Heavenly Delusion

I found this hidden gem on Disney plus of all places. This is not for young children or even young teens. The plot intersects between two teenagers on road trip quest in search of their own goals, meeting friends or foe, laughing or fighting for their lives and secondly a closed off futuristic school of special children who discover the mysteries of their enclosed lives.

The characters on the road trip have deep and interesting backstories that drive their quest and an endearing "bro-mance" (you'll see what I mean) that balance the thrills and laughs perfectly. Their encounters along the way is a mix of a exciting moments or a beautiful melancholy that will stay with you.

A horror/scifi/mystery. Oddly enough I found this a peaceful watch as one would watching a slice of life themed anime. As a fan of the mentioned genres, this surprisingly ticks all my boxes.

This is the bomb.

It feels like I'm watching a mixture of last of us and neon Genesis Evangelion.

Like those two this had some lighthearted and heart warming moments along with some heart wrenching moments that just add to it's charm and the sense of mystery really helps it stay that way.

The two main characters in this anime are really fun to watch and they bring back the TWO MC ON A JOURNEY trope back to life.

I just hate the way it's not getting the appreciation it deserves and is being overshadowed by some other popular animes but I hope it gets better eventually.

My last words?

You really gotta watch this anime or you are missing out big time!!!!!!

No one should sleep on this. It's easily the best show of 2023 hell it's even up there with the best and I've seen all the best anime has to offer.

The story starts with Kiruko and Maru traveling through a post apocalyptic Japan, it might seem like a normal adventure and explorative based story but it comes of deeper as the story progresses. We also get to witness another story in the same anime which gets you pondering when's it's all gonna add up.

The Main Characters are very detailed and there's no abnormality in their patterns or decision making, every form of grief is processed realistically and time is allocated for healing, This kind of structure flows with the other part of the story making it feel like one huge orchestral rendition with no room for errors. You know Maru and Kiruko have goals but you still completely get all the reasons for their detours and their strong personalities, nothing feels forced while at the same time the anime treats you to a perfectly crafted world, relatable in world characters, stunning animation and wonderful soundtracks.

Outside the plot, the story also creatively addresses some of the main real-life social issues from gender norms, artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, governmental malfeasance, and classism.

All above would be enough for a 9 but the anime had to keep the audience guessing with the complexity of the second part of the story and how it shaped the first. Always seeing what seemed like the end of characters in the 2nd story always felt bothering and mind blowing if you tried putting 2and 2 together.

So far they've created a stunning foundation and I'm really hyped to see how it all plays out.

I've never written a review on imdb, but I feel compelled to do so now because this anime is simply criminally overlooked.

The animation quality is superb, the story is compelling, the characters are interesting and likeable, the humor is doled out in perfect doses, the music is excellent (one of those animes where I never skip the intro); every episode leaves you wanting more.

That said, I will now embrace the downvotes by committing the most egregious sin imaginable in the world of anime and recommend the dub over sub.

I know, I know... but hear me out.

1. The voicework talent on display is simply phenomenal; the protagonists are the obvious standouts, but even the smaller character did their job extremely well. And while this part is arguably subjective, what is absolutely objective is...

2. The translation. Simply put, whoever did the dub translation has a far superior mastery of the English language than their sub colleague. Greater clarity of meaning, more appropriate phrases, nuance, and last but not least - the timing (at times the sub will reveal a punchline to a joke or the crucial part of a sentence before the characters actually react, making for an intermittently awkward viewing experience and a few jokes ruined).

3. Audio engineering: As strange as it seems, the dub is actually better in this regard than the original audio. No spoilers, but one of the more jaw-dropping examples in episode 5 or 6, in one of the most haunting and tragic scenes I've ever seen on screen. A big part of that is the effect over the voice speaking. Out of sheer curiosity I checked the scene with original audio and was dismayed to find the goosebump-inducing voice now sounded like it came from a barrel on the other side of a valley. And there are other examples like this.

Either way, no matter which way you prefer to watch, dont miss out on something this damn good.

If you're a manga reader, you know it can be difficult to follow complex stories with monthly issues. For example, the latter half of Attack on Titan must be read in one run to fully appreciate its depth. I think this is precisely why it lost some of its popularity toward the end of the story-it was too complicated, and casual readers couldn't easily follow the storyline.

The same is true for "Tengoku Daimakyo." I've appreciated the mangaka's other works, such as And Yet the Town Moves and other short stories (all interesting and mixtures of humor and mystery). However, I stopped reading Tengoku Daimakyo around 30 chapters in, simply because it took too long for the next chapters to become available.

The show is a godsend. It has incredible illustration, ambiance, and music. It captures the strong chemistry of the two leads, and the story never shies away from confronting the more controversial philosophical questions (e.g., who are you if you are in someone else's body?).

Watching the series within three days allowed me to see connections that I completely failed to see when I first read the manga. Once you understand how the two storylines intertwine, all those minor visual cues carry much more significant emotional weight (e.g., the view of the sky in episodes 8 and 12).

This show is a mental puzzle with answers lying right in front of you (which reminds me a bit of "The Prestige"), and the reveals are done in such elegant ways that you have to devote your full attention to feel its impact.

You can clearly see influences from Satoshi Kon, Akira, and even some of Doraemon.

After finishing season 1, I re-read the manga and found the answer to many outstanding questions, but there are still significant unanswered questions that remain. I am eager to see Season 2, as I believe if the manga concludes in a satisfactory manner, this series will be known as a masterpiece in the history of animation.