From Animation to Augmentation: Dennō Coil and the Composited Self

Abstract

When cities are covered over with layers of augmented reality, what shadows are cast by this new ability to see? The Japanese anime series Dennō Coil explores exactly this question, following a group of children living in a near-future society where augmented reality glasses have become as essential to daily life as smartphones have today. Comparing debates over ‘seamful’ design in ubiquitous computing with the role of the alpha channel in digital image compositing, the author argues for understanding the sensory environments of augmented reality as part of a longer history of bringing the animated image out into the spaces of everyday life. This article explores the new physical and psychological demands placed on individuals as they seek to navigate the protocols of this newly augmented world, while cultivating and conditioning what the author calls the ‘composited self’. Keywords: alpha channel, animation, anime, augmented reality, childhood, Dennō Coil, image compositing, Iso Mitsuo, ubiquitous computing