Deca-Dence

Deca-Dence is like a Kinder egg: tasty at first bite, with a surprise inside. Sometimes you get a cool Englishman, sometimes more of a less desirable puzzle, like here. The puzzle pieced together from Mortal Engines puzzle with The Matrix/Avatar initially lures and even kicks you a little with a very early, up until that point damn unexpected twist, which unfortunately never picks up steam and ends up feeling like you only got half of it put together, looking to see if they mistakenly forgot to supply the other half. Indeed, for an anime production, this relatively more original idea hasn't received any kind of higher subsidy to develop it. For me, the most interesting part, the exploration of the two worlds and their shared dynamic, ends up being too much of a backdrop to the overall plot, which ultimately revolves too much around the most classic shōnen elements and feelings. We operate with the theme of "flaws in the system" throughout, but it's developed minimally. The plot overall is very lobotomized and sadly simple for how good the build-up was. The main duo are fighting against something rather vague and for the superficial reason that they like each other, only for us to finally, uncomfortably realize towards the end that this is a fairy tale with a finale that even Steven Spielberg himself would be ashamed of. The characters are passable but unfinished (the show was clearly shying away from any attempt at romance, for obvious reasons) and in the end I was probably most taken with Jill, the nerdy girl next door, and the straightforward, rambunctious Donatello. I was pleased by the well-shot battle sequences and the mobile steampunk fortress (especially in action), by contrast I couldn't come to grips with the contrasting childish design of the robot world. I can't help but call it a mild disappointment, because this deserved so much more. 3 stars (2021.01.17)

Deca-Dence is an adventurous anime series that tries to combine several interesting themes and ideas, yet ultimately fails by trying to do too much. It means that it does not go too deeply into any of the subject matter, and truth be told, I thought that even some of the basic elements did not really work very well. The beginning was pretty good, because the setting was really intriguing, and the moment when the moving fortress defeats the giant creature (a Gadoll) looked really cool. The twist at the end of the second episode got my attention. It was quite original and I was waiting to see if this added dimension would help or bury the show. I had my doubts and some reservations, such as the visual presentation of the robots and their world because they did not seem to quite fit in. What I did like was the way the relationships between the main characters gradually developed and the fact that the promo text’s assertion that the anime series would “shake up the whole world” was so true. However, can I say that it was an emotional rollercoaster ride? Well, not for me, I do not know about you. I watched most of this season with mild fascination, I accepted a lot of things going on and I was like, OK, however, I did not really get into it too much, it was not an immersive experience for me. Similarly, I did not feel much affinity with the characters, as likable as some of them were, I did not care about them, their problems did not really affect me... So, you would say that an anime series with such an interesting combination of different subject matter must be at least the kind of production that makes you think? Not really. In my opinion, this anime series has no sort of deeper insight, it almost has a very black and white view, and some of the moral and social dilemmas are admittedly far-fetched, yet not really explored from differing viewpoints. What is this show then? It is a show with some rather unfortunately under-developed albeit interesting ideas, without which it would actually be just a really mediocre show. However, it did not really bother or bore me and the attempt at some originality was appreciated, so I shall award it 6/10. (2020.09.23)