CoCodeBlazeFate
September 28, 2021
Recommended
Perhaps it's time to play Devil's Advocate. Idaten Deities is certainly an oddball among the Summer 2021 line-up. By far one of the most lavishly animated, stylistically interesting, and well-produced shows of the year has been largely ignored, and similarly written off as nothing more than incomprehensible edgy garbage that's "style over substance". What a silly pain in the ass this buzzterm is. It's nothing more than an excuse for people to dismiss a well-animated work they don't like because the writing isn't trying to be the 10/10 kino that the visuals are. It's not because the writing actually gets in the way of all the spectaclelike the overly serious and painful melodrama in Bubblegum Crisis and Symphogear. It's because a work that's entertaining and well-presented first and foremost tends to be looked down upon. It neglects the idea that perhaps the style is the substance like in Redline. It also forsakes the idea that while the writing can’t quite compete with the visuals, it can still do enough to not only avoid getting in the way too much, but make the show more interesting in its own right, like with this series.
This isn't to say Idaten Deities doesn't have issues worthy of criticizing. It most certainly does. It's crass and juvenile to a fault. The character designs by Amahara (not actually Cool-Kyou Shinja, this is based more on the OG web manga than the serialized one) may work when the female characters are just doing their thing or casually flaunting it around with their mannerisms or outfits without drawing too much attention for a (somehow) non-ecchi title. The show can even highlight that with its camera angles if it wants, since it knows how crass, sexy, and debaucherous it wants to be. However, whenever it shoves rape and sexual assault into the mix, the results are as gaudy and annoying. No matter how much the show tries to spice up the scenes with weird visuals or anything, these scenes are just needlessly unpleasant to watch. If anything, it shows why they don’t work, as the show tries to be super casual about these issues. The demons are generally vile and debaucherous enough without this element coming into play more than once to sour the mood. The fact that one character is introduced by getting raped and her second scene involves her getting fingered against her will while neither of these scenes have that much gravitas to them, makes it understandable why someone would be turned off by this show. It’s a stain on an otherwise fun and interesting ride you won’t get anywhere else.
However, barring that one particular blemish, what exactly is so wrong with this show? Why is it that something like Idaten, which has higher production values than even some popular anime that have come out as of late, deserves to be buried or dismissed? The other issues people seem to have involve the show's constant color changing and its characters not being particularly sympathetic, both of which seem to miss the point entirely and feel a bit restrictive and taste-based, respectively.
Let's address the show's visuals. Despite being overshadowed by Maid Dragon S2 this year, Idaten is still a highlight of the year in terms of style. The colors are vibrant and the outlines are distinct, often a noticeable reddish purple as opposed to the more understated thin black outlines in most modern anime. Despite how they stick out, the characters still fit the vibrant backgrounds. The colors, both regarding the fun and expressive character designs and the art direction, are similarly vivid. The environments and colors are the closest thing anime is gonna come to looking like Cruelty Squad or ULTRAKILL, as much of a reach as those comparisons are. One can certainly take issue with the admittedly somewhat garish color choices, especially when the show completely and constantly shifts them, but it’s nonetheless really cool and fun that they did this without making the colors eye-bleedingly oversaturated.
Fun really is the right word for the show’s visuals. Is it not fun for the show to constantly shake up the colors depending on the environment they travel to, what situation they’re in, or even what attacks some of the demons bust out if the situation calls for it? Should it really be constrained to only busting out these changes in the big beefy flashy moments like in Chivalry of a Failed Knight, especially when the show does this consistently to the point where it never feels aimless or haphazard? It would be one thing if it were truly random and silly, or if the colors were absolute death, but here, it’s a refreshing treat. Outside of the color changes, the actual character animation is wonderful. There are all sorts of amusing facial expressions, and the action scenes are very fluid, punchy, and easy to follow. They’re generally pretty dynamic and even the cuts that don’t seem as visually impressive and do employ some animation shorthands do, such as characters having multiple limbs to show how fast they’re punching, look way better than examples you’d find in Akame ga Kill, Slime, or any number of shows. Good luck counting the number of shorthand speed lines or stock backgrounds in place of actual backgrounds on more than one hand!
