Deca-Dence

Wow, the first few episodes confused me and the strange premise and idea really threw me off. However as the show went on it all became clearer and more interesting not being held down by other tropes of the genre that tend to swamp down other anime, I really liked the characters in this as they seemed to actually grow despite there only being 12 episodes. While I think the art and animation is some what lacking, it is carried by everything else which makes it stand out. The story doesn't want to pull punches either, while there are some less important deaths they feel impactful and bring a slightly more mature feel to the anime. In summary if you want a quick anime to watch with a good story, good characters with a good ending look not further than Deca-Dence.

Ok, so an original anime "Deca-Dence" has ended, TBFH I can say if this Studio "Nuts" project is good or not bad...Then again: Story: Pros: Its genre; Action, Sci-Fi and Adventure did played well, given that that's where studio "Nuts" focuses on everything. Cons: The setting about a dystopian future , where mankind's demise was their own creation, but as to how those funny looking androids , the mobile fortress , them Gadolls, and them humans aka bugs came to be and exist in that state was just too confusing to say the least , cu'z the setting makes lit look like that them android have a body and yet on the end of the last episode we still see them in their funny looking android form..... Verdict (6 over 10) Art: Pros: No ecchi in this one..... Cons: The design both character and background , by both Kurita, Shinichi and this certain pomodorosa were a poor combination of 80's retro and 90's modern. Verdict (3 over 10) Sound: Pros: The opening theme "Theater of Life" by Konomi Suzuki was simply right for this anime and Natsume's seiyuu Kusunoki, Tomori was just cute. Cons: I hate the closing "Kioku no Hakobune " by Kashitarou Itou. Verdict (6 over 10) Character: Pros: Natsume never giving up on her dreams to become a gear and her relationship with an android/human avatar/ boss Kanuragi whom she thought was just another Old timer Tanker who turns out to be this Bug assassin/Gear / Natsume's drill Sargent ,what's nice was how his protégé Natsume changes him.... Cons: The relationship was just another one of those younger girl to very older guy kind of relationship. Verdict (5 over 10) Enjoyment: Pros: Only the anime's said genre itself that was entertaining. Cons: The dystopian setting still confuses me, and up to now I still try to wrap my head around the anime's setting, the ending I get. Verdict (7 over 10) Overall Verdict (7 over 10) Ok, despite of how complicated to dig this original's setting, in the end it was still worthwhile watching it , but IMAO this doesn't need a season 2 cu'z of its clean ending.

Deca-Dence (2020) For a stand-alone show, it is a very good effort I must say. It is definitely a pretty wacky show in regards to the world-building and how the show plays out. Although in some areas perhaps skimmed over or rushed it does give hope to more great stand-alone shows to come. The show features humans and humans that have given up their humanoid states to live somewhat differently as you will see. The planet earth itself is somewhat in ruins in a pretty unusual way of continuing life as this show shows us. It has a good story that is played with good detail to the end with a conclusion that finishes it off entirely but in a nice way that doesn't feel rushed for the story as the holes left behind are more from the world-building and going forwards. Art of the show is very high quality if not somewhat wacky in nature. It holds out pretty much the entire way through since parts of it are not designed to be perfect. Sound has a pretty banging OP and ED. The general sounds and SFX noise is very good. Characters develop throughout in great detail which includes that of side characters. Some early on characters are sort of forgotten but are shown none the less. The show, in the end, is very good. It has a good story with a good enough world building and a cast of lovable characters. Wait for Natsume in the end with long hair that was a treat.

Wow, I don't know if I would personally go so far as to call this show a masterpiece but a 7.4 average does NOT do this show justice. If I had to sum up my experience watching this with one word, it would be "surprising." I honestly didn't expect this level of quality from a studio that's made basically one other thing so far suddenly deciding to do anime original Attack On Titan fusion dancing with Mortal Engines, Ghost In The Shell, and arguably a dash of James Cameron's Avatar. I have a tendency to rate things with a lot of leeway towards the higher sides and usually always round up rather than down when I'm on the fence about something, and I'll admit this show was no exception to my rating generosity, but hear me out. Also, sorry if this review is bad; it's like 2am and I'm operating on zero sleep right now. Story 8/10: Humanity is in a post apocalyptic setting, huddled together in the last bastion of civilization and fighting a losing battle against the monsters of the outside world that mysteriously appeared out of thin air long long ago. You've heard this a million times before, I wont bore you with the finer details but know it is very heavily AOT inspired. That does not mean it's a clone, a little bit of a tangent but I'm so tired of seeing this argument; you wouldn't call an Isekai show a SwOrD aRt OnLiNe ClOnE just because SAO was the first show to go absurdly viral with the Isekai formula. Normally I would give my two cents on the actual story itself, as well as some key points, but it's basically impossible without telling you a giant spoiler that happens pretty early on. The story is rock solid and very good, and for the most part all of the loose ends got tied up in with exposition well before the ending, but there are more unanswered questions then I would have liked. Other than that, I liked the plot twist, but I will admit it was very jarring and might turn some people off. If your not feeling this show after 3 episodes, you probably won't love it. Art 8/10: They switch back and forth between a rubber hose/chibi hybrid and classical 2d animation, depending on certain plot things I don't want to get into for your own sake. I realize that it's a pretty strange transition for most people, it was for me as well, but it grows on you after a while. There is very little CGI, and the panoramic landscape shots are absolutely fucking amazing. This show is an odd duck in the arts department, on one hand I know that the quasi-LooneyToons graphics are off putting, and on the other hand the time spent with the classic animation is drop-dead gorgeous. Not much more I can say about this without spoilers, but the show has it's own very unique style, even if not everyone will eat it up. Oh, and the fight scenes are awesome. Sound 8/10: The opening and ending are both bops, and the rest of the soundtrack puts in the legwork when it needs to and rarely ever pulls it's punches. The sound design is also pretty neat and the voice acting is as far as I can tell very good as well. Character 9/10: Holy shit, the leads for this are so good. I really REALLY don't want to get into details about this, but the two main characters are an easy S tier and thankfully the bulk of the show focuses on their growth as characters and their dynamic; to be honest that's probably why this show works so damn well to begin with. Sadly the supporting cast doesn't have a ton of depth or focus due to the disappointingly short runtime, and the villain is more than a bit lacking, but the MCs more than make up for everyone else. Enjoyment 9/10: This show starts off at a pretty normal pace and dials it up rapidly before cranking that soulja boy at max volume and diving into meticulously organized insanity; to say that this show was fun is underselling it. Only reason this isin't a 10, is because the initial plot twist is a little jarring no matter how you look at it, and I feel like it could have been done a little less suddenly. Also, the ending was satisfying but still felt a tad bit rushed, that being said I was still very happy with the conclusion and it does wrap things up with a nice bow and a definitive ending. Overall 9/10: Overall I think this was one of the best shows to come out of last year and certainly the best original. A compelling story, truly spectacular artwork, phenomenal lead characters, and barrels of fun coupled with a decent soundtrack make for an action packed 12 episode that you are sure to remember long after you finish watching them. Additionally, this show exudes a warm sense of passion, creativity, and the boldness to try something new over and over again. Keep in mind, this studio has made more or less one other thing ever so far. For how far my expectations where exceeded, I would be amiss if I didn't give this at least a 9. Bravo studio Nut, the world NEEDS more originals from you.

