Yeah, I was kind of guessing that the later episodes would get more episodic as the series continued. Without revealing too much, it is a matter of Darker and Edgier or Cerebus Syndrome?
You are displaying abnormally high compulsions to over-analyze works of fiction and media. Diagnosis: TV Tropes Addiction.Cerebus Syndrome is closer. The serious elements are actually present from the start, but it takes a while for them to show just how serious they really are.
It doesn't become Darker and Edgier in the way we usually use the trope, but it does introduce some rather eerie elements later on.
GIVE ME... GIVE ME...
For anyone who's interested in watching the anime it's available here [1]
. Like I said, its highly worth checking out.
So I just finished episode 13 and I'm pretty sure that's when the Cerebus Syndrome started to kick in. It's starting to get a bit darker but it's still pretty much the same thing with Miyazaki's films. I think it fits nicely alongside Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away.
You are displaying abnormally high compulsions to over-analyze works of fiction and media. Diagnosis: TV Tropes Addiction.What...the...fuck?
To bring up a long dead thread for an obscure anime for just a sec, I saw the beard episode.
Nothing has any right to be as mind-bogglingly silly and yet, heartwarming? How the I don't even.
That aside, it's been a great series so far with some interesting mystery. It's crazy how much the kids have grown on me. It helps they actually act a lot more like kids than most anime out there. It's not overly cloying, but it's still cute without falling into the pitfalls of Moe either.
The simple premise yields a surprising amount of thoughtfulness on how this whole system works, and some obviously fantasy-ish and soft science aside, it's not terribly implausible and heck managed to predict Pokemon Go 9 years early.
I guess it's much more than the sum of its parts.

Hope no one minds if I create this topic, but I just saw the first three episodes of this anime yesterday and I freaking love it. It is just, WOW. The animation is awesome, the characters are awesome, the storyline is awesome, the music is...relatively interesting, everything is just amazing about it. Dennou Coil is highly recommendable!
edited 23rd Aug '10 10:21:57 AM by Mattonymy
You are displaying abnormally high compulsions to over-analyze works of fiction and media. Diagnosis: TV Tropes Addiction.