History Anime / DennouCoil

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1505.jpg]]

->''"According to rumors on the net..."''

''Dennou Coil'' ('''''電脳コイル''''', ''Cyber Coil'' in English), also known as ''Coil -- A Circle of Children'', is an AnimeFirst sci-fi series animated by Creator/{{Madhouse}} and made its original run on Creator/{{NHK}} in 2007.

''Dennou Coil'' is set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture (in 2026, to be exact) in the fictional Japanese town of Daikoku, which is the testing ground for an AugmentedReality project that involves crafting [[TheMetaverse a cyberspace that overlaps the entire town]]. By using [[GogglesDoSomethingUnusual special glasses]], people are able to interact with this overlapping cyberspace, allowing them to carry on their normal lives in addition to being permanently connected to the internet through their glasses, essentially concentrating all modern portable media devices (phones, [=MP3=] players, laptop) into one set of non-intrusive glasses. With the appearances of 'glitches' in this augmented reality, a thriving hacker culture soon emerges amongst the children of the city.

The anime tells the story of Yuko Okonogi (nicknamed "Yasako"), a girl who moves into Daikoku together with her mother, little sister Kyoko and her virtual pet Densuke (an augmented reality dog that only people with glasses can see) when her father gets a job transfer there. Upon arriving in the town, she finds herself integrated into the glasses community of the local children, and discovers that her shrewd grandmother has become a focal point for a major club of these children, called the Coil Cyber Detective Agency. This leads to later encounters with the enigmatic Yuko Amasawa (nicknamed "Isako"), a girl with abnormally powerful hacking skills who seems to be hunting for computer viruses in the system known as "illegals" for her own unknown ends, and discoveries tying the various characters' pasts with the truths behind the city's cyber-network...

''Dennou Coil'' could be described as "''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' meets Creator/HayaoMiyazaki"; an extremely charming, high-quality story of children, for children, in a sci-fi setting designed to display the effects of this new technology that still manages to keep some 'magical' aspects. Despite winning several prizes, reaching cult hit status and being critically considered to be one of the best anime of 2007, [[http://www.japanator.com/denno-coil-app-is-both-great-and-awful-18712.phtml#ext the series was only licensed in 2011]] by Tokuma Shoten for use in an [=iPhone=] app (since discontinued) and (after much negotiation) for DVD release in Australia. It finally got a North American release in 2016 (under the title ''Den-noh Coil'') by Creator/SentaiFilmworks under its Maiden Japan label.

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!!According to rumours on the net, there is a list of trope examples:

