Review of Den-noh Coil

When people partake in the enjoyment of various mediums of storytelling, it seems a lot of people tend to forget about what sits at the center of it: the story. Dennou Coil's obvious appeal is in its story. The setup is outstandlingly creative; no synopsis can really do it justice. There are aspects and mysteries about just the cyberspace itself that have to be seen to be believed. There are more than enough questions to keep those junkies guessing. It may sound simple at first, but there is simply much, much more to everything than meets the eye. The story takes a littlewhile to get rolling, but once it does, it'll grab you and won't let go. My only major complaint is that there's essentially no initial setup for you in the beginning; instead, we are plunged headlong into some action with no time to settle in, whereas a simple, short exposition (by Yuko, the central character)--perhaps 30-60 seconds long--would've served that purpose plenty without sacrificing much screen time at all. We aren't told most of the simple rules regarding the glasses and cyberspace before much stickier and complicated matters are thrust at the viewer. We don't even get a picture of what SHOULD be before we see what shouldn't.

It takes a little while for the REAL plot going on underneath it all to unbury itself, but once it does, your eyes will be glued to the screen and your brain will be given a nice workout; it's great to get that "OH!" moment when things finally start clicking. It's for that reason that I don't recommend watching Dennou Coil while you're tired--or if you're stupid--because you really need to be able to follow if you're going to enjoy it to the fullest. Some things are pretty damn complicated, but if you can understand most of it, then you'll be in for an intense ride.

It's important to note the heavy usage of foreshadowing. Many objects, characters, events, and rules governing cyberspace have far more impact on the story than they first appear. Details are revealed bit by bit as the plot progresses, gradually piecing the whole picture together.

Serving as the fuel for the labyrinthine story is the cast. The main characters are children who are thrust into new and confusing situations and behave as you'd expect they should. They express uncertainty when faced with the unknown, doubt when faced with pain, and fear when faced with danger. This opens of plenty of avenues for character development--times for them to mature, take a deep breath, and be brave; opportunities for them to overcome lingering emotions and grow up. Realistic and compelling motivations are at the core of their actions, but they also make mistakes and suffer the consequences. When all is said and done, it's easy to look back and see how the character was in the beginning and how far they've come by the end.

They are the solid foundation grounding the viewer in reality in a world where things that aren't, are and things that are, should not. Their emotions--and the drama they stir up--are a relieving and powerful foil to the synthetic space they live in. It's not hard to find oneself identifying with their plights and problems.

The seiyuu do a great job portraying how an uncertain kid sounds, pausing to think about the words they're going to use next even in mid-sentence, or voice wavering when gripped with uneasiness or fear, or even just the simple notion of hope. Children aren't the smoothest talkers--frequently stuttering or verbally misstepping. Just the right amount of emotion is felt in delivery: not too much as to sound melodramatic, but not to little as to sound disconnected or robotic. Simply put, the characters sound realistic.

The aspect that needed the most work is the OST: many scenes simply would've had much more gravity had the music been better/more fitting. There are a few good tracks, but aside from those, the rest are quite disappointing. There are many silent scenes; sometimes, this is the best choice, but others could definitely have used some music in the background. One track in particular, a simplistic series of rapidly escalating notes played during many suspenseful or apprehensive scenes, is overused and frankly doesn't fit many it's employed in--especially the particularly darker ones. It puts a damper on the mood whereas a better, more serious (perhaps darker) track would've intensified it instead and imbued the scene with more emotional power. Some choral pieces would've been particularly good choices during certain scenes.

On a similar note, there's an obvious inherent imbalance in volume between dialogue, sound effects, and background music. The voices of the seiyuu always end up on the short end of the stick, frequently nearly drowned out by sound effects of what's happening on screen. Not only that, but the voices are far too quiet in general--even when they're the only thing going on audio-wise. The music is also in a competition with these effects, making it almost unnoticable at times (not like it's particularly important to hear).

The sound effects are pretty outstanding nonetheless, from the zap of a laser, to the projection and distortion of a hologram, to crumbling bricks, to even explosions. It's obvious that a lot of work was put into creating some truly unique effects.

Dennou Coil utilizes a pretty unique art style. Character designs are different and interesting while maintaining a more realistic depiction of people you'd normally see in Japan, but cuter. Animation in general is superb, with a high amount of attention to detail. Remember how I mentioned that the characters sounded and acted realistic? They also look realistic, and their motions are animated smoothly and realistically. Hair and clothes bounce and sway normally like they do in real life, wrinkling and stretching as the wearer's body moves and bends.

The most outstanding aspect of the animation is that of cyber objects: mysterious fog, particle effects, distortion and disruption of cyber space and objects, shadows, and passageways between obsolete space and the real world. Every aspect of the visuals is superb; even simple things like lighting at dusk or dawn are given a lot of attention.

Dennou Coil is a fun and enjoyable experience with plenty of mystery, suspense, and drama to keep you wanting to see what happens next. If you appreciate creative sci-fi scenarios and settings with compelling stories with layers of mysteries that keep you guessing, Dennou Coil is for you.

Just don't take the glasses off, or you might never come back.