Fifteen years ago, disaster struck human civilization, and now dangerous man-eating monsters roam the ravaged lands, posing an existential threat to the remaining survivors. Amid this turmoil, an isolated facility shelters children and nurtures them in peace. However, as a few among them find out about the world beyond the narrow periphery of their nursery's walls, their curiosity about it slowly grows.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, young survivors Maru and Kiruko band together to search for a special place called Heaven, each for their own reasons. Carrying past burdens and tragic secrets, the two hope to find answers to the cruelty they have experienced in their lives and in the world, which still remains in tatters.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Mcsuper
The theme of finding hope in a seemingly hopeless or dark world has been done before, in a slice of life way in Girls’ Last Tour, in a lovecraftian horror form in Made in Abyss, or in many other ways of which I haven’t seen before. Tengoku Daimakyo takes this theme, but has a sci-fi mystery backdrop to it, making it quite a unique experience, and one I haven’t really experienced personally. What do we want from a sci-fi mystery show? Do we want twists and turns, dark reveals, or unpredictability? Tengoku Daimakyo has all of that, but it also has the one narrative technique Iappreciate the most in media, which is “show, don’t tell”. This anime masterfully handles that by giving us virtually no real direction on the surface, but encourages the viewer to ponder on the events of each episode, pay attention to how the characters act, and recall past events to make a scene or reveal hit that much harder. It’s an anime that can generate a lot of discourse because it is just so mind-bending at times, and confusing, in the most wonderful of ways. It’s not exactly “unpredictable” either, but in order to get the full picture, some thinking must be done — I really appreciate that, as it makes for another level of engagement to the events of the anime. In many media, it’s the author who seems to be the one dumping the information, but in this show, it’s instead the viewers who might try to put two and two together, like a puzzle, to figure out what exactly is going on in the story. There’s no better feeling than when you put two and two together and find out your theory was indeed correct. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air from the constant info dumps in other anime, though there are still some info dumps in this show as well.
To give a gist of the setting and story, it’s set in a post apocalyptic world where human civilization was destroyed, man-eating monsters are all over, laying waste to the remains of the land, and threatening the lives of the survivors. Meanwhile, there is a facility that is isolated from the rest of the world, which nurtures children in a very peaceful setting. It reminded me of The Promised Neverland in a way, with the Grace Field house. The two protagonists, Kiruko and Maru are seemingly looking for this place, which they call “Heaven”, and along the way they encounter many intriguing things, as tales on the inside of the nursery and outside get told. Themes around human nature, companionship, and the search for meaning can be seen in both settings, which made for great parallels and comparisons between both the children and the protagonists of the outside world. It was quite interesting seeing the stories of both the nursery and the outside world being told side by side with one another, not relying on info dumps or conventional flashback sequences to understand the lore of the world.
Not only is it very thought-provoking, it also looks and sounds incredible, with an audiovisual experience that always had me paying attention and sometimes on the edge of my seat. The directing is phenomenal in really setting the atmosphere and the eerie tone in the more important scenes, but also can change into a very light tone in more comedic scenes. The backgrounds show us the backdrop of urban decay, rather than just flat out telling us. The soundtrack contributes to the atmosphere a lot too, as Kensuke Ushio, who composed music for anime like Chainsaw Man, A Silent Voice, and The Dangers in My Heart, did a great job yet again here to convey the occasional emotional gut punch, or to get us even more uncomfortable in a horrifying sequence. Everything about the production overall was at a very high level, and after seeing the staff behind it, I can see why. It was truly a legendary team of people producing a passion project from start to finish, with the art director Yuji Kaneko, numerous elite episode directors and storyboarders in Haruka Fujita, in which it’s her first work outside of Kyoto Animation, Kai Ikarashi, who worked on Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as well as the Turning Point episode of Mushoku Tensei, and also Toshimasa Ishii, who directed 86: Eighty-Six. I would also love to shout out Hirotaka Mori, since it was his directorial debut in the anime sphere.
The characters were quite a strong part of the series as well, with Kiruko and Maru’s relationship and chemistry being quite the highlight of the show. The dialogue between them felt quite natural and organic, like bros just having a great time together, rather than forcing romance into the dynamic in a contrived manner.. That said, as this show has quite a focus on human nature, there is an element of romance there, but it’s more that the show tries to explore human emotions, sexuality, and gender, so how the relationship is handled is quite natural and interesting to watch. They both have past traumas, and I have stated in my past reviews about my disdain for “sob story backstories”— but when an anime can build upon the traumatic past with developments in the present time, it can work well. In this case, it was handled quite well in this anime to create a coming of age narrative for the protagonists, as they tried to find meaning in this mess of a world they found themselves in. The children in the nursery admittedly were quite abundant and difficult to follow along at times, but with some thought, some of them still ended up being very endearing in their own ways along with the protagonists of the outside world.
Among the popular hitters like Oshi no Ko, Hell’s Paradise, and Demon Slayer, Tengoku Daimakyo has gone a bit under the radar, but I’m glad many people gave it a shot. It’s something a bit different, very thought-provoking, emotional, and something that will be quite memorable to me for quite a while. That said, while it’s one of the best anime of this season in my opinion, it’s nowhere near finished, so as the kids say, let it cook, and we may be in for another masterclass when the time comes for a sequel, which I hope we’ll get, even if it takes a while. With time, this may become a modern classic, who knows?
Till next time, see you, bye bye!
remeemes
Captivating beginning, disappointing ending. I am the last person advocating for less mystery or less predictability (at least with the plot in the case of this anime, as the result of encounters with the monsters of this world were clear). However, I felt as though there was a bit too much "new" mystery and not enough building on the "old", or the mysterious reveals already in place. This leaves the viewer with a lot of questions and the worry that the majority may never be answered. The show really does well in creating a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, and it was very fun to watch our twomain characters journey in such an environment. Had it been just that, this might've been an enjoyable, lighthearted at times, heartfelt in others, ecchi-at-times show. However, the last two episodes come out of nowhere and taint the pleasant feelings with unpleasant ones to say the least. To make it worse, the unpleasantness goes on too long, the characters move on too quickly for such an experience, and the ending scene with our protagonists seems to act like what happened in the past two episodes were as important as a filler arc, making the characters feel unreal and not human.
