Tenchi Souzou Design-bu

The last time I watched an educational show while being genuinely invested I was probably in Kindergarten, back then I didn’t have much autonomy on what could and couldn’t watch so Sesame Street and Barney The Dinosaur were the things I had to watch in preparation for Dragon Ball or Sailor Moon. I didn’t mind them that much but I have a certain affinity to them, especially Sesame Street. There was something cool that made mathematics or geography interesting while having nice animations and songs.

As an adult, I often step upon pieces of trivia that will engross my knowledge about stuff that probably won’t be ... useful ever, but as they say, knowledge is power and it can also save you from boring chit-chat or making you look like an interesting (yet insufferable) person who knows stuff. As I found this kind of chunks of trivia in some video games or anime I was wondering if I was ever going to watch an educational show of my own volition or if that was even possible, then by pure luck, Tenchisozo Design Bu appeared out of nowhere to shut my mouth.

The story of Tenchisozo Design Bu or Heaven’s Design Team as it was localized in the Western world, revolves around a high-end magