Speaking in very broad terms film and television can be divided into two categories. On one end of the spectrum you have art house projects which will typically focus on complex symbolism themes and characters at the expense of broader appeal contrasting that are the blockbusters designed first and foremost to be straightforward comprehendible and most importantly entertaining. With a manga illustrated by the creator of Miss Kobayashis Dragon Maid a story from the same mind who brought the world Interspecies Reviewers and an anime produced by MAPPA its no surprise that The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace falls more on the popcornflick side of things almost to a comical extreme. There isnt a unifying message or theme at the center of the story the characters are onenote and undergo zero development and everything is as straightforward as it gets with no hidden deeper meaning anywhere. However in spite of these factors which would normally be major deficits I think that Idaten is a blast from start to finish exemplifying how to make a show that cant be called anything but dumb fun. When demons threatened humanity a race of metaphysical battlegods were willed into existence to save the world the Idaten. To end the fighting all but one of these gods Rin would sacrifice themselves to seal away the demon threat bringing some peace to the world. Fast forward 800 years and humans may now be fighting one another but Rin and the other gods Hayato Ysley Paula and Prontea arent interested in stopping anything less than an extinction level event. With no demons to worry about the Idaten are able to spend all their time doing whatever they please and life is generally good. That idyllic lifestyle is shattered however when a new strain of demons view this inaction as weakness and preemptively try to wipe them out. On the surface this isnt an awful plan but it falls apart when the ridiculous gap in power between the gods and the demons becomes apparent in the blink of an eye Idaten becomes the anime version of watching what happens when the schoolyard bully goes after a wasp nest with a baseball bat. 440https://i.ur.com/qSGIaZi.jpg The demons might not have thought this one through In order to keep the plot engaging Idaten places a heavy emphasis on two factors: tone and pacing. The bright poppy colors and cartoonish character design are very shounenesque but the show establishes the fact it is going to go to some really dark places right away. A story and visuals that belong in a shounen being intertwined with sex degeneracy and stylized gore is a really engaging dichotomy and creates a unique overthetop atmosphere that at times almost becomes a parody. This is also what allows Idaten to have near perfect pacing as the show literally does things like fast forward through exposition heavy segments. On the surface this may seem like a strange unjustifiable creative decision but because of the very tongue in cheek tone of the show it feels so natural serving as both a comedic bit while at the same time being a tool to prevent the show from dragging. 440https://i.ur.com/SNwLn43.jpg Concerned your worldbuilding is dry? Have you considered... telling it twice as fast? This tone also is what saves the characters. Earlier I described them as onenote and they are. Every time Rin and Hayato are onscreen I know theyre going to want to fight something and every time Ysley and Prontea are onscreen I know theres going to be more in the way of dialogue and worldbuilding. Even the demons as comically evil and fun to watch as they are fall victim to this. Their standout is without a doubt Miku a genius when it comes to planning who like the Idaten is focused solely on one thing in her case that just happens to be having sex. Yes the characters are shallow crass amoral and genuinely awful. The thing is though everything about this show is wildly overthetop and in that setting having incredibly powerful characters with awful personalities hyperfixate on just one trait is a recipe for hilarity even if its not deep whatsoever. 440https://i.ur.com/R63C2QJ.jpg What on earth could she be taking that pixelated object into the bathroom for? Idaten may be a seinen however thats clearly not so it can explore more complex adult themes. The reality is that this show is a seinen for the same reason Deadpools target demographic is adults. Sex blood and gore are all mainstays of the show with drugs war crimes and general degeneracy occasionally rearing their heads as well. This isnt necessarily a bad thing honestly an Rrated version of a battle shounen a battle seinen? will be a breath of fresh air for many. But there are moments where being an exercise in excess may get a little too excessive. I do feel a need to touch briefly on how the tone of Idaten is established: at the end of the first episode theres a rape. Sexual assault is an incredibly sensitive topic and I know for a lot of people this alone will be enough to turn them off of a show completely. As weird as it sounds however I dont actually know how this scene could have been done in a better way. From a creative standpoint this has purpose regarding the narrative and in establishing tone and there isnt another way to easily do both in such a memorable fashion. Its also portrayed in a deliberately grotesque very eerie style that is profoundly uncomfortable for the viewer fitting given the subject material and its not glamorized whatsoever. Its not gratuitous however people should be aware of the fact that it is waiting at the end of episode one and really of the heavy focus the show has on sex in general. 440https://i.ur.com/hzcyzqR.jpg On a brighter note I would be remiss if I didnt also talk about the insanely good production values behind Idaten. MAPPA is a top notch studio even if working conditions there might not be but I was still blown away by the OST and animation of the show. The ending is done by Nanawo Akari and its a pretty fun jpop/rap song. Accompany that with some fast paced fun insert music for the fights and youve got the foundation of a pretty good soundtrack. The opening however was a real jaw dropper. Done by Tatsuya Kitani as a song being judged on its own merits its great definitely leaning into more of a rock anthem kind of sound and earning a spot on my playlist. But this opening has one of the best animated sequences of any opening Ive seen its honestly so good I could watch it with the sound muted and still be impressed and I never skipped it once in eleven episodes. 440https://i.ur.com/2xGzHJ8.jpg Fever Dream: The Opening The visuals of Idaten are consistently that good. The most striking thing about them is the very atypical palette as the focus is on incredibly bright colors that provide a lot of pop. It definitely feels strange initially but after an episode or two of adjusting all of the ways that the show utilizes the cartoonish visuals begins to become apparent. If you look past the colors and at the action youll find that its hectic but very well choreographed The emphasis here is definitely on hand to hand fighting with ridiculous speed and power but since the fights are always just between a couple of characters and tend to be over quickly theyre very easy to follow. While there were a few times when I felt like the visuals were busy and that there was no way for me to take in everything on screen I do think its safe to say that the uniqueness of the art style is a pretty big draw for the show. 440https://i.ur.com/Pz1zK9w.jpg Members of various fandoms have a tendency to read too deeply into something theyre passionate about. To many quality and depth have been conflated to the point where they are inseparable. In spite of its issues such as a general irreverence for sensitive topics and ending on a cliffhanger so massive even Alex Honnold would get nervous The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace is a refutation of that thesis as viewers cant even pretend its deep. Shallow stupid offensive crass and a plethora of other adjectives Im too lazy to write out could easily describe this show but that doesnt mean it isnt fun and it certainly doesnt mean it cant be one of my favorite shows in recent memory.