Deca-Dence

"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.

Alright this is my favourite anime of all time, obviously a big statement to start a review with. I obviously don't expect anyone else to think so highly of the series, but I genuinely do think it is a masterpiece. I also don't like breaking anime down by how MAL does reviews numerically, but eh I'll give it a go.

Story: 10
This is a fast-paced anime, it's a 12 episode original. Keep that in mind, personally I think the pacing is well done. Every episode has its own direction in terms of what it wants to do if that makes sense, but it's still under one ... story. The story itself looks simple during the first episode, but all I'll say is that there's A LOT more to it. Many philosophical concepts explored in the story, which I won't get into but if you go into the story with a philosophical lens you'll find a surprisingly high amount of stuff for 12 episodes. There are some central themes that are well-focused and explored throughout the run of the anime, and we get good conclusions to them when needed and others are left more open-ended when that is appropriate.

Art: 8
I'm not gonna act like it's some Ufotable or Bones stuff because it's not, but the art is still well-done. There are basically two main distinct art styles in Deca-Dence, and it throws some people off, think of Mob Psycho 100 or Masaaki Yuasa works. But the animation itself is pretty damn well done, has really great aerial combat(this is from the same studio who made Tanya the Evil for context), and transitions between the two styles damn well. The directing is also fantastic; episode 5, 8, and 10 stand out a ton in this regard.

Sound: 10
I don't like talking about something as obviously subjective as music/sound in an analytical sense, but I'll say that the soundtrack was awesome and used very well, with many memorable tracks(especially the ED wowie). Voice acting was on point, and sound effects were well done. I don't have any flaws with it, fantastic job. Also Koyasu Takehito has a big role doing what he does best, sounding evil. Can't go wrong with that.

Character: 10
Our two main characters of Natsume and Kaburagi are FANTASTIC, and definitely carry in this department. They have a wonderful relationship that I can best describe as a shared inspiration. Both of our characters develop tons both due to each other and their general environment, and it feels very genuine. Natsume in particular has some moments that absolutely blew me away. The rest of our cast are obviously not as explored since this is a short anime, but some such as Minato and Fei bring interesting perspectives and make for some great dialogue. Our antagonistic force is also very well done with reason to their actions, and we come to a quite fitting resolution.

Enjoyment: 11
I seriously still can't believe how much this anime appealed to me. Obviously the enjoyment rating can vary person by person, as can honestly any of the other ratings. I've literally cried just from thinking of how much I love this anime, on more occasions than I can count. Episode 5, 7, and 10 are literally my three favourite anime episodes of all time. The anime also made me laugh a bunch of times, it's certainly good at being goofy when it wants to be. So yeah, I enjoyed it a ton. If you're super stuck up about me rating enjoyment as a 11, then just think of it as a 10 doesn't make a difference for me. Fantastic anime regardless :)

You know what I need these days? An original sci-fi adventure. I honestly can’t remember the last original sci-fi anime that gave me a lasting impression. But luckily in the Summer Season of 2020, we have this show called Deca-Dence, an original science fiction animated by studio NUT. But did it leave a solid impression?

Judging by the synopsis alone tells me exactly what to expect initially. We have the post-apocalyptic setting with humanity on the brink of distinction. Humanity fights to survive in this dark age and we follow the journey of two characters – Natsume and Kaburagi, with very distinctive backgrounds. Coming into this ... show, I had one main goal in mind and that’s to embrace the creative story in a sci-fi world.

Let’s get business out of the way first. Prior to even watching the first few episodes, I realized that director Yuzuru Tachikawa is involved with this project. He’s worked on previous titles such as Death Parade, Mob Psycho 100, and even parts of Steins;Gate. Those are among some of my favorite titles in recent years so I had my expectations set high. But looking back at that roster, Deca-Dence stands out very differently. Among the first things I came to notice in this show is the theme of survival. We have to realize the timeline takes place since hundreds of years ago and in reality, humanity itself is in danger of extinction. This is caused by the presence of the mysterious lifeform known as Gadolls. The first few episodes shows us the life style of two types of people, the Gears and the Tankers. Natsume has a dream of becoming a Gear fighter but to her disappointment, she ends up becoming a maintenance worker. Serving under the wings of Kaburagi, she soon realizes what he’s really capable of and in a twist of fate, he offers to train her as a warrior. Talk about a change at luck, right?

Well, it turns out, that's not the only element of surprise. This isn’t your typical survival sci-fiction adventure as we quickly find out about the existence of a mega corporation known as Solid Quake. The second episode also reveals the plot twist for the purpose of Gears, simulated characters built to fight the Gadolls in the way of video games. Don’t make a mistake though. This isn’t some isekai show where the protagonists are thrown into some virtual reality world. Humanity is truly in danger. However, the plot twist will caught most viewers off guard as it shifts from the typical science fiction tropes you see so often. It may sound outlandishly risky and indeed, Deca-Dence’s antagonists is actually an evil organization. After the second episode, Deca-Dence almost feels like a different show.

That’s the beauty of original anime. You’ll never see it coming. From episode two and beyond, we are shown more details about the inner workings of Solid Snake and why characters behave the way they do, especially Kaburagi. One of the elements of the show also involves capitalism at its extreme nature. Natsume and Kaburagi aren’t just living in a world dominated by mysterious lifeforms but they are controlled by capitalism. The war they’re fighting isn’t just about survival anymore because in reality, there’s no limit at how many Gadolls can exist. It’s like a live service video game with admins adding whatever amount of content as they please. Picturing it in your head right now and you’ll realize how hopeless this will be for humanity.

Still, humanity does have hope thanks to the efforts of Natsume and Kaburagi. One of the key selling points of the show is their character chemistry. At first, they just seemed like a pair that were forced to work together but overtime, the two bonded and become more than just fellow comrades. Natsume in particular shows she is adamant to achieve her dream. Kaburagi realizes her potential and trains her to be a Gear fighter, even in some of the most ridiculous ways possible. What’s more important than ever is they represent the hope for humanity. When everything seems hopeless, they fight for the greater good. This applies more to Kaburagi’s case including one episode where he becomes a prisoner. Watching Kaburagi’s actions in such an episode shows that he is more than a fighter. He’s a believer in that one day, humanity will be in a world where capitalism isn’t a dominant force and humans will no longer have to live in fear.

Studio NUT hasn’t been in the animation business industry for long. Their most noticeable work was Youjo Senki back in 2017. Deca-Dence artwork style didn’t seem appealing at first based on the trailers and promotional material. It had a decent production quality but nothing in particular stand out at first. With the fictional fortress made of 3D art, it actually symbolizes as an icon in their world, a place of salvation. Character designs of the human cast is more intact with modern animation style while the cyborgs were drawn by hands. To make the art look more distinctive, we have the cartoony look for the simulated virtual characters. From the second episode and onwards, you’d be surprised to see how different the show looks when scenes shift between one settings to other. Finally, the Gadolls resemble monsters you’d can picture from sci-fi fictional stories – monsters with Godzilla-like intimidation and a whole lot of otherworldly characteristics.

Deca-Dence took the sci-fi genre by storm. What started out as a generic opening of the first episode quickly turned itself around after the big revelation. Such a reveal gave Deca-Dence more of an identity, an IT factor that defines this show’s story and characters. This isn’t a typical sci-fi show that you may get used to and over time, you’ll come to appreciate what Deca-Dence really is. And truth to be told, I welcome our alien overlords.

It's rare to get a good original anime these days. Most of what gets made are Light Novel and manga adaptations. Yet, Deca-Dence managed to arrive out of nowhere and give us 12 weeks of greatness. Unfortunately, it was always going to be difficult to compete with Re:Zero airing at the same time and on the same day, but for those of us who did get a chance to view the show, we saw something special.

From the same studio that brought us Youjo Senki, Deca-Dence is unlike anything I've personally ever seen, and the closest I could compare it to plot-wise would be Guren ... Lagann mixed with Mortal Engines, Shingeki no Kyojin and MMORPG elements. It's a world where humanity must overcome impossible odds to survive and is an enjoyable watch that blends unique characters with a rich and lively sci-fi world. As you'd expect from studio NUT, the animation, art and quality are all top notch. My only complaint in that department would be the CG at the end of the series, particularly the final fight, I found to be pretty bad. Other than that, actions sequences, OST's and character models are consistently good.

Lastly, the show also manages to break the anime original curse by having a solid ending that is consistent with themes presented throughout. So often anime original shows will have a great start and fall off at the end. Not this time.

Deca-Dence has definitely been one of the best shows of the year and it's a shame it was overshadowed due to its release time and date, but I can assure you it is worth a watch and will probably not disappoint you. Deca-Dence gets 8 gears out of 10 from me.

This anime is an absolute masterpiece. Even though the theme is of the post-apocalyptic world, it brings a fresh take on this genre.

Really good music with a great storyline.
I came here after glass reflection's recommendation and I'm glad I picked it up.
The characters are all lovely and especially the BOSS.

The show may start a little slow but just after the 2nd episode, it picks up pace.
The most important part of the show is that it feels real.

The animation is top-notch and the characters are also very funny.
...

I would highly recommend this anime to everyone.

(okay so now my views about this anime has changed completely)

It did start great and I gave it a 10/10 after watching the first six episodes, but at the current moment, the show feels very boring to a point where I had to leave it.

This is THE series that everyone is sleeping on this season, I'm quite honestly surprised that it isn't getting the attention it deserves. It's probably going to be one of the most original shows to come out this season amidst a cloud of trashy unoriginal and sequel anime that has plagued the last few seasons that has honestly been boring the hell outta me. Prime examples being "Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha: Shijou Saikyou no Maou no Shiso, Tensei shite Shison-tachi no Gakkou e" that is also premiering this season, which despite its trashiness is doing a lot better in terms of community engagement which problems ... me.

Anyways back to the review.

By far the most original aspect of this anime is its story, episode 1 is probably one of the best pilot episodes an anime can have, it immediately establishes the world and where our protagonist, Natsume, stands in the social ladder on Deca-Dance a massive moving fortress that is humanities last stand against the Gadolls, i.e. CGI monsters. However, by the time you watch episode 2 and 3 your expectations of the show are already shattered but in a good way. What first seemed like a simple enough post-apocalyptic world unravels into a more complex narrative that has the potential to explores many intriguing themes such as political order, sovereignty, mortality and ambition. Going any deeper into these themes would, unfortunately, lead to a bunch of spoilers, so I’d suggest you go watch it! However, the show has only just started so for now (Story) 8/10.

The art style is clean and feels like every character belongs in the Deca-Dence universe, the show is very colourful and energetic, the right colour choice for a show that is trying to emulate the setting of a video game, which complements the plot of the show really well for reasons that go into spoilers. Just believe me on this one. The animation is well polished and to my surprise, despite the amount of CGI in this anime it actually doesn’t look terrible and blends in with the show well at times but I have to give them props for the ambition they have with the CGI elements. Art/Animation: 8/10

The sound in this is crisp, the weapon sound effects are spot on and ambient sounds didn’t strike me as bad. When sound is done right you don’t notice it and it becomes apart of the animation and that seems to be the case here. 8/10

Our two main characters, Natsume and Kaburagi, are well-developed characters with depth and are relatable in many ways. Natsume is a character with strong motivations as she tries to seek self-confidence in a world that only seeks to take that away from her. And Kaburagi is facing the reality of the choices that he made in the past and is constantly forced into a tough situation and needs to make tough choices, he feels that he is stuck in a system of power that leaves him with little freedom and that gives him a pessimistic world view and a sense of hopelessness at times. Overall, very interesting characters that you are really rooting for. Character: 10/10

Overall, this show has high promise and I have high expectations for it. After all, this anime is coming from the Director of Mob Psycho II and we all know how well that went. So I’ll leave it at an Overall: 9/10.

I don't know about you guys, but the reason I continue to watch anime through the years is because of the creativity. You'll find stories in anime that you won't find anywhere else, concepts that have never been explored in Hollywood, and surprises that make most novels look formulaic. However, as I grow older I find myself becoming more of a grump about airing anime. Most seasons these days don't even have one show that I'll watch to completion, and if I do pick up something new it's almost always from the backlog. What's up with that? Anime's in a bit of a boom: standards ... for visuals and audio are higher than ever, huge companies like Netflix are funding production of shows, and the anime audience has expanded further into the mainstream than ever before. This should be the golden years.

And yet, the vast majority of modern shows are creatively bankrupt.

That doesn't mean they're bad. Look, I liked Demon Slayer episode 19 as much as the next guy. But from a story perspective the highlights of modern anime are mostly been-done shonen moments except now they have better animation and OSTs. I get tired of that. If I want flashy visuals paired with cool music, I'll go watch an AMV. Give me a original, passion-driven story any day.

Along comes Deca-Dence. An anime-original years in production, not created to sell source material or advertise a gatcha game. All you have to do is dip your toe into the first episode to see the level of thought and detail that went into this show. The world is vibrant, complex, and obviously deeper than the audience can see at first glance. The animation is fluid. The combat mechanics are innovative. It's everything that anime fans are always claiming they want to see, so why in the flying fuck is it currently sitting at a lower score than The Misfit of Demon King Academy on MAL? Do we, as anime fans, recognize the message this sends? Don't try new things, keep making power-fantasy isekai trash. That's where the money's at.

Anyways, here's why you should watch this show, and not Re:Is it Wrong to Pick Up My Little Sister in A Demon Dungeon: Zoku.

Deca-Dence starts out as a Gurren-Lagann esque story following a group of surviving humans in a post-apocalyptic world struggling to survive against a swarm of aliens that have taken over the planet. Even with that basic premise, the show differentiates itself from its ilk in a few key ways.

First of all, the protagonist Natsume doesn't have any special powers. No magic drill. No mecha. No titan form. In fact, it's the opposite: she's handicapped, having lost her right arm when she was a child. She has to combat the harsh elements of the world in front of her using the same technology as everyone else, and anything she's going to contribute is going to have to come from her ability to manipulate that technology. This gives a lot more weight to her achievements, because they feel earned instead of handed to her on the platter of destiny.

Second, there's the combat system itself. In the world of Deca-Dence, 'Tankers' and 'Gears' fight insectile aliens using gravity balls strapped on their backs that allow them to levitate when near their opponents. They then use harpoons to skewer the insects and drain their blood. Studio Nut has done a great job in the first six episodes for making these scenes look FANTASTIC, following characters through the air as they duck and weave in an anti-gravity situation. These fights also have an interesting element to them, because while the insects they hunt are a threat, they're also a resource, so combat is both a fight for survival and also a hunt to keep the fortress of Deca-Dence, where the humans live, functioning.