The return of Yuzuru Tachikawa. Last year due to all the situations going on around the world the summer season was a little slow in producing the great amount of anime that we had become accustomed to in past years, it has not ceased to surprise us with some quality bets that manage to demonstrate the talent and passion behind their productions. Among the titles I saw during that particular period, one of the biggest surprises came from an original series whose ambition is to surprise its audience with a premise that shows that you should not judge a book by its cover or in the specific case of Deca-Dence, you should not judge an anime by its trailers and initial appearance. Produced and animated by NUT studio with a total of 12 episodes, Deca-Dence is an original project directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa who you may remember for his incredible career at Madhouse being the director of Death Parade and Mob Psycho 100, at the same time he participated in projects like Kobato, Chihayafuru or Bleach. I mention his past at Madhouse because the story of Deca-Dence or at least its beginnings go back to those years, with many of the participants of projects like Death Billiards coming back together for this new work even if their busy careers prevented for quite a while that they would meet again even if the project was already being talked about around 2016. Character design was by Shinichi Kurita, cyborg design belonged to Kiyotaka Oshiyama from DURIAN studio, enemy design by Satoshi Matsuura, art direction by Takashi Ichikura, cinematography by Masashi Uoyama and Masato Takahashi directing the 3DCG elements. The music was the work of Masahiro Tokuda while the supervision and editing of the story was in charge of Hiroshi Seko. Not to mention various guest artists in specific episodes. Gadolls are beasts that destroyed the world, the few remnants of humanity are living in the mobile fortress Deca-Dence that despite depending on the Gadoll fluids to function is the greatest weapon available against them. The inhabitants of the fortress are divided between Tankers or civilians who are in charge of the maintenance and cleaning of Deca-Dence, along with the Gears who fight the threat of these beasts in a battle that seems to have no end. Natsume is a young Tanker who dreams of being able to fight, prove her worth and someday know the peace of the end of the conflict, but it is not until she meets an ex-Gear who will decide to teach her how to defend herself that her world will begin to change. Welcome to Deca-Dence, the most popular virtual reality game from Solid Quake Company. Developed as a controlled sanctuary for the dwindling human race, the company's cyborgs can descend into humanoid avatars to fight and protect the fortress that gives the game its title. Kaburagi was one of the best players, but seeing the heartlessness of the system where he is just one more replaceable gear among hundreds of other gears like him, he just waits for his eventual deactivation. But meeting a young Tanker will give him the hope and conviction he needs to try to change the system that rules the world. Deca-Dence is a story of parallels and contrasts, which with enormous ambition is packed in simple twelve episodes where it has many ideas and little time to explore them but gives its best to do so. Under the initial appearance of being just another story where humanity is trapped in a desperate struggle for survival, soon this work shows us how everything is nothing more than part of a system that to preserve itself and the status quo maintains the constant conflict considering each individual as little more than replaceable parts. Thus a young human girl who is unaware of the true nature of the world but wishes to prove herself and obtain peace, will become the reason why a desperate Cyborg who only hoped to stop functioning in a small act of defiance, would take the will to break the cycle. Doing justice to its name of decadence this is a work about the will to fight against a complacent system, the reasons to move forward despite the adversities and to find within each individual the value of individuality. All wrapped in a web of mysteries, lies and eventual revelations that starting from the second episode do not give any rest to wanting to know what comes next. Perhaps not everyone likes how from the beginning the viewer is taken away the blindfold behind the truth of the events, but the complicity in waiting for the characters to discover the truth is a hook that easily captures the interest if you follow their game, especially when in a complacent industry like the anime industry original works like this are extremely few. Although it does not reach exactly the same standards of Madhouse productions in which Yuzuru Tachikawa has participated, Deca-Dence is still an ambitious production not only at a narrative level but also at a technical level that shows off NUT's skills when it comes to work. Mixing more traditional animation with multiple digitally produced elements, this is a work with a sense of scale like few others, with huge sets and powerful framing of characters that give life to each of the scenes throughout the series. When this anime decides to stop for a moment it can be imposing using cameras, colors and the same scale of its scenes to present the ideas, all while the action scenes are frenetic with the strength and agility of their combats. However, if there is an element that contrasts like the story itself is in the character design, because although the humans are presented with the aesthetics of any other anime, the Cyborg are the ones who for better or worse steal the show. Their cartoonish appearance not only contrasts with the remnants of humanity that co-star in the series, but is also used as a distraction to demonstrate the darker and more brutal side of the series featuring lobotomies, slavery and other adorable situations. The only "but" with the production is that perhaps the mix of 2D and 3D at times leaves something to be desired, but this is one of those series that I want to see polished in the jump from TV to BD. Regarding the musical aspect of this work, I must say that this series has one of those solid soundtracks that are overwhelmed by the rest of the aspects in its production. Masahiro Tokuda's work is not particularly recognized with a relatively recent career in the manga/anime world, but he manages to give life to each of the scenes in conjunction with the other elements in a more than effective work. Overall the soundtrack is one of those that are best enjoyed separately, without being obscured by the rest of the elements. As far as sound effects are concerned the series is fine, managing to give life to the movements even those where gravity is altered. In terms of opening and ending themes, we have the opening called "Theater of Life" performed by the singer Konomi Suzuki that full of energy invites to adventure, while the ending is "Kioku no Hakobune" performed by Kashitarō Itō that with a nostalgic tone makes us think about the adventure that has been witnessed so far. It's far from perfect, but I'm not kidding when I say that it's easily the best I've seen in original proposals throughout last year's releases. With works like this the NUT studio proves that it is a place that offers quality works that even with the obvious CGI the brutality of putting details even in rubble in order to give life to their works ends up playing in their favor when it comes to immerse the viewer in their show and it is not the only one among its small details that earn the goodwill on my part. The only downside I can see is how with 12 episodes the series can not explore in depth its characters and some events seem to come out of nowhere, this to the point that reminds me a little of the comparisons between the films and the series of Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann where the first even if they contained the most iconic scenes lacked…

Deca-Dence is the personification of the problems I have with a lot of sci-fi, which is why I tend to avoid that genre in general. What a lot of sci-fi anime and basically any other form of media love to do is make use of a interesting, futuristic concept and basically throwing it in a story without any explanation. Deca-Dence does exactly this. Deca-Dence throws in random, "cool" ideas, like cyborgs, "AI system that everyone has to follow," and "dystopian society" into a survivalist plot of humans vs monsters. Basically, the story just features these things in the plot, and you as the viewer are expected to make sense of it all. There's not much, if any, explanation at all for how things became the way they became. It's just implied that these things could have feasibly happened, and now it's an integral part of society now. I mean, this story doesn't bother with making sense at all. Plot holes are innumerous. I won't mention every single one, since that'd be too much. But, some things I've noticed which are just stupid is the fact that every human is chipped, but robots aren't? They're given an extremely amount of autonomy with no supervision or monitoring at all. You'd think for such an advanced system, there would be event logs, thought manipulation, or at least a kill switch. If the system's wish was for autonomy of cyborgs, a kill switch would be the smallest of the smallest precautions. They did it to humans. Clearly, they could have done it for the cyborgs. The whole thing about how the Deca-Dence system is a game for cyborgs? It's never explained at how the game works at all. Nothing about what cyborgs do are really explained. Plus, the fact that such an elaborate game was set up to begin with is weird. Wasn't the system created to prevent human tragedy to happen again? How did it evolve to: creating a game where humans are an attraction? Isn't this system supposed to act in the best interest of mankind? Shouldn't humans be given the highest priority? Why are they living like caged animals in a ruined continent? How about the fact that the "bug correctional" facility is an absolutely arbitrary place only put in the story for there to be a way for cyborgs to rebel? What about Gadol? It seems like oxyone is a vital resource to even the cyborgs. It seems very weird, then, that this stuff is absolutely pumped into the Gadoll. What's the point? Where does Oxyone even come from? is it "farmed" from the Gadoll? Is there a net gain of oxyone from creating Gadoll? Seems like the answer is no, considering the conclusion of the series. Gadoll seem to have no practical purpose other than entertainment. There are so many other things, but these are the thoughts I was thinking of the entire time this stupid cyborg part of the plot comes inn to play. This story, disregarding the sci-fi BS is honestly not bad. I really wonder why it had to be complicated in such a way. Probably just because it's easier to have something like a "dystopian system controlling all." There's a clear enemy in this case, and the entire plot and motivation of the characters can be really simple given the circumstances. Given Nastume's "determination to become someone alive," that gave Kaburagi the motivation to "break the system." It's such a simple message for such an elaborate and god-forsaken plot. If there was none of this sci-fi, then there would have had to be a coherent plot, good character development, and a decent conclusion. It seems that this story didn't really want any of that. Honestly, characters in this story are alright, it's just that they weren't given enough time to shine. Nastume goes through her entire hero's journey in such little time, but she's a decent character still. Imagine if she had more time to develop and more arcs focused around her? She could have single-handedly carried the series on her back. Instead, she's relegated to more of a support role for Kaburagi. Her character development period is rushed as a result. Kaburagi is obviously not a bad character. He goes through a similar period of soul searching just like Nastume, albeit in completely different circumstances. Other characters, I don't have much to say. There definitely are quite a few decent side characters, and they had the potential to become great in their own right, but sadly, they were pushed to the side due to the focus of the story being the plot of "overthrowing the system." Like I said, characters had the potential to be decent, and Nastume and Kaburagi were even considered "good," it's just that almost all the characters weren't given a lot of room for development, and so almost all of them feel a bit bland. I thought the art and animation in this show was amazing from episode 1. Sure, there was bad CGI from the gadolls, but the facial expressions on Nastume were vivid and rich, the backgrounds stunning, and the fight choreography good. It seems that all of the budget went into that pilot episode since the rest of the show felt really bland. It's a shame. Deca-Dence essentially is filled with plot holes that the creators don't even bother to explain, but you're expected to sit through this narrative and accept that "this is how things operate in this world" of the show despite it not making much sense. Add some generic message and purpose to the characters, and you have Deca-Dence's sci-fi portion of the story. The "humanity vs monsters" plotline is a lot more interesting, but it gets ruined by the sci-fi plot. it could have been like Attack on Titan or Code Vein, where it could have been a desperate battle for survival against monsters, but instead we get this convoluted story.