* ActionGirl: Isako, who at one point foils a spam attack by another classmate without even lifting a finger. [[spoiler:Yasako gets here in the last few episodes.]]
* AdultsAreUseless:
** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] somewhat, as the use of glasses is mostly a children's fad and most adults do not use them... Though the few that ''do'' are usually as competent as the rest of the cast.
** Justified somewhat as far as the events of the story are concerned. Much of the plot is due to early adult experiments with cyberglasses.
** Subverted towards the end - [[spoiler:Mega-Baa and Yasako's dad]] are crucial for solving the crisis, even though Yasako still has to go to the frontline.
* TheAtoner: Haraken is this at the ripe old age of 11.
* AllMythsAreTrue: There are tons and tons of urban legends and myths kids make up about cyberspace. Many of the ones [[Quotes/DennouCoil mentioned throughout the series]] are proven to be true to some degree.
* AlternateCharacterReading: The basis of the Yukos' nicknames.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Kyoko, [[TheLoad to the Nth degree]]. She has an obsession with yelling the word "poop!" and always runs into trouble.
* ArcNumber: 4423
* ArtificialStupidity: In-universe, the Searchies reason for trying to wipe out any data in the old E-spaces, regardless if it's actually outdated or not. Even the less experienced children note how dumb they are. They're still a massive pain to deal with, and potentially very dangerous if they're in groups.
* AsYouKnow: Takeru gets one from [[spoiler:his brother, Sousuke Nekome, and we get some [[BelatedBackstory late exposition]] Nekome's motives in bringing down the company.]]
* AugmentedReality: The entire series is centered around augmented reality glasses.
* BagOfHolding: Fumie has one; justified since the programs she carries in it have no actual physical space requirements.
* BelatedBackstory: [[spoiler: Sousuke and Takeru's quest for revenge for their parents comes in the form of AsYouKnow exposition rather late in the series.]]
* BeamSpam: The Searchies' ultimate attack mode. That it's virtual doesn't make it any less frightening, considering the setting.
* BeardOfEvil: Illegal beards show up halfway through the show. It's infectious. And sentient. Then the kids find them building their own civilizations. [[spoiler:The different characters' beards eventually start digi-nuclear warfare with each other using [[MakesSenseInContext Inter-Facial Ballistic Missiles]]. We couldn't make this up if we tried]]. They eventually perform [[spoiler:a collective HeelFaceTurn after the ensuing holocaust]].
* BikerBabe: Tamako is frequently shown driving around on a black sports bike.
* BoisterousBruiser: Daichi's father seems to be this.
* BlobMonster: The first illegals to show up are mostly indistinct 'blobs' of black.
* BrattyHalfPint: Daichi.
* BreatherEpisode: The episodes involving Fumie's back-and-forth spats with Daichi are very lighthearted and reduce Isako to minimal appearances.
* BrokenRecord: "HI! I'm Searchie! Nice to meet ya!"
* ButtMonkey: Daichi goes through more suffering than anyone else.
* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler:Isako, in the end]]
* CantHoldHerLiquor: The teacher. She gets drunk off ''whiskey bonbons''.
* {{Catchphrase}}: Yasako's "According to rumours on the net...", and the Searchies' BrokenRecord of a greeting.
* CentralTheme:
** The biggest one is the emotional distance between people. Be it lying, masking your feelings, lack of communication, or overuse of the glasses dulling your sense of reality, these paths between us shape how we interact with others, but there's a chance to cross that gap and reestablish emotional bonds if we're willing to try.
** The dead still influence the living, even if they're gone. Remembering them gives us a connection with the departed, but it must not be your only connection, and if it grows too strong or is twisted, it will cause nothing but suffering until they learn to move on.
* ContextSensitiveButton: The general effect of the glasses. Need a phone? Extend your pinky and stick your thumb in your ear. Need a keyboard? Stick out your hands and start RapidFireTyping.
* CoolCar: Nekome is almost exclusively seen in and around a (left-hand-drive, for some reason) red sports car that looks very similar to the Acura/Honda NSX. He is rarely shown actually driving it, though.
* ChekhovsGun:
** The Coil Detective Agency badges. Specifically members one, two, and three.
** The keyhole in [[spoiler:Densuke's collar]] is visible from the earliest episodes.
** The very first few seconds of the opening theme.
** Kanna's glasses.
* ChewToy: Daichi.
* CombiningMecha: and the "Kyuu-chan" drones
* {{Cool Big Sis}}: Technically a 'Cool Aunt'; but Tamako otherwise fits this Trope to a T (no pun intended).
* CoolOldLady: Megabaa.
* CrackOhMyBack: Mega-Baa, of course.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: [[spoiler:Imago, which enhances the already-awesome capabilities of the glasses with a {{Technopath}}ic UnusualUserInterface - you can manipulate Space with exponentially greater effect and without performing any outward physical actions. [[PowerAtAPrice Price tag]]: getting hit with metatags or a Searchie formatting beam normally [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist just wrecks your personal data.]] Imago users suffer ''[[YourMindMakesItReal brain damage and heart disease.]]'' The developers actually ''sealed'' Imago like an unwanted application for this very reason, and even [[TheCracker Isako]] explicitly warns Yasako not to overuse it, or else risk death.]]