The art, shot composition, and audio were all amazing and really caught and kept the viewers attention. The OP and ED were really good, but I have to say that it was really hard to feel the same way about a clearly happy and lighthearted ED after watching episodes 10-12. Things really weren't the same after that. I really wanted to like this show - I really DID like this show - and I was willing to overlook the suboptimal writing if not for the greatly disappointing final episodes.
Sometimes many shining moments can be undermined by a terrible few. I believe that to be the case for Tengoku Daimakyou. As much as I enjoyed nearly every aspect about the show up until that point, I cannot ignore the ending.
Sonwig
Trigger warning: sexual assault It is a testament to how stale anime has become if Tengoku Daimakyou is considered great. It is not quite awful, with strong production values throughout and clear artistic effort put into it. The major issues with the pacing, coupled with the poor story and characters that we are shown, land it as a high 3 out of 10. The short TV anime squanders so much of its limited runtime on boring and pointless scenes. Not the side stories; such diversions are welcome in this kind of show. However, the scenes showing the children in 'heaven' were excessively long and dull. Noneof it mattered whatsoever until the final few episodes, and still it didn't tie back to the main characters. These parts took up a large portion of the show and were unecessary.
This might only be a problem because the show is unfinished. The entire pacing is built towards a climax that is being saved for some future second season. It can't stand on its own as a single season without that second part. The entire show is unwatchable because of how it was structured. Unless you're watching it for the above average art and animation, there's no point in seeing this until they release the rest because the only interesting part of the show is the mystery, which is built up through the whole season and never resolved.
Of course, if it had good characters and individual stories it would still hold up. Unfortunately neither are quite the case. The creators were good at writing a mystery, not so much interesting characters. None had complex personalities. The only real character trait an important character had was the main boy who's trait is that he is horny. Main girl, heaven girl etc., are all completely forgetable but for their designs (the designs clearly came before the characters). The side quests are really forgettable as well, all just exploring very basic and surface level themes. They were all just incredibly mediocre and poorly written.
The climax of this season is about the main girl's character. Her character arc is the real point of this season. But this main pillar crumbles only a few episodes after we hear her backstory (which does look to be interesting at first). The whole thing is handled so poorly and the writers clearly can't make anything complex or believable. This character's story is just such an insane planewreck that crashes into heathrow, leveling several terminals and killing thousands. The quasi-normal anime sexual assault that the main boy does to her is just even less forgivable because in the last two episodes the show actually brings up sexual assault and its just so awful. And its like mainly about gender but only the wierdest conception of it. There's nothing wrong with touching these subjects as long as you treat it with respect (the show doesn't). It's also fine to have boobs and fanservice, and the show isn't bad because it has those things. It's bad because of how the fanservice is presented and how it ties to the character themes. It could have still been a good show despite this depiction...
Tengoku Daimakyou would have been less talked about than Aico: Incarnation if this had come out in 2018 (not the highest point in anime). But today it is somehow praised to the moon and given an ultra-high ranking when it is fundementally, detatched from its poor handling of the main character and themes related to her, a 4 out of 10 show, or 5 out of 10 at a stretch. Don't watch until the second season comes out. Even when it does, only watch it if you like the character and monster designs.
Stark700
As the brainchild of this franchise, Masakazu Ishiguro created this piece of work that I can easily say is a creative story. Rather than following the recent endless trend of fantasy isekai or romantic comedies, he had a vision for Heavenly Delusions. That vision is to create a postapocalyptic world where we see a dystopia-like environment and how mankind adapts to survive. With two colorful story plot within one setting, Heavenly Delusion is one of the most ambitious shows I've seen in 2023, and that's not an unerstatement. Unlike his previous work And Yet The Town Moves, this show adapts a much darker tone in storytellingand setting. To me, this was an experimental type of anime that focuses on the 'what ifs' and how people can survive in a world without laws and being in ruins. The postapocalyptic setting of this anime is never shy to show the cruelty of reality. Not only do we meet monsters known as 'Man-Eaters' but our characters must deal with everyday environments too. It's a setting that depicts how humanity can live without modern technology and being part of something that's far from heavenly.
As mentioned before, the show follows two storylines. One of them focuses on the pair of Maru and Kiruko as they travel through the desolate lands with their personal goals. The other storyline involves a facility for children with special abilities. This place in the show is dubbed as 'Heaven', a name contrasting sharply with the outside word. Both storylines contains a similar tone with a sense of mystery and dark themes. Masakazu wanted us to experience the story as if we were there ourselves. His creative vision leads to many elements found in other postapocalyptic settings and most noticably, we realize how he wanted to create a society where our worst nightmares can come to life. Maru and Kiruko's journey throughout the anime shows how dangerous their environments can be. With cities in ruins, Man-Eaters are a constant threat to humanity. Their encounters with them leads to vicious fights as these monsters show no mercy against their prey. However, I would also like to mention that despite all the dangers, Maru and Kiruko make an effective pair. Their skills and talents along with resourcefulness allowed the duo to survive.
Maru and Kiruko also has an unique chemistry among the cast. Let me just say that as we follow their journey, we see how the duo cares for one another beyond just survivng. Maru's goal for searching for Heaven inspires himself to not give up no matter what obstacles are ahead. With Kiruko's resourcefulness, she helps him during their journey while also making jokes and and humor to lighten up the mood. In fact, having Kiruko's companionship gives Maru's a sense of relief and her tomboyish personality brings out the best of the two. For herself, Kiruko feels more comfortable when not alone with Maru by her side. The chemistry of these two characters brings out not just the lighter side of the anime but perhaps also show that there's hope for humanity after all.