Third, the show DOESN'T bombard you with action. It knows it doesn't need spinning angles and exploding aliens to keep your attention. Instead, it takes time to get to know the characters and their daily lives. A good portion of the first episode is dedicated to following Natsume around as she adjusts to her job of cleaning the ship. Sprawling shots of the vivid landscape set the tone for a story of mythical scale, while moments of reflection for both Natsume and the other protagonist, Kaburagi, do more to invest the viewer in the first few episodes than any minute of high-tension.

So yeah, it sounds good, right? But wait, that's only just the beginning. Deca-Dence would be a perfectly solid passion-project as a straightforward post-apocalyptic survival story, but this is a review whining about creativity in anime. See, what makes Deca-Dence so fah-reaking awesome is that it has layers. There's the original premise, which is great and the show sticks to, but starting in episode two there's an additional perspective added to the story. This hardly even feels like a twist, because it arises so naturally from all the information given in the first episode, but it breaks open the scale of the story and introduces an additional dimension (and an entirely new art style) that shifts the audience's understanding of everything happening with Natsume and the ship of Deca-Dence. This isn't just a twist: this is a twist done WELL, a piece of the story falling into place that feels like it should've been there all along, and the result is a show with a split perspective, an unusual level of complexity, and the tact to handle it. If you're looking for shows that take big risks and pull them off, THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING.

Obviously it's uncertain how the show will manage to tie everything together. It could all fall apart, as anime loves to do (fuck you, Erased.) But as of the halfway point I can safely say that Deca-Dence is ambition meshed with talent, a fascinating and engaging look at a unique and layered world, with fantastic visuals to back it up and likable characters. If you're watching any anime this season, you should be watching Deca-Dence. Shows like this are the reason I watch anime.

Deca-Dence, a show that's more than meets the eye.


Preliminary Review


I'm going to be optimistic on this one, I won't exactly say this show started off perfect but from where it's heading I would say this could be a very interesting watch. I know I know it's not very usual of me to give a preliminary review an 8 but come on, this season is awful. From the shows I'm watching now, The God of Highschool sucks, Rent-a-Girlfriend does not look promising and Uzaki-Chan is straight-up bad. This season of anime is truly the dump. But there's this, Deca-Dence, a show that actually I was looking ... forward to from the trailer.

I'm going to be frank, the first episode was not really good. The pacing was off, emotions were off, a ton of things that weren't what I expected. An example, we have the first few scenes of our main character, Natsume, father just got killed and her losing her arm. That was a lot to intake. What came after was better, it just showed for a rushed introduction which I can get pass, definitely wouldn't have liked if they dragged the introduction of Deca-Dence too long but I felt it could have been done slightly better.

The second episode is an introduction to our other main character, Kaburagi. Here's where things got different... So apparently this show takes place in a simulation. Wow. Not what I expected but it's a cool concept. Humanity has died but technology has risen so much that simulations can be made of real-life for enjoyment. Sounds very realistic. We also got to know that Kabu (for short) is one of the fortunate people to be the participants in this "simulation".

But everything changes when DIO appeared! My oh my did Dio get me again, every time I hear his voice it's always a surprise. Fast forward pass episode 3 which is mainly about Hatsume learning how to fight, we get to episode 4. From what Kaburagi said is really interesting. He seems like he wants to overthrow this simulation system they are currently living in. Which is honestly quite interesting, a surprise to be sure but a pleasant one. From this point onwards I have a good feeling this show will do good.


-SCORES- (for now)

Character- 7/10: While there are the occasional jerk-ass cliche characters, the rest is pretty good. Most of them feel human, act human and react like a human. All with a twist of being anime. Hatsume honestly is quite a decent character, she probably the most ideal and basic outlooking and positive main character one can predict but apart from that she's pretty likeable. Same goes with Kaburagi, with the context of his background it's interesting how he acts in the so-called simulation world.

Art- 8/10: NUT. The parts where Kaburagi is in his main form (not the human one) it gets kinda weird. It feels like a super cartoony kids show. I'm guessing it's just to balance out the production budget but hey, if they get to make the fight scenes look smooth as hell why not?

Writing- 7/10: I see potential, a lot more than the other titles I'm currently watching. I'm interested in how this will turn out.

Sound- 7/10: Not too much, not outstanding but certainly not out of place. The intro is like every anime intros ever, outro's fine.

Overall, please be a good show, I don't want to suffer through this season without any good things to look forward too every week.

Strong 7 to a Light 8

Deca-dence is a real mixed bag so far, but it's a real fun for one for sure, and here is why so far!

The story in itself. While it's not original of course, but it's still fun and strange and different in it's own right. While it might be a little confusing at first, but it's really explained well enough in order for you to get things. With the story following two characters with completely different backgrounds, and how differently they handle humanity's survival.

The art style has two different styles. The usual standard that looks clean cut and good, while the other side of it, ... is a little cartoonish. Which isn't bad at all, and it's weird at first, but it's different, and nothing wrong with something different. Good all around there. While the sound matches each point of the show really well. Even the effects in the more cartoony way.

The characters themselves, there isn't a big cast, outside our mcs, and one or two others so far that have had a ton of details gone into. But that's fine, the characters that are the focus are good in their own right. Our MC in particular being a determined loveable bundle of joy, which I just adore.