The world about bug in system. This is truly underrated anime. The story is 8/10 coz its unique and interesting also nice. For art is beautiful, you can feel the sci-fi mecha style and its great so i will give 9/10. The sound is good too, especially in the battle, tho the opening and ending are ordinary imo 7/10. The character is one of the good thing in this anime, the main character along with side characters get a nice development 8/10, i liked Natsume and she is my favorite character in this anime. I enjoy this anime and you have to try to watch this underrated anime! Final verdict is solid 8/10 for me coz rarely original anime makes this good adaption imo.

デカダンス - an unusual mix of action and sci-fi in a post-apocalyptic setting. Don't be put off by the fact that the sci-fi story may seem superficial at first glance, and immerse yourself in a well-told story about a young girl who tries with zeal and full commitment to improve the dystopian environment around her. Story: End time scenario with twist and turns that entertains well (8/10) The human race, which is threatened with extinction, the few survivors form a community in the mobile fortress Deca-Dence. The community consists of the tankers and the "gear warriors". The Gears fight against monsters, the so-called Gadolls, while the tankers take care of the exploitation of the Gadolls killed by the Gears. So the tasks in the Deca-Dence are distributed and here the adventure of the tanker girl Natsume begins. She wants to become a member of the Gears and does everything to make her dream come true. There is much more to explore, so stay tuned. Characters: simple, with increase in complexity as the plot progresses (8/10) The characters are very simple at first, but as the story progresses, a certain complexity successfully develops. This development goes hand in hand with the plot, so that even fully developed characters can experience a change that influences and makes their reactions understandable. All in all the production seems plausible and well thought out. In my opinion, this is a huge plus for an original anime TV series, especially considering that studio NUT hasn't been around that long. The cast is extensive, but not fully provided with backstory and depth. For just 12 episodes, however, the characters are well staged and interesting, that's done smart. Natsume: The young tanker girl grows up an orphan after losing her father and her right arm in a Gadoll attack. Her character is great. Despite her loss, she is not filled with hate but with enthusiasm and her heart is open to new things. The new task she is given does not quite match her dreams at first, but she does not get discouraged. Kaburagi: He is a typical old warhorse and commands the repair crew to which Natsume was assigned. His grumpy nature makes him seem unsympathetic at first, but there is more behind this façade. One has such a presentiment when he speaks that supervising maintenance work is not all that is inherent in his past. At the latest with the discovery of his little roommate “Pipe”, Kaburagi suddenly becomes likeable. Fei: She is Natsume's best friend, they grew up together and share many memories. Even so, they are very different and the older they get, the clearer the difference becomes. Fei wishes for a simple and happy life as possible. She doesn't have Natsume's ambition to achieve more. A very interesting conflict, plausibly staged, but the series is too short to give the subject more depth. An important character that is unfortunately mostly overlooked. Kurenai: She is a legendary fighter against the Gadoll and Natsume adores her. The character concept is almost a bit too simple, pretty, tough and a good fighter. Well, she is a man's dream, but suitable for the colourful troupe and likeable, she becomes by her empathy as well as the nice quirk that she has a crush on Kaburagi. Donatello: He is a former member of the Gears group (top Rankers), to which Kaburagi also belonged. He's a good fighter with a strong build, he's loud, headstrong but not the smartest. Nevertheless, his character has a few surprises that one wouldn't necessarily have expected. Minato: He is the commander of the Deca-Dence and the only authority he has to respond to is Hugin. Minato`s character has classic humanistic traits. He is aware of his responsibility and fulfills his task with great integrity and a sense of duty. However, his conscience demands that he reconsider his priorities. A very human figure with high ideals, who nevertheless values friendship from the bottom of his heart. Jill: Her character is admirable because there are not many women in the field of mechanical, electrical and hardware engineering. It's fun to see how she supports the revolution with her skills at a high technical level, especially when Donatello is put in his place by her dictation. Visuals: A mixed bag and the reason for a slightly lower score (7/10) The art is good overall. The characters have a different appearance. Natsume and some of the Gadolls reminds me a little of the anime "Bōnen no Xam’d", but I rate that as positive. The fortress is futuristic and yet somewhat old-fashioned with the chain drive. The vehicles often have a very clear reference to current car models. This is not really bad, but some Steam Punk or more bizarre like in the "Mad Max" movies would have made the design more of an eye-catcher. Personally, I didn't like the use of CGI on some of the cars, especially in the last third of the series. On the other hand, the background and also the Gadolls with its very simple appearance were basically very fitting for the premise of the series. The design of the cyborgs is hand-drawn, the use of CG3D models was deliberately avoided, which I think is a good decision. Of course, one could argue that another decision would have allowed more details, I leave it to the viewer whether this criticism is justified, and just allow myself to point to the finale. The art department makes very good use of the light and shadow effects and the colours also have a hue that matches the mood of the scenario. The animation is excellent and harmonises with the previously mentioned play of light and shadow as well as the colour palette, so that a very fluid overall picture is created. CG is not my cup of tea and is very disturbing in some scenes. Of course, CG offers a lot of details that are great on machines, but with living things it seems artificial and therefore out of place, especially when the cyborg creatures, in contrast, were hand-drawn. In my opinion, this seems inconsistent and reduces the rating. Sounds: Very well suited, great OP and nice ED as well as good VA (8/10) The background music was composed by Tokuda, Masahiro. One might object now that he is not yet so well known, but I think that will change. His arrangements have given many scenes a very good and coherent emotional emphasis. I was particularly struck by the use of musical style elements, borrowed from Irish folklore. This is a really good musical background for the rather lively nature of e.g. Natsume and many other members of "The Power". A few of the insert songs reflect this very nice and I really enjoyed listening to them. The OP theme song "Theater of Life" was performed by Suzuki, Konomi. It is a lively start to the series and the music is good. Great rock sound and with the strong but very feminine voice of Suzuki-san overall cool and it sounds great - fresh, full of energy. The ED theme song "Kioku no Hakobune" is performed by Itō, Kashitarō and great soft rock. The title is not only a successful arrangement, but also lives from the cool and somewhat strange voice of Itō-san. I especially enjoyed the title because it is not only a soft ending, but individual, a bit unique and yet a perfect answer to the demands of an ED song. I admit the voices of the two main characters, Natsume spoken by Kusunoki, Tomori and Kaburagi spoken by Konishi, Katsuyuki, are very good. The emotions of the characters are voiced very well. Especially the lively and impetuous nature of Natsume is conveyed to the audience in a very amusing and likeable way. But also the second row has very good Seiyū. I noticed for example the voice of Chiba, Susumu in the role of Natsume's father Muro. His role is not long, yet I noticed his pronunciation and the good intonation very positively. I also really enjoyed the voice of Kitamura, Eri for the role of Kurenai. A bit rough but still feminine, which underlines the empathy of the character very positively. It is not immediately noticeable, but the realisation of the dubbing hits the character very well. …