* DarkMagicalGirl: Isako, only with hacker skills instead of magic.
* DeathByNewberyMedal: [[spoiler: Oh, Densuke.]]
* {{Determinator}}: [[spoiler:Yasako in the last couple episodes, namely in the lengths she went to to pull Isako back to reality.]]
* DuelingHackers
* DummiedOut: This is what happens to any plot of {{Cyberspace}} deemed "obsolete". They're deleted periodically, but if you get to them before that happens, you might find Metabugs--items no longer considered valid, which by some accident are very useful in ItemCrafting.
* DyingDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:Yasako to Haraken in episode 20]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: In the first episode, Nekome and Tamako (who are introduced in later episodes) are seen in the Harburger restaurant where Yasako, Kyoko, and Densuke eat. In the flashback scene of the same episode, the ArcNumber 4423 is seen at the background. The number is introduced in the second episode.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: And ''HOW!''
* EmpathicEnvironment: In the sleepover episode, during the scary story telling scene, Daichi's ominous words are followed by thunder and lightning, though this was revealed to be his friend's doing. However, when Haraken tells his story, the lightning appears to be real.
* EnigmaticMinion: Isako, if you consider her to be [[spoiler:Nekome's]] minion.
* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: Digital plesiosaurs, for the win.
* EverythingIsOnline: Everything down to the lift controls and traffic lights are shown as connected, which is unsurprising in a series set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture.
* FestivalEpisode: Episode 8.
* {{Filler}}: Pretty much any episode without Isako in it can be considered to be either filler or to be giving background flavor.
* TheFlatwoodsMonster: In Episode 9, Flatwoods Monsters, [[TheGreys greys]], {{chupacabra}}s, {{Martians}}, and miniature [[FlyingSaucer UFOs]] are all featured in the spooky cyber games the kids play while [[{{Kimodameshi}} alone at school at night]].
* FluffyTamer: Tamako, who controls the Searchies and Kyuu-chans, gives them affectionate pet names, and even treats them as pets as much as servants.
* FunbagAirbag: Rushing due to being LateForSchool, Daichi runs right into Tamako's boobs in episode 21.
* GenkiGirl: Fumie, to an extent.
* GirlsWithMoustaches: Several characters, including girls, sprout sentient virtual facial hair for an episode.
* GlitchEntity: "Illegals" are sentient viruses that subsist on metabugs. Some might have been regular cyberpets once, but the material they were made from is no longer valid.
* GodGuise: ...Did we mention that the above-mentioned beards start worshiping the people they're on as gods?
* GogglesDoSomethingUnusual: [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dennou_coil_goggles.jpg Goggles!]]
* GreenEyedMonster: Isako's insecurity over her brother[[spoiler: leaving her ultimately manifests itself into the form of Miss Michiko]]
* HeadbuttOfLove: Between [[spoiler:Yasako and Isako, of all people, in the last episode.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Takeru]]
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:Yasako after Densuke died. Isako gets close after finding out the truth about her brother.]]
* HeroicRROD:
** [[spoiler:How Yasako's grandfather died.]]
** [[spoiler:Also ''self-induced'' by Isako to make her encode reactor unstable and interfere with Nekome's passage.]]
* HeroicDog: Densuke. Just Densuke. [[spoiler: Considering he fights off a group of Nulls while being badly injured himself to protect Yasako, he's a pretty heroic dog.]]
* HoldTheLine: Tamako's task in episode 20, where she has to [[spoiler:hold off the scheduled area formatting long enough for Yasako to return from the obsolete space with Haraken.]]
* HolographicTerminal
* HypercompetentSidekick: Denpa... Sort of.
* HyperlinkStory: Oh, yes. With Yasako wandering into Coil Space kicking things off, we have Isako's search for her brother's cure, Tamako and "the incident four years ago", Nekome's aims, and Haraken and his investigation on Kanna's death. [[spoiler: This links to Megabaa and Grandpa Okonogi's backstory and the founding of Coil Space, which loops back to Yasako wandering into Coil Space. ]]
* ImplacableMan: Searchies, at least from the protagonists' point of view.
* ImportantHaircut: Variant: While [[spoiler:Isako's]] hair isn't cut, her hairstyle gets changed at the end of the series to symbolize [[spoiler:a break from her dependence on her brother]].
* InterserviceRivalry: The Satchi are in the employ of the Ministry of Post. Since shrines, parks, schools and hospitals are under other ministries, it can't enter there. It also can't enter private homes and is basically only free to roam the street for "Space" problems.
* InstantRunes: The metatags seem to function a lot like this, even though the setting is non-magical. Subverted with Isako who actually draws patterns that perform all kinds of functions, like dealing with Searchies. Manifested later on with [[spoiler:[[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Imago]]]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Daichi in the end, especially after taking training from his dad, letting him deal with the bullies that had made the kids' lives hell for some time.
