Review of Den-noh Coil
The concept of growing up is bastardized by modern society. Growing up too fast is not a subject of pity anymore, but one to be desired. Dennou Coil takes that concept and turns it on its head. The protagonists of Dennou Coil are 6th graders living in a suburban part of Japan. The anime shows the light heartedness that a child would have. The overall plot is somber, yet the main moments the view is left remembering is the oh so hilarious bits of joy. Though the anime may seem slow, it keeps the viewer enticed with dropping hints and foreshadows of what is tocome. Every little bit is thought through and put there for a reason. This is my second time watching the anime now and as I re-watched the anime I found little bits that I didn't pick up the 1st time. The anime is like a good book. When you read it the 2nd time, it opens a new layer of questions and clues.
Plot wise the anime is so well done. Practically every episode ends with another question to be answered. Even a mere summary episode that the viewer thinks is a waste of time cannot be missed. As the anime goes on more and more of the plot is being fed. Normally in any story the main antagonist is defined from the start. Where as in Dennou coil, constant events, characters, settings add to the plot. What may seem like a mere filler literally fills the plot. As the plot escalates you think its going to going to wrap up by the 17 ep, only to find yet another page is turned. It finally tumbles down right at the 3 mins left of the anime leaving the view breathless and in awe. The brilliance that it has managed to tie up everything is amazing and cannot be described with words because it would be inaccurate. The anime also addresses the fact of reliance on electronics in a realistic way. With new ways of communicating and playing, it also brings us to think of how our society is becoming reliant on electronics.
The character of Dennou coil for me felt too mature for their age which was one of the few things that lacked in logic with me even though the anime is sci-fi (which makes loop holes of the anime slide). Aunty is a mere high schooler yet she's making the elementary school teacher shut up because she has boobs, I see pedophilia problems here. Also the fact that she has such a high ranking job at that age also irks me. the other characters of the anime tend to act their age. I loved how they portrayed kyoko. It shows the innocence of youth and various situations that any sibling has experienced giving live to the anime and something to relate to. Rivalry and hidden crushes just add to ability to relate as we reminisce of our youth. Then we arrive to the crazy characters such as mega baa which make us laugh continuously never letting us down. Even the pets are given personality giving them life and another thing to make me smile.
Art wise the anime is heavily dense with dialogue for the viewer to take in. During those times, which is most likely 75%, the anime transitions from frame to frame giving the viewer something to look at that pertains to the conversation and plot yet it doesn't feel essential. It keeps the viewer from watching 2 people speak yet getting the full story or dialogue. Overall the art is simple, but visually pleasing. The character designs are well thought out from the various shots of mega baa's teeth which give her extra character to the mojo antenni which just add to their cuteness. Though the anime is sci-fi the anime is made to seem real which the artwork portrays beautifully with a vintage look to it.
As always sound effects and music contribute just as much as the artwork itself. Without the funny little sounds from the mojo or densuke's panting the anime would be incomplete. As I was watching the anime on the way to Rochester my friend peered over my shoulder to watch. I told her immediately that she would have to listen to the sound else she would be missing 50%! Kyoko without her "UNCHI!" would then be for not.
As final thoughts I think is anime is beautiful all together. It flows nicely and makes me think which I tend to like after the anime is all done over a high hit action anime. If someone asked me if they should watch it I would say a definite biased yes, because I LOVE IT. The anime is borderline psychological which is a genre I hate with a burning passion. So the fact that somehow I found it to be entertaining is itself an achievement. I rate a 9.5/10.
-AniVerse REC member