Is it super amazing so far? No, but is it good so far? I'd say so, and I'd say give it a watch if you're curious

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR EPISODE 2 OF DECA-DENCE

Deca-Dence is like a house of cards.

There are fascinating ideas at play and a strong core storyline, but blink for a second and the whole piece falls on its face. It took me an unusually long time to firmly ground my takes on Deca-Dence (DD.) Even as recently as a couple of weeks ago, I was constantly flip-flapping between my thoughts on the series and whether or not it was meeting its objectives. Was this a muddled mess of a plot? Or the best-written show of Summer? After (much) deliberation I’d now answer with: “a little bit of both.” ... As promising as this premise is, there are key details that one could easily miss, ruining the entire experience. And even when interpreted as intended, DD fails to see through its fullest potential. I hope you’ll join me as I attempt to inspect the puzzling case that is DD: the strengths, the weak spots, the twist in Episode 2, and more. On that note, there’s no way I can hold a meaningful talk about DD without spoiling that major left-turn, so I advise you to have at least caught up with the first three eps before reading further.

There aren’t many recent prospects in anime that left me as excited as Deca-Dence (DD.) That’s coming from a guy who mostly watches his Japanese cartoons seasonally, so make of that what you will. The last time Mob Psycho director Yuzuru Tachikawa got involved with an original work, the small OVA got picked up by none other than Madhouse for a 12-ep series nowadays known as “Death Parade.” Learning that one of the brightest industry talents was attaching himself to another original script^ sent my expectations through the roof. I openly shared my hype in discussions and gave this series my backing. This had the potential of becoming the dark horse of Summer and I was thrilled.

DD’s pilot did little to keep me hopeful. The episode had your standard post-apocalyptic setting, a dystopian class system, a by-the-books arc about our MC proving herself, and a CGI battle with a horde of indistinguishable alien blobs. I was just about ready to lower my expectations significantly when they brought out a giant mecha transformation sequence while Konomi Suzuki belts the (admittedly banger) OP. None of this was bad by any stretch, but we’ve seen it all before. For a Tachikawa production there seemed to be a copious lack of ambition and intrigue. Something to really knock my socks off.

And blow me away it did, with a huge heel-turn that changed everything. The reveal that the Deca-Dence fortress was in fact an entertainment facility controlled by a space corporation won me over. Shifts in context challenged me to question everything taking place in the surface world and what that meant to the chibi cyborgs participating in the simulation. The newfound setting opened up room for worldbuilding, which the show does rather well at times. It occasionally drip-fed information about how the grand illusion was held together by staging scenes in control rooms, factories that manufacture the Gadoll aliens for the company, and the storage facility for our robots’ in-game avatars. A dichotomy presented between the remaining humans and their descendent cyborgs was fertile ground for social commentary to go along with some sick action scenes. Ideas behind the ranged aerial combat feel distinct and something out of a video game, and cool concepts pop up wherever you look.

Now you might think that I had a good time with Deca-Dence. But I didn’t. For most of its run, anyway. See, my dumb ass didn’t quite pay attention to the second episode, as I was still reeling from its amazing twist. This was probably the worst possible mistake I could have made while watching the show, because for several weeks it was the only episode that defines who Rankers and Tankers are. To make matters worse my brain went on overdrive from that episode on, and my frustration grew as time went by. When a supposedly important character death occurred mid-season I had no idea what to feel, since I failed to catch the context behind that moment. Was that character a human or a cyborg? There are different implications for each interpretation, so which should I take? What the hell is a “bug” anyway? I kept running into those same issues with each plot point, running into brick walls as I regressed and reassessed the story. I never realized the answers to those questions until late in the season, and even then it took a series re-watch for me to comprehend what was happening. I’m all for sheepishly admitting that I ruined the experience for myself, and in retrospect I enjoyed a lot of the narrative presented. However, that isn’t the only reason I’m sharing this anecdote; other viewers I’ve talked to have had equally confusing experiences, indicative of greater problems with DD’s storytelling.

In an interview conducted midway through DD’s airing (one I highly recommend you check out+,) Tachikawa admits that him and his team made the setting “somewhat complicated.” There’s certainly credence to his statement, but I don’t think that fully describes what’s happening here. A pattern crops up where select scenes pack exposition in dense chunks, separated with slower story segments. This stop-start pace runs about as well as a truck low on oxyone and robs DD of its momentum. Normally I wouldn’t find this approach problematic, but certain episodes don’t give me a lot of faith that the writers are using its single-cour length wisely. A notable example came hot off the heels of a big cliffhanger, where we follow characters in a factory processing… feces. These lulls in the narrative are all that harder to get through when those moments of plot progression leave holes unfilled. Earlier I mentioned my misunderstandings with the show’s terminology, but even the parts that I could make out yielded unanswered questions of their own. A bulk of those gaps lay with the relatively-unexplored secondary characters. Human survivors in Deca-Dence don’t come across as, well, humans (adding to the confusion with Rankers & Tankers.) These background roles aren’t given a ton of complexity, which is a huge shame. The aforementioned potential for social commentary and ideological reflection got relegated along with characters like Fei, Mikey and Kurenai. The apparent caste divide between “upper-class” Rankers and the “lower-class” Tankers goes unmentioned, which I found really strange. The episodes I enjoyed most were ones that were better able to tap into that potential, namely Episode 7 and its long-overdue return to the community Natsume was fighting to protect. Most of the writing behind its cast contrasts and betrays the intricacies presented by the premise, making me question if the series could be improved on given a higher episode count. Then again, judging from the kind of story DD wanted to be, perhaps my expectations were too high to begin with.

