We’re all looking for our next great binge-watch. Even in the age of endless content on streaming, it can be hard to find a show that feels worth sitting down and committing to. This applies tenfold to sci-fi fans because the genre is so hard to successfully pull off on TV, due to the often high budgets required. But that’s where Hulu comes in. For the sci-fi fans who have watched every new show (like The Expanse, Fallout, and Foundation), or for more casual fans looking for a great hard sci-fi/action series to watch this weekend, we present Heavenly Delusion.
Heavenly Delusion is the English-translated title, with the show originally being called Tengoku Daimakyo. The series, which was released in 2023, is currently streaming on Hulu with a Disney+ subscription. Heavenly Delusion doesn’t just conform to one sub-genre of sci-fi; instead, it blends several popular elements together into one phenomenal and complex series. Half of the story is set in a futuristic facility where children who seemingly have indescribable gifts are raised and protected from the outside world. Meanwhile, said outside world is a hostile post-apocalyptic landscape where survivors battle against the elements and each other to make it through each day. The official synopsis reads:
“In the outside world, 15 years have passed since an unprecedented disaster, that completely destroyed modern civilization. A group of children live in a facility isolated from the outside world. One day, one of them, a girl named Tokio, receives a message that says “Do you want to go outside?” Mimihime, another girl who lives in the same facility, has a prediction and tells the upset Tokio that two people will come from the outside to save her, one of whom has her same face, while the director of the school tells her that the outside world is hell. Meanwhile, a boy named Maru, who looks just like Tokio, is traveling through this devastated Japan with a girl named Kiruko, in search of heaven.”
Like many of the best anime, Heavenly Delusion is adapted from a manga. Masakazu Ishiguro wrote and illustrated the Heavenly Delusion manga and oversaw the 2023 anime, which was produced by Production I.G.
‘Heavenly Delusion’ Is an Underrated Gem on Hulu
Even many hardcore anime fans tend to sleep on Heavenly Delusion (most likely because it’s a Hulu exclusive). But this 13-episode series is well worth the binge-watch. Anime tend not to receive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Instead, viewers flock to sites like My Anime List to write their reviews and rate the show out of 10. Heavenly Delusion currently holds a very strong 8.21 rating on My Anime List.
The only downside of watching Heavenly Delusion is that you’ll be desperate for a second season. Unfortunately, while Season 1 was a hit in terms of reviews, it apparently didn’t garner enough attention to warrant a follow-up. At the time of writing, Season 2 of Heavenly Delusion hasn’t been announced. However, given that Production I.G. is one of the busiest studios working today, there is always the chance of the show getting a second season somewhere down the line.
