ReNe: dennō coil (電脳コイル)

We're currently watching Dennō Coil (電脳コイル, Dennō Koiru) and am very impressed by it. Set against an aumented reality (AR) backdrop, it has the brilliant predictive flair of Ghost in the Shell, but it is not as edgy. I particularly like the way the technological tools, such as the glasses and earpieces, are woven into ordinary life as everyday objects. Often, a show attempts to create a futuristic world that is either bubbly and shiny (Jetsons) or post-apocalyptic (practically any mecha anime, really). I don't mind the latter, but it is refreshing to see a very ordinary take on the future, where AR is seen to overlay a world that has the old (shrines), present (current day styled buildings like homes and schools) and the future (toys like the glasses). I especially love the way the metatags look just like the japanese ofuda or the chinese talisman, you know, the kind you stick on the forehead of a chinese vampire. The anime drawing style is pretty pleasing as well; it reminds me of Studio Ghibli (the younger sister Kyoko even looks and sounds like the kid sister in My Neighbor Toroto).