The other more darker and mysterious story plot involves characters at a nursery type of facility that we come to know as Heaven. Under a controlled environment, the characters are clueless about the outside world. They are not being held as prisoners but something always felt off and ominous. It is also under mysterious circumstances that some of the characters have special abilities that transcends above logic. Watching these segments brings a lot of questions, and unfortunately, this season alone doesn't have enough answers for them all. Yet, I find this side of the story intrguing because it ties in with a theme of the show about facing the unknown. Heavenly Delusions' mysterious world is created based on a postapocalyptic setting and we really have to ask ourselves what truly exist out there and if there's a bright future for humanity. Characters at Heaven often feels a sense of danger as if something is out to get them but also fears about the outside world. Behind the scenes, we don't know a whole lot about the endgame goals of higher ups. Some brief glances gives us a disturbing picture related to experimentation. But again, being a 1-cour (13 episodes) anime does hold this anime back from answering our questions.
Thankfully, the plot doesn't carry itself around loosely between the two plots. We have the characters with personalities that makes us curious about the anime altogether. This is especially true for characters within that mysterious facility such as Tokio, Shiro, among others. One especially interesting episode details background events about Heaven that takes place years ago. A particular child named Asura begs a lot of question about her true origins and why she existed in the first place. She even exists in the main timeline and we must ask ourselves how much she affects the world. On the more disturbing matters, we also learn about Tokio's fate at the end of episode 9. In fact, I would say Heavenly Delusions contain dark and somewhat controversial elements throughout its duration. From experimentations, psychological violence, and postapocalyptic elements, you need to brace yourself as this anime is not light to the heart.
Production IG is an interesting choice for this show, as they adapt a world in ruins. From the fictional world setting to its characters, the studio wanted to give us a real look at how it's different from our modern society. In fact, the world is crafted with care and precision to show how much the world lies in ruins. On the other hand, Heaven is built on a foundation that sounds out more than any other place in the world. Finally, expect graphic violence from the show. Man-eaters in this anime are designed with grotesque elements. Make no mistake, the man eaters show no human traits and their presence inspires fear among humanity. Combined with its eerie soundtrack, Heavenly Delusions truly is Masakazu Ishiguro's darkest work to date.
Ultimately, Heavenly Delusions may not be aimed at everyone but certainly is a special anime on its own. Using ideas from postapocalyptic themes and tying together two storylines together always kept me at the edge of my seat. With every episode, I felt like the anime continues to build more and more into its mystique. And to be honest, Masakazu Ishiguro truly gave us a worthy anime to talk about this year.
APolygons2
If a works' value was in it's detail, this show would be a mountain of diamond. There is so much that can be said about this show's production value alone, but most of you have eyes and ears, and when something is this god damn polished, you don't really need someone else to tell you it looks and sounds really fucking good. no, the thing that I'm going to talk about, is a thing that for some Haruhi forsaken reason, I am one of the 12 people who cares about, and that's the mystery writing! mystery is my favourite genre for a lot of different reasons, thebiggest one is, I love the feeling of not knowing. To me something that I don't know is a lot more intriguing, than something that I do know.
but here's the fucked up part about mystery, it's pretty hard to write it well.
you NEED to create a balance between, intrigue and answers, build up and pay off, deception and telling the truth. there are so many elements that go into creating a good mystery, and this show nails EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. THEM!
so let's start by pissing of the AOT fandom, cause a new king of foreshadowing is upon us. if you think attack on titan building up to it's biggest plot twist from the start is impressive, then you have seen NOTHING.
from the very first episode: we have throw away joke of the main character saying "I'm also a boy" which to everyone's surprise, is more than a joke. I don't want to spoil the show here by naming all the foreshadowing bits, but trust me, there is a lot of them....
for those of you who have seen the show, Imma give you one that you probably didn't notice, did you know maru means circle?.... yeah imma leave that one at that.
but what would be the point of foreshadowing if the answers weren't good, except that they are really god damn good, and the show is so smart with how it gives them, it starts by giving you vague hints on an answer, but then it slowly makes them more ands more obvious. it's designed so that sooner or later you will reach the answers yourself. which is how it manages to convey countless twists, without ever outright saying any of them. you feel smart, but you aren't. the show has just brilliantly placed it's answers in a way that you feel like Sherlock Holmes for figuring it out, while it was part of the plan all along.
It's some Joseph Joestar shit I tell you, I can just imagine the author sitting in their room yelling "next you're going to say, oh so this is how that happened" after every chapter.
now, I said I wasn't going to talk about the visuals, and I won't, but I can not, not describe how good the visual story telling is.
you hear one line get cut short, and then a faint smile met by another character getting shocked, and boom that's somehow a whole ass character arc.
in that same episode, you see a keychain, and then you see it again, and boom that's a twist.
every background, every expression, every setting is filled with information so seamlessly that you don't even know you're learning about the characters and the world as you're watching it. it's fucking brilliant, and extremely rewarding if you pay attention.
and at the end of it all, after so many answers, so many hints, so many things that we learn through the visuals, it still feels like we are barely scratching the surface of the overall mystery.
there is a lot more that I can gosh about, but for a mystery fan like me, this alone was more than enough to make it my personal favourite anime this year. plus I don't want to write a novel for a mal review, so I decided to focus on one strong element, instead of barely touching on everything.
ZNoteTaku
*Heavenly Delusion* is a world that is more lived in rather than explained, a story in which its earliest images of urban decay and the clean pristineness of the nursery contrast like night and day, telling us everything we need to know within seconds. The former is subjected to the ravages of catastrophe and left humankind to their own devices, buildings left to rot in the overgrow of greenery and decrepit highways. The latter is so clean and saccharine with children running and playing that it feels mystifyingly sheltered, if not outright false. As far as these two places’ geography and ideology is concerned, theycould not be further apart. But even so, the stories of these two locations weave together to make a fine science-fiction tapestry, visually and acoustically beautiful while delving into the darker remnants of what its world means as a breathing space and to the people within it.
