Heavenly Delusion

Episode 5

Heavenly Delusion gives us some much-needed breathing room this week. There is one action scene in which a group of thugs airlifted from Akira (Ishiguro has acknowledged Katsuhiro Ōtomo as one of his biggest influences) try to beat up Maru for playing Dragon Quest the wrong way. The staff has a lot of fun animating this, and I had a lot of fun watching it. Otherwise, this is an introspection-heavy affair that provides Maru, Kiruko, and their relationship with space to develop. Like Kiruko says before the OP kicks in, the two of them have been together for a while now and are familiar with each other's quirks. With that familiarity comes closeness.

Maru, in particular, benefits from being fleshed out more. He's been likable enough, but he hasn't had much going on beyond the mystery behind his maneater-killing powers and his unfortunate crush on his traveling partner. Even this small glimpse into his backstory does wonders for him and the worldbuilding. As a child born right when the Great Disaster struck, he has no frame of reference for the world as it used to be. We can imagine how the deadly realities of post-civilization shaped him and the rest of his generational cohort. He's had to learn to fight and kill to survive. He is hardened (in more ways than one) but not hollow. Many stories in this space explore similar ideas: it's easier for younger people to adapt to worsening conditions, while older people are held back by their memories of a gentler past. It makes sense that all of our protagonists are young; they're just navigating the world as they've always known it.

We already saw how Kiruko grew up in similar conditions, where gangs took over the duties of traditional families and communities. Therefore, Kiruko's storyline in this episode focuses more on their current relationship with Maru, as both his bodyguard and companion. They have understandably tried to wall themselves off from other people, preferring the impersonal touch of a business transaction. You can be hurt financially if a business deal goes wrong, but you can't be hurt emotionally. Naturally, though, the heart is not so easily contained, and Kiruko develops some affection for Maru and all three of his neurons.

This comes to a head in my favorite scene this week, in which a panicked Kiruko tears through the apartment searching for Maru. It's more than the reaction of a professional bodyguard who has lost track of their ward. Kiruko is distressed and hysterical. The claustrophobic storyboards and Sayaka Senbongi's excellent performance pull the audience into Kiruko's worst fears. They genuinely care about Maru. At this point, it doesn't matter if these feelings are romantic or not. What matters is that Kiruko and Maru, despite their bloody backgrounds and the awful circumstances of their crumbling world, have found a moment of respite in each other's company. That's something they're willing to fight for.

Heavenly Delusion then defuses this panic attack with a couple of jabs at Maru caught in the middle of jacking off, which is a perfect storytelling choice. The irreverence and bravery to pivot from heart-gripping drama to dirty jokes set this series apart from its contemporaries, and I love it. These jokes belie quite a bit of substance too. Maru's magazine of choice features a model with the same face and hair color as Kiruko, and it even sports “Oneesan” written in huge characters on the cover (he calls Kiruko “oneechan”). And while Maru's boner gets in the way of their hug, we can see that it's not getting in the way of their friendship. That awkwardness won't be going away anytime soon, but the connection they have run deeper than that, and they're both determined to continue their journey toward Heaven, wherever it may be.

On the subject of Heaven, Tokio's side of the story doesn't get as much screen time this week, but what we do get is pretty darn juicy. Tarao's death prompts sadness from his classmates, disappointment from the scientists, and further questions from the audience. If we're assuming this facility to be the “Heaven” Maru is looking for, then it's certainly looking less idyllic each week. Most interesting is how the scientists' grief, while genuine, is mixed with anxiety about an upcoming deadline. Asura's and Tarao's deaths were, essentially, failures in whatever experiment they were performing. And it looks like Tokio might be next on the chopping block.

The biggest takeaway is that nobody is in control of the situation. They were shocked by Asura's suicide, and now the director is flummoxed by the appearance of an unburnable core left behind by Tarao's cremation. As the audience, we can easily draw the line between this object and the maneater cores that Maru has been crushing, but the surprise of the adults reveals their hubris. We still don't know the exact nature of the Great Disaster, but we can surmise that this kind of attitude led to it. We are always let down by the people in charge, and children are always forced to compensate for the failings of their elders.

Rating:

Heavenly Delusion is currently streaming on Hulu as Tengoku Dai Makyō.

Steve is on Twitter while it lasts. He wants to try Kiruko's cooking. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.