Spoilers for Heavenly Delusion Episode 13 ahead!
It's difficult to summarize how surprisingly satisfying the conclusion to Heavenly Delusion's first season was, especially when the episode's title describes it so perfectly. Right at the very end, "The Journey Continues and Begins" showcases the ways in which this adaptation so smartly navigates a constantly-moving story where it's very hard to decide when to hit pause.
Last week, a sudden incident tore open a hole in the nursery, freeing some of the children from the facility, while meanwhile, Kiruko finally reunited with Robin. Unfortunately, the joyful reunion turned into a nightmare where a man once thought to be a trusted friend turned out to be nothing more than a monster.
Little Victories
There isn't much reason given for why Robin did what he did - if there was any kind of reason, to begin with, and part of that feels intentional. It could be that he went crazy, or perhaps he was always harboring such disgusting feelings for Kiriko. Either way, the "why" is irrelevant. It happened and the way it affects Kiruko is what makes the episode feel like such an effective end.
What happened to Kiruko was awful and exacerbated a growing disconnect between her sense of self and her body. After being objectified in such a violent way, and even having her own identity challenged in the process, she is naturally inclined to fixate on her body even more due to her trauma. She's forced to confront what's been troubling her since the start.
Chasing Robin was about more than chasing a person; she was chasing a part of a life that no longer exists, and the moment that it turned out to be nothing like what she hoped, it was crushing. It's a blessing, then, that this week wastes little time giving us catharsis in the form of Maru's one-man assault on Robin's compound.
Tetsuya Takeuchi directed the season finale and animated part of Maru's confrontation with Robin to boot. It's not a fight - it's a beatdown that the audience can feel coming the moment the two of them lock eyes and one that will have many fans cheering. Maru comes off as a force of nature, and you can really feel his strength in every slight gesture and subsequent hard punch.
Of course, there's a suggestion that this isn't the last we've seen of Robin, but it's the little victories that make this finale work. The story is far from over and the finale doesn't endeavor to answer many of its standing questions. The remaining mysteries are so plentiful that they warrant their own feature, but that wasn't the objective of this finale.
The Confessions
If anything, the goal was to show how far these characters have come, what their journeys have meant, and tease where they'll go next. They accomplish this so beautifully thanks to the parallels between the two storylines, both of which culminate in confessions of love that mark the end of this chapter.
In Maru's case, his confession is another in a long line, but it's the way he contextualizes his love through the lens of Kiruko's unique circumstances that makes it touching. She thinks of herself in binaries; she is the mind of Haruki in the body of Kiriko, and she has no idea who she really is. Maru, having only known her as Kiruko, espouses that her current self is who he fell in love with.
Kiruko's story touches on an age-old discourse on the separation of the body and the self. Her very concept of self is bogged down by dogmatic narratives of what defines personhood, something increasingly relatable in the modern day. Maru loving her as she is, absent of an otherwise incomprehensible and irrelevant "truth" to her identity, is powerful and endearing.
Then, there's Mimihime and Shiro, whose blooming love story is arguably more naive and youthful, but no less beautiful given the circumstances of how it started. When Shiro first became infatuated with Mimihime, it was purely a physical attraction, as many of the kids were becoming sexually curious. However, since then, that attraction has matured, if only slightly.
Raised in an environment that wasn't quick to educate him on his feelings, Shiro has had to rationalize his feelings on his own. He doesn't know the words to express why he loves her, but he knows that he does, and he knows that it's not just physical like before. It's a turning point for his character and the first glimpse of the man we know as Dr. Usami.
It's a beautiful scene, but it also hurts, because despite being one part of the "beginning" referenced in the episode's title, we already know how Mimihime and Shiro's story ends. However, that isn't a flaw so much as an opportunity to explore a story's chronology in new and exciting ways. Knowing the destination doesn't have to ruin the journey.
And especially with how Heavenly Delusion tells its story, even the smallest details can pay off later down the line. The visual storytelling and symbolism are relentless; the hallmark of a great show meant to be rewatched to pick up something new. At only 13 episodes, it was never going to find a comfortable place to end the season, but thanks to its character and presentation, it doesn't just make it work; it ends on a high note.