In both settings, its characters are constantly chasing their own metaphorical rainbow. For Kiruko and Maru, they are bound together by job contract to find “Heaven,” someone who looks exactly like Maru, and two people that Kiruko knows from their past, though it becomes rather apparent that the duo’s relationship is more than merely a professional commitment. In the midst of their foraging and scavenging, they can only wonder at times of life before the catastrophe. The children in the nursery begin exhibiting behaviors foreign to their cloistered place. They indulge their new, curiosity-laden impulses either with the setting directly or with each other. Even at times where one narrative appears to be left behind and the other takes centerstage, they are constantly bound together by mysteries that thematically complement the seemingly-separate threads. In that spirit, the two stories are always moving in parallel, even if the actual number of minutes spent in each place is unequal.
*Heavenly Delusion* piles mysteries on top of one another in a mesmerizingly organic and multifaceted fashion; much like its characters, it rewards its curious viewer with an answer to a burning question every once in a while, before managing to pull the wool back over the eyes and have several other mysteries crop up. By allowing their curious impulses to take over, the characters are, in essence, knocking on Heaven’s Door to see what lies beyond. It provides just enough give to whet the immediate appetite, all while having several cards still up its sleeve and ready to slam on the table with telegraphed finesse. Each new piece of information learned brings some knowledge about the world, but in order to get it, slaying the vicious Man-Eaters or trying to reconcile one’s unfamiliar feelings is a consequence or payment that needs to be made.
With all the forces pressing down upon the characters in *Heavenly Delusion,* there is an inherent interplay between freedom and imprisonment involving body, mind, and soul that is constantly and amorphously shifting. Adjusting to each new situation or truth, and the characters striving for their own sense of self-signification despite them, pervades the show’s glimmers of triumph and its imposing melancholia.
But glimmers are worth holding onto, and solace is often found in the company of the few people who really matter. As Kiruko and Maru forage through old buildings, the practical reason is obvious – they need supplies. Underlying all of that though is the desire to see just what lies waiting to be understood or uncovered, both of the world and of the other. As children actively living in the aftermath of the catastrophe that struck the world, their own curiosity fuels their relationship. They do not have all the answers (no one in their world has them, apparently), yet even so, it does not stop some of the adults they encounter from making disparaging remarks about them living the bulk of their lives long after the catastrophe initially struck. However, in the midst of all that jadedness and cynicism hurled their way, they allow themselves to wonder. That wonderment provides its own kind of spiritual and emotional refuge.
It is a kind of familiarity that is born when you have been with someone for a long time, or understand someone well enough to know what they are more or less thinking to the point where you inherently trust them without necessarily saying anything. It moves beyond trust, though – it allows you to laugh and maintain your spirits in a world that seems like it is always trying crushing it, and with someone else there there with you, things don’t have to be so bad. In a sea of empty houses that have creaked floors, broken windows, and cars that stopped working long ago, actual danger does rear its ugly head from time to time. All that scavenging and foraging may have been to find supplies, but the shelter each one seeks is walking right alongside them. It will keep them safe from whatever travail or horror comes their way, giving each action-oriented encounter a smoothly-choreographed zeal, and a sincere laugh when they comedically find unused toilet paper. And when they find others who have established their own small communities in the apocalyptic wasteland willing to help, they see in them what they see in each other, just in another form.
And for the children in the nursery, they begin to taste the “forbidden fruits” of the literal and figurative boundaries of their imaginations. You can only keep someone inside a sphere for so long before they long to wonder whether there is more than the limit of what they know. In their youthful and hormonal naivety, allowed to foster unfettered(?) and undeterred(?) by the powers that be, they likewise find solace and meaning that transcends the self and moves into something more intangibly fragile and flickering. As one of their own says, it’s a love that you’ll know is different than anything else. All the while, the viewer acknowledges the suspenseful knell that’s ready to sound, but there’s an assuredness in knowing that they, too, have found refuge and will survive with one another.
Whether through Kiruko and Maru, the children in the nursery, or the many peoples and places that are seen and heard, *Heavenly Delusion* is thus a grimly communal series where the setting can be vicious and choking, violent without remorse, and difficult to stomach. And at the same time, it is capable of producing tender mercies, sincerity that stands against the specters of death waiting in the wings. Every day, the characters see and learn a little more, grow a little closer, and attempt to find what they need to find. Not every truth, person, or monster beyond Heaven’s Door is pleasant, but the feeling that they can, and will, carry on is always there.
One tip for the weary – if your gun isn’t charged, run like hell.
EvanNater
For ~95% of this show's runtime it is a very solid, 7/10 sci-fi mystery series that I would genuinely recommend. The problem is the other 5%; so bad that it makes me a) wish I hadn't watched the show and b) feel forced to write this review in order to warn others as I wish I had been warned myself. Anytime the show has to deal with gender, sex and sexuality, all the subtly and decent writing goes straight out the window and the scenes with such included get increasingly uncomfortable to watch. That is not taking into account the last episode and a bit which -though I will not spoil - was disgusting, completely unnecessary, gratuitous and left me genuinely upset.
In a moment I will discuss around the ending and while I'll try to minimise spoilers, if you're the sort who (like me) likes to go into media blind, check out content warnings for this show and thanks for reading.
My description of the last episode (and a bit) may seem like hyperbole, but I genuinely think the sexual violence portrayed in this anime is worse than that included in the first episode of Goblin Hunter. While you could argue that Goblin Hunter's sexual violence being fetishised makes it inarguably worse, I would level the same criticism at the scenes in this show; if you want to have sexual violence in your anime (I mean, why would you?), use of audio, dialogue and discretionary shots can get the point across to the audience without having to actually depict the sexual violence in question. The dialogue by itself is more than explicit enough. So if you choose not to do that, if you choose explicitly depict the sexual violence in question, what other conclusion can I draw other than a desire to fetishise that sexual violence for a portion of your audience to enjoy?
