In my experience, there are two types of animated shows suitable for very young children. The first are the ones that are targeted solely at children, characterized by their episodic nature and anvilicious Aesops. Then there are the family shows, which, whilst entertaining to a child because of the tightly spaced, easy to understand humour, also offer something deeper for the adults watching it. Most shows on Cartoon Network and Saturday morning cartoons fall into the first category, whilst the second category are usually feature films, represented in Japan by Studio Ghibli and in the West by Disney. Dennou Coil somehow manages to be a monstrous beast that fits both these description, as well as pertaining to a third, of a less children-friendly nature.
For the first 11 episodes, Dennou Coil is like a Miyazaki film – a terrific journey of discovery, filled with wonderful and imaginative designs, as the writers flex their muscles and build a world setting that is at the same time fantastic yet believable. The sizable cast is introduced and character relationships established, all in a world with a subdued colour scheme that nevertheless manages to seem very much alive, in no small part thanks to the subtly detailed animation. The battle between Isako and the Hackers Club is indisputably the highlight of this section of the show, showing a flair for the imaginative rarely found in original TV animation.
Then, a sudden jump into Saturday morning cartoon territory. For 3 or 4 episodes beginning with the hysterical facial hair warfare, the show shifts gear into some episodic tripe about the nature of different Illegals, people’s relationship with them, and flimsy allusions to societal issues such as destruction of natural habitat. Yawn.
Then we have another shift. The major plot line that was subtly built up over the first half of the show is blown open, yet with its resolution in episode 21 we’re dumped with half a dozen more questions. Mysterious organization behind the scene pulling strings to pin a series of deaths onto a child’s shoulder; mysterious, not understood technology being applied and having far-reaching, unforeseen consequences; mysterious characters double crossing the heroes and ulterior motives… Suddenly we’re plunged into an almost Tom-Clancy-esque world where the lies and mysteries pile on, every organization and individual all have secret motives, and drama and betrayal leave potholes all over the landscape.
That is, in my opinion, the foremost flaw of this series. It is beyond jarring. The light hearted tone of the first half of the series is thrown out the window and completely forgotten in exchange for some drama that feels completely wrong and out of place for primary school students. Yasako’s soliloquy in episode 24 about “What is real” is without a doubt the high point of my discomfort with the series; then the kamikaze scene of Tama went right over the top and became hilarious.
Much of the rest of the drama is similarly difficult to take seriously. Nekome’s motives are badly overused, and his lack of character development makes it impossible to empathize with him at all. In the end he becomes a half-baked villain, who is neither interesting nor believable. The explanation for much of the mysteries and technical terms were glossed over, being given only one or two lines that fail to justify their importance to the story. I can see how it all fits together, “the Other side”, “Imago”, “Miss Michiko” and so on… but something felt sorely lacking.
Finally, some of the episodes in the middle suffered from pacing issues. It’s not a good sign when I pause the show, wondering if the episode’s about to finish, only to find that the little grey box in Media Player Classic has yet to begin the final third of its journey.
Even though I loved the first half of the series and enjoyed it thoroughly, I feel that the second half of the series failed to realize its potential. I liked the deeply textured and rich world the writers built, but the transition from light hearted to serious was far to jarring for me to accept. The violent tone swings, the problematic pacing, and the hand-waving of much of the technical term that was to me paramount to the enjoyment of a story such as this all made Dennou Coil one of the greatest disappointment of 2007.
15 Comments
agreed. Hacker wars and facial hair warfare FTW!
Well, I can’t say much about this since I couldn’t stand watching the first few minutes … I think it’s cos the pictures didn’t appeal to me.
I agree yet disagree at the same time. The 2nd half was definitely different to the 1st, but i don’t think it was a bad change, in fact, it got totally awesome in the 2nd half. I could go on saying why, but I can’t be bothered. Overall, Dennou Coil was a masterpiece, and my 2nd favorite anime of 2007.
The few middle episodes aside, I always felt the looming seriousness as I plowed through the series in a single day. Considering the initial tone, I’m not sure DenCo would have went anywhere, had it stayed light-hearted. It most likely would have wound up open-ended slice-of-life, or tried to make conflict points out of the relationships established early on, which may have gained it wider acceptability, but the overall impact would have been weakened.
Personally, I thought the darkness gave the series a strong finish, but I can understand that it is can be a turn-off as well. ^^
I loved Dennou Coil, and one of the things I liked about it was how the second half got darker. Granted, I had a big “WTF” for the 3-4 odd episodes in the middle, but at least they were somewhat entertaining. Was it my favorite anime, no…but I do think it deserves a lot more credit than you gave it.
