Deca-Dence

Far in the future, the lifeforms known as Gadoll suddenly arose as a threat to humanity. The last surviving humans on Earth confine themselves to the Tank, a lower district in the giant mobile fortress Deca-Dence. While the Gears who live on the upper floors are warriors who go out to fight as part of the Power, most Tankers are content to provide support from the backlines, butchering Gadoll meat and reinforcing defenses. Natsume is among those who would rather go to the front lines; undeterred by her prosthetic right arm, she seeks to join the small number of Tanker soldiers who join the Gears in combat.

But despite her peers at the orphanage each receiving their work assignments, Natsume’s enlistment to the Power remains unapproved. In the meantime, she begins a job as a cleaner in an armor repair team led by the hard-nosed and apathetic Kaburagi, who seems to be more than he lets on. Though initially cold to his idealistic subordinate, he soon recognizes in her the potential to upset the status quo of the world. As Natsume’s new mentor, Kaburagi prepares her for the special and unique role as a game-changing bug in the system.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Natsume Main

Kusunoki, Tomori Japanese

Kaburagi Main

Konishi, Katsuyuki Japanese

Kurenai Supporting

Kitamura, Eri Japanese

Jill Supporting

Murase, Michiyo Japanese

Minato Supporting

Toriumi, Kousuke Japanese

Sarkozy Supporting

Ueda, Yuuji Japanese

Donatello Supporting

Koyama, Rikiya Japanese

Fei Supporting

Shibata, Mei Japanese

Hugin Supporting

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Linmei Supporting

Aoyama, Yoshino Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Oowada, Tomoyuki Producer

Kikushima, Kazufumi Producer

Iizuka, Aya Producer

Reviews

Sep 23, 2020

KANLen09

Recommended

"The world must be rid of bugs." Sorry, let me rephrase that: "The world NEEDS bugs." With all that: Login/Logout of the Deca-Dence. "It is for me to decide which WORLD to live in!"

Never have I been THIS pumped-up and excited for original anime, because unique shows are a dime a dozen of few hits and many misses. But in the case of Deca-Dence, I can confidently say that it was a constant harbinger of expectations running wild and subverting them all at the same time of questioning me: "What comes next? What should I (not) anticipate?" And I was blown away each and every ... time with what Deca-Dence has offered in its more-than-enough perfect 12-episode storyline about a decayed world that is then occupied by cyborg-like avatars from an in-game perspective.

First off, I have to just commend the all-star production team of Deca-Dence, which comprises of talented director Yuzuru Tachikawa, scriptwriter Hiroshi Seko, character designer Shinichi Kurita, and many of the staff behind this colossal project. Fans of Tachikawa and (especially) Kurita will be delighted to hear that their works on Death Billiards, Death Parade have made them a household name, while Tachikawa and Seko have been in even bigger shows like Attack on Titan and Mob Psycho 100. (Kabaneri in Seko's perspective is shitty, NGL) Needless to say that these 3 are the big names in this show, and what a way to celebrate the living and breathing of anime by collaborating altogether to make something that is a trope, yet still make something special and different that I definitely won't be forgetting anytime soon.

Secondly, let's tackle the elephant in the room: Hiroshi Seko's scriptwriting as a whole (including that PARTICULAR plot twist that thankfully doesn't betray the entire source and inspiration of the show). The meaning of Decadence (one word) is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as: "The moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury." And back to Deca-Dence (the same one word, split into two parts), shows a world that is once habited by humans, but excessive decay have rendered them out of extinction by the manufactured creatures known as Gadolls, and cyborgs have taken over as humanity's last bastion of life. See, the feeling of Deca-Dence is like playing RPGs: you have your own avatar to resemble your traits, and the in-game humans are just NPCs that serve their roles to fight against evil (the Gadolls) and die mercilessly at the behest of the corporation in control. And that company is the Solid Quake Corporation, which houses these cyborg denizens in the Deca-Dence and controls them like any administrator or Game Master would to have a stabilized, all-governing system. Before I get too far ahead though, let's bring in the central characters.

