Review of Deca-Dence

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 sidesand 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.