Review of Deca-Dence

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.