Let's address the second of my criticism, that those scenes were unnecessary. I am not a manga reader so what does the inclusion of this sexual violence subplot add to the anime's story? Genuine question. The victim brushes it off afterwards with a 'can't stay depressed forever' that is just, incredibly insulting to actual victims of sexual violence and the ending of the anime gave the impression that it was returning to the episodic adventure formula afterwards so...what was the goddamn point? I get that the anime ends near immediately after; there is no time to deal with the fallout but a) why act like the second season (if it gets one) is going to just pick up on the normal adventures of the two characters, thereby robbing this event of the weight and discussion it deserves? And b) why include it at the very end of your first season, giving you no room to treat the sexual violence as anything other than a 'well, that just happened'?!
I'm sorry but I cannot understand, excuse or forgive the sexual violence as it was depicted at the end of this show and it has reduced my rating to a 1/10; I genuinely wish I had not watched this show and I will be recommending others not to watch it.
sandypanda
Okay, so Heavenly Delusion. What a deceptive show indeed. You see, one thing that gets quite noticeable as the show goes on is a constant effort to subvert viewer's expectations. It happens everytime. Characters that seem like ducks become pigeons for a brief moment only to reveal themselves as some kind of turkey. A side-story might become so deep and twisted you forget where it started. The world of show itself seems like delusion. It starts as a pretty doomed place to live in, atleast it presented this way in the first couple of episodes. There're berserk-like creatures huntin for human brains, the society and progress gotrolled back for a few centuries. But then you see a womens dominant fetishist community, a tomato paradise, a nympho-host and stuff. People do some crazy bs in this show, but it doesnt fit the post-apocaliptic setting not for a bit.
And then there is gore. Not much, but it is there and it never feels in place in this show. One character in particural goes through so much psychological and physical horror that you might wonder if he still resumes his sense of sanity, but nope hes chillin like no tommorow. Like, everyone is so upbeat here no matter what. The huge amount of fanservice doesn't help either.
There is an entire parallel subplot which takes place somewhere in "neverland". It takes a decent runtime and tries to play the themes of complex relations between teenagers in a weird setting like Shinsekai yori did back in the day. Its not bad and the suspense is there, but we have to wait for the 2nd season to see the outcome if its all worthy or not. The main story exists only to make sure the main protagonist won't just stop and grow some tomatoes instead of constantly moving forward.
The one strong aspect is animation for sure. It starts high and keeps a steady pace (aside from one weird episode). The opening is, probably, the best one this year so far. The song is a banger and animation is stylish, creative and pretty unique. I'd say it sets the bar so high its almost distracting to watch the show for how inconsistent it is. Another delusion indeed.
So in the end, should you watch the show? I'd say, wait for a 2nd season. It has some potential to strike as a world-premiere meta drama accompanied by a twisted plot or it may burn as a pretentious garbage, who knows. So far, its mixed, incosistant and unresolved.
Gsarthotegga
Heavenly Delusion is compelling for its atmosphere and setting, and the world building is delivered in a slow, mysterious fashion, with two contrasting storylines eventually converging. Kiruko and Maru roam a devastated Japan, both searching for clues about their past and looking for the elusive "Heaven." Along the way, they have to scrounge for resources, like canned food, clean water, items to sell, etc. The world is filled with roaming bandits and a grotesque array of maneaters, sporting fish-like designs that Junji Ito would appreciate. But they still manage to find time to bond during their downtime, giving the work a kind of grounded sliceof life appeal. At first, it's hard to decipher whether this is a world influenced primarily by sci-fi or if there's a fantasy overlap, and the enigmatic nature reminded me of speculative sci-fi works such as Stalker/Roadside Picnic but combined with a more adventurous post-apocalyptic film like Mad Max.
The other storyline of HD is a little sparser, but the group of children being cloistered in a sterile lab setting with a fake outside that functions as a garden is reminiscent of Shinsekai Yori and Promised Neverland, though more so the former in the way the coming of age elements are handled, balanced with the simultaneous awakening of their unusual powers. Although these segments are important in the way they connect to the overall storyline, the proceedings are more detached, for we follow numerous characters who don't have much of an established personality, and I came to look at the group as a kind of "organism." There are a lot of ways in which the two storylines connect that are not immediately obvious, so it helps to pay close attention, but a second viewing will also prove more rewarding than numerous other series.
Information is slowly revealed about the devastated and dysfunctional world. However, with two co-occurring storylines that are equally vague and slow to reveal information, it can feel aimless at times. For Kiruko's group, they wander around in search of "Heaven," and they have no clues to go on other than hunches like, "Oh, wow, the water in this area is supposed to be 100% safe (derp) to drink, so they'd surely establish 'Heaven' there, right?" "Look at this bird symbol on my gun. Whoa, it's on the boxes, too!" Needless to say, it's more of a journey than a tightly plotted story, but the ambiguity makes the unraveling all the more enticing.
Only Kiruko and Maru are given the time to feel like full-fledged characters. Due to backstory reasons and the thematic focus of the author, Kiruko is the much more intriguing of the two. Maru is blander, and he's kind of your typical runt-like badass shonen main (FATAL DRIVU!!!) who can beat the hell out of everyone (except for bears). However, it's okay. There's a lot of chemistry to be found in their banter, and they sort of function as a comedy duo, for better or worse... On one hand, the two playing off of each other can be fun, but it depends on what draws you to the series.
If it's the enigmatic story and the post-apocalyptic atmosphere, then you may find the couple to be a bit abrasive at times. You know, the typical scenarios like Kiruko barging in on Maru while he's looking at stained porno mags that he found under someone else's bed. "Noooooooooo! It's not what it looks like, mommy. I'm not looking at porn. I don't even know what porn is. You didn't see this." Maru stuffs the porn under the mattress. "What porn are you talking about? I don't see any." Luckily, the humor is sporadic and never saturates the scenes for too long. There's even a plot-relevant "sexy time" humor bit, which is a more layered spin on a cliche scene common to harem, but for every time I get immersed into the world, I get buried neck-deep into a horny coming of age scenario all of a sudden.
