Tengoku Daimakyō, an anime with a surprising finale

So far there is only one anime that I watch on a weekly basis and that is One Piece, due to time issues I have stayed away from watching other anime with attention and disposition so the pending list is quite big. Within that list was Tengoku Daimakyō, an anime of which I read a couple of positive reviews in the community and that according to its synopsis seemed to offer interesting and intriguing things, so after unoccupying myself a bit I decided to watch it without much hesitation.

Tengoku Daimakyō is an anime from the year 2023, the mangaka was Masakazu Ishiguro and the animation studio Production I.G which is well known for animating great works such as Kuroko's Basketball, Psycho-Pass, Haikyu!!!, among many others. The genre is mystery and science fiction and is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The name of this anime appeared repeatedly in different tops during the year 2023, in X it was also mentioned a lot, needless to say that these things increased my curiosity to watch it.

For those who do not know this work I will try to give you a little context, it is very possible that spoilers may arise so pay attention. In a world that seems to have gone through a great calamity and lacks basic resources, as we are used to see in post-apocalyptic scenarios, Maru and Kiruko try to find a place called “Paradise”, they are not sure it exists, but they try anyway. Considering that they are two children, the world seems to be quite dangerous to be adrift, but they are not stupid, they have skills and cunning to face any danger.

However, here we are not talking about ordinary dangers, in this world occasionally appear beings called “man-eaters” or “hiruko” who do not hesitate to kill humans who appear in front of them. At this point, we do not know the origin of these beings or what motivations they have to attack humans, but what is certain is that they are the most feared threat in this post-apocalyptic world.

The anime has an alternate plot that at first seems to take place simultaneously, but without any kind of relationship, in this we have what appears to be a large dome which is controlled by a strange organization, there live some children with special abilities that seem to be the result of various experiments. They seem to live quietly, but have no knowledge of what lies in the outside world, they have never been out of there and have only been told that outside there is a kind of hell, however, that does not prevent them from being curious.

At this point one can conclude that the place that Maru and Kiruko are looking for is precisely that great dome, and there are no problems with basic resources or food, it is definitely a place that has nothing to do with the idleness and desolation that reigns in the world, however, it is necessary to see the end of the anime to discover what relationship there is between the two plots.

This anime has the positive characteristic of handling the mystery and the questions in a good way. As the episodes progress, one finds clues and references that are then intertwined to understand what is happening and what elements are in common between the events in the outside world and in the big dome. The animation on the other hand is outstanding and fluid, I really liked the gestures of the characters and their personalities, some are a little strange, but that makes it attractive, from my point of view.

While it is true that anime inspired by post-apocalyptic worlds abound, Tengoku Daimakyō offers us a different alternative, with a plot that builds slowly, but that gives us an ending that ultimately makes a lot of sense considering some elements that I in particular obviated, frankly it took me by surprise, but those are precisely the things that make good anime stand out.

So, if you have ever been recommended or seen any positive information about this anime, well, I tell you that it is true, you will be able to watch 13 very well condensed chapters in which the mystery develops at a good pace. Maybe the finale can leave you a little bit unsettled, but believe me it makes a lot of sense, in fact, I think it was the best way to end this good and interesting anime. By the way, the opening is very good, it was worth listening to it 13 times.