In the interview I brought up earlier, Tachikawa claims that while the setting was complicated, the plot was “more straightforward.” It’s an observation I agree with 100%. To better describe what we’re referring to, let’s briefly compare DD with the other script by this director. Death Parade was a story revolving around arbiters charged with deciding the fate of the dead. Episodes were mostly self-contained but came in a variety of tones and themes. Some nifty worldbuilding was done in the background, while not being necessarily integral to the plot. Instead, the show dedicated its focus to challenging the viewer’s understanding of morality and ethics. Death Parade chose to present a fully-fledged question and left the viewer to derive their own answers. On the other hand, DD’s conclusion was all but set-in-stone the moment it revealed its twist. You know what they never say: “Nothing like a good ol’ battle against a ‘Big Brother’ AI to convey your anti- (space) corporation sentiments.” Joke aside, this predictability was a series mainstay even amidst some incredible surprises, as opposed to the ambiguity of Death Parade. One show held all the cards, the other laid them all out on the table as early as Episode 6. This resulted in the story feeling needlessly demanding at times, setting up a hard-to-follow plot but paying it off with a less-ambitious message. With such a fascinating backdrop which arguably surpasses that of Tachikawa’s previous script, one can only wonder if this mostly-predictable journey and its half-explored ideas could have spent more time developing in the ‘Pipe’line. Now, none of this is to disparage what the show does well; “straightforward” doesn’t mean “bad.” So enough of me bemoaning what the show could have been, and let’s get into what makes DD work.

At DD’s core is an affecting bond between its central characters. Amidst my countless conflicted thoughts on the series, one constant remained clear: Natsume carries the show on her back. She may not clock in the most screentime but is always a joy to watch. A lot of these narratives about protecting important, “helpless” characters struggle to make an emotional connection with the viewer. Natsume could have easily fallen into that trap by being written as annoying, overly-childish or a cheap plot device for instigating conflict that feels illogical and unnatural. Thankfully, DD never runs into this issue; Natsume is charming and entertaining to watch. In a reversal of the Damsel-in-Distress, she is fully capable of fending for herself in dangerous situations. Giving her character resilience and strength in spite of her physical handicap made her an empowering figure. She shares plenty of chemistry with “Kumicho!” Kaburagi. While the stoic protagonist may not feel as endearing, he’s still a welcome presence on-screen. Instrumental to DD’s success is their bond when they’re together and their development whenever they’re apart. Utilizing their vastly different backgrounds and perspectives to good use, the series is able to convince us that this formidable duo have what it takes to conquer the system.

Fun, kinetic action is another of the show’s strengths. Hordes of Gadoll getting mowed down every week made for an entertaining spectacle. Sound and visuals are serviceable, no problems there. I appreciated the design contrast between the Space Colony and Earth. The chibi robot designs may have put some people off, and it admittedly takes some time getting used to. Use of CGI was inevitable but far from nauseating. Overall this was a good effort from relative newbies Studio Nut, and I wouldn’t mind checking out their future projects.

Tl;Dr: My experience with Deca-Dence was one of misunderstandings. DD fell short of the lofty expectations I had for an original script penned by Director Yuzuru Tachikawa. Failure to keep up with the show’s fascinating setting and missed thematic opportunities hampered my time with the show further. Nevertheless the series still stands out amongst its peers with its strong central character dynamic and distinct action scenes. The world presented, while incomplete in some aspects, is a complex dystopia that occasionally makes for thought-provoking TV. There is a good story and kernels of good ideas hidden in this massive show, making it one of the more interesting highlights in this year’s anime lineup. Just pay attention, don’t make the same mistakes I did. 7/10~

STRAY RAMBLINGS (SPOILERS):

-- +Reference: https://sea.ign.com/feature/163759/deca-dence-director-yuzuru-tachikawa-on-the-origins-behind-his-sci-fi-anime-epic
Highly recommend you give this a read :)

-- ^While he’s listed as series director, Tachikawa stated in an interview that he had worked on the foundations of the script. Credits for series composition go to Hiroshi Seko, who for the most part has a good resume and partnership with Tachikawa. Although this begs the question of who has greater influence between the director and the writer, one which I’m ill-equipped to tackle. In this instance it seems that a healthy balance was struck between the two, and that’s a relief to hear.

