DENNOU COIL

Somebody on Gaming World created a topic on a recent anime called Dennou Coil. After some consideration, I decided to check it out.



Though I have limited experience in the field, I would have to say that Dennou Coil is probably the most underrated anime of the past five years or so, maybe even beyond that. It isn't perfect--some characters are borderline unlikable at times, the metaphysics are a little strained and the story falls to typical anime convolution at the end--but the amount of work, imaginative energy and sheer attention to detail poured into Dennou Coil by its creators is absolutely astounding. Viewing the series a second time is hardly necessary to "get" it, but there are so many small background details, like the Satchii poster in the first episode, that it sort of blows the mind.

I'm sort of hesitant to spoil anything because part of the fun of Dennou Coil is figuring out where the plot will go next, but basically the story is about a group of sixth-graders in the near future with access to augmented reality glasses--technology that allows them to interact with the internet in visible form. Most adults either aren't used to or aren't comfortable with the technology (sort of like a number of adults today), and security measures, like enormous red...things...called Satchii, are mostly ineffective, so kids have gone wild with the technology and many are essentially hackers. They use the glasses for homework, but they also use them to prank each other by covering people's field of vision with pop-ups, among other things. Yuko Okonogi, a girl from another town with little previous experience with hacking, is soon drawn into the fold by the Coil Detective Agency, run by her grandmother. But when another new classmate, Yuko Amasawa, attempts to exploit one of the many urban legends surrounding the cyberglasses for reasons of her own, Yuko and her friends discover that the net is far deeper than they realize...

In summary, it's (I'll repeat what everybody else has been saying) Serial Experiments Lain meets My Neighbor Totoro with a helping of Spirited Away and maybe some Fullmetal Alchemist thrown in for good measure, plus or minus a very engrossing setting and kids that actually act like kids. It isn't exactly a classic, but it is definitely one of the most interesting (and arguably accessible) shows in recent memory. Also, the production values are through the roof. More people should be watching it.

In case anybody is still interested, you can find more information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennou_Coil