Natsume is a cheerful, bubbly young girl whose father (and his colleagues) have been all but decimated by a Gadoll attack, leaving her behind with a lost right arm and the dream to be a "Gear" when she grows up. See, the class system in Deca-Dence is split into two: Gears, the strongest of humans that are able to fend themselves from Gadoll attacks and eliminate these respawning creatures, and Tankers, which are primarily support characters in the background that serve to keep Deca-Dence afloat with the Gadoll's "blood" called Oxyone, which coincidentally is the lifeblood of the mobile fortress to unleash big-scale attacks. Growing up with a prosthetic right arm and joining as a Tanker is too boring for her, but meeting up with a burly guy named Kaburagi, he is more than meets the eye.

Kaburagi was once a veteran for the Deca-Dence (when it was free roaming), and he was considered the highest class of Rankers for doing the same role that the Gears are doing now. But due to a mishap of his former teammates rebelling against the system, he was questioned by Hugin, the overall commander for Deca-Dence and subsequently demoted to eliminating the rebels a.k.a "Bugs" secretly in the background a.k.a doing the dirty work for them. The thing is, anyone who is registered as an avatar is tracked in the Solid Quake system, but Natsume is a special case: she is a "bug", and in the special case of hide-and-seek, Kaburagi as one of the previous "administrators" decides to keep her under wraps away from the system tapping her presence, and in the way, nurture her growth from a Tanker to a Gear.

With the other characters in toll, the hide-and-seek game officially starts with Kaburagi making pivotal decisions every step of the way to keep her away from Hugin, and have her participate in the missions for Gears to keep the Deca-Dence safe. From that moment on till the eventual reveal of the overall setting (which baffles Natsume with destroying her expectations when she comes to find out the REAL truth), with Hugin chasing Kaburagi down after seeing the fire in Natsume's eyes to depict the world as how she sees it, he begins a change that would define his character back to his original Ranker status as a fighter who would fight for the better of mankind, for Deca-Dence. Even with the "bugs" of Solid Quake which are a constant nuisance, they also do serve a part to play in part to rebel against the status quo and fight for what they believe is right. And what a profound statement all this is.

Studio NUT, coming after "Saga of Tanya the Evil", and subsequently coming off from former Madhouse members, with Deca-Dence, they're a studio that I can firmly accept that they're not to be rifled with. Even with the less-than-impressive CGI that thankfully isn't a chore to watch, it has been consistent throughout this series, and it's a blast to see the art and animation get its flexing of the vibrant world and with it, the lore of science fiction.

Even better is the sound department, under yet another talent that is Fumiyuki Goh. Having worked with big names like Overlord, it's of no surprise that his talent have worked wonders for this show, adding onto the atmospheric worldbuilding with every inch of consideration. Great pairing of the OST with Konomi Suzuki's OP (to which her songs are getting better repertoires) and Kashitarou Itou's ED. Never have asked for great songs in yet another paltry season, but I'm glad that it exists.

Overall, this was a buffet of a treat from start to finish, and while I don't ever think that this will get a Season 2, pretty much what is said can be translated into this phenomenal show that I still can't stop trembling in fear and excitement over the past 3 months. Am quite sad that after the plot twist of Episode 2, haters just kinda shrugged it off and leaving this to dust, because greatness awaits in every step of the way.

One of the few original anime that I can wholeheartedly recommend, but it'd be best to binge all the way through. Quite satisfied at what we got, and there won't be anime like this to grace the small screens in a very long time that sparks creativity and lavishness.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Sep 23, 2020

SanaeK10

Mixed Feelings

Anime original shows are a gamble to undertake. Unlike adaptations, you only have a few trailers and some sentences to derive your expectations from and I feel the key to any good anime original show is to make use of that unknown factor and surprise the audience every now and then with new twists to the series keeping the experience fresh. Deca-dence doesn't quite manage that, but the transition from the first episode to the second had me hooked like no other as what started out as a Shingeki-no-Kyojin-meets-Monster-Hunter show undergoes a complete 180 change into an MMO-esque show with cutesy robots.

