What the main character’s ultimate goals are, as well as what the plans are of those around him both in our world and the magical one he is from, are left unanswered, with a hint that some of the motives, goals, and agendas may not turn out to be what the viewer may assume.

Of equal quality to this initial story setup is the awesome visual approach in Dead Mount Death Play Episode 1. The opening battle is filled with fluid combat and eye-popping magical effects. Spells glow with near-blinding light as intricate patterns and designs herald the powerful eruptions of magic. Further driving home the power of both magic and combat is the liberal use of blood. The brutal splashes of blood drive home how serious the danger of combat is, as well as helping to reinforce the manic threat of one the episode’s most memorable personalities, the modern-day assassin Misaki Sakimiya. How the visuals use blood to accentuate the clearly psychotic edge of her personality drives the chilling effect of her onscreen presence home.

Dead Mount Death Play Episode 1 creates an interesting introduction to its narrative. While I’m not sold on a series simply due to its being an isekai, this series’ approach to its main character and the questions it leaves hanging as the credits roll make it compelling enough to have me intrigued to see more, no matter how worn the “I got reincarnated into another world” concept may be.

Dead Mount Death Play Episode 1 is available to stream on Crunchyroll.