When it comes to how far artificial intelligence can go, there are many shows and movies that explore its limits. These types of shows call into question where the line stands between what is and what isn't considered human. Westworld is one prominent example, in which robots in a theme park take revenge against their human creators. But what if humans were a theme park attraction for robots? Deca-Dence explores this "reverse Westworld" scenario in a way that is even more fulfilling than the HBO hit.
Deca-Dence revolves around a select group of humans living inside of a field generated by cyborgs. Creatures known as the Gadoll, monsters that can generate defensive fields, are on the attack. To counter the Gadoll's abilities, two groups rely on each other for survival. Tankers live sheltered lives inside of a moving fortress called Deca-Dence, carrying out tasks to keep humanity prospering on the inside and maintain the giant fortress that they rely on for protection. Meanwhile, other people called Gears form raids outside of the defensive walls to hunt the Gadoll and drain them of their blood.
The humans themselves don't know their life is one big illusion. The cyborgs treat life on Earth as a game that they can play without worry due to the fact that the avatars they inhabit aren't their real bodies. They operate under a system developed by humans of the far past, and those who disobey the system are dealt with swiftly, being considered a "bug." Under their system, the cyborgs control all of the aspects of this world, running a facility that generates Gadoll for the humans to fight against and crafting storylines for the cyborgs to participate in.
At the start of the series, Kaburagi is serving as the head of the cleanup crew for Deca-Dence. While he has this job in public, Kaburagi has other responsibilities due to the fact that he is enlisted to help report bugs. As he carries out his regular duties he comes across Natsume, a Tanker who wants to fight among the Gears but is rejected. Kaburagi figures out that Natsume is a bug to the system, something which happened when she was severely wounded years ago. Through the acts that Kaburagi eventually takes against the system, he develops a will free from its constraints.
The show's ending allows for both humans and their cyborg counterparts to co-exist without the annihilation of either side. Instead of living a life that involves constant war against the Gadoll, both exist in the ruins of Deca-Dence. Smaller, docile Gadoll are used for entertainment purposes rather than a tool for bloodshed. On top of that, the Gears find new jobs to both test their battle skills and start a new life. The peaceful coexistence between both of them allows for a more concise journey that allows them to find peace in a devastated world.
Westworld is a series that starts off with a strong first season. Set in a situation that reverses the former show's premise, it explores the nature of humanity and AI, with AI hosts gaining sentience in a theme park designed to please human sadism. The first season exhibits this relationship well, showing certain characters like Dolores come to the realization of the truth bit by bit until ultimately staging a revolution against the humans that abused them.
This gradual growth of awareness of oppressive systems is one of Westworld's strengths it shares with Deca-Dence. The path to consciousness contains its own journey into oneself, including stages such as the development of inner thoughts and eventually the capacity to act on one's own self-interest. While Deca-Dence is more concise with this theme, Westworld plays with the concept in interesting ways across multiple seasons.
However, the second and third season proved a lot less interesting overall than the first one. The second season is prone to complicating itself as it jumps around multiple timelines confusingly and less successfully than Season 1's more elegant structure. At least the second season answered many of the questions raised by the first, but this left the third season to go down a path far removed from the original premise.
While Westworld tries to explore the limits of humanity, Deca-Dence is a creative inversion which delivers its storyline with a more focused sense of direction. Unlike Westworld's increasing games of confusion, Deca-Dence allows for a conclusive ending. In some sense, Kaburagi's sacrifice helps to change the nature of the cyborg's game without destroying their place with humanity. In contrast to Westworld's cynicism, the relationship between Natsume and her cyborg counterparts gives hope to a different kind of future.