* {{Jerkass}}: Daichi in the beginning.
* KillerRabbit: "HI! I'm Searchie! Nice to meet ya!"
* {{Kimodameshi}}: With computer-generated scares, no less.
* TheLoad: Kyoko, most of the time. Picture [[Anime/MyNeighborTotoro Mei-chan]] with poop jokes. And lasers.
* LockedInARoom: Yasako and Isako are locked inside a storage locker in one episode. Nothing notable happens apart from showing that Isako isn't particularly villainous.
* LotusEaterMachine: [[spoiler:Isako in the final two episodes]]
* MagicSkirt: except for [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling Kyoko]]
* {{Magitek}}: Inverted. The glasses and e-space are purely technological, but a lot of the interfaces and rules they run by seem pulled straight from a fantasy novel, from [[{{Familiar}} familiar-like servants]] to [[PaperTalisman paper talisman charms]] to [[InstantRunes instant]] [[GeometricMagic (and not-so-instant)]] [[InstantRunes runes]]. Even the InterserviceRivalry serves to make the setting seem more mystical, as due to bureaucratic jingoism, Searchies cannot enter shrines, houses, schools or other traditional "safe places", at least [[MustBeInvited not without an invitation]]. [[spoiler: Later un-inverted and played straight as it becomes increasingly clear that the substrate of the entire system is [[TheUnderworld basically the land of the dead]].]]
* {{Manipulative Bastard}}: [[spoiler: Nekome]], in spades.
* MaybeEverAfter: [[spoiler: Yasako and Haraken - they're only 11, of course, but in the last episode they are seen to acknowledge feelings for each other]]
* MeaningfulName: Both Yukos, 優子, "kind girl" for Okonogi, and　勇子, "brave girl" for Amasawa. Slightly lampshaded when the first one, "Yasako", explains her nickname and gives the other one hers.
* {{Meganekko}}: Most of the female cast, for obvious reasons, although Yasako is the best example of the trope since her glasses have an ordinary shape and her personality is gentle.
* MinusWorld: Obsolete Space.
* MoodWhiplash: Episode 12 is a positive, while the next is less so.
* MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness:
** While the theory behind the glasses themselves is very plausible (an accidental engineering discovery led to more efficient electrical and data transmission, allowing for the creation of a widespread augmented virtual reality), the fantasy elements present in the net are certainly not.
** The manga version however is a lot softer in this regard.
* MsExposition: Tamako plays this role a lot.
* MsFanservice: Also Tamako... Not that she has a lot of competition here.
* NewTransferStudent: Yasako and Isako.
* [[NeverMessWithGranny Never Mess With Mega-baa]]
* NoInfantileAmnesia: Averted, as it's at least part of the reason Yasako and Isako don't completely remember past events from when they were around seven until the end.
* NotSoStoic: Isako. Oh, Isako.
* OldMaster: Megabaa again.
* OminousFog: Of the virtual kind and usually an indication that something doesn't compute.
* OncePerEpisode: Every episode will start with Yasako delivering an update on the latest rumors on the net, which are almost always relevant for the ensuing episode.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted by the two Yukos, but since most people use their nicknames it doesn't matter anyway.
* OptOut: [[spoiler:Fumie, after an encounter with Illegals that almost costs them Kyoko, tells Yasako she doesn't want anything more to do with researching them.]]
* OrpheanRescue: Getting trapped in Coil Space means long-time, if not permanent, coma. When Haraken and Isako find themselves trapped there, Yasako helps bring them back.
* PetTheDog: Almost all of the more morally ambiguous characters have one, to show they're not really bad people. It is a kid's show, after all.
* PluckyGirl: Most of the female cast.
* PostCyberPunk: To the degree that there's not much punk left.
* {{Posthumous Character}}: Kana, Yasako's grandfather and [[spoiler: Isako's brother]]
* PowerDegeneration: Isako using/controlling the [[spoiler:[[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Imago]] along with a encoder]] is one helluva powerful thing and very few people can manage it, but it does severe damage to your nerves and body.
* RapidFireTyping: Pretty much everyone who types, though Isako has a powerful variant: [[spoiler: Rapid Eye Clicking]]
* RecapEpisode: Episode 14 is mainly this, with some plot in the last minutes.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Nekome, in his growing desperation to destroy [=MegaMass=]
* RidiculousFutureInflation: Parodied in Mega-baa's store. 10 seconds of Megane-beam supposedly costs three million yen (roughly 30,000 US dollars.) Fumie pays with pocket change.It turns out Mega-baa is just being weird by multiplying all the numbers she says by ten thousand. She asks for a total of 6.2 million yen, but the register actually says the total is 620 yen (about five dollars), and Fumie pays with recognizable Japanese coins that add up to that amount.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Isako's henchmen, the Mojo, are a sort of terribly adorable virtual fluff balls. The Midgets are unspeakably cute as well.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Unusually for a {{shoujo}} {{action girl}} show, Isako and Yasako never ''quite'' get there, although they come awfully close at times