The humor becomes more forceful once Juichi is introduced in ep 9; he delivers (alleged) backstory in a way that's infodumpy and obtrusive, then by episode 10 we're treated to a lot of exaggerated animation to mine humor; at one point, Kiruko's face looks like a Shin-chan character, the mains likewise fall into childish caricatures in a more limited animation style, and there are slapstick head conks and all that stuff. I honestly enjoyed the animation and humor in the episode, but even though HD dabbles a good bit in humor, the exaggeration here is perhaps too much of a tonal shift. It would have worked great as a dynamic guest director episode in a pure comedy series, but considering HD fluctuates between humorous banter and a darker atmosphere, it's a bit heavy here.
Similarly, the sadder emotions are sometimes forced, such as the hamfisted scene where a character cries after another character's death and there's sappy music playing. We hadn't even followed the characters for long, and it struck me with the force of a laugh track in a bad sitcom. I know it may seem petty to single moments like this out, but they can do a lot of damage to the work, and it's obvious that this scene was stronger in the manga; the edgy twist of episode 10 is also not doing the series any favors. On the other hand, the lighter moment between Mimihime and Ohma is much more impactful, without any music.
It's probably helpful to point to the Japanese folklore lightly woven into the tapestry of the surroundings to provide context, as most Japanese watching the series will be aware of the references going in. Izanagi and Izanami are a brother-and-sister pair (which is also important in light of how the author explores brother-sister relationships) of deities who engage in an incestuous union to give birth to the deformed Hiruko, whom they abandon. Not only does Hiruko have fish-like characteristics, but he also grew extra appendages and other unnatural features. Hiruko is a name the maneaters are often referred to as, and most of the designs appear inspired by oceanic creatures. Additionally, creation myths, including that of Japanese folklore, involve heaven and earth separating.
The art and animation are solid compared to most seasonals. The polish often expected of Production IG is here, and HD is not a pan-tastic slog like so many other seasonals. There's a mixture of character acting and effects with smoothly rendered animation, but most of the budget goes into chase sequences, beat-downs of thugs, or the elaborate monstrosities that are the man-eaters. The backdrops are solid for the wasteland and help consolidate the atmosphere a bit, but the lab scenes are admittedly flat in comparison, looking like your generic lab in any other series like this, and more dramatic lighting or framing might have helped for such a monotonous and sterile setting. The choice of "alt-idol" music in the OP fits the kind of impassioned (in the lustful and non-lustful sense of the word) teenybopper post-apocalyptic tone the series has. Both the OP and ED have a lot of impressive work put into them, and the ED seems to purposively add its male and female vocal duo to reinforce the themes of the series.
I think my main problem with the show is how it appears to thrive on atmosphere, yet the assumption is somewhat illusory (or maybe I should say delusory). Weird animeisms, awkward teenage character dynamics, out of place humor, and Maru going chop socky on everyone all the time, can kind of suck the life out of the atmosphere sometimes. The environments and slower moments are sufficient enough to maintain a partial atmosphere but not to sculpt a great one.
Mhaaad
I am writing this review after watching all the episodes (13 episodes) and have come to warn people from wasting their time watching this series. There is such a thing as "Too much mystery", this anime proves it. You start the series and get all these questions about the world and how it came to be and brings a lot of curiosity (which is a good thing), but then you start to advance the plot and more questions get added and no answers are revealed! There are different plotlines and we don't know where each takes place, is it the distant past? is it the distant future?is it the current timeline? what year is it when this\that happens?? Too many questions and too many mysteries that ruin the narrative.
Great VA, Great art, Great animation.
Decent character designs.
Terrible narrative.
04/10
darkevangel31
Interestingly enough, the anime's title describes my feelings about the show. Heavenly Delusion...the biggest delusion is that it deserves the 8.2/10 rating It's a shame. I had high hopes for this one because I usually like post-apocalyptic settings. It's not a bad anime per se, but there are so much better works out that deserved to get animated. This anime tries to be deep and edgy with its small plot twists and art style and the characters' speech tics. It tries to pull at your heart strings at a few points, but with characters you really don't care much for. The soundtrack was completely forgettable exceptfor the opening by BiSH. What a waste of their talent, right before they disbanded...
I kept watching it, expecting things to build up to... something. In the end, barely anything happened. The "facility" scenes were kind of interesting, and a few characters in that setting were actually interesting, but the two main characters on the "outside" have no likeable qualities, especially the white-haired one. He pissed me off in every episode.
Do you like anime where characters land in different areas and explore them? Well, this anime has the first part of that. Let's not use the chance to do any world-building. No, let's just keep everything the same and have the characters move on. It feels like things happen to the characters, but the characters aren't really part of the world. I don't know. Does that make sense?
But the biggest complaint I had was the anime's increasingly frequent sexual depiction of its characters. There's a tasteful way to do it, and a way that just screams "written by a man" and is disrespectful to SA victims. It left a really bad taste in my mouth. Anyone who rates this anime really highly... chances are they're a man. It was really frustrating to watch. Definitely not a feminist anime. If you want a good post-apocalyptic anime written by a man with powerful female leads, watch/read Coppelion.
This is the kind of anime where I would just read a synopsis of what happened after the anime ended, because no way in hell am I forcing myself to read through the manga and pretend to like the 2 MCs.
LuisSV23
Absolutely stunning, I was completely blown away by every aspect of this anime. From beginning to end, the series managed to captivate me in an extraordinary way. The plot, although not entirely innovative, unfolds masterfully. While the initial episodes may be somewhat confusing, as the story progresses, it becomes increasingly clear and captivating. The dual narrative, presented from two perspectives, adds an additional charm to the plot. Undoubtedly, the characters are one of the standout points. Both the main characters and the supporting ones are meticulously crafted, with fascinating backgrounds and well-defined personalities. Their interactions flow organically, creating a captivating atmosphere. Additionally, the "mysterious" characters fulfill theirpurpose brilliantly, keeping the viewer in suspense and challenging them to decipher their true intentions.
The world-building in this series is of exceptional quality. It is surprising how effectively they managed to portray it in just 13 episodes. Furthermore, the decision to not reveal more information than necessary immerses the viewer in the story. The revelations and key moments pack a strong punch, creating a truly immersive experience.
