User reviews

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.

Following a boy and a girl who are in search of heaven going all around Japan in an apocoliptic setting. They travel whilst fighting all kinds of monsters. We also get some backstory. A hint of romance, and mostly just fun adventures!

The other perspective is in a school where kids are taught by robots. They are detained within walls, and are not allowed to go beyond these walls, but one day a student gets the question if she wants to go outside of outside. This side is a bit more odd, seen as for all these kids, everything inside of the walls is their entire world. This creates a very interesting setting.

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.

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.

Heavenly delusions is one of the best anime i have watched. Literally a masterpiece, beautiful. Watched it all in one day. The animation is so cool not to mention the graphics of Tokyo ruins. The intro and outro are so catchy and the story line keeps you astound. You don't know whats coming next but you like it. So obsessed with this show hope the next season comes out soon, i know they won't fail to keep up with their reputation. Seriously underrated. Can't stop thinking about it day and night. The main characters design and personality are out of this universe. Honestly i love the character Maru. I feel like this show will only have one more season which i am afraid of cuz i like it too much. Guys its action adventure everything your looking for check out disney plus.

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.

In a year filled with Demon slayer, jjk, Vinland Saga, Bungo stray dogs, Oshi no ko or Bleach it is hard to make a name for yourself as a new anime, but Tengoku Daimakyo is in my opinion a serious contender for anime of the year.

The story is complex and you need to see the full season to understand it, up until the last episode, and even then you will want to see more just because it becomes so fascinating. I can't give away anything without spoiling but it's a fantastic story, in post apocalyptic world, which if you are a fan of you'll love because the animation is also gorgeous, characters are complex, and voice acting impeccable.

Definitely recommended, can't wait for season 2.

I can't say this was a bad show, but I also certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone without some massive caveats.

One of my critiques starting from the first episode was that the fan service and slightly pervy nature of the show seemed to clash with such a post-apocalyptic world. Though, I could have excused that. I thought maybe this was going for a dichotomy similar to that of Jobless Reincarnation. However, Robins actions combined with how little justice he has faced make it so I simply can't accept that. Obviously, the only justice for his actions would be something like a spell at the end of the Eragon series to force him to truly come to terms with the pain he's caused others, and that's basically impossible in such a world, but I would have at least liked to see Robin removed from this world so he couldn't ever do that to anyone else.

Add onto that the fact that Maru doesn't seem to feel much guilt for letting that happen to Kiruko, and that Kiruko doesn't even seem traumatized makes it seem like this story's writer wants to include these monstrous elements without handling the psychological effects it would have on its characters if they were real people. Perhaps the author of the manga this show came from is a poor writer, or maybe they desperately included those edgier elements just to try to give this story more notoriety.

I'm really stretching myself to offer them that much charitability, and so I can't help but be reminded of the kind of person who says inflammatory things just to get a rise out of people. With enough charitability, I can see them being more of a victim of circumstance than a jerk, but no matter what, I can't see them as putting more good than bad into the world.

But, this is just the first season. I could end up eating my words, and I hope I do, because as the story is now, I can only feel utter disgust.

At first it promised an interesting tale, some huge twist and discovery/arc of the two storylines intertwining into an entertaining/complex resolution.

There are many interesting moments, kewl action scenes, thoughtful events that come over the episodes. But putting it all together is hugely disappointing. The characters, especially those at the institute are very indistiguishable from one another, their storyline(s) just as well.

The only and main pros of this anime are the visuals and moments and scenes that are fun to watch.

But the story is beyond irritating, NO real questions are answered and by the finale the viewer only has MANY more questions and ZERO explanations. What is with this modern pretentious manner of writing shows where the authors think they are being smart by not answering questions or completing the story. THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF STORIES and it has been since the first story was told by the fire.

Worth a watch probabily but dont expect any compeling storyline, it just fizzles into ...

The name precedes itself, coming to think of it, this year is kinda weird from the new animes and strange story lines that's keeps popping out, makes me wonder how far can one's imagination stretch from the concept to the story line to the whole execution of the whole plot one could sit back relax mingle with all the reactions thrown at them by the weird writers and their crazy containers of concept that makes you utter the oi or nani nanda kure but mostly though, wow I'm amazed by how the whole thing turned out agents that keeps unraveling the truth from the get go to the adversities that they come face to face with in their everyday basis that's like the whole thing that makes you want to keep watching but the studio's smart too that much i can tell, it's not easy fitting all the whole good stuff into the fussy first twelve or in this case thirteen that comes to mind instead by marketing the anime which is like sole purpose of the studio boom here's another sequel you predicted.

This is truly a story that messes with your mind, and I can't stop rewatching it!

I don't typically watch anime, but a friend suggested this one and warned me: "You better be ready because the plot is more complex than most live-action series, and you'll get addicted to it!" So, I decided to give it a shot. From the first episode, what immediately caught my attention was the stunning animation and artwork-both are breathtaking in a way that's hard to put into words. But beyond that initial shock, I was drawn into a plot that gave me goosebumps-not just for its dark elements, but for its profound exploration of human nature in a way II have only seen on great series or movies.

On one hand, we follow what seems like a typical adventure in a post-apocalyptic world with two characters, Maru and Kiruko. On the other hand, we're introduced to a story about a class of children living behind walls-a narrative that feels completely unrelated to the first and unsettling from the start. This contrast alone is enough to spark your curiosity, but it's the way these two stories intertwine, with their twisted connections and unexpected turns, that makes this series truly amazing.

Everyone in this series is searching for "Heaven"-whether it's the academy's staff, Kiruko and Maru, or any of the other characters. This pursuit of a higher purpose is what makes us human, and even though the series delves into dark themes, it captures human nature with remarkable accuracy.

TL;DR: It's a captivating and meaningful story where every scene matters, even the darker ones, because together they weave a narrative about what we're all searching for. As someone who doesn't usually watch anime (the only other one I've seen is Naruto), I can only judge this based on the story-and it's absolutely incredible.

So grab some popcorn and get comfortable because you won't want to leave your seat until you've binged all 13 episodes in one night!

The storyline here is so intricate I've not seen anything else like it, and I've seen plenty.

There's so much foreshadowing you likely won't understand it properly after the first watch. Not a single scene is wasted or without reason.

I'm currently on my fourth watch and it doesn't ever get boring. I'm still discovering new things each time, it's almost like I'm watching an entirely new series.

I've never posted a review here, but I had to for this one because I just can't understand why so few people know about this.

I'll definitely recommend this, but you should know it's not for kids or even teens.

I'm on the fence about this one. While the art direction and animation are quite good, the story is a bit too slow paced to keep me hooked. As with most Japanese anime shows the intro and outro comprises about 1/3 of the show which leaves not a whole lot of time to get story advancement in there and move things along. This is OK if you can watch three or four episodes at a time, but Hulu is dribbling this one to us one episode a week. Some elements of the story which were presented at the beginning (like the Institute or school or whatever it is) seem to have taken a complete back seat, and are no longer advancing at all. At eight shows in, Maru and Kiruko seem to be wandering aimlessly and I am not even sure what they're looking for anymore or why they are together. I think this show suffers greatly from only releasing one episode a week. I think it might have held my interest a little more if I could immerse myself in it more than 15 minutes a week.