Even the episode title cards have creative thought put into them, with each of them having distinct colors from one-another and sometimes being put into the environments and backgrounds! Seriously, you can feel just how much director Seimei Kidokoro and his team at (black company) MAPPA emphasized the word “fun” when it came to the visual presentation. The backlash the studio has faced regarding its abysmal treatment of its staff even by the subterranean standards of the industry is certainly warranted. It’s natural that this show would be a casualty of that in some regards, should that be one of the reasons it’s not even remotely popular for its season. However, the efforts of director Kidokoro and his team deserve to be lauded and acknowledged. The fact that they haven’t gotten anywhere near the level of attention of beloved juggernauts of modern anime visuals such Mob Psycho 100 or Dragon Maid has, hell, the fact that it’s not even close to more moderately popular titles such as Akudama Drive, is criminal!
Let’s not neglect how the show is written or assume that the visuals are the only real reason to watch it. Doing so is what nets you in “style over substance” territory, and dismisses the writing purely for its juvenile aspects and [very much controlled] flippant tone. They may be the best part, but there’s more to dig into with how the show’s written than some may think. The conflict is ultimately a farcical one. The Idaten notice that demons are out there in the world after 800 years of them being sealed in the underworld, and so they find each other, train, and wipe them out. It's made as early as episode 2 that not only are demons generally weaker and aren't able to regenerate the way an idaten can, but they're never gonna have a chance. It's utterly hilarious how the death of one of their stringer members shuts them up, as they know they're the underdogs in this situation. The best they can hope for is to be brainwashed into aiding the idaten, but they already obtained all the captivates they need by episode 5. This fact and what does come in the last 5 episodes do present faint moments of hope for the demons, but the series goes out of its way to show that it's more about delaying the inevitable than anything else. They know they're screwed by episodes 2, 7, and 10. It's utterly hilarious seeing them shift the goalpost over the course of the series from "killing all idaten" to "killing one" and "surviving long enough for remnants to reform in any meaningful way".
Despite this, the show still manages to keep some level of intrigue with what both sides learn and guess from one-another, and how every time, most of it is true except for at least one vital piece of information that trips them up or otherwise stalls their progress. A lot of explanations and info-dumps are fast-forwarded for the sake of time and entertainment, but the way both the Idaten and the humanoid demons under Dr. Obami's rule piece together who or what he is when he himself doesn't know, is one of many examples where this cat and mouse game of information constantly keeps itself fresh while informing the audience. The more the audience learns about the idaten, the demons, and the mechanics, the more engaging some of the fights become in spite of the foregone conclusions of “demons lose and/or die”.
Adding to the farcical nature is the fact that we’re not even necessarily meant to root for either side. It’s simply an entertaining charade of evil-doers trying and failing to kill and then slip past the generally callous Idaten. The show may stop and ask questions like “if the demons that forced themselves into human civilization were generally able to live and rule in secret amongst them, what’s to say they can’t coexist”, but the only one who genuinely entertains this question until the very end of the show is Gil, the one relevant human character. She's also the one that got raped in episode 1 and spends most of the shoe in captivity until being freed and watching the emperor of Zoble (the kingdom she's imprisoned in) try to make sure she and the other prisoners aren't hurt. It does seem like sometimes some of these evil demons have a shred of decency and humanity, but barely anyone cares and the most some of the others amount to is loving one specific partner or when Brandy (the Zoble demon empress) makes sure her kids are safe in a moment that surprises both her and said offspring.
The idaten aren't necessarily moral, either. They're gods meant to protect humanity from demons, but couldn't give a fuck about the humans themselves or if countries slaughter each other via wars. The oldest one, Rin, even suggests eradicating the kingdom if Zoble outright, knowing any humans living there will die just to kill the couple hundred demons living there. Ysley, the most strategic one of the group, only really rejects this because neighboring countries such as Hotaena will use this as an excuse to war and it'll be a pain in the ass for him considering his master, Prontea, is stationed in Hotaena and enjoys his time there. Even Hayato and the youngest idaten for most of the series, Paula, are single-minded strength junkies and the token normal person without a strong moral compass, respectively. Morality isn't of anyone's concern except for the human, Gil, and what little standards anyone on either side has. Why care? Gil's practically chastised or brushed off by both sides for doing so regarding the war and what the demons did to her people. The show keeps this amusingly callous nature until the last few episodes where the tone still feels rather frank.