-- I’m having trouble wondering how bug elimination and chip retrieval makes sense. You can infer that this system control is meant to quell potential uprisings before they occur, but what are the bounds that make up an “Error Code?” Is it like a “Minority Report” situation where the A.I. detects the behaviour and stops it at the source? We never see this in the show; in both instances where Kaburagi takes a chip, the people they belonged to just dropped dead. Furthermore, how plausible is this concept anyway? If someone prominent in the small community like Kurenai dropped dead from these unnatural causes, surely people would pick up on that trend? It’s kinda unsettling how the populace never bring up such obvious topics, they really fell two-dimensional in that sense.

-- Kept thinking about Toy Story 2’s airport scene when watching Kaburagi find his avatar in Ep 8.

-- Random brain fart but how does currency work? All we know about the world of the cyborgs is their lives in relation to the Deca-Dence game. What happens outside of that? Perhaps they pay with oxyone? But the game is an arcade feature, and I assume most of the populace earn their money running errands. So the Rankers are sponsored and get living accommodations? In short, their economy promotes being an epic gamer and clocking in e-sports money. Now THAT is what I call forward thinking. Amazon, take notes.

-- If the game has a 90% satisfaction rate (whatever that means,) I assume there are more games? That could be interesting. I imagine there are some dudes chilling on the moon playing the future’s equivalent of Animal Crossing while all this madness is taking place.

-- “Decadence” is defined as “self-indulgence.” This alludes to the leisurely activities of the cyborgs, as opposed to the poverty and near-death subsistence that humans undergo. Again, those parallels would hit so much harder if you actually USED them (keep calm Dweeb, you actually like this show…)

-- IN A NUTSHELL: Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Season One meets WALL-E.

-- BEST GIRL: Natsume. Her facial expressions in most episodes are peak meme-material.

-- Apologies if I went off weirder tangents than what I normally tackle. I had a totally different review in mind until I gave the show a rewatch, so this piece morphed into a weird exercise in coming to terms with my personal experience. In any case I hope I at least provided adequate coverage for the show. If you happen to like my verbose rants, feel free to check out my other reviews for seasons past and present, peace~

Certainlly a bright splash in this season, director and animator duo Tachikawa and Kurita, come with another adventure story, these guys have a wide background on working on a lot of hidden gems so I recommend checking their portfolios out if you''e looking for something to watch.

Plot

The world is a mere remnant of what it once was humanity seems to be reduced to living in a mobile fortress called deca-dance. They live out their lives, inside, cowering while bug mutants roam and periodically attack them, our protagonist on a mission of revenge must join the warrior class who are revered as they bring the valuable ... bug meat to the people and so the story begins...

MINOR SPOILERS

An apocalypse story with cool dynamic fight scenes and a genki main character? Sign me up! While the show is light headed now I suspect it might get more tragic later on, as its classic with anime to build up a moment of peace before something happens.

SPOILERS OVER

ART

While the art can be choppy at times, the designs are slick and really show off kuritas experience more so because of their variety. Im not a big fan of the cgi bugs but thankfully thats not much of a problem most of the time as when there are more dynamic scenes the art style includes no cgi which is cool cause it only enhances the fights almost like in attack on titan.


Sound

The music is good and I was surprsied to find out that the person who worked on the music also worked on the mobile game and adaption of kinngs raid, its cool to see new people work together bringing new blood into the industry
The voices sound good, I like kurenais voice

Natsume is cute, and kabu is cool but there is more to kabu and indeed the entirety of deca dance than meets the eye.

Now listen the only reason my enjoyment is a 7 is cause we're only 4 episodes in, while I have high hopes I am also getting gainax vibes which can either be a good or bad thing. That being said, its nice to see something a bit more original than usual

Firstly, this show has fanatics. I think mainly because of a plot twist in episode 2. Fanatics ignoring all the criticism by accusing them to not comprehending little simple plot twist in ep 2.

Art is good except chibi part which is very annoying style because of how less info it gives about charecters to the viewer.

So why show is bad (contains small amount of spoiler),
humans with cyborg bodies act like too childish and except MC. Cyborgs don't act like human at all.

World building has a lot of flaws, its dystopian with mass surveillance, but time to time that surveillance became useless in ... most critical places like debugging center.

Also viewer needs more info about how all the humanity being okay with playing deca dence as their only hobby and job. As i said cyborgs in show supposed to be human and they are far away from being a human with their motivations, actions and desires.

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

Anime isn't something I watch a lot of nowadays. After watching so many anime that were unfinished, I decided to just read the manga. I decided to give this anime a shot, since it is an original series. Natsume was the one who made me want to watch it, since not many leads are female warriors.

I really like the relationship between Kaburagi and Natsume. Kaburagi is a rule follower who hardly questions his superior's orders. He starts to develop a father-daughter bond, (I think, though I also ship him) with Natsume. Kaburagi reminds me of Auron from Final Fantasy X, and Natsume reminds ... me of Emma from The Promised Neverland. Their personalities are so similar. Kaburagi and Auron are both cool bad-asses. Natsume and Emma are both recklass and stubborn in what they want.

