Episode 8 of Idaten Deities didn’t shy away from brutality and messed-up scenarios. Since the first episode, fans have seen everything from the spoils of war to some of the most adult themes in the entire summer lineup. MAPPA’s latest series is a giant cluster of everything you’d want in a seinen anime. And episode 8 reminded us of all these things.
With the war between Idaten and the demons finally reaching its climax, fans are given just what they wanted.
We’ve seen some epic fight scenes in Idaten Deities up to this point. Whether it was Hayato making quick work of Gyudo in episode one or Rin’s showdown between her and Nickel back in episode three. The downside to these, and most of the fights so far in Idaten Deities, is that they were short-lived. However, episode 8 finally gave us some 1-on-1 fights that lasted longer.
The first fight starts off with Emperor Takeshita eye-gouging Hayato and using both of his fingers to slam Hayato into the ground. And that’s only the beginning. If that wasn’t enough, he also runs his hand through Hayato’s chest like a spear cutting through paper. Of course, being an Idaten, Hayato is still able to move around and is able to retaliate. But if that doesn’t sound like much, try listening to the sound of intestines spilling out of someone’s body while bones are being broken at the same time with a pair of headphones.
That fight between Hayato and Emperor Takeshita gave a different meaning to the word brutal. And Hayato showed even more potential in being the Idaten prodigy that Prontea thinks he might be.
We already saw a glimpse of how powerful Rin is during her fight with Nickel. But this time around, she found herself to be limbless. No, seriously. Both of her arms and legs were completely gone at one point during her fight with Brandy. But did that stop her? Absolutely not. And it was one of the most glorious moments of the entire series so far.
Sure, we heard arms breaking in the Hayato/Emperor fight. But the ending of Rin’s battle was the icing on the ferocious cake. This is where Yukio Nagasaki’s genius came into play with the sound design. And to add even more to it, we see Rin in a vulnerable state for the first time since she was a kid.
Episode 8 did a relentless job of showing how far Idaten can push their powers to their limits no matter how strong or weak. Little can be said about what occurred during the end of the fight because it’s that extreme. You’re just going to have to watch the episode to see for yourself.
Cracking bones, spilling guts, blood galore, and even emotional trauma. There’s truly no holding back with Idaten fights and that’s just a small part of what makes this series a different breed of action. The battle between Rin and Brandy spans over both episodes 7 and 8, showing that Idaten Deities can definitely deliver with lengthier fights.
With the war between Idaten and demons coming to a conclusion, it’s only temporary at the moment. The Idaten accomplished what they set out to do, but a dilemma occurred during the war—Hayato pulled his first Idaten and she looks extremely similar to a certain character. However, Prontea becomes concerned that the person who created the image of this new Idaten, and the Idaten herself, look and act exactly the same.
A huge turn of events occurred. And with Miku and the others on the run, it creates a perfect “we’ll be back” scenario. It could be argued that Idaten Deities’ latest episode was truly the best one yet that left us with a suspenseful cliffhanger.
Episode 9 of Idaten Deities will air Tuesday, September 14, on Crunchyroll. If you thought episode 8 was great, make sure to vote for it in our weekly poll. The series has yet to crack the top-10 and it’s been more than deserving.
All images via Crunchyroll
©Amahara, Coolkyosinnjya, Hakusensha / The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace Production Committee