This energetic romp does a good job in the early episodes balancing light-hearted fun with heavier subject matter. However, it becomes incredibly weighed down in the final segments. It suffers from a very shallow cast of one-and-two dimensional characters whose motivations can often be dubious at best, which becomes more noticeable as time goes on and the characters (and their relationships) never really change dynamic. It also is saddled with what I'd consider to be one of the most out-of-place, forced, manufactured "crises of faith" I've ever seen in an anime. In the end, the best word to describe the series is "decent".

In addition to being produced by a studio that did little, and having the size of it, the director of Mob Psycho, it is also an original anime, that is, Deca-Dence does not have a source of adaptation, so everything was made from zero to work exactly in an anime format. Which automatically allows the anime to have somewhat convenient dialogues and scenes from time to time, after all, there is no reviewer of the original material to say what is being done correctly or not here; original anime suffer from this situation, and this makes the conveniences of it not so problematic. And to start this review, I must tell you that initially I loved watching this anime. Deca-Dence seemed to be anything possible in this world, before its release, and it was exactly what I least expected. The courage to make a super different story and far from being that post-apocalyptic world cliché that many people would like to be seeing, is undoubtedly laudable. Episode 6 shows how people who do not follow the world's systematic standards are treated. It also shows that these people get used to this bad life and think they have nothing to do. He questions who does not try to revolutionize things; it's because of these people that nothing changes. But there are also more human messages and out of discontent with the system, as is the case of episode 7, where we can follow even more an approach and exploration of the characters' personality and their feelings, about their relationship with the whole situation that they are living. Natsume is a very rich character, who develops very well and fights against herself and her problems every day to try to get stronger and stop being a burden to others, but what makes this whole Natsume story interesting is not the story itself, but Deca-Dence's outfit because that story is to be expected for a protagonist. The outfit with non-human beings and the whole game involving humans, is sensational, because it already breaks the mood a lot in the second episode of the anime and is totally different from other things that have characters identical to that of Deca-Dence. The anime already presents everything in the first 2 episodes, so there is no way to get excited about its origin as if you were discovering new information, because in fact you are only seeing the development of everything that the anime represents. Minato is a character who shows the point of view of the person who is lost with the amount of absurd information he has acquired from all sides of the world, so he does not know if it is correct to continue living normally as if nothing is happening, or if the correct is to try to fight the system. Kaburagi represents the person who already knows that he can fight against the system and has a very strong decision that leads him to understand how to do this. And Natsume is the character who does not know how to fight the system, because she is too innocent and still has no idea what the system is or even if it exists. So there is this parallel of identity of 3 people to function as a metaphor for something that really happens in our world and to pass on the message after all that if the system is wrong, we have to come together to change this situation. Episode 8 keeps talking about people who get used to the system by ordering what you have to do, and they think you can't go against the system, because otherwise the world would become rebellious and chaos. The character Minato has a lot of charisma and influence within these questions. The end still shows Kaburagi talking and coming to the conclusion that you can't escape the system, but you can join forces with several people and force the system to change because of that. You have extremely well-developed characters within an ergonomic and inviting proposal, and the ending finally shows you the conclusion of a subtext in the work on vegetarianism and veganism, two things that are quite debated when you observe that almost nobody eats meat in this world, and at the end of the day the Gadolls become pets living together with everyone else. There are several cabbage, lettuce plantations, and this is extremely interesting. This raises the question of the destruction of animals in an ecosystem and whether we really need to consume meat to survive. Deca-Dence is definitely amazing in its two outfits and is extremely well defined and worked on. Harmony and creativity are beyond what ordinary eyes can see.