* SacredFirstKiss: Daichi makes a huge fuss over the fact that his FirstKiss is stolen without his consent... [[spoiler:by Yasako's little sister.]]
* SceneryPorn: Sort of to be expected when the director was an animator.
* SenseiChan: The teacher. Not as extreme as some examples, but she's clearly regarded as TheBabyOfTheBunch by the rest of the faculty, was the one to organize a sleepover at the school for the kids, and after she gets drunk (on whiskey bonbons!) she insists on joining in on the kids' games.
* ShoutOut:
** Most ''everyone'' (even Searchieat the end!) uses [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Mikuru beams]], even if they call them megane-beams.
** Obsolete Space seems to resemble the strange, otherworldly dimension in the episode "Little Girl Lost" from ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' (or the Other Side in the movie ''{{Poltergeist}}''.) It's even said that the souls of the dead wind up in Obsolete Space, making it seem a lot like a realm between death and life). [[spoiler: Kyoko's kidnapping and Yasako's having to rescue her with the help of the family dog]] even resembles the rescue scene from "Little Girl Lost."
* ShrinesAndTemples: Daikoku city has quite a lot of these -- handy, since Searchie is forbidden from entering them.
* ShrinkingViolet: Haraken and Denpa are male examples.
* SpamAttack: Daichi tries to attack Isako by spamming her with email. Isako not only deletes the mail faster than Daichi can send it, but she also spams Daichi back, ultimately crashing his glasses and forcing an expensive restore.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Yasako, [[spoiler: her encounter with 4423 inadvertently messed up the therapeutic intent of the Coil Domain and created Miss Michiko]]
* SpiritAdvisor: Densuke -- being a virtual pet, only people with glasses can see him.
* StringyHairedGhostGirl: One explanation of what "Miss Michiko" is entails an onryo-ish death and onryo-ish behavior, but as the story is told, a pure black figure is used to represent her ghost instead of typical onryo garb and appearance, probably to liken her to an Illegal.
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler: In the last episode, Tama Kamikaze-dives with a Nekome-controlled Searchie2.0 in negative space.]]
* TeamPet: Densuke.
* TechnoBabble
* TomatoInTheMirror: The other urban legend explaining exactly ''what'' the mysterious "Miss Michiko" is ends with this.
* TitleDrop: The phenomenon known as Dennou Coil isn't referred to by name until episode 14.
* TrueCompanions: At the end of the series, Isako tells Yasako what basically amounts to "We may have had too many differences to be 'friends,' but we'll ''always'' be [[TrueCompanions/AnimeAndManga Nakama]]."
* TwoScenesOneDialogue: Happens quite a few times in the later episodes, often involving Tamako.
* UndisclosedFunds: Virtually every major expense by the children is simply referred to as "[[HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure x years' worth]] of [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHolidays otoshidama]]". Even a single year of otoshidama is a significant amount of money for children!
* VillainDecay: the Searchies start out as the most terrifying thing the children face, being disastrously dumb and constantly out to get them because the kids carry modified or otherwise unauthorized items. But upon the reveal that [[spoiler: Haraken's aunt Tamako is authorized to control 3 searchies and even Haraken himself is able to having limited command over them]], they become slightly less of a nuisance. And then by the time the Searchies 2.0 get released, which have even more capabilities than the first iteration, all we see of the original searchies anymore are the ones [[spoiler: Tamako controls]] that ''help'' the main heroes.
* VirtualGhost: [[spoiler:The Nulls]].
* WhamLine: The reveal that [[spoiler:4423 didn't refer to Isako's brother... it referred to Isako herself.]]
* WhenItAllBegan: Kanna's accident one year ago, and [[spoiler: Isako's accident 5 years ago.]]
* WinToExit: If you go deep enough into Obsolete Space to notice AGlitchInTheMatrix, you ''really'' shouldn't take your glasses off before you walk out, or [[spoiler:your mind will end up [[TrappedInAnotherWorld trapped there]]. And the authorities will not only do everything they can to keep anyone from even ''attempting'' to rescue you, but are engaged in an ongoing effort to ''destroy'' those spaces knowing that will kill everyone trapped inside, deeming them acceptable losses.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Isako. [[spoiler:While it appears to be played straight through out most of the series, the more you learn about Isako, Yasako, and "4423", and how they all relate to one another the more it becomes clear that Isako is really just a very lonely and angry girl. By the end of the series though, each of the three main protagonists (including Haraken) could be said to qualify, especially Yasako.]]
* YourMindMakesItReal: Normally averted - the primary users of glasses are ''kids'' for god's sake. However, there are things in cyberspace that ''can'' inflict severe damage. All spoilers, though.
** [[spoiler:Kirabugs]]
** [[spoiler:Imago]]
** [[spoiler:Cybercures]]
** [[spoiler:Miss Michiko]]
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Next time on TV Tropes, the index! Look forward to it.

