A legendary hero pursued the formidable necromancer known as the Corpse God until he was cornered. However, the necromancer utilized rebirth power to escape his realm in the hopes of finding peace in another before the fatal blow could be delivered. Now, in Geek Toys’ Dead Mount Death Play, he must learn to adjust to life in our world after awakening in the recently deceased corpse of a young guy named Polka.
Ever since Polka was taken over by The Corpse God and his gateway opened, the program has been almost entirely unexpected but in a good way. It accomplishes a lot without being unduly obsessed with the isekai aspect of its plot. Polka’s voyage from a different realm is essential to the story, but there is far more going on in Dead Mount Death Play than just a cross-world trip.
The narrative of this series is its strongest feature. Over the course of the 12 episodes of this season, what starts out as a straightforward escape from one world to another gradually transforms into something lot more fascinating. The difficulties of the groups Polka encounters in our planet, how chance-based his entrance is here, and whether or if someone has traveled here before him all merge as each story line develops with the passing of time. It’s one of those fascinating mysteries where the more information that becomes available, the more remains a mystery. Up until the very end, information is being withheld, which could lead to some significant revelations for the second season of the show when it returns.
The diverse and vibrant cast of Dead Mount Death Play is another excellent aspect of the production. Each character Polka meets while trying to fit in with our world adds a special spirit to the program. Every character in the story, from Tsubaki, an officer specializing in unexplainable crimes who becomes entangled in Polka’s world after seeing a skeleton that the necromancer causes, to Misaki, an adolescent assassin with bubbling pot-perky energy, has strong moments that solidify their place in the narrative and ample opportunity to play off each other brilliantly.
While the wider ensemble does a fantastic job of supporting the story and its many plots, Polka is the focal point of the narrative and the biggest enigma the story provides. We are given a false impression of Polka from the first minute we learn about the Corpse God. Dead Mount Death Play introduces more and more of its main characters for the audience to see as the episodes go on. However, there is always a sneaking suspicion that this isn’t the whole story, even as a lot of the information that is made public seems to sway the viewer’s perception of the character. That Polka is both more and less than what it has previously hinted at.