Talk about making up for a rough first impression. This show very nearly lost me during the first episode, all signs pointed to it being not worth my time, but I persevered to the end credits. Right when I was about to drop it, the post-credits scene of episode 1’s reveal proved how Deca-dence would be anything but boring. Standard and safe, yes, but not boring. Quick warning label for the first episode: Deca-dence is entertainingly epic and goofy for all eleven of its episodes after the first one, heck maybe even including the first one depending on what you know going in. Not that the first episode is bad or anything, it’s a perfectly adequate opener, it just short sells the quality of the show a bit. Meta spoilers here, skip to the next paragraph to avoid. The first episode is deceitful regarding the setting of the show, it won’t really contribute much to the experience on just the first viewing, so I’d recommend coming back and watching it again after you’ve seen the whole show once so you can appreciate it a bit better, kind of like the first episode of Steins;Gate. Once the story kicks off proper, you’d be forgiven for thinking Trigger made this, as it follows similar beats to Promare or Gurren Lagann (I know it’s not Trigger but the same people worked on it), coupled with a similarly vibrant color palette and art style, albeit toned down a bit to match the grittier post-apocalyptic tone. There’s no crossover between the production teams for this show or anything Trigger’s made (Deca-dence’s staff is all relatively new to the industry, VA’s not withstanding), but the inspiration is clear. It turns out that studio Nut took the right lessons from those shows, as Deca-dence does hit many of the same spots quite well. The story’s your standard “Fight the powah!” journey; the powers that be are controlling the ruined world in a rather dystopian fashion and are reacting to things they cannot control in much the same way that yours truly reacts when he sees a spider crawling across his floor in the corner of his eye. We watch as our protagonists experience the effects of this from their own unique perspectives and ultimately strive to create a better world. Like I said, standard. The specifics of all this are communicated to us in relatively fun, entertaining, and effective ways. Even if you’ve seen this all before, which you likely have, it doesn’t really feel like you’re retreading old ground as much as you’re seeing a new version of it. There are many anime out there that don’t have this going for them. And really that’s the whole Deca-dence package in a nutshell. It’s a journey down a well-treaded path yes, but it’s a pretty enjoyable one and that’s something I really want to stress. Of the six anime I finished this season, this was one of the easiest to watch; normally I’m someone who has to get into the right mood to watch something, but I was consistently looking forward to the new episode coming out every week. That’s really the best way I can communicate just how enjoyable Deca-dence is, it’s just well-written and well-made to the point where its lack of originality seems to almost be a non-issue. Actions scenes are exciting, characters are fun even when they’re simple, jokes land when they come up. The main theme of certain people in society being bugs (in the programming meaning of the word, i.e. something unexpected and beyond the control of those running the system) is attacked in much the same way Gurren Lagann communicates its theme: very loudly and obviously. And while I doubt it’ll ever be as iconic as Gurren Lagann, it’s just as effective in getting the message across. The theme being front and center never took away from all the other values Deca-dence has to offer, and I’m sure this show will inspire some people in much the same way GL does. I’d also like to quickly note that the ending was unfortunately a bit of a failure. The final fight preceding it was pretty freaking hype in all the usual anime ways, but once the story’s conclusion is reached and the epilogue plays, well, it’s quite accurate to say the lingering plot threads could be used to weave together a rope about as powerful as one of Superman’s hairs. It’s honestly a little embarrassing just how much is unresolved, and most of it isn’t nitpicks, it’s blatantly obvious stuff any member of the audience would be justified in demanding an explanation for. The creators were also a bit overly-focused on creating a golden ending where everyone lives happily ever after, the whole epilogue in general feels way to forced; more of what small children in the audience would want to happen, less of what the sequence of events making up the plot would suggest would actually happen. Overall, though, I’m glad I watched Deca-dence. Even if this won’t be one of my favorites, being able to sit down at the end of every week and enjoy the concentrated goodness its staff Nut-ed (I’m so sorry) out each week was absolutely worth it, and I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to just enjoy something simple but not garbage over a weekend.

Criminally underrated. This really redeemed the season, along with the second season of Re:Zero turning out much better than expected. While I don't usually write reviews, I find the ~7.5 rating here is really misleading, so hopefully, this review is helpful. Deca-Dence starts off as a general man vs monster sort of anime in the first episode, looking really nice in terms of characters and art. I thought it would be a solid 8/10 from that, and it probably would be rated higher if they stayed in that plot. But right on the second episode, the plot completely shifts. I want to avoid spoiling, but I will say that this shift is what hurts this score. Many people found it confusing or did not like a change in art. After finishing the anime, all I can tell the people that dropped it "jokes on you". Deca-Dence is not a long anime with in-depth storytelling or a hyper fighting anime with colorful fighting sequences. It is a short seasonal anime with really nice art, a great plot, and very unique aspects. While there are issues you can spot, this anime has consistently good episodes that left me in awe every week. It is definitely worth watching or at least watch the first 4 episodes. Tldr; there's a lot to this anime. Give it four episodes before dropping if you don't like the way its heading.

I really like this anime, for me is AoTS and even competes with Re:Zero. Excelent art, sound and charater desing and a very good story. I love all the character and even if they didn't have a lot of screen time their personality was very well presented. It have also a very good worldbuilding and left a lot of question for me. A little spoiler: I think that the ending is good but I will like it to be longer. For me it needed another 3 o 4 episodes more and have a fight with the system or that it ended in a cliff hanger and have a second season, but i understood that's a risky move. Even that it was a great ending and great story.