It's not necessarily a bad thing that we're not meant to really root for/against or sympathize with anyone. That being said, it can limit how enjoyable the show can be as the lack of ability to really care about or get invested in the conflict prevents the spectacle from being as exciting as it can be. The characters and fights are entertaining enough, and the show knows not to take itself too seriously, but it's not like the characters have that much going on beyond fun, catty banter and antics, and how Ysley, Obami, and Miku constantly scheme, learn, and adapt over the course of this conflict.
Oh, that's right. We should probably touch upon some of them beyond just Gil, Paula, and Hayato. Ysley is perhaps the most interesting of the main cast, as his allegiance leans more towards Prontea than Rin, making him conduct retrievals behind everyone's backs as he starts asking most of the questions and making the most hypotheses regarding the demons. He's also the one who explains how nobody really gices a fuck about humanity aside from when demons are involved. Rin is the shrimpy oldhead of the group, existing for over 800 decades, watching her father and ancestors seal themselves for that time. Her backstory and how the end of ep 8 and start of 9 bring that back to haunt her at the end of the Zoble invasion are the closest the show comes to expecting us to care about anyone as she spent decades without anyone in the world before she realized the world had become safe for a time. The last two characters to really mention are Miku and Dr. Obami. Miku is debauchery incarnate: a supernaturally intuitive planner who spends as much time thinking as she does feeling up or hitting on prisoners and subordinates. This is before the last few episodes where things get so much more messed up and she becomes just as much of a threat as Obami. Interestingly enough, she's the only one to question him on his identity and intentions, the former of which Obami doesn't know himself, as both the idaten and audience learn only slightly more about him than he does. He just knows the initiative to conquer the idaten and the world, and that ordinary demons not quickly fused into a human brain and body are just savages that will complicate matters for both sides.
The music is also pretty good, at least regarding the OST by Yoshiaki Dewa. It's not always that memorable when listening to the show itself, but there are a fair number of choir-based and intense tracks, with the vibrant and ever-shifting title track and its variants, "World Adjustment'', "God of Battle", “Escape”, “Training Room”, “Kicking”, and “Sadness of Love” being among the most notable ones. It's like a mix of industrial and avant garde, with techno, and perhaps more indiginous (for lack of a better word) percussion and choir elements thrown in as well to make it an eclectic soundtrack. Some of the tracks are rather strange and unique, and the OST fits well with the impressive fight scenes, as well as the moments of thinking and planning several characters engage in. Many of the aforementioned pieces stood out when watching, but several more did as well upon listening to the full OST, including some of the more traditional kinds of songs in the tracklist. Meanwhile, the OP and ED aren't exactly memorable or enjoyable songs as the former is kinda whatever and the almost noise-pop-esque song for the latter is surprisingly hard to listen to, but their visuals are top-notch with a Mob Psycho 100 II level sequence and a still vibrant and fun what-if scenario, respectively.
Idaten Deities is a weird and engaging show for reasons that some other titles could never get away with. It’s callous and juvenile, both hilariously and unfortunately so at times. The characters are the least interesting aspect of the series, with the amazing visuals amusingly uphill and forgone nature of the conflict being where most of the entertainment comes from. The show's callous attitude does make slapstick beatdowns more fun whenever Hayato, who expects beatings from Rin no matter what, gets demolished and treats it like an annoyance at worst. It's an entertaining spectacle with some odd decisions made towards the back end, and some interesting questions and ideas it tackles without losing sight of its fun yet lackadaisical and glib tone. There's minimal ugly CG and generally speaking, the show's visuals are consistently well-animated, vibrant, and ever-changing. If you can look past some of its worst and most distasteful moments, then this series is certainly one of the most darkly humorous and entertaining popcorn spectacles in recent years. Just beware of the cliffhanger ending that happens right when the show actively feels like creating tension.
