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Last season I promised to release mini analyses of the running anime that piqued my interest/gave us stuff to talk about. Unfortunately life got in the way. It's actually happening this time around. These threads will be updated regularly and may become essays. DECA DENCEPermalink On twitter.com
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Deca Dence is a perfect show. This... is going to be a long thread. Both because I have a lot of episodes to cover, and because the show gives me a lot to talk about.Permalink On twitter.com
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This may sound like an exaggeration, but I do mean it in a very specific way. When I say "perfect", I don't mean "this show is objectively good" in the way some tool like Mauler might mean. I say "perfect" to mean that Deca Dence is everything that I look for in an anime.Permalink On twitter.com
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It's perfect because, while I'm sure there are valid critiques of the show to be had, none of them matter to me. Everything that I care about and want in an anime viewing experience, I have in Deca Dence. The idea that MAL looks like this... never mindPermalink On twitter.com
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If I were given the money to will an anime into existence, it would be like Deca Dence. And I know because I wrote a book and it's functionally similar to Deca Dence in a lot of ways. But also it's terrible and I try not to think about it so much.Permalink On twitter.com
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So I should probably maybe describe what the show does, yes? Basically in a far-distant future, humanity climate-changes itself to extinction. The rich afford to convert themselves into cyborgs to live lives of luxury in space while the poor burn and starve.Permalink On twitter.com
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These conditions lead to a collapse of nations as we know it (based), and a new order where authority comes directly from corporate power instead of through the arms of a bourgeois state (not based). Basically the logical conclusion of anarcho-capitalism.Permalink On twitter.com
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Solid Quake, a global conglomerate run by this cyborg race, and quoting the text directly now, "acquired the rights to humanity" itself. The advent of cyborgs freed capital from humanity itself, allowing it to treat the human race like another commodity.On twitter.com
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Solid Quake determines that the reason humanity failed was not because of capitalism, but because people had too much free will actually. It inserts a computer chip into every sentient being on the planet, carefully tabulating all of their movements and decisions...Permalink On twitter.com
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...forcing them to live out a real-world RPG known as Deca Dence (roll credits). Deca Dence revolves around killing a race known as Gadoll. Players (gears), hunt them for points on a leaderboard, and a match ends when all enemies are defeated and their blood harvested for energy.Permalink On twitter.com
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Anyone who does not perform their role in this game is deemed to be a bug and is terminated.Permalink On twitter.com
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The human race that Solid Quake gain the rights to? They're converted into Deca Dence's NPCs. The corporation hopes that the novelty of interacting with a real-life endangered species will help boost their sales.Permalink On twitter.com
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For the humans, however, they don't know their world is a manufactured video game. Their own humanity is self-evident (put a pin in this). They're just trying to survive the best they can. If there's not enough food or resources, it's because that's just the way things are.Permalink On twitter.com
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The story starts in the reverse of how I've described it. We start by following the humans, and their very real and dangerous mission to hunt Gadoll for survival and to ward off scarcity. Then we're told that it's actually all just a video game.Permalink On twitter.com
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A LOT of people dropped Deca Dence in its second episode. Because "since it's just a video game, nothing matters". This is as close to an actual, objectively incorrect opinion I think I've ever heard. Because the point of Deca Dence is to play with this dichotomy.Permalink On twitter.com
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In episode 5, for example, the humans are lead to believe they've destroyed the Gadoll nest and have liberated humanity from their terror once and for all. The humans are happy because the war is over. The Gears are happy because they leveled up.Permalink On twitter.com
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It's then revealed that there are, in fact, more Gadoll. Because duh! This is a video game. You just spawn more enemies. Deca Dence is the equivalent of a multibillion $ enterprise. It's not going to stop. The Gears are excited for more gameplay. But the humans are mortified!Permalink On twitter.com
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This conflict is class conflict. And it's quite literally THE POINT OF THE SHOW. So the response "it's a video game so nothing matters" is like, the exact behavior the show is criticizing. Which is why it's funny and a little frustrating.Permalink On twitter.com
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The set-up on its own would already make this show praiseworthy, for the creativity it uses to expose the inequalities present in real life. But the show isn't just good in theory, it's good in praxis.Permalink On twitter.com
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Our lead Natsume is okay she's very cute but alsoPermalink On twitter.com
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She's just a fucking fantastic character. She has shounen protagonist energy. She has the desire to help others, to save the world, to gain a sense of strength and self-confidence. And she's "special" like a shounen protag. Bc of a bug, she's unrecognized by the systemPermalink On twitter.com
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But unlike a lot of male-driven stories, Deca Dence rejects the idea that the entire world will rest on her shoulders. That she will gain the power to rid the world of evil alone. Natsume is strong, but she's even stronger when she works together with others.Permalink On twitter.com
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Our secondary lead Kaburagi, Natsume's mentor, I think will be especially relatable to leftists. Because his story is basically one of being radicalized against the system. Kaburagi's arc is him becoming a communist.Permalink On twitter.com
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Kaburagi at first doesn't question his position in the system. He's on top of the Deca Dence leaderboards and doesn't think much of his life. When the system asks him to report bugs for termination, he agrees at least at first.Permalink On twitter.com
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First he meets Pipe, a buggy Gadoll too cute and harmless to terminate. Kaburagi decides to at least spare him from the system. Then he meets Natsume, and begins to realize that any system that would hurt her cannot be a just one.Permalink On twitter.com
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Kaburagi goes through a phase where he thinks he can just hide away from the system, keeping Pipe and Natsume safe and not caring about the rest. But over time he realizes that this position too is untenable. He realizes that no system that causes humans to suffer needlessly...Permalink On twitter.com
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...can be justified. He then reflects on his own actions, and realizes that he is not free from the system either. In fact, no one is free. The system prides itself for "individual decision making", but the system itself is the most authoritarian thing there is.Permalink On twitter.com
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He rejects the idea that people can rebel on their own. Unless people have the means to truly make their own decisions, the "freedom" to live life comfortably by yourself is, like Deca Dence itself, an illusion.Permalink On twitter.com
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There's more to it. Like a lot more. Maybe this thread seems spoilery but I promise if you watch this show knowing what you know they'll still be so much to discover.Permalink On twitter.com
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Among those oppressed by the system (the humans and the Gears), the "reactionaries", those who want to uphold the system, basically always say something along the lines of: "I'm comfortable the way I am. Isn't this good enough? Why do we need change?"Permalink On twitter.com
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And just, damn if, as communists, we haven't heard this a million times from liberals or conservatives.Permalink On twitter.com
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I'll end this thread on this: I did my Re:Zero Frozen Bonds take not too long ago on how that show fails race politics. And I got a comment on it that still sticks out to me. It went something like:Permalink On twitter.com
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"While I agree with you, I don't like this essay because you lean too hard in to 'bad thing' discourse. There's no reason to hate Re:Zero so much when stuff like Shield Hero exists and is worse". And well, I get that. Sort of.Permalink On twitter.com
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But stuff like Deca Dence exists? Re:Zero doesn't understand oppression. The Misfit of Demon Academy doesn't understand oppression.Permalink On twitter.com
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Deca Dence understands oppression. On a personal and masterful level. And the fact that Deca Dence exists makes me not want to settle or be charitable to shows that don't take the time to say anything worthwhile on issues that are so important to me.Permalink On twitter.com
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For a hot sec my child was a lib but she backPermalink On twitter.com
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The only bad thing about Deca Dence is that I have to wait a week between episodes/Permalink On twitter.com
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Once again love translating nakama as comrade because then I get commie screenshots Except this show is actually communist so it works brilliantPermalink On twitter.com
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LOOK AT HOW SMOL HE IS HOW DOES HE SEE HOW DOES HE REACH THE PEDALS 🥰🥰🥰Permalink On twitter.com
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So we've got two big running arcs this week. The first is more realistic representations as to what it feels like to be radicalized.Permalink On twitter.com
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When Natsume first learns the truth, that the systems she's been using to try and bring peace have themselves been fabricated by the system, that her efforts to make the world a better place have been pointless, and that everything she's believed in has been a lie this whole timePermalink On twitter.com
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...she has a panic attack and passes out. When she comes to, she more or less stops being the Natusme we know. She's been completely defeated and spirals into a state of depression and confusion.Permalink On twitter.com
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I talked a bit about how Kaburagi shows what it's like to be radicalized. The frustration of not knowing what to do, before finally realizing that it's the entire system that has to burn down.Permalink On twitter.com
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I stand by that, but I also think Kaburagi's sentiment is more apt for people who started out either reactionary, or privileged, or both (more on this later). Natsume's arc I think is more aligned with the experiences of leftists who have always been progressive...Permalink On twitter.com
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...The Obama organizers who realized he expanded fracking, bailed out the banks, never ended the wars. The Bernie or Busters who watched their candidate lose twice to establishment cronies no one likes. The people who tried to work within the system only to get burned.Permalink On twitter.com
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There's this one bit here that's especially good at portraying the depression of the "in-between" state between progressive liberal activism and communist principle. Natsume isn't herself; she's not eating or taking care of herselfPermalink On twitter.com
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I don't want all my political parallels to obscure the fact that, while the show is good politically, it also delivers a rock-solid and heartfelt story. I focus on politics because any run-of-the-mill critic will tell you that the character work here is superbPermalink On twitter.com
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If you want to know more about this "in-between" phase of radicalization, I recommend you check out my essay on Jreg. I've been disappointed in the direction Jreg has taken his content, but the essay itself more or less holds up I think medium.com/mos-home-for-treatises-and-hot-takes/the-post-postmodern-meta-ironic-neo-rational-hyper-satirical-ideology-of-jreg-818886c62f99Permalink On twitter.com
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Kaburagi's arc is simpler to explain, but no less important. It's summed up in these screenshotsPermalink On twitter.com
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I think about all the cops who are right now evicting people in the middle of a global pandemic that our system has refused to protect us from. These cops think they're just "doing their jobs" and "enforcing the judge's orders". But they have a choice, right?Permalink On twitter.com
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The police can at any point refuse to enforce rules they know hurt people. And if that loses them a job so be it. It's the *least* they can do, actually. And Kaburagi's arc here says that out loud. Which I think is fantastic.Permalink On twitter.com