This total dichotomy ... is the core gimmick to the show and to its credit the vast disparity in artstyles do make for many fun moments as the show alternates back and forth between the two environments. However beyond that the show doesn't have much to offer in terms of originality or unique setpieces, less than halfway into the show it becomes a fight-the-power type show as Kabu and Natsume rise up against the System. The show does become more formulaic and predictable in its latter half, and the appeal of the contrasting artstyles would have worn out their initial welcome at this point. Part of this can be attributed to its short 12 episode length, meaning it can't really introduce any new original elements without radically changing the structure of the whole show, but it's still wasted potential.

Now onto the actual show, there is a surprising amount of slapstick in this. Natsume being the brunt of many of these definitely led to several memorable moments with her very animated and lively expressions making for great reaction images. The tone is generally lighthearted as well and doesn't get nearly as dark as the first few minutes of the show may lead you to believe. There is no real clash in tone surprisingly considering the dual narrative the show employs and it all flows nicely together. The action scenes are fine, but none of them ever reach the same hype levels as the first and final major setpiece involving the deca-dence. Playing the OP in action scenes is practically cheating.

Overall Deca-dence is a fine show, so long as you don't expect the show to continuously up itself with progressively insane twists every episode. It's a fun adventure type show that's over before you know it and regrettably not that memorable in the long run, but at least that ending sure was worth the journey.

6/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Sep 23, 2020

Krunchyman

Not Recommended

Attack on Titan meets Gurren Lagann with a side of Nausicaä-styled monster-bugs in an MMORPG format to produce a… mediocre-to-bad anime. Actually, it’s more awful than anything else.

The post-apocalyptic motif is the flavor of the year, given all the calamitous events of 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic; crap anime; raging, uncontrollable fires; more crap anime; locust swarms in Africa and India; and then there’s Gibiate, which is too horrifying to put words to). But in the universe of Deca-Dence, the dystopian society in which the characters find themselves in is not frightful or nightmarish; rather, it’s just bland and sweepingly devoid of any essence of ... ‘life.’ The problem derives from the characters’ cliched personalities that serve as superficial representations of how humans respond to these situations. Frankly speaking, the hollowness of Deca-Dence’s characters was reminiscent of the mechanical, unthinking first-person protagonist in any video game; someone who spouts humdrum dialogue and is controlled to act in a formulaic manner. In essence, I couldn’t empathize with them; which becomes a hindrance when certain death (cop-outs) occur.

Natsume’s aspiration of becoming a ‘Gear’ falls in line with every disenchanted Shōnen protagonist who gets told, “no,” at first, but continues nonetheless because they’ve got unsurpassed determination (and special “blah, blah, blah” that makes them… well, special). Kaburagi, Natsume’s reluctant teacher, offers no interesting nuances to the mentor archetype in the hero’s journey. Even Kaburagi’s Vegeta-esque, rage outburst was a cheap mimicry that did nothing to add to the story or his growth as a character; he is as straightforward as a ruler, which makes him all to predictable and beyond boring.

Now, while the plot did throw the viewer for an early loop — via concealing its true intention — it wasn’t the type of surprise that instilled optimism or a state of shock; on the contrary, it lacked the necessary impact that its predecessor (AoT) pulled off with style and conviction. This disappointment was compounded further with the pedestrian animation that offered no signs of splendor, making it a tepid affair from beginning to end. Additionally, the omega type Gadoll in episode 11 — i.e., the armored (Red) Lobster of doom — was far from ‘buttery-smooth’… i-in aesthetics (could you imagine the seafood cracker you’d need to eat this behemoth!). Furthermore, the fortress city of Deca-dence, itself, was just a mishmash of mundane protuberances that left little-to-no impression in this viewer’s mind.

All in all, the passionless messaging and vacuous thematic elements, made Deca-dence the perfect symbol of the declining state of anime in the modern age — making its name, ‘decadence’ (i.e. a state of decline), quite appropriate.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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