* TheMissingno: "Illegals" are sentient viruses that subsist on metabugs. Some might have been regular cyberpets once, but the material they were made from is no longer valid.

* SceneryPorn

* OptOut: [[spoiler:Fumie, after an encounter with Illegals that almost costs them Kyoko, tells Yasako she doesn't want anything more to do with reseaching them.]]

** Obsolete Space seems to resemble the strange, otherworldly dimension in the ''Series/TwilightZone'' episode "Little Girl Lost" (or the Other Side in the movie ''{{Poltergeist}}''.) It's even said that the souls of the dead wind up in Obsolete Space, making it seem a lot like a realm between death and life). [[spoiler: Kyoko's kidnapping and Yasako's having to rescue her with the help of the family dog]] even resembles the rescue scene from "Little Girl Lost."

* MoodWhiplash: Episode 12 is a CrowningMomentOfFunny, while the next is an immense TearJerker.

** Most ''everyone'' ([[CrowningMomentOfAwesome even Searchieat the end!]]) uses [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Mikuru beams]], even if they call them megane-beams.

* HeroicRROD: [[spoiler:How Yasako's grandfather died.]]

* MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness: While the theory behind the glasses themselves is very plausible (an accidental engineering discovery led to more efficient electrical and data transmission, allowing for the creation of a widespread augmented virtual reality), the fantasy elements present in the net are certainly not.

* Villian Decay: the Searchies start out as the most terrifying thing the children face, being disastrously dumb and constantly out to get them because the kids carry modified or otherwise unauthorized items. But upon the reveal that [[spoiler: Haraken's aunt Tamako is authorized to control 3 searchies and even Haraken himself is able to having limited command over them]], they become slightly less of a nuisance. And then by the time the Searchies 2.0 get released, which have even more capabilities than the first iteration, all we see of the original searchies anymore are the ones [[spoiler: Tamako controls]] that ''help'' the main heroes.

* MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness: While the theory behind the glasses themselves is very plausible (an accidental engineering discovery led to more efficient electrical and data transmission, allowing for the creation of a widespread virtual reality), the fantasy elements present in the net are certainly not.

* MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness: While the theory behind the glasses themselves is very plausible, the fantasy elements present in the net are certainly not.

* UndisclosedFunds: Virtually every major expense by the children is simply referred to as "[[HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure x years' worth]] of [[JapaneseHolidays otoshidama]]". Even a single year of otoshidama is a significant amount of money for children!

* TwoScenesOneDialogue: Happens quite a few times in the later episodes,often involving Tamako.

* ShrinesAndTemples: Daikoku city has quite a lot of these -- handy, since Searchieis forbidden from entering them.

* ShoutOut: Most ''everyone'' ([[CrowningMomentOfAwesome even Searchieat the end!]]) uses [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Mikuru beams]], even if they call them megane-beams.

!!This show provides examples of:

* BeamSpam: Satchii's ultimate attack mode. That it's virtual doesn't make it any less frightening, considering the setting.
* BeardOfEvil: An illegal ''beard'' shows up halfway through the show. It's infectious. And sentient. Then the kids find them building their own civilizations. [[spoiler:The different characters' beards eventually start digi-nuclear warfare with each other using [[MakesSenseInContext Inter-Facial Ballistic Missiles]]. We couldn't make this up if we tried]]. They eventually perform [[spoiler:a collective HeelFaceTurn after the ensuing holocaust]].

* BreatherEpisode
* ButtMonkey: Daichi goes through more [[strike:hilarious]] unnecessary suffering than anyone else.

* CherryBlossoms

* CombiningMecha: Satchii and the "Kyuu-chan" drones

* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: [[spoiler:Imago, which enhances the already-awesome capabilities of the glasses with a {{Technopath}}ic UnusualUserInterface - you can manipulate Space with exponentially greater effect and without performing any outward physical actions. [[PowerAtAPrice Price tag]]: getting hit with metatags or Satchii's format beam normally [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist just wrecks your personal data.]] Imago users suffer ''[[YourMindMakesItReal brain damage and heart disease.]]'' The developers actually ''sealed'' Imago like an unwanted application for this very reason, and even [[TheCracker Isako]] explicitly warns Yasako not to overuse it, or else risk death.]]

* FluffyTamer: Tamako, who controls the Satchiis and Kyuu-chans, gives them affectionate pet names, and even treats them as pets as much as servants.

* ImplacableMan: Satchii, at least from the protagonists' point of view.

* InstantRunes: The metatags seem to function a lot like this, even though the setting is non-magical.
** Subverted with Isako who actually draws patterns that perform all kinds of functions, like dealing with Satchii.
** Manifested later on with [[spoiler:[[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Imago]]]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Daichi in the end.

* KillerRabbit: ''Boku Satchii!''

* TheLoad: Kyoko, most of the time.
** Picture [[Anime/MyNeighborTotoro Mei-chan]] with poop jokes. And lasers.

* ShoutOut: Most ''everyone'' ([[CrowningMomentOfAwesome even Satchii at the end!]]) uses [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Mikuru beams]], even if they call them megane-beams.

* ShrinesAndTemples: Daikoku city has quite a lot of these -- handy, since Satchii is forbidden from entering them.

* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler: In the last episode, Tama Kamikaze-dives with a Nekome-controlled Satchii 2.0 in negative space.]]

* {{Wham Episode}}: Episode 21. Holy crap episode 21.

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* BeardOfEvil: Kinda-example: An illegal ''beard'' shows up halfway through the show. It's infectious. And ''sentient''. [[spoiler:The different characters' beards eventually start digi-nuclear warfare with each other using [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Inter-Facial Ballistic Missiles]]. I couldn't make this up if I tried.]]
** Even performs a HeelFaceTurn after the ensuing holocaust.
** [[spoiler:The only thing is that the episode becomes a completely anvilicious author tract about war.]]