Rin is hundreds of years old, the sole survivor among the Idaten deities who protected the planet against the Demons, sealing them with their sacrifice. Rin is left behind to train the new generation of Idaten: Hayato, a reckless yet strong spiky-haired deity, Issley, a genius Idaten who prefers the pursuit of knowledge to fighting, and charming Paula who can communicate with birds. The younger generation of Idaten cannot see the necessity of the grueling training they undergo under Rin’s iron first, because the Demons have not appeared for 800 years. This is only until the attacks begin again, with the Demons taking new, smarter forms.
The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace is a colorful action anime series, with a design reminiscent of Mob 100, and off-beat dark humor like Dorohedoro. Its epic battles remind us of our childhood favorite DragonBall, full of character-driven conflict and OP characters. Let's take a look at the first few episodes of the newest studio MAPPA production.
Character-Driven Action with a Dark Twist
Idaten stands out this season. It has not been as strongly promoted as other Summer 2021 anime in the western market, like The Case Study of Vanitas, and the main cast looking like cute teenagers might not be appealing to some at first. However, Idaten is full of gruesome scenes, dark humor, and a nihilistic worldview. The army pillaging villages, raping, and destroying was blood-chilling, but served the atmosphere of the story in a detached, darkly humorous, way. Since the Idaten deities do not interfere in human matters, unless the Demons are involved, we as the audience feel the same hopelessness and cynicism as humanity.
Under this light, the spectacular fights do not feel as epic anymore. The Idaten are forced to interfere only against the strongest enemies of the planet, the Demons. They exist to maintain balance, not to save humans, who hopelessly pray to them. Rin understands her duty, while Issley, voiced by none other than chameleon seiyuu Megumi Ogata, is more concerned with the origin of Demons, how they came to be and why.
The band of evil characters is interesting, too. They all have their twisted desires and are fun to look at. Even the worst of them, like the commander ordering the army to destroy everything on sight, are funny in their twisted ways. We’re deeply intrigued by the main cast!
The Trippy MAPPA Touch of Gold
How would the old-school shounen anime with superheroes look in 2021? This is Idaten! With a killer OP, and kaleidoscopic visuals reminiscent of Mob 100 and Dorohedoro, Idaten stands out visually this season. The fight scenes and the flashbacks sequences are animated in a fresh, modern take on the shounen action genre. The characters’ round eyes and cute faces remind us of Mob 100, and the bright colors are similar to 2020’s Deca-Dence, another recent eccentric action anime series. The deities’ youthful looks are an interesting stylistic choice, contrasting the often violent subject matter. We love to get new anime series that reference the classics in a modern and original way.
Final Thoughts
We went into this anime blind, and so far, we are enjoying The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace a lot! If you like your action anime full of dark humor and a touch of cheerful nihilism, there’s Idaten for you this season. Have you watched this new MAPPA production? Which is your favorite deity so far? Let us know in the comments below and thanks for reading.
Author: Andromache Kokkinou
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