I'm not a fan of the idea of a "modern classic"; I feel that for a work to be considered a classic, enough time needs to pass that you can view it with fresh, analytical lens. Yet, there are times when you can just tell a show will be a classic. I'm pretty confident in saying that The Idaten Dieties Know Only Peace (or simply "Idaten") is one of those shows, albeit with a caveat: it's going to be a cult classic. And as much as its fans desire for it to be something more, that's probably the best it can hope for.

Idaten seemed destined to stay confined to the periphery of the anime community. It saw next-to-no advertisement from Crunchyroll; something I suspect was due to both the anime's own content and the fallout surrounding the mangaka's previous show, Interspecies Reviewers. While the adaptions of the original writer and artist's most famous works were well-received (Interspecies Reviewers and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, respectively) the creators' names themselves weren't much of a draw. Perhaps the biggest thing the show had going for it was its studio, but with the anime community split between thinking MAPPA is shit and thinking it is the shit, this still didn't guarantee eyes on the screen. Even in a relatively lull season, Idaten didn't make much of a splash when it released in the middle of Summer 2021 — of the 36 shows airing in the season, it’s ranked #18 in popularity. While it didn't make a splash, it did make ripples, and as of the beginning of this writing, Idaten is in the top ten highest-rated shows of its season.

Idaten entered my radar because it was written by Amahara, creator of Winter 2020's runaway hit, Interspecies Reviewers. I legitimately loved the care that was put into the world of Interspecies Reviewers and I was excited to see Amahara's skills put to use in a more story-driven work. With a poster featuring the buxom antagonist, Miku, it was clear Amahara would still be provocative and I was all for it. I couldn't wait for Idaten to premiere.

Going into the show itself, the first thing you should know about it is that there's a rape scene at the end of the first episode.

Yeah, the elephant in room when it comes to Idaten is its sexual elements. Given how prominent this aspect of the show ends up being, delaying my thoughts on it feels ingenuine, like I'm beating around the bush. The sexual aspect of Idaten is so offputting and prominent that it will inform your view of the show.

Unfortunately, it all but breaks the show for me.

At the end of episode one, soldiers of the Zoble Empire pillage a city and break into a Church where they rape Gil, the nun residing there. Like everything else in the episode, the scene of the horrible deed was stylistic: the background was colorful, the soldiers (and Gil's legs) are only depicted in silhouette, there are exaggerated splatters of blood, a snippet of Emperor Waltz plays over the entire thing, and their movements emulate a dance.

Unfollow me or block me if you must but, when I first watched the episode, I didn't think this was a terrible depiction. It helps that, unlike some other depictions of rape in anime, it wasn't directed in a tantalizing way. It feels somewhat tasteful, all things considered. It feels like a stylized discretion shot more than anything. While you could make the argument that the slightly comedic, absurd tone of the scene turns it into an off-color joke and robs the scene of the gravitas it deserves, I thought it was a creative way to paint the rapists as twisted. Hindsight is 20/20 and knowing what I do now, it seems like the show was laughing with the soldiers at Gil's expense. That said, I stand by the scene not being designed to arouse.

That said, I also stand by the scene being gratuitous as all get out. This scene comes completely out of nowhere — we're following our heroes, then at the end of the episode, we get a jump cut to the ruins of a city followed by the scene. There was no lead-up, and it felt added just to shock. I've heard some say it characterizes Zoble Empire as evil but there are ways to paint characters as evil without rape scenes. Really, it just paints the show as edgy. Sure, not edgy in quite the same way Goblin Slayer or Redo of Healer are, but edgy nonetheless. I suppose the one thing the scene does is set the tone of the series well — edgy irreverence. But I didn't know this at the time. I didn't like the scene, but I decided to give Idaten the benefit of the doubt.

In the next episode, we're treated to members of Zoble's army cheering once they're encouraged by their superiors to pillage more establishments. Some of them scream how much they like lolis/shotas and the elderly. While it was obviously uncomfortable, it was also funny in a gallows humor kind of way. It's the type of joke you immediately think to yourself "I'm going to hell for this" once you laugh at it. There’s a certain distance between us and faceless, goofy mooks excitedly cheering about a horrible act. It's decidedly not good, but it's so ridiculous that I found it hard to stay too mad at.

Then it stopped feeling ridiculous.

In episode 5, one of our heroes uses an attack to destroy the clothes of his enemy, leaving her completely naked. Then he uses a debilitating aphrodisiac on her, leaving her defenseless as she begs for Ysli to kill her instead. Ysli ends up not doing anything sexual with her, he just used the aphrodisiac for Reasons™. Given that the show has already established that it's perfectly willing to "Go there," this feels like a rape scene fake-out and I don't appreciate it. Then, in the same episode, when talking to her abuser, Gil pulls a pretty disgusting example of hentai logic in having her go "I actuawwy wiked being waped UwU."

And this is really when I stopped being on board with the show. While I could still enjoy it, for the most part, I had a distinct feeling of constantly looking over my shoulder, perpetually on edge in case they decided to throw more uncomfortable, sexual curveballs at me. It became hard for me to recommend at this point because even if the sexual elements didn't dominate the show, they were frequent and unsettling enough to be offputting. This comes to a head when some of the villains have sex with several seven-year-olds and while it's not explicit, it's still depicted. I checked the fuck out at this point.

By the end, the handling of sexual violence makes Idaten hard to watch. It's all one big joke to Idaten — the problem, however, is that I don't find it funny. Call me a prude, but I don't find rape entertaining. Utilizing uncomfortable topics effectively requires both tact and skill, but Amahara seems to largely know neither. The envelope always needs to be pushed — any and every joke needs to be thrown in without any care for delivery, caring not what should be done, but what can be done. All in the name of irreverence. And believe me, if I could, I'd want to say this is just a blemish, that you could just look past this weakness in favor of the anime's strengths.

But there are two problems with this. Problem one: it’s so prominent in the story, so uncomfortable and stark when it does show up that I can't, in good conscience, brush it aside.

Problem two: there aren't that many strengths to speak of.

The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace follows the titular Idaten - beings of supreme strength and durability that are created from the prayers of humans. 800 years ago, the Idaten battled against the monstrous demon race, culminating in most of the Idaten at the time sacrificing themselves to seal the demons away, saving the world. The only Idaten to remain was Rin, the granddaughter of their leader. She has watched over the seal and looked after the new generation of Idaten — the fighting freak Hayato, the bookish Ysli, the soft-spoken and nature-loving Paula, and the mysterious Prontea. While she has trained Prontea and Hayato extensively over the years, none of the Idaten know what true conflict is like; for the 800 years since the demons have been sealed, they’ve known only peace. That's about to change when the demons begin rearing their heads once more, forcing the Idaten to action. Unbeknownst to them, the demons have been operating for some time now through the brutal Zoble Empire.

The premise, as you can see, is pretty light. You can certainly do interesting things with it, but it’s not really that noteworthy in-and-of-itself. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; a basic premise gives the writer a sandbox to play around in. Amahara does this to a certain extent. As much as I dislike some of his choices, I have to admit that he can create interesting settings. He went hard when it came to worldbuilding in Interspecies Reviewers and Idaten — harder than he had any right to go. The mechanics of the demons and Idaten are genuinely cool and go a long way to keep me interested. If Amahara is placed in a sandbox, you can bet your ass that he pretties it up with seashells, flower petals, and colorful rocks, making it fun to be in.

Yet when it comes time to actually mold the sand into something great, Amahara can only eke out the most basic of shapes. For what's essentially a half step below hentai, this is fine; it's considered above and beyond, in fact. But it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to a more story-focused work.

Amahara really doesn't do much with the concept of ~~Angels~~Idaten vs. Demons to make it interesting. Given the title of the damn thing, you'd expect the Idaten to be ill-equipped to fight the demons due to centuries of peace. But no. Rin, Prontea, and Hayato have such monstrous strength that the demons are demolished in outright slugfests. The years of peace don’t mean that the demons are well-hidden. While they are at the beginning, but it doesn't really take the Idaten long to sniff them out like bloodhounds. It's not even that the demons are more crafty than the Idaten — while the demons have a master strategist in Miku, the Idaten have their own in Ysli. Outclassed by the Idaten in nearly every conceivable way, the best the demons can do is flee and bunker down, turning the conflict into a manhunt. This is a lot less interesting than it sounds. The only time the Idaten are on the ropes is in the final episode. This makes for a legitimately shocking and chilling cliffhanger, but at that point, it felt too little, too late.

You could make the argument that the show is marvel in how straightforward the plot is. If the characters want to do something, they do it easily and quickly, without much hassle. I'd say this certainly makes Idaten unique, but it doesn't make it refreshing, as this obviously robs the show of stakes, making it boring and unengaging.

A weak plot can be carried by strong characters. Unfortunately, Idaten doesn't have any.

By far, the most compelling character is Rin. From her relationship with her grandfather to her transformation from terrified survivor to no-nonsense, badass teacher, she's the character who has the most depth. It still isn't much depth, but it's still better than literally every other character. Unfortunately, in the first episode, we move away from Rin in favor of Hayato who's a generic, apathetic, kind of douche-y action anime protagonist. What's that, you don't like Hayato? Don't worry, Idaten is a full-on ensemble cast, jumping from the POV of several Idaten and demons throughout its run. Unfortunately, all the characters still feel fairly shallow and can be easily encapsulated in a single sentence (and no, I won't be doing that because there's a lot of characters and none I care about). In the final episode, we see Paula being tortured and while I felt bad, I felt bad insofar as anyone with empathy would if they witnessed someone being brutally tortured. I didn't foster much care for Paula throughout the show's run and as much as the final episode tried to tug at my heartstrings, music just wasn't playing.

It's also hard to care because pretty much everyone in this show is completely unsympathetic.

Whether we're following the Idaten or demons it's hard to like the cast of characters. It's simply a matter of picking your poison. Do you prefer the Idaten's cold amorality in which they don't care about the suffering of the world, only jumping in to help humans when the demons tip the balance of some arbitrary ecological scale? Or do you prefer the demons' hedonistic immorality wherein they slaughter, rape, and destroy with wanton abandon? What's that, you prefer neither? Too bad, you get both! Enjoy your stay!

I was careful to say "sympathetic" instead of "likable." While it’s tricky to pull off, you can still have a cast of unlikeable characters if you can still believe in their plight and empathize with them. You largely can't with the characters of Idaten. You might begin to feel bad about the Idaten slaughtering the demons with extreme prejudice until you remember that the demons are comprised of immoral rapists that largely make you want them to be exterminated. Yet you're not really invested in the Idaten because they're assholes who really don't protect the humans because they want to but because they're obligated to as their job. You're not really compelled to root for anyone in Idaten, making for an alienating watch.

It certainly doesn't help that we tend to focus on the most analytical, morally bankrupt characters in Yslii and Miku. I've heard some say this makes sense since this is a story about espionage and mind games, but there really isn't much when it comes to espionage. There are snippets of it, yes, but the show really isn't smart enough to make it compelling. 4D chess this ain't.

The sole character that is sympathetic (and hell, likable) is Gil. She's introduced by being brutally raped and she quickly becomes the show's punching bag. One of her most defining traits is her faith and she's constantly mocked and berated for it, being told that her prayers don't matter and that God, if He exists, won't help her. Considering that Gods do exist in the setting and her prayers directly lead to a creation of one (that's modeled after her, to boot), this comes across as odd, to say the least. It's telling that there's a bit where a character says she's useless for wanting to help out a nation's reconstruction since she doesn't have the combat training of the rapist soldiers that make up the army. The way Gil's treated makes me want to give her a hug. Kind of like a certain Kotonoha.

The terrible people on both sides, the irreverent humor, the handling of sexual assault, and the treatment of Gil all just make this show feel very meanspirited. Not dark mind you, as you can still have a dark show with a glimmer of hope, with care for its characters. No, nothing is sacred to Idaten, noting really matters. It's all one big joke that feels more cruel than funny; like laughing hysterically after you trip someone and they break their nose on the pavement. To Amahara, sexual assault is made to either laugh at or drool over. To Amahara, you're an idiot for believing in religion and salvation, yet paradoxically, you shouldn't try making things better yourself because you're useless. The world is locked in a perpetual game of cops and robbers — agents of chaos and destruction fighting against the enforcers of law who do what they do not because they believe in it but because they have to. Forgive me if I sound melodramatic, but watching Idaten is draining.

The crazy thing is that there's something besides the meanspiritedness, the edginess, the piecemeal plot, the cardboard characters — Idaten's greatest strength. It's not quite enough to save this show, for me, but I have to admit it got close. It’s certainly enough to mask the show's faults most of the time.

Let's talk about the production.

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From the moment the OP starts, you can tell that Idaten is absolutely dripping with style. The theme song, "Seija no Koshin" is absolutely infectious and the colorful, trippy, and somewhat offputting visuals are a beautiful preview for the show to come. The OP and ED duo will probably remain one of my favorites.

The show features a talented cast of veteran seiyuu including Megumi Ogata (Shinji Ikari, Yuuji Mutou) as Ylsi, Romi Park (Hange-san, Edward Elric) as Hayato, Akemi Okamura (One Piece's Nami) as Rin, and Choo (One Piece's Brook) as Dr. Oobami.

The show employs a simple art style and very bright color palettes, making it easy to look at.

But where the show really shines is in its animation, which lends itself to very entertaining fights. Say what you will about MAPPA, while it’s at a horrible cost, they can have some truly stunning animation, and Idaten is a prime example of that, showcasing fluid motion and impactful hits.

Idaten features copious amounts of color shifts to heighten the action and draw your attention. The mechanics of the Idaten lend themselves well to stellar fights. The Idaten are capable of extreme feats of speed, power, and durability. Punches will cause their fists to go clean through opponents. Attacks will send people flying through several mountains. As they run thousands of miles per hour, they'll leave giant columns of dirt in their wake with each step. They'll lose entire limbs, accompanied by ridiculous showers of blood, but will live to fight another day. Idaten is absolutely bonkers, stylized as all hell, and I was here for it.

With its color shifts and larger-than-life bouts, I've heard Idaten likened to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. They certainly share some similarities, but I don't want you thinking that Idaten is derivative. It’s not quite like any anime I've seen before. JoJo is by-and-large bizarre, while Idaten is downright wacky. It feels like a demented version of Loony Tunes, a comparison heightened and by the comedic undertone ~~and Prontea's stupid, Ronald McDonald-esque shoes~~.

It's hard to put in words, but this stylization imbues the episodes with an energy that makes 22 minutes feel more like five. There's a flourish in even the smallest details. The after-commercial transitions feature a cascade of bubbles and either a chant or a guitar riff. Exposition is given at a breakneck pace, with a humorous, "fast-forward" icon at the corner of the screen. Inexplicably, MAPPA brought their A-game when it came to Idaten.

As you could probably tell, the story is my most important factor for judging an anime. But Idaten is proof that I'm not immune to spectacle. The show was always very simple, but spectacle can bring in hype, can cause the adrenaline to cloud your vision. Idaten's stylistic production was a siren song, lulling me into a false sense of security. For a while, I still thought I'd enjoy this show, overall, even if I didn't feel comfortable recommending it.

When the ninth episode rolled around and featured no fighting, the bubble burst. It was striking to realize that, without the glitz and the glamor of the fighting, I disliked Idaten. This show is nothing without its style. Its lack of substance seems to be more due to ineptitude than choice. More damningly, the show absolutely refuses to have anything resembling heart, trading it for uncomfortable edginess and irreverence.

Believe me, the style gives Idaten many points, but it's ultimately not enough to make it an enjoyable watch.

Given how my main sticking point is the sexual element, there's another elephant in the room, one I did brush aside — my own reasons for going into the show. In case you’ve forgotten, I was enticed due to Amahara's previous, sex-focused work, Interspecies Reviewers and was excited because it seemed like Idaten might be a sexy show as well. The show's defenders might be notching their arrows, eager to knock me off the high horse that I appear to be on. Fellow detractors might be scratching their heads, perceiving me to be complaining about what I signed up for. And yeah, I admit it, I really did love Interspecies Reviewers, still do, in fact — to an extent that feels embarrassing in hindsight. No matter what you think of it, I stand by it being a refreshingly fun, positive depiction of sex with an interesting world as a backdrop. It showed me interesting sex could be had in hentai. It led to me creating a subseries of reviews dedicated to chronicling similarly remarkable ecchi/hentai. Yeah, I played a stupid game, won a stupid prize. As dumb as it was, I trusted Amahara. I thought that he was going to show that you needn’t be a weirdo for liking hentai. How foolish of me. Silly me for not expecting rape to be passed off as a joke. I know it's too much to ask for. Part of me scoring this as low as I am is for the simple fact of Amahara making me feel like a fucking idiot.

The thing I hear fans say the most about Idaten is that more people should be watching it. At the start of its run, I was inclined to agree. Now? Not so much.

We return to the idea of Idaten as a cult hit. Something being a cult classic isn't just about the number of fans something has but how its fans watch it. Many cult classic movies are campy, with their fans acknowledging that they’re "objectively" not great. While Idaten fans seem to believe it’s legitimately good, I'm sure they know that it has different sensibilities than most anime, sensibilities that don't make it palatable for a general audience. As much as I groan at the anime community sometimes, I still have enough optimism to believe anime fans at large wouldn't clamor over something this debased.

More eyes on Idaten probably wouldn't give it the attention fans want. People assume this would become the anime community's AOTY. Perhaps it could, but not without a major caveat. If it became more popular, the best it could hope for is becoming another Shield Hero. Lots of people would like it, but discussion of it would always invariably involve its more Problematic™ elements. More likely, it would become another Goblin Slayer, another Redo of Healer, becoming more *in*famous than famous. The anime would become overshadowed by controversy, discourse on the show almost immediately devolving into a shouting match. No one would be able to actually discuss any element of the show besides its controversies because it would become the next focal point of an anime community civil war.

Idaten has a decent following. Given its content, this is probably the best outcome for it. Hopefully, it gets the second season fans want.

It's ultimately a show I cannot recommend. The absolutely ingenious style isn't enough to save the show from the meanspirited tone and the abundance of sexual violence. If you're a fan, I know you want to tell everyone you know to watch this show, but you're liable to make someone really, really uncomfortable for no good reason.