ANIME REVIEW | Striving For Normalcy in a World of "Destruction"
At what point in our lives do we become numb to the atrocities of the world? When I was living in America, the media world constantly shoved every great horror in my face. Mass shootings, war, genocide, racism, homophobia, transphobia, murder, rape, suicide, the list unfortunately goes on for much longer. How does one sit through the terrible things that happen on a daily basis, and then just go about their day? For that matter, how long does it take for someone to reach a breaking point and shout “ENOUGH!”?
These thoughts roll through my brain whenever I sit and watch Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, the very first work of Inio Asano’s (Goodnight Punpun) to be given the anime treatment. Originally released as two films in Japan, the rest of the world is instead being given a 19-episode TV version featuring more scenes and context. A good thing, as sometimes sitting through each episode of this series forces viewers to consume a lot of emotions and ideas in a short amount of time. That’s not a bad thing, per se; rather, it’s a demonstration of how powerful Asano is as a writer.
Our so-called heroes of Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction are longtime friends Kadode (Lilas Ikuta, one-half of J-POP duo YOASOBI) and Ouran (Ano, also a phenomenal J-POP artist). They’re trying to go through life as normally as they can. But hovering over them at all times is a spacecraft, whose purpose is unknown to anyone, even the government. Yet despite it never doing anything, the world sees it as a threat, meaning constant military battles and explosions, which cause more damage than good.
As such, Kadode and Ouran go about their lives like nothing bothers them. Except, yeah, they know nothing about the world they’re living in is okay. When their friend Kiho (Atsumi Tanezaki) is killed after the government crashes a spaceship into her apartment, they know that they’re far from an ideal place. Even Ouran, who masks her true feelings with a wacky personality, doesn’t feel fine with the way things are on their planet. And yet, they still haven't reached the point of shouting “ENOUGH!” towards their unjust world, as they hang out, go shopping, and play games together with their friends Ai (Miyuri Shimabukuro) and Rin (Saeko Ooki).
There’s a phrase in Japanese: “shoganai yo”. In English, it can be meant as “It can’t be helped,” or “Whatcha gonna do?” It’s also a humorous way of saying something is hopeless or — to put it bluntly — fucked. Asano takes that phrase and pushes it to extreme levels in Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction. Instead of a real-life problem like global warming or inflation, we instead have an alien invasion that the world insists is pushing towards a doomed society.
But there in lies a problem: the aliens aren’t doing anything. In fact, any damage that’s been done thus far has been caused by the government, the very people who should be protecting their own. And when we finally see the aliens for themselves, they aren’t trying to cause a fight. In a moment where a solider kills an alien, with its partner crying over its corpse, you are forced to wonder if are they here to invade, or if they're on Earth because they themselves have no home to go back to!
When they were younger, Kadode and Ouran even struck up a friendship with one of these aliens, who seemed to want to be more helpful than harmful. Of course, one of the inventions it gives to Kadode winds up making her into a female Light Yagami, with her own form of justice being seen as something downright awful even to Ouran. And that’s when you realize exactly who the bigger monster is between the humans and aliens, and you don’t need to watch Starship Troopers to figure that out! (However, whether or not this part actually happens — or it’s just a figment of Ouran’s imagination — isn’t exactly clear, especially with how the flashback ends in grim fashion.)
Yet again, Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction returns to how everything is perceived in this world flipped upside-down. We have characters going through boy crushes, anxieties over college exams, and gender identity issues, even as the world around them is crumbling. This is their way of being “shoganai yo”, even though the big problem is eating inside of them. They’re young and have so much to live for, despite the fact that — according to the end of Episode 8 — humanity ends in six months!
In Asano’s way, this is a story about soldiering on, even if there’s nothing to soldier on towards. When someone is powerless to change the world for the better, all they can do is try to make the best of their own situation. It’s a tale of having to become numb to the terrible things, in hopes that your own life can bring about some good for yourself, your family, and your friends. After all, if we wind up caring far too much about what’s happening in the world, we may find ourselves locked in our rooms, afraid to step outside and experience life for what it’s worth.
Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction is about keeping hope alive in a hopeless world. How Kadode and Ouran handle their situation isn’t exactly the right way to take on their day-to-day struggles, but they’re surviving as best as they can. They demand a future, something that anyone should desire. And in their best way possible, they and the rest of their school chums are going to claim it for themselves. Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction isn't a reminder of why we want to keep moving forward, but rather why we need to. If there was ever a time to scream “ENOUGH!”, it’s now.
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Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction can be viewed on Crunchyroll, and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 0-8 were observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
