2023 has had some amazing new anime debut, but this might just be the most overlooked.
Highlights
- Heavenly Delusion is a masterpiece anime adaptation of Masakazu Ishiguro’s manga, showcasing amazing world-building, lovable characters, and a narrative full of suspense.
- The series cleverly combines two parallel stories set in a post-apocalyptic world and a futuristic dome, creating an intriguing contrast and revealing connections between the two.
- The show explores philosophical themes such as transhumanism, posthumanism, and the interaction between technology and identity, making it a comprehensive cyberpunk commentary.
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Disney decided to bet on the anime adaptation of Masakazu Ishiguro’s manga, and it turned out to be a masterpiece. Heavenly Delusion, also referred to by its original name Tengoku Daimakyo, it’s a Sci-Fi/cyberpunk seinen by Production I.G, a well-known studio for any cyberpunk fans and with this new series keeps adding to an already impressive resume.
The first season aired from April to June on Disney+. Heavenly Delusion‘s first 13 episodes showcased an amazing world-building with lovable characters and a narrative designed to submerse the spectator in the constant feel of agonizing suspense, begging to have all the answers while the show is telling two different stories at the same time. Despite being a must-watch in this year’s catalog, it’s been heavily underrated.
A Setting That Amazes, A Narrative That Hooks
First impressions are key. Most may be familiar with the meme of the digger stopping right before finding something precious. This might be the case with a ton of shows that get off to a slow start. However, Heavenly Delusion proves to have something special right from the start. As it’s frequent in the genre, the protagonists are stranded in a post-apocalyptic world looking for something without knowing exactly what it is.
This setting alone would be more than fine to make an appealing series, but it combines with a parallel story that adds another dimension to this world. That is the point of view of the children, living inside a futuristic top of the line dome, with a group of scientist watching them. The series has these two stories at the core of their narrative, mixing them and dedicating a similar amount of time to both of them, with a slight preference towards the outside setting. And all with a carefully worked animation that gets the best out of it.
The way it shows two drastically different environments coexist in the same world it’s one of the best early elements that succeed to gain fans. On one hand, a destroyed and impoverished land threatened by powerful monsters. Every day is fight for survival and almost no one can be trusted. On the other hand, a group of kids living with cyberpunk-like commodities, care free, receiving an education, shelter, food, clothing and completely ignorant of the outside world. If that wasn’t interesting enough, soon the series starts showing the connections between the children and the people and events of the outside.
Great And Twisted Characters
Children Playing – Heavenly Delusion
Another great, yet greatly underrated, aspect of Heavenly Delusion is how good their characters are, and not only the main ones. Maru, Kiruko, Tokio and others are pretty much instantly lovable, but the real value is found in the depth and complexity of their secondary characters. Few other series are able to create characters that appear for an episode or even half episode and leave such a long-lasting impression.
Having such a great cast also helped of course, but most of the praise goes to the writing, allowing for many interesting storylines and paths to explore. Mysterious doctors, cults, a brutal matriarchy, racing, a hotel run by one person in an empty city now reduced to ruins. The list could continue going on, and in every step of the journey there is always someone that goes well beyond a supporting character role. This has its foundation in the main story, but that’s too much of a spoiler for now.
Philosophical Theme
Heavenly Delusion might seem more like a shonen than a seinen from time to time as it tends to switch the tone to a more relaxed, friendly or wholesome style. That doesn’t take away from the fact that at its root, it’s as a much as a Production I.G cyberpunk project as Ghost in the Shell or Psycho-Pass. It might not have the same massive production feel, but it certainly has similar themes.
For instance, the series goes deep into transhumanism and posthumanism as a means for survival while it also fixates on the interaction between technology and identity or even talks about ethical implications of euthanasia in its context. On the same line, the trope of an unknown artificial entity that threatens to destroy life on earth is always related to the topic of the dichotomy between the human and the technological. Furthermore, it plays into gender identities with Kiruko and Tokio for example. It’s a complete all-around cyberpunk commentary.
Heavenly Delusion lacked a proper marketing campaign and exposure, perhaps because it was in the midst of being one of Disney’s first anime simulcast after Bleach and Tokyo Revengers. With its setting, characters, themes and exciting story it should have been one of the most anticipated shows of the year. Instead, the word underrated has to be used next to its name.
Heavenly Delusion is currently streaming on Disney+.
Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime
