Heavenly Delusion offers the viewer a window into a world that is painfully close to our own. Sure, the buildings are in ruins, and there are man-eating monsters on the loose, but those aspects are ultimately secondary to the main focus of the show, the people. The world may have ended, but humanity has ultimately learned nothing.
The show is split into two parts, post-apocalyptic Japan with our main characters of Maru and Kiruko, and Heaven, the "safe"-haven which our protagonists are searching for. We switch between these two perspectives throughout. The post-apocalyptic sections allowing us to learn more about how the world has changed and getting to know our main characters as they adventure through ruined cityscapes and deserted countryside, encountering threats of the Human and Monstrous variety as they go. The Heaven sections in contrast allow us a view into a protected bubble, a science experiment that doubles as an orphanage, a world untouched by the tragedy of the apocalypse, it is through heaven that the majority of the mystery stems as we are drip fed crucial clues as to the nature of the world.
These two sections are interwoven in such a way as to keep the audience captivated and hungering for more. The interactions between Maru and Kiruko and the various people they encounter pull us in to this dark and dangerous world, a world in which peace becomes suffering at the drop of the hat. The world of Heavenly Delusion is not a kind world, it is an uncaring world that lulls you into a false sense of security before shattering those delusions wholesale, it is a world in which people are desperate to hold onto any semblance of the world they knew, it is unfortunate then that it is also a world in which refusing to let go of those delusions will get you killed, or worse.
From a technical perspective the animation quality is top-notch, the character interactions are compelling and believable, the music and sound design fit well (although the ending can be a bit jarring with its upbeat nature). Fight scenes are fluid and everything has a certain weight to it, a punch to the face feels visceral.
I'd also like to pull special attention to the design of the "man-eaters", the monsters that our duo routinely encounter and have to deal with, each monster is it's own horrific creation with vastly differing abilities and designs, twisted entities that should have never existed. The monsters are a constant threat and knowing that one could show up at any moment to ruin our main duos day, and the days of anyone else who happens to be close by, adds on to the already significant tension of traversing the post apocalypse.
In my humble opinion Heavenly Delusion is a brilliant show. It left me nearly apoplectic with rage while also hungry for more. So if a deep multi layered mystery in a world filled with tragedy sounds fun to you, I wholeheartedly recommend it. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
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