The 4th Day of Christmas – Dennou Coil
Posted by 0rion on December 4th, 2007 - 10:00 am
On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…
4 metatags
3 rain charms
2 Guchuko’s
And a cruise on a nice boat for free!
Talk about a great Christmas present!
Tired of waiting for the stupid red light to change? Just h4xx0r it with a handy metatag!
Getting pwned at that gaming LAN party? Give your opponents a megane beamu laser blast and rack up the frags while they’re all stunned!
I’m seriously fascinated by the concept of augmented reality, and Dennou Coil portrays it in a way that is simultaneously fascinating and horrifying.
The use of grade schoolers as the main characters of the show gives it a touch of childish whimsy, an adventurous streak that makes exploring the many facets of the cyber world exciting and fresh. It recreates that feeling of being a kid again, discovering some unknown backcountry with your friends, building treehouses and crafting fantasy worlds in a place where no adults will come.
Yet at the same time it still manages to tell a serious story without coming off as overly trite. It’s a rare show that can walk that tightrope effectively, which makes it all the more impressive.
Or maybe I’m just a sucker for cool technology and glowing glyphs, FMA, Nanoha, et al.
Still, if they ever actually make glasses that give me vision capable of seeing and interacting with the virtual world, you can bet I’ll be first in line to buy some.
P.S. – I would’ve liked to make Densuke one of the gifts in the song, but his name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue very well. Oh well. Here’s a picture of of him doing a back handspring to make up for it.
P.P.S. – I’m doing Science and I’m still alive.
I’d definitely class DC as one of this year’s highlights but as for choosing which part…that’s tough. Episode #19 wraps up an important arc and is emotionally charged too but then that whole ‘augmented reality’ concept that underpins the entire show is a marvel in itself.
You hit the nail on the head in pointing out the characterisation balanced with a childlike sense of adventure that drives it along – I still stand by my initial comparisons of Ghibli-meets-Lain, even though Coil is unique in so many other aspects. It’s imaginative, thematically sophisticated, dramatic and heartfelt, thought-provoking but also superbly entertaining. Even though I’ve not seen the last few episodes I’d still go as far as saying it’s the best anime show of the year.
Epic win indeed.
DC rules!
Region 1 boxset asap, please. :]
If you like to read a SF book that deals with AR try Vernor Vinge’s Rainbows End , I really liked it.
@ steelbound
Sounds good, I’ll check it out. Thanks for the tip!