!!!EXTREME AMOUNT OF SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!!! [PLOT OF DECA-DENCE] At the end of the final episode there is a line stating that the bugs and the bugcatchers are part of the system and the bugs aren't actually bugs, making the titling of the term "bug" simply a stylistic choice for perspective-warping purposes, and how both elements are required for the entire thing to work, and really, this is the truth about how reality, existence and life flows, all the engagement and side taking going on the world might seem like a negative thing, and while it might indeed be a negative thing, it's still necessary because existence is chaos. Offender/Defender, Right-wing/Left-wing, Rebels/Supporters, Afraid/Confident, Arrogant/Humble, Powerful/ Weak. A lot of these things might seem like bad or good things for certain people, or they might actually be in fact objectively positive or negative, but without negative there is no positive, there needs to be a clash between two things to create a spark, with no cock what is a womb good for? there cannot be a spark without the other, there can be no allies without enemies. There is an ancient chinese proverb which goes something like this; "flow like river", and this really is one of the greatest phrases one can inhale if done with enough confidence and ponderment. This sort of logic can be applied with almost everything, for example fake news, one could say fake news are orchastrated to confuse and distract the masses, and that is probably the conscious aim for it, but reality accepts such proposals to further create life sparks i.e. chaos, the river will not flow if there is no current, it will turn into a boring ocean. A river has such a great amount of rocks and distractions and it directly crashes into such distractions and rocks creating chaos but it does not stop, and the rocks are a vital need for such a unique current that is reality. One of my favorite applications for such logic (or philosophy if you wanna call it that) is the hate there is for hate, people are always striving for happiness, agreement, acceptance, wholesomeness and other such nice and happy emotions and forms, and of course i do agree that such things might work for certain people (not for everyone though, some people were born for the darkness) there is also a strong need for hate and destruction, for reasons explained before. A an existence with no chaos and no sparks can be seen in the famous anime Technolyse, for the setting of that anime is exactly a motionless river, the results of such a boring river and the strong need there is for chaos. There is no need to end chaos, you must simply become chaos itself and then your life will also flow naturally. The Natural way is the Chaotic way. [CHARACTERS OF DECA-DANCE] There is amazing characterization in this anime, particularly a mary sue that appears in the last third of the series, i must admit, i cannot remember her name, but she is a great ball and has really fluffy hair and the polka dots on her are definitely something to be admired, not to mention she is voiced by the future world wide voice actress legend Michiyo Murase, famous for her work on the beautiful Sucy Manbavaran from Yoh Yoshinari's masterpiece Little Witch Academia (2013) animated by, you guessed it, Studio Trigger. Don't watch the TV version of Little Witch Academia by the way, it's not very good, just watch the original OVA. Anyways, Michiyo Murase, my favorite voice actress, she reminds me of Arai Satomi, known for her roles such as the one and only Kuroko Shirai from the anime adaptation of Kazuma Kamachi's とある魔術の禁書目録, first animated by J.C. Staff in 2008. There was also a fat dog bug thing who was one of the highlights of the entire thing, after the fluffly ball thing, what a cool guy, that dog. [ART OF DECADANCE] One of the android's design looks exactly like the female robot from Wall-E but it's a guy which makes it pretty weird, maybe they were trying to subvert expectations? he's so smooth and shiny. The CGI usage in this anime isn't very good, but the designs are pretty not bad, a lot of em often look dead because they haven't got any light in their eyes, kinda tricks you into thinking all of these characters are gonna die but then they literally disappear from the anime, they introduce plotlines about these guys but then drop them, not very cash. There are several characters that are quite obviously meant to ignite a certain animalistic desire within the human male, as you can see their pits. These specific designs are mostly for background characters though. I think what this anime really needed was more use of it's world, they have a giant robot which punches things but it's barely used, there should also be more things going on in the androids' world. I think you should watch Appare Ranman instead. [MUSIC OF DECA-DENCE] Not bad, but it's not very memorable. I gotta admit, i don't really remember, which is only proof that it's just mediocre, if it was good i would remember, and if it was particularly bad then i would also remember. Served it's purpose then. All in all, cool show. Maybe needed a couple more episodes but i don't think it was particularly rushed, it just kinda boring because the world is more interesting than the actual storyline.

Now that I have finished this anime, I really wanted to write a review, even I'm not good at it. First off, the story is 10/10, it is like a fresh start for this season, it's so good and exciting ang really GETS you into watching it. When it was announced months ago, I watched its promotional videos and got a taste of its story and it got me right away, anybody would be captivated by it, it is very original. It has plot twists, as well, the plot twist on episode 2 got me more hyped and excited for the next episodes to come. With this type of story, setting and plot, I'm wondering why only a few people watched it (well of course it's still a new anime haha) but compared to the other shows this season, it is quite underrated. I hope more people will get to watch this show because it is a MASTERPIECE, directed by the famous Yuzuru Tachikawa, the director of may other good animes, steins;gate, kill la kill and mob psycho 100. It's just splendid. Art, 9/10, it is good, I can't say anything else. Its art style is one of those art styles that I want to see every time, it's so beautiful that you would just want to look at it every other while, if you get what I mean. Sound 9/10, yeah, it is also good, I think the voices are enjoyable and is really fitting of the characters. And the music are good, I really liked the OP and ED it is very catchy and such, these are very fit theme songs. Character 10/10, I liked every character. There are no characters that lack personality. Enjoyment 10/10, it is rare for me to enjoy an anime this much, especially these days, and I'm glad such an anime existed. That's all I could say, and overall I rate this amazing show 10/10. I hope I did a good job writing a review, and yeah, if you're reading this and you haven't watched the show yet, go and do it, I promise it will be a great time.

Made an account just to write a small review: Overall, I really enjoyed watching this original anime. While I was first brought in by its visuals and Deca-Dence (the city) itself, it was the story and characters (especially the main two of Natsume and Kaburagi) that kept me attached. Watching how these characters reacted to developments to their own worldview was a truly amazing experience, and I highly recommend this show to everyone who watches anime. The first and second episodes have an almost jarring difference in art but as the second episode finishes, it becomes clear how the different species of this world are designed. I came to love the little intricacies and mechanics behind some of robotic aspects of the characters shown and was thrown back in nostalgia by the almost cartoony look. Truly, this is a sci-fi original that truly expanded my own viewpoints on different genres of anime, and would say is one of the best pure originals I've seen in a long time!

