Review of Den-noh Coil

I will say this first: there are very few series that have wrung out such a wide array of emotions from me in such a way that Dennou Coil did. One of my friends even said I was cold-hearted for the way in which I didn't cry at anything she cried over. Still, Dennou Coil has made me laugh, cry, and feel downright freaked out (as in, scared, not "OMG THIS IS AMAZING" freaking out, though I do think this anime is quite amazing). I will admit that the first half of the series is a bit ridiculous and feels very episodic. It's more of a"slice of life" anime than anything else, but I still got the sense that there was something much deeper under the surface - and I was right! Don't get me wrong, though. The first half of the series is still enjoyable, but it just doesn't feel deep enough to really draw you in or to feel unique, as if you've stumbled on a rare jewel of an anime. Still, once you get into the main plot, it's hard to get away from. The tension skyrockets and our young heroes (and antagonists?) get pulled into something they never fully expected. Even in the end, the true nature of the cyberworld and the Illegals is never 100% explained, and some interpretation is left up to the viewer as much as it is to the characters themselves.

While the show seems to be directed towards kids (especially given the ages of the characters), I found that the real storyline is actually very mature. After I finished the final episode, I had to sit and think about it for a while. There is such a mixture of themes here, including love, the complexity of friendship, the difficulty of relating to another's feelings, dealing with death and loss (ranging from the loss of a dear friend or family member to a cyber pet), the consequences of being too greedy, and chasing after your dreams and never looking away from your goal, even if the goal is ridiculous. Not all of these are very obvious, but it's all presented quite realistically and it's all there for you to think about should you want to.

For the technical stuff...
The art was in general very well done, if a bit simplistic in style. It almost reminds me of Miyazaki's art style. However, it does the trick well enough. The computer graphics are superb in creating the cyberspaces and all the technological stuff. As for sound, the ED "Sora no Kakera" has a special place in my heart - I absolutely love it. The OP is good, too, but a little lacking. The animation sequences for both of these, however, are great, especially watching Densuke walk across various scenery (and then fall at one point!) in the ED was unexpectedly charming. There is also one track featuring a violin that caught my ear and it brings about a really tense atmosphere quite nicely. The other tracks sort of faded into the background and I didn't notice them too much, which probably means they were neither good or bad.

Overall, I definitely recommend Dennou Coil. Give it a shot and get through the first half of the series, though don't skip them! They contain important tidbits of information (for example, the legend of Michiko-san/Miss Michiko) and the episodes after would be confusing without them.