YMMV / Deca-Dence

• Angst? What Angst?: The Gears are remarkably gung-ho about throwing themselves into danger against giant monsters, and when several of them are killed in battle the rest of the Gears' reaction is a split between the expected grief and the much less appropriate sentiment of "Well, they should have moved faster." Subverted when it turns out the Gears are cyborgs with remote controlled bodies; death just means they have to make a new avatar.
• Audience-Alienating Premise: Picking up from The Stinger in the first episode, the second episode reveals that post-apocalyptic Earth had been turned into an elaborate MMORPG run by cyborgs. While the twist intrigued some, others were completely turned off by it.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Jill. From her first appearance, fans were enamored with her monotone voice, her Deadpan Snarker personality, and how incredibly useful she is to Kaburagi and the rest of the cyborgs with her Gadgeteer Genius skills.
• Funny Moments: The old Rankers work together to help Kaburagi recover his old account so they can infiltrate and destroy the Gadoll factory. However, by coincidence, Hugin approaches Minato on a suspicious tip that he's hiding something — the same account that was supposed to be destroyed. After an intense chase scene, the case that would contain Kaburagi's old account is retrieved, and is opened to reveal... a sex toy. Minato, who's been freaking out as his life would've been in jeopardy, is confused, and Hugin walks off, going "As long as you enjoy it alone and in private, I'll let it slide."
• Magnificent Bastard: Kaburagi is a Bug Hunter who infiltrates the MMORPG Deca-Dence disguised as a Tanker and maintained his cover there for years as he eliminates bugs by sending them to Hugin and Munin. Considering to continue his occupation, Kaburagi decides to go against his superiors after being inspired by Natsume, helping her and the players beat the game. Sent to the Bugs Correctional Facility for his disobedience, Kaburagi persuades the prisoners to revolt while he infiltrates Deca-Dence again to retrieve his unchipped avatar, before reuniting with Natsume. The two would then sneak into the Gadoll Factory and destroy it, where Kaburagi reveals the truth to Natsume, with the latter deciding to trust Kaburagi knowing that he truly cares about her, having proven this several times such as when he kept her status as a bug hidden from his superiors and having defeated Hugin when he tried killing Natsume. Entering the system, Kaburagi inspires everyone into helping him defeat Munin and The Omega Gadoll before dying, but not before having Jill backup his data, bringing him back to life three years later where he reunites with Natsume.
• Memetic Mutation: Many people on both sides of the Pacific were quick to call Episode 6 a shitty episode despite liking it.
• Moment of Awesome:
  • Kaburagi’s return to the battlefield. Seeing him dance around the Gadoll inside of their zones while hauling Natsume behind him is a perfect demonstration of the series’ potential for action and badass moments.
  • The end of the first episode showcases the might of the Deca-Dence fortress itself, as it takes out the large Gadoll with a mighty impact.
  • Similarly, Natsume’s fight to save Pipe in Episode 4 is a clear contender for the most badass fight in the series. Just like her teacher, she dances around the Gadoll, laying in her needles at point-blank with her prosthetic Arm Cannon.
  • Despite the repairs to the Deca-dence and Kaburagi taking control of it, it still doesn't have enough firepower to defeat the Gadoll Omega. The struggling Kaburagi invokes an art he hadn't used in ages — he releases his limiters, going all-out to deliver the finishing blow, at the cost of his life.
• Tear Jerker: Natsume and Kaburagi activating the Gadoll Self-Destruct Mechanism and destroying the factory was an unambiguously triumphant moment. The next episode, we learn that Pipe wasn't spared and was Killed Offscreen.
• Ugly Cute: Pipe, a Gadoll that Kaburagi keeps as a pet. It looks like a cross between a pug and a caterpillar with a blowhole like a whale.