-Spoilers Included- "We exist for the sake of the system" - Hugin Deca Dence was a surprise for me this season, and I went into it thinking it was another apocalyptical anime like Attack on Titan, but the twist in episode 2 was a pleasant one. After the twist in ep 2, this anime has been praised by many critics for its originality, yet also criticized by haters. Let us see how this anime fares. Story- The story first seems like an apocalyptical anime, where humanity has been hunted down and must survive dangerous threats in a sheltered area. This premise probably sounds pretty similar to lots of other anime that were produced. However, episode 2 came around, and we see that this story is original. It turns out the humans are living in a simulation where cyborgs run the place, creating Gadolls for their pleasure. Even though plenty of people disliked the twist, I think it was a good one that kept me engaged throughout. This is not to say that the plot is perfect. I feel like many plot points could have been fleshed out better and the ending could have been explained a bit better. As a whole though, the plot is solid. Art- I have not seen Studio NUT's art before, but it seems neat to me. Nothing that turned me off, but nothing too incredible. The fight scenes were animated quite beautifully, however. Sound- The OST and the music is quite pleasant to listen to. My favorite song is the ending, Kioku no Hakobune. The battle OST is also very hype. In terms of voice acting, I don't see any issues here. Character- This is where I have a bit more complaints. In my mind, two characters are worth talking about. First is Kaburagi. He starts as a man who is pessimistic about the world and lives for the sake of living, with no purpose. However, as he gets more and more time with Natsume, he finally sees that there are things worth fighting for in life. I enjoyed his character growth. The second character is Natsume. In my mind, she is a bit too cliched and even annoying at times. Her impact on Kaburagi was fascinating to watch, yet her boundless optimism is a bit off-putting and she acts far too rash and hot-blooded for me to like. Other than those two, other characters get too little development or even screen time for me to discuss. This is another issue I find with this anime, and one example is Sarkozy. He could have had a lot of development as he grows out of his shell and his personality was intriguing, but he was written off too quickly. His death had a little impact on the show compared to what he could have had, and I would feel the same towards many other characters. To summarize, I think the show had lots of characters that had unused potential, but Kaburagi's development was good. Enjoyment- At first, I didn't enjoy the show too much, but the twist in episode 2 was captivating and kept me wanting to see more after each episode. The story felt rushed, but I would be glad to see a season 2 if it was greenlit. Overall- I don't think this show is a masterpiece, judging by how it handled its characters, but its twist was enjoyable and the story is solid. I would recommend this show to you if you like a decent Sci-Fi story.

This became quite the surprise show of the season. What initially came off as a promising yet overly familiar show about the last of humanity fighting for survival ends up being more than meets the eye by the second episode. Although it is that reveal in the second episode that can be a total turn off for some people whether it be narratively with the change in direction that people thought the show was going to go with, or artistically with the new art and character designs mixed into the show. But as weird as the reveal may be, the creators really stick to this idea and end up handling it to a satisfying degree till the end. Spoilers ahead As it is stated in the synopsis the show is about the last of humanity living in a mobile fortress that the show is named after, and defending/hunting bug like creatures known as Gadolls. Using the parts from the Gadolls as food and resources and most importantly using their blood as fuel. Accompanied by the humans are the Gears who are a strangely rainbow colored human like beings who make up most of the fighting force against the Gadolls. With Natsume, our main protagonist, hoping to join and fight alongside them, although ends up being dashed away by not qualifying. And what could have just been a bog standard show about Natsume trying to work hard to prove to them that she is capable ends up being more than that by the second episode. Because while the plight of human survival is a true reality, it is being used for the expense of other beings as a sort of Truman Show-esque MMORPG so they can have fun killing Gadolls and collect their blood that they need for survival as well. The show ends up being split into two different plotlines with the primary one being the standard plot from the beginning about Natsume trying to work and improve herself in order to one day fight against the Gadolls, unaware (like most humans) of the greater system controlling them. While the other plotline follows her mentor Kaburagi who is part of the system and is trying to destroy it for himself and in order to stop the artificially perpetuated suffering that humans had to go through for so long. As he sort of uses Natsume to unknowingly help him due to the fact that she is an anomaly in the system. With both plotlines inevitably coming together during the final 3 episodes delivering an otherwise satisfying conclusion. For a show that only had 12 episodes they were able to do a whole lot with it. Although one of the things that was pushed to the wayside would be character depth. Many of the side characters are two-dimensional at best. Even the main two duo of the story have simple characterization and easy to understand mentality, personality, and motivations. Of course none of this is a bad thing as many of the characters have easily likeable personalities and even the main antagonist has a weird charm to him as well. It also helps that the show has some pretty good production values especially when it comes to it’s zero g-esque, but overall it’s just very good. The most important part is whether or not you can accept the shift in story the show is going for in the second episode. Because if you can, you’ll find a pretty decent show that’s worth watching.

The best series that isn't worth your time. Deca-dence is a weird watch. I'm avoiding spoilers, because this is a series best enjoyed without them, but let's just say there's a bit of tonal whiplash. Well, that's a lie. There's a lot of tonal whiplash. So much in fact that it ruptures space-time and the series practically collapses in on itself. This is two, very different, styles of story-telling mashed together. I know the creators were going for dramatic contrast, but it just doesn't quite work. Either story on its own would have worked, but forced together in this weird, frankenstein-esque way, it just takes you completely out of it. Which is a shame, because each half of this story is legitimately good. This is a sad case where the whole is less than the sum of its parts and for that reason I can't think of any circumstance where I'd actually recommend this to someone. There's worse action-adventure anime out there, but there's also plenty of better ones. The most unique thing about Deca-dence is the very discontinuity of tone that makes it not worth watching.

This anime reminds me of some other famous works of fiction, but it somehow manages to be something very original and unique with one bold experimental idea in terms of storytelling. There were so many good ideas other than that, and almost everything was nicely put together and impressively well realized. I don't think it's a perfect show quite honestly, so I have to point out a few issues. The last episode felt a bit too rushed in my opinion. Moreover, I have one major complaint about an action sequence in the episode 8. That part kind of felt like a shameless rip-off of a famous Pixar movie "Monsters, Inc.", and it didn't work for me at all. However, the pros are so good that it make up the cons. The two lead main characters are interesting and fun to watch, and both of them have really good character arcs. The world-building is also super interesting. And most of all, the animation is pretty fantastic. Even when the 3d cgi creatures appear, they don't feel like out of place in 2d animation and look actually pretty cool. It's hard for me to write down everything I love about this show, but anyway, I highly recommend to watch this brilliantly executed piece of fiction. It might not be for everyone, but once it hold your attention, it never never let you go from the start to the end.