The cyborg world has a cartoony style and the human world has a realistic art style to it, which I find is a neat way to combine different styles together. Kaburagi's cyborg form is combination of cute and cool.

As soon as I saw the trailer for Deca-Dence I knew I was going to watch it; However, I did not expect it to be one of the most unique anime I have experienced recently. Over all this show was extremely enjoyable. While I don't think it is quite worthy of a perfect score, it was a one of a kind experience to watch. The interaction between the lead characters, the way the story is told, the art, and the world are some of the best I have seen in anime.

Deca-Dence transports the viewer into a new world, the likes of which ... have not been seen before. The way it handles the world building and translates that information to the viewer is masterful. The viewer accompanies the lead character Natsume as she learns more about the world she was born into, never truly understanding reality until late in the show. Just like Natsume, I was surprised with new information about the world every episode, massive plot twists occurring throughout the show, even in the first episode. It was fun to speculate on the implications of every new idea and mechanic introduced, I wound up calling and talking to friends who haven't even seen it about the world.

The art is spectacular. The animation is fluid and clean. There were only a couple of times were I noticed a downgrade in quality, but that would amount to maybe a minute of the entire runtime. The show uses bright colors that make every scene interesting.

The sound did its job, but it was nothing out of the ordinary, but the voice actors were stupendous. The opening and endings were both bangers though.

The characters provide the perfect avenue to grow with and understand the world. The lead characters do not follow typical anime tropes, having a few quirks that make them stand out, and come across as real people that you get to know through dialogue and time. It helps that the show doesn't take itself too seriously and is full of humor. Natsume and Kabu have some crazy good growth and development and have one of the best relationships in anime. The side characters do not have much development but are easily recognizable by their different quirks. Of them my favorite was definitely Donatello.

Deca-Dence is awesome! Watch it, you won't regret it.

I usually wouldn't write a review for an unfinished series, but Deca-Dence is a hidden gem and deserves so much more attention and love. This series is extremely well packed for 12 episodes and has everything: a detailed world building with many mysteries, a good action scenes, well written characters and interesting plot with an unique twist. Of course, it isn’t perfect, 3D elements can look awkward and it takes a while for a show to pick up, but totally worth it.

How long has it been since we’ve got one cour anime, which isn’t a blatant advertisement for a manga and has a compelling ... and completed story?

How long has it been since we’ve got an adult protagonist, who isn’t moping around and cries about his low self-esteem and lack of a girlfriend? Kaburagi is such a delight to follow, after myriads of “literally me” school boys having a mature man as a main character is like a breath of fresh air.

I didn’t like Natsume at first. She seemed like a mold of optimistic, always happy heroine that for some reason plagued the modern anime scene. But eventually she breaks up and changes.

Please, watch Deca-Dence. A very well-crafted show with from little to no fanservice, great concept and a clear idea behind its story.

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.

One of the best works of dystopian fiction I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Title has a neat dual meaning. The beginning is incredibly well-done. While many write off the ending as "convenient", the commitment to the final decision involving one of the main trope characters arguably denies that. Fumiyuki did an awesome job with the OST as well.

My only rationale for not rating this 10/10 is due to the ending being on the weaker side, as well as the characters beginning to make less-believable decisions that I feel were not objectively cohesive with their originally defined predispositions. Kurita's characters usually appeal to me ... in this way, but this time around I felt a lot of inconsistencies.

If you are reading reviews to make a decision on whether or not you want to continue watching or start watching here are some things you need to know:

Deca-dence is one of those shows where many people will stop watching early on because of it's jarring tone shift.Sticking around till may
I personally would have been happy with the simple premise of "people fighting against alien forces to save humanity" but this show has much more than that and for this show that may be what drives people away.

I would recommend watching till atleast episode 2 because that's where most of the divide is born.Here the ... show takes an unexpected turn that will leave you with a lot of questions. if you want the questions answered continue watching,If you think the questions aren't worth getting answers for, drop it.Those that stick around will find that the show has a decent idea and that the timing on the 'reveal' in the second episode could have been handled better or played up more to be a twist rather than a head scratching experience early into the anime.

Personally, i feel like this will be a decent anime with an ambitious idea,good artwork and sound design.I doubt if it will be remembered for a long time but some may find that it has good entertainment value with it's battle scenes mixed with it's slice of life moments.It's strongest feature however, is it's very like-able protagonist Natsume who is a bright,cheery,hopeful girl in a world that is anything but those things.

(as of writing this review we still don't completely know which direction the story will go and the overall quality of the show may drastically rise or drop.)

I'm honestly so disappointed in the way this anime has been received by the anime community. This anime is criminally underrated.

From the unique art-style to the extremely original and deep storytelling, this anime has the potential to be a massively successful series. Not only is the concept of the show really cool, it's plot is also incredibly well written. The characters have a lot of character development going throughout the series, they go through training and mentally scarring situations that actually effect and change the characters.

I guarantee that if you pick up this anime and stick with it until the end, you will not have ... regretted putting the time in. That is all I want to say, thank you for reading.