Review of Deca-Dence

As soon as I saw the trailer for Deca-Dence I knew I was going to watch it; However, I did not expect it to be one of the most unique anime I have experienced recently. Over all this show was extremely enjoyable. While I don't think it is quite worthy of a perfect score, it was a one of a kind experience to watch. The interaction between the lead characters, the way the story is told, the art, and the world are some of the best I have seen in anime. Deca-Dence transports the viewer into a new world, the likes of whichhave not been seen before. The way it handles the world building and translates that information to the viewer is masterful. The viewer accompanies the lead character Natsume as she learns more about the world she was born into, never truly understanding reality until late in the show. Just like Natsume, I was surprised with new information about the world every episode, massive plot twists occurring throughout the show, even in the first episode. It was fun to speculate on the implications of every new idea and mechanic introduced, I wound up calling and talking to friends who haven't even seen it about the world.

The art is spectacular. The animation is fluid and clean. There were only a couple of times were I noticed a downgrade in quality, but that would amount to maybe a minute of the entire runtime. The show uses bright colors that make every scene interesting.

The sound did its job, but it was nothing out of the ordinary, but the voice actors were stupendous. The opening and endings were both bangers though.

The characters provide the perfect avenue to grow with and understand the world. The lead characters do not follow typical anime tropes, having a few quirks that make them stand out, and come across as real people that you get to know through dialogue and time. It helps that the show doesn't take itself too seriously and is full of humor. Natsume and Kabu have some crazy good growth and development and have one of the best relationships in anime. The side characters do not have much development but are easily recognizable by their different quirks. Of them my favorite was definitely Donatello.

Deca-Dence is awesome! Watch it, you won't regret it.