The animation is simply breathtaking. I was amazed by the visual quality and level of detail in each frame. There is no denying that a great deal of effort and dedication has been put into the animation and production of this anime. Every scene is a visual delight, and the judicious use of CGI adds a captivating aesthetic without overusing its presence.
The musical aspect is another standout feature of this masterpiece. Both the opening and ending are excellent, perfectly complementing the overall atmosphere of the series. Likewise, the musical pieces used in moments of tension, sadness, happiness, or calmness more than fulfill their purpose, establishing an emotional connection with the viewer.
In summary, I can't do anything else but highly recommend this series. While there may be some situations that might be uncomfortable or not to everyone's liking, they in no way overshadow the overall brilliance of the work. A less successful episode should not detract from the overall quality of the series.
Bloyskie
Since the last 2 years I've started to get bored of watching anime, and this anime accidentally came across my FB home page,Recommended by a friend, at first I wasn't interested at all because I thought "hah, at least this anime is the same as other anime" that's what I thought until I started watching episode 1, and it caught my attention and finally I watched it until the end, Really unexpected, and extraordinary, I would consider this anime the best anime I have ever watched in my life, I hope there is a continuation of season 2 of this anime
gautrstafr
Overall the first 11 episodes feel great, it's an episodic adventure with lots of walking where you explore the post-apocalyptic Japanese society and landscap together with the two main characters. I always love an anime that can be compared to the Hobbit or LotR, since those books are true adventures with lots of walking where a whole new universe is built up with each interaction the main characters have with the world itself and its inhabitants. Heavenly Delusion's world is truly something, though it borderlines the generic post apocalyptic sci fi story but does so with a good enough twist to be original, Lots of questionsarise when watching this, and the lore is almost all there with a few exception but it's all told indirectly and visually with two separate timelines. One timeline is basically flashbacks to characters that do pop up here and there in the main story so keep your eyes open and pay close attention until the end.
There's also a big LGBTQ+ question, and I feel it's done so in a very poor way. The author should've investigated more into this matter or just leave it out as it has very little impact and they do make a big deal about it, especially in the finale. Even then, if this quesiton was compeltely erased, the story and chaacters would stay 99% the same.
My biggest gripe about this anime are the last 2 episodes in which one of the two main characters fulfills one of their goals. The reward? NOTHING. There's no change for the party and at the end of episode 13 they are just as they were at the end of episode 11, no closer to the bigger goal and no closer to answering the bigger questions viewers might have.
In my book if a story has lots of pieces that do not have impact, then it's not a good story. As a whole, I cannot recommend this anime. It's just a poorly done story that's not worth your time.
As an episodic adventure, most episodes are pretty enjoyable and absolute great on their own. probably around 8 episodes were 10/10, the rest were either too generic or just a poorly done story.
haspe
I believe that this anime and what is being attempted to be presented in terms of the story is actually an attempt to subtly portray disturbing perversions to the audience. A story that doesn't explain anything and doesn't convey any message, except being pervert. I don't know why I kept watching. I think it's because of my desire to learn the story and because of the beautiful illustrations. At first, it seemed like a good post-apocalyptic science fiction anime, but as I watched it, I started to feel disgusted. I don't recommend it and I don't understand why it has such a high rating.
Omarumba
Hey! The spring season of 2023 concludes with the end of the anime adaptations, among which Tengoku Daimakyou, which combines such genres as adventure, detective, and sci-fi, is very popular. The original source of the anime is, as usual, a manga written by Masakazu Ishiguro, which he created after he left the manga magazine Young King OURs due to a writing crisis. The anime tells the story of two friends traveling through a ruined Japan in search of paradise. Kiruko and Maru are these friends. This is the most unusual unusual couple possible, as you watch it you'll see why :D. The characters themselves are quitevivid and emotional for a post-apocalyptic world, which is unusual for reality, but quite usual for the anime world. Also, in addition to Kiruko and Maru, there is a parallel show of children living in a school surrounded by a wall. Most of the children don't stand out as such, and the setting around them reminds me of Darling In The Franxx, where a bunch of children were also cut off from the world.
Author Masakazu Ishiguro's manga captured the post-apocalyptic atmosphere well. The outside world is filled with ruined buildings, most of which are already deserted due to the search for survivors. The surroundings are overgrown with vegetation. Many of the very survivors I wrote about above look harsh and shabby from the brutal conditions. The anime has wonderful graphics and also conveyed all these points, ProductionI.G studio did a good job on the drawing and fight scenes, during which, often, the screen strips are narrowed, which is often found in cinematography. The level of lighting and detail is also at a high level, which can't help but please these days.
In my opinion, this is one of the best anime of the outgoing season and a must-see. If you're a fan of post-apocalyptic works, which I am, you'll probably like it, or really like it :D. As a fan of The Walking Dead, I really enjoyed it, looking forward to the sequel! Thanks for reading the review, you had Omar with you!
Marinate1016
Riveting, scintillating, remarkable. A story that grips you from episode 1 and never lets you go. Tengoku Daimakyou is truly deserving of all the praise it’s received this season. It is one of the best examples of a sci-fi thriller in this medium and one of the best shows of 2023. I’m a big sucker for a good post apocalyptic setting. Fans of the Last of Us video game franchise will find a lot of similarities between those games and this show. Boy and girl on journey to reach “heaven” and encounter monsters, bandits and all manner of challenges. On this journey we see Kiruko andMaru grow closer. Going from a business relationship to a genuine familiar one. I had a great time watching their chemistry develop on screen. They played off of each other so well, making all of their scenes a joy to watch.
I think these types of post apocalyptic settings give you an opportunity to explore how humans act under the worst of circumstances, how we deal with trauma and form relationships, and to create interesting lore and backstories. Tengoku does all of those things and more. The world and people are so captivating in this series. The fall of government and the rule of law brings out the worst in some people and the best in others, and we see examples of both throughout the show.
