The long wait is finally over, and now we can finally watch Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi. It was released a bit later than the typical Summer 2021 anime, probably because of Tokyo Olympics. This anime is Number 3 on my list for being the most anticipated anime this season. The details from its trailer already caught my attention, so I'm happy that it's finally out. But is it worth waiting?
Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi
Genre: Action Adventure Demons Fantasy Seinen
Its story is all about the fight between Gods and Demons a long time ago. When the world was nearly destroyed by the forces of Demons and human beings are on the brink of extinction, the Gods appeared to save them and sealed the demons by sacrificing themselves. The only gods left are the young generations, and hundreds of years have passed; they are now living in a peaceful world. How ready are them once the demons have resurrected and the seal is broken?
I like how the author played with the art style of this anime. The author of this anime is Coolkyousinnjya. For those who are not familiar with this mangaka, he's the author of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. Added with MAPPA as the production studio, I can't just resist my excitement towards this show.
The art style is unique. MAPPA uses 2D like animations instead of 3D, but the quality is still there. They also use bright colours even though the story is, in fact, dark. People currently hate this anime. I can't blame them because they expected comedy anime, and the last scene of episode 1 is terrible. It's awful for the sudden change of genre from comedy to something dark.
I know people are sensitive to that topic, but they should have looked at its genre first. Keep in mind that this anime is "Seinen". This genre existed for adults and young adults, so that scene should never be surprising. I don't get why they hated it so much, even though it happened too on Goblin Slayer (they even enjoyed Redo of Healer). If you expect this anime to be Shounen with the power of friendship and the main character is a hero who can save everything, then this anime is not for you.
Another thing that makes this anime controversial is the topic of religion. I should have seen this coming knowing it's all about gods and stuff. But I commend the bravery of Coolkyousinnjya. In episode 2, they tackle why gods are ignorant to humans when there is war or conflict. How people seek salvation from them and how people genuinely believe in them. It was a bold topic added with an element of fiction for the sake of the story. That's why I think this anime is worth it.
I always say that people shouldn't underestimate the Seinen genre. It was a completely different genre that people should not expect the standard logic of shounen anime. It also applies to Josei (same meaning as Seinen but for females). They often include the sensitive topic in their story that most people find it inappropriate. But that genre is what it is, so if you're one of those sensitive ones, be aware.
Is My Wait Worth It?
I should say Yes. I am almost bored with most anime this season, and Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi changed my mood. I witness so various topics in this anime that I usually don't see. It is exciting but at the same time worried about what dark scenes will they include in the future. But seriously, I'm surprised about MAPPA. We know how great they are at animating almost realistic animations, but now they experimented with their art style and put it in this anime. It's almost like the MAPPA version of WIT studio's "Great Pretender". Well, I'm glad I waited, and now I saw anime that have a good potential to be the Top anime this season. It's just unexpected from the last part of episode 1. It caught me off guard, and now I want to erase that part from my memories.
It made me interested to watch this one. Thanks for sharing.❤