Throughout its long history, Production I.G. has built up a reputation for creating exceptional works of science fiction in television and film, such as Ghost in the Shell and Psycho-Pass, among many others. And while they haven't really gone anywhere, it's been a while since I.G. has really blown audiences away with something new, and with Heavenly Delusion, that time seems to have finally arrived.
Directed by Hirotaka Mori and based on the manga series by Masakazu Ishiguro, Heavenly Delusion is a post-apocalyptic series that is told from two unique perspectives. It is both a mystery from the perspective of an isolated youth a la The Promised Neverland and a cross-country adventure in search of "heaven" following a boy and a girl.
The Outside... Of Outside
The first of Delusion's two stories centers around the children raised within a futuristic nursery of sorts, closed off from the outside world, but with an "outside" that resembles a forest. Tokio is a young boy who seems to go through his day-to-day like normal until a strange message plants a question inside his mind: "what is outside the outside?" His clever and perceptive friend Mimihime only spurs his curiosity, seemingly having deduced that and other things not to be known.
Whereas many stories of a similar premise would sequester themselves into this heaven and slowly deconstruct it, the audience is immediately given the answer to this question. The second duo of protagonists, Kiruko and Maru, travel through a run-down Japan, raiding abandoned houses for supplies and fending off scavengers.
What's refreshing about this take on post-apocalyptic adventuring is the tone and the chemistry between the protagonists. It's far less dire than one would expect, and while there is still dark imagery (corpses within abandoned homes), seeing it through the eyes of young people who have grown up in this world changes how it comes across to the viewer.
Kiruko is hired as a bodyguard for Maru, who is in search of a place called "Heaven" for as-yet unknown reasons. They have great chemistry whether they're bickering or getting excited about the smallest necessities they find on the road. Threats still arise, but they are both plenty capable on their own. Kiruko has a gun and compensates for its low capacity with her clever thinking and wit, while Maru, on the other hand, is quite the hand-to-hand fighter.
Heaven and Hell
Kiruko and Maru's story is so captivating and engrossing that it sorta eclipses the other story, but to be fair, it's only the premiere. There wouldn't be much point in preserving a mystery about what lies outside when the viewer already knows the answer themselves. Tokio's story - at least in this episode - is a vehicle through which questions are raised about how both sides of the show will intersect, but also to set up the premiere's cliffhanger.
Despite being outside the safety of the nursery, the story outside the walls does an incredible job of creating a cozy atmosphere. In any scene where Kiruko and Maru discover any kind of comfort, be it a bath or decent food, the scenes are directed with such warmth as to envelop the viewer in that space with them.
When people think of Production I.G., they sometimes think of more "realistic" kinds of sci-fi and fantasy, and part of that has to do with their reputation for detailed character designs and bursts of expressive character acting. The animation looks delectable whether it's the action or just characters walking around and performing simple actions. It's the care put into the little things that make this series look so appealing.
But those comforts, both technically and narratively, as like a Venus fly trap, luring in the characters and the audience for the ending, when it's made very clear why the world outside the walls is hell. All in all, this premiere is surprisingly cheerful, not just because it's so well-directed and produced, but because its characters are so immediately likable.
Without such strong character acting and solid performances, the mystery of this story might not have dug its hooks into viewers. Thankfully, because of how it nails its tone and characters, Heavenly Delusion is very easy to get invested in and ensnared by. The seeds planted in this premiere are bound to bear fruit in exciting ways these coming weeks.
Heavenly Delusion is streaming worldwide on Disney+, on Hulu in America, and on Star+ in Latin America.