I can understand how others would like the darker tone towards the end, but to me it all felt overly melodramatic. It was still well written, but I just can’t get over how primary school kids are having these kind of struggles.
One particular moment that stood out was when Isako broke down at Yasako’s home – this young girl, who has stood on the strength of her belief for so long, has finally lost it. It was to me a very well written moment that made her more realistic to me, and I loved it.
Yet a lot of the other dramatic moments just didn’t work. Not when Yasako spent a whole episode pondering the meaning of reality after Densuke’s death, not when Isako struggled to come to grip with her betrayal (what was that whole scene at and after the empty hospital room? What are we watching, some conspiracy theorist spy flick?); and, most importantly, when Michiko and Yasako fought over where Isako should go. They didn’t work at all. At least, I couldn’t take them seriously.
It’s probably my pre-conceived bias of how primary school kids should act. Daisuke and Fumie are the common primary school kids I expected, and I failed to come to grip with Isako’s and Yasako’s actions and reactions. I expected Miyazaki, a journey of growth and realisation (which I suppose it is, seeing how the latter half dealt with how Isako came to grip with the death of the brother she relied on), but what I got was a whole lot more melodramatic than what I was prepared to deal with.
It needn’t all be light-hearted, but I certainly did not expect life-or-death struggles involving vengeful and rogue computer AI, separation of body and soul/consciousness or a ruthless murderer seeking revenge for the wrong done to his dead father.
Which makes me wonder why it won Tokyo Anime Fair’s TV Animation of the Year 2007 award, along with Gurren Lagann.
OH WAIT, it’s because those pacing issues are secondary in comparison with the great execution of the rest of the series. There’s no perfect series, but there are some series that are cut above the rest in some areas. In Dennou Coil, many of the middle episodes help with the transition between the early, more playful episodes, and the latter, serious ones. The themes in those episodes range from the childish to the more serious, right before the final run that slowly begins to reveal all of the series’ mysteries.
So, yes, in some people’s eyes, this show might seem like a let down, but to people who know and appreciate a good mystery, this show is solid gold, all around.
Hey, I’m not sure what’s going on, but hopefully my IP at school isn’t blacklisted…
THAT has been eating my comments lately – I’ve sent e-mails using the contact form as well as a formal e-mail; but I don’t know if anyone checks those.
I hope someone can look into this, thanks. =D
I agree about the middle episodes being both weak and pointless, and I agree about the sketchy development of the bad guys, but I never felt that it seriously detracted from the overall story. That it started out innocent and got considerably darker as the end drew closer seemed to me like a natural progression. I enjoyed Denno Coil immensely, one of my favorite shows of 2007.
“The light hearted tone of the first half of the series is thrown out the window and completely forgotten in exchange for some drama that feels completely wrong and out of place for primary school students. ”
I think this series was trying to make a wake-up-call to young children, and to lift them from social ignorance: playing with something that looks harmless at first can transform into something deadly. There’s nothing wrong and out-of-place with teaching serious materials to a young audience. The light-heartedness at the beginning was just to get children adjusted to the characters and the future environment/tech – nothing but fillers – and that’s also what’s interesting; not many series use this approach. Once the young audiences get adjusted, the series transfers to a more didactic and dark tone. I think many children, both older and younger, can learn and enjoy this series at the same time.
Serial: Please take your thinly veiled insults elsewhere.
I appreciate all the comments which state why they disagree with me without feeling the need to insult me on top of that.
Lupus: It was still well written, but I just can’t get over how primary school kids are having these kind of struggles.
– Wow – what an ignorant comment. Believe me; these physical and mental abuses happen all the time, even more so in developed Asian countries , where competition is fierce – this series is not exaggerated at all
Lupus: Yet a lot of the other dramatic moments just didn’t work. Not when Yasako spent a whole episode pondering the meaning of reality after Densuke’s death, not when Isako struggled to come to grip with her betrayal…
– Didn’t work? What do you mean? Are you suggesting that young people cannot break down after being wallowed up in isolation, sadness, and/or hate for several years? Do you not know the three stages of aftereffects after someone you deeply care for dies?
Lupus: “It’s probably my pre-conceived bias of how primary school kids should act. Daisuke and Fumie are the common primary school kids I expected, and I failed to come to grip with Isako’s and Yasako’s actions and reactions.”
– Wow, you must have went to an elementary school where everyone acted bratty. There are lots of children like Yasako and Isako. Actually, even Fumie has an ambition that many children don’t have.
– Wow – what an ignorant comment. Believe me; these physical and mental abuses happen all the time, even more so in developed Asian countries , where competition is fierce – this series is not exaggerated at all.
What I was referring to is the life and death situations that Haraken, Yasako and Isako found themselves in towards the end of the series. I know full well what Asian primary school students are like – I grew up in Hong Kong, where the competition is as fierce as anywhere else in the world.
– Didn’t work? What do you mean? Are you suggesting that young people cannot break down after being wallowed up in isolation, sadness, and/or hate for several years? Do you not know the three stages of aftereffects after someone you deeply care for dies?
I did write that the breakdown scene of Isako was one scene that DID work for me. What I can’t take seriously is seeing these kids in situations where their lives are threatened, situations they are very often put into by a 17 year old whose motives I find cannot possibly justify the kind of insane actions he’s taking. Or how they can act the way they did in the face of death.
I realize the last comment was made in April 4, 2008, which means my comment is probably going to get ignored. But I just feel compelled to comment on the believability of the children.
I too was born in Hong Kong and experienced a slice of its education system. The competition in HK is fierce, but no where as fierce as that in countries like Japan and Singapore. Moreover, the cultural attitude in HK is different: children are taught to more freely express their feelings and opinions (perhaps due to the Western influence). HK is a city where East meets West after all.
That aside, you can notice a difference in the way how different characters act and react in the series. You realize that characters like Fumie and Daichi, who have not experienced a traumatic incidence, hold a more simplistic and naive outlook on the events that happen throughout the story. Their reactions are more “childish” (such as Fumie refusing to believe the rumoured “other side” at one point, and Daichi asking Isako to return ownership of his Hackers Club amidst more serious issues).
On the other hand, characters who have experienced life-altering events, such as Haraken and Isako, act with more maturity. They think more critically and are less likely to believe what they are told. They question authority and are more rebellious. This is likely why Fumie and Daichi were left out in the conclusion of the story, because they were “normal” kids after all who just didn’t want to believe or get involved with “the other side”; they were told by the adults “the other side” does not exist.
Overall, Dennou Coil is one of the best series of not just 2007, but of last decade. It is a masterpiece.
P.S. Am I the only one who caught the subtle reference to My Neighbor Totoro? The similarities between Kyoko and Mei, and those between Isako’s cyberpets and susuwatari are stunning. The chase scene between those respective characters (Mei chasing susuwatari after moving in, and Kyoko chasing Isako’s cyberpets upon their invasion to capture Densuke) was very similar also.
I agree and I disagree.
First of all, I am very impressed by the consistent quality. You don’t see many anime like this and I am very thankful for this series since it raised the bars for the well-made anime industries.
Second, I am very very impressed by the tight storyline. Although many people say the middle 3 eps pulled the series down a bit, as a person who studied storyboarding, these 3 eps can be explained as the breath-catcher, the comic relief that is needed in serious and realistic story like this. Without these 3 eps, the audience would feel like they are running a full marathon without a single sip of water. Some people prefer that and I understand. Everybody has different tastes P: But I still think those 3 eps allowed the audience to catch their breath and get ready for the 2nd half of the series.
I have to agree that the 2nd half was rushed since I was left with many questions at the end. Some of the characters were surely underdeveloped, especially Nekome, since I wasn’t fully convinced with his objective. But I liked how they developed the two main characters and put so much meaning on them. They each have external qualities that contrasts with their persona (shadow, the inner qualities) and I liked how they explained it in the anime. Isako may seem like the most mature, brave, go-getter type, she is actually afraid, conservative and most child-like. And for Yasuko, she may seem like the kindest one around, she was the one who bullied her friend back in Kanazawa. Which leads to my third point.
Third, I am more impressed by the psychological and mental (which can even be explained with modern psychological concepts. Psychology? In anime? With mere children? And the series was understood pretty well by almost everyone? This is really extraordinary!) concepts that they used. Although the children are acting out of their age (a bit too mature, don’t you think?) I am convinced of why they were so attached to the world of digital glasses. They are kids. For them, whatever they see is everything. And I know this by experience (and for everyone else too, perhaps). Even for today, so many children are in their own world in internet and they risk everything to maintain themselves. As they grow, most children realize the difference between reality and illusion but some don’t grow out of it. And the anime did make a good statement about reality vs. illusion and the realization of these two worlds by the children as they grow up.
Some of the feelings that I have for this anime is kind of hard to explain but all I know is that this is one of the best series (anime or not) that I have ever seen in my life.
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