They go with a split time period narrative method which mixes past and present and it consistently leaves you begging for more answers at the end of episodes. The staff did an amazing job of pacing it so that you never got everything in one episode and are left wanting more week after week. So many times while watching this I checked the episode timer to see how much time was left, because I just didn’t want it to end.
Even now, at the time of writing this review I’m itching to start reading the manga and getting answers about this world. There is just such a depth to the mystery here that we don’t see much in this medium. Notable examples that come to mind are Yakuneba and MiA, but this honestly is the most interesting of the bunch for me.
The use of music to heighten tensions in this show needs to be talked about as well. While this may not be listed as a traditional “horror” show, it does have horror elements. There’s some genuinely scary moments and jump scares that were complimented perfectly by an Ushio Kensuke score. Yes, Koe no katachi and this season’s bokuyaba composer. He outdid himself with the music in this series, which takes the show to an entirely different level in my opinion.
The animation in this is phenomenal too. It honestly blew me away because I haven’t seen Production I.G snap like this in a while. The first episode really grabs your attention with the big fight at the end. While there’s not a ton of fighting in this show, when there’s big action set pieces they are very well done.
Tengoku looks like it’s the first show that’s fully broken the Disney curse and garnered mainstream attention while airing. Summertime render of course being famously hampered by Disney’s licensing practices. But this time around I’ve seen a lot of praise for this show and rightfully so. it’s amazing. It’s dark, gritty, mysterious and fun at the same time. A must watch.
Tengoku gets 10 out of 10.
bergars
Grounded, and weird. Disturbing, and fun. It's all about the two camps in every territory. “Heavenly Delusion” is not just a good anime. Thing's INCREDIBLE. Two premises happening at the same time. The allegory of a cave, and a post-apocalyptic tale of “looking for somebody”. It isn't just that. Monsters are running around, people that can kill them, but they're special. How special? We don't know. Futuristic elements, a mystery of cataclysmic proportions, characters we care about, comedy, allegories, and beautiful animation to boot. I love a story that can grip me as much as this one. As a premise, it can get bloated pretty quickly, atleast with these many concepts, but you can feel the buildup. The world is a thriller waiting to be unearthed, a reveal waiting to break us, and the theories that run through my mind after the finally were incredible enough, but there's obviously more to it. As a first season, this is how you make a hook.
The anime trusts the audience, it contains mature, and disturbing aspects that become worse the more you think about them. It showcases the realism of the people living in this world. Morals are different, crimes against one are commonplace, the world isn't beautiful at all, but it's not entirely bleak. There's this hope which characters display, and again, it makes this world have just that extra texture.
Some people might not like the drastic changes in tone, but I loved almost everything the series threw at me. I was horrified by scenes, cringing at others, laughing at times, and basking in the chemistry of the characters at others. A rollercoaster, which I NEED to finish.
8.7/10. If I had a problem, it'd be that one side of the story doesn't have me as invested as the other. Still great, but one side is clearly superior.
Strat2005
(This review is about both the anime and manga) Out of all the anime that I have watched, Heavenly Delusion is the one with the most unique way of storytelling, and its story lives up to it as well. It was a show that compelled me so much in the first episode that I immediately went to read the manga, and even after that the anime adaptation continued to surprise me every episode. Heavenly Delusion follows two main storylines. The first one follows Kiruko and Maru, two teenagers searching for a mysterious place called 'Heaven' in a post-apocalyptic world. The other story follows a group of childrenwho live in an isolated facility, with no knowledge of the outside world. Throughout the story, these two storylines slowly converge with each other to reveal the mystery in the story. What is the purpose of the facility? What caused this 'apocalypse'? What are the monsters that roam around in the post-apocalyptic world? These are just some of the few mysteries presented in the story. This way of having two separate stories with completely different characters slowly intertwine together was a unique experience that I've never really encountered before, and it's even more impressive that the author managed to pull it off.
This story is a masterclass at foreshadowing, and it really makes shows like Attack on Titan feel like nothing. Starting from chapter/episode one, there are already plenty of random hints scattered around, many of which that the viewers aren't even aware of until very late into the story. The story keeps you thinking all the time, every part of the story was much more connected than I thought and piecing together all the evidence together is beyond satisfying. Many weird things happen in the story that make no sense or seem random initially, but as you continue reading you will realize their purpose. The story is not afraid to be weird at all, and this is what allows it to be such a special and outstanding story. Ever since watching Attack on Titan, I have been looking for a story with a similar scale of storytelling and foreshadowing, and it seems that I have found my answer in Heavenly delusion. Of course, the story was not just a massive exposition dump. Part of the fun of the story is watching Kiruko and Maru traverse the post-apocalyptic world, visiting towns and meeting all kinds of people. While each one of these short stories leave small hints for the overarching story, they also give an insight to how different people live in this world, making the whole setting feel more alive.
I have talked so much about the story itself that I haven't even talked about the production side of things. While the manga art is still pretty good, the anime takes it to a whole other level. Production IG said that this would be one of their best productions, and they were not wrong at all. Not only is the background art stunning, the animation, specifically the character movements, were extremely fluid. There wasn’t a scene where the characters were just standing there doing nothing, they would always have a little bit of movement which gives the show a lot of life. I also absolutely adored the direction of the adaptation, with many beautiful shots with symbolism that connected with one another. The best way to describe it would be Chainsaw Man’s cinematic direction but done even better. They absolutely nailed all the scenes, not just the action scenes but the emotional ones as well. The high quality was consistent throughout every episode and is something you rarely see in a lot of anime nowadays.
The only serious flaw I can give is that the anime ends at an awkward point in the story. Usually you would end an adaptation at where an arc ends, or when some sort of revelation was made and it teases the next season. However, the anime ended at an odd place in the story, and should the anime have gotten an extra episode or ten minutes, it would have ended at a high note that would also make viewers more intrigued to read the manga. Still, Heavenly Delusion is a one-of-a-kind story that I am glad that I have experienced, and a story that I hope everyone else will be able to experience as well.