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Kaburagi has a bit of a hero complex. He's right that fighting against the rules of this world is good, but he still needs to learn that he doesn't (and can't) do it alone. He needs, at the very least, Natsume, and ideally, both the gears and the humans as a united proletariatPermalink On twitter.com
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He gets criticized for this immediately. Because this show, unlike something like fucking Rent a Girlfriend, can have its characters engage in problematic behavior and then challenge that in the same episode because it's not literal garbagePermalink On twitter.com
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Which brings us to my favorite lines of the show so far (and by extension, of any anime this season)Permalink On twitter.com
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Our final "big bad" looks to be an abused Gadoll gone wrong. A bug is the final boss. A worse show would handle this poorly, but I'm actually really excited here.Permalink On twitter.com
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The final fight being against a bug is great because it opens up a conversation of how systems justify themselves. Hugin can look at this and go "See? Kaburagi you're wrong, this is why the world must be rid of bugs?"Permalink On twitter.com
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But had the system not created and abused the Gadoll, this problem would not exist. And that's why the system must go. This is exactly like pointing to high crime in poor black areas and saying "this is why we need cops". When the system that needs cops produces this very crime.Permalink On twitter.com
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I've heard Diginee and other AniTubers refer to this show as "The Matrix for weebs". And while this is technically true I think that's reductive.Permalink On twitter.com
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Deca Dence is The Matrix in the sense that there's a "system" that the characters have to "wake up" from and fight. But Deca Dence goes into way more of the personal reality of what it means to fight oppressive systems.Permalink On twitter.com
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I am absolutely in love with this show. It's really rare that I can just trust the writing to just... deliver on its promises like this. Deca Dence is the highlight of my September and the best part of every week for mePermalink On twitter.com
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THE END OF DECA DENCE The highlight of my September has come and gone in a brilliant flash of glory.Permalink On twitter.com
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I need to say this first and foremost: Deca Dence is easily the best show to have come out this season (the Great Pretender? Haven't seen it bur probably not). I'm also comfortable saying this show is one of the best anime of all time.Permalink On twitter.com
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I'm saying this now because the rest is going to be criticism.Permalink On twitter.com
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Around half way through, right when Kaburagi has his big revelation that the system needs to burn., the show I think realizes the potential of Kaburagi's arc and shifts its focus on him.Permalink On twitter.com
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This arc is well-written and well-executed. Kaburagi goes from a mindless drone who enforces the system's will to the one person who engineer's the end* of the system. However, this undermines the message of the show somewhat.Permalink On twitter.com
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By focusing so hard on Kaburagi and how he rose up against the system to beat it, the show turns what used to be a bottom-up story of collective action focused on the humans into a paternalistic one where the gears act on behalf of the humans.Permalink On twitter.com
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Natsume especially suffers from this. She gets turned into Kaburagi's inspiration, instead of partaking in any huge feats herself. From a feminist perspective, this is really annoying, because this happens to female characters a lot.Permalink On twitter.com
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But as someone who loves Natsume to the point of considering her my legal child, I want to see my child do things. Instead of just yelling at Kaburagi to do. Her arc is "being the person who saved Kaburagi" which is easily the weakest part of the show.Permalink On twitter.com
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Even as I make this criticism, I realize that the show doesn't completely lose this message. The humans and the gears do work together to make the final weapon that Kaburagi uses to destroy the Gadoll. Like, it hasn't *failed* in doing what it needed to do per sePermalink On twitter.com
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The show made the writing decision to prioritize Kaburagi's arc vs the arc of the people and gears as a class. I wanted the latter and I ended up getting the former, which was disappointing.Permalink On twitter.com
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Speaking of which, my * Second thing, it's a little frustrating how little the system actually changes when it's all over? Like okayPermalink On twitter.com
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I understand Minato and Jill being a part of this new system. Sort of.Permalink On twitter.com
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But these two?Permalink On twitter.com
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Actually, as an anarchist, that's not really what bugs me. What bugs me is that we're still assigning people "jobs" and such after the revolution has taken place. I know some of my statist comrades are rolling their eyes right now but still...Permalink On twitter.com
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...think about it thematically. The thing that Kaburagi didn't like about the system was its top-down control and lack of freedom. So, thematically, the opposite of that is a radically democratic society where cyborgs and humans are trusted to self-governPermalink On twitter.com
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But the show instead focuses on material outcomes. People are happier and live in peace. Which is good. But what about democracy? Why just... switch who's in charge? This is at the core of the anarchist critique of state socialist projects, which we'll get into another time.Permalink On twitter.com
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Still, don't take these critiques as me "realizing the show was bad this whole time". I'm not saying the show did something wrong. But that it could have been *even better*. That's how amazing Deca Dence is.Permalink On twitter.com
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Anyway, Natsume faces!Permalink On twitter.com
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End card!Permalink On twitter.com
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As the show has concluded, I'm closing this thread. I think this is the first thread I've closed really feeling satisfied. Like the show was really worth my time. I really needed some Deca Dence today. Peace, y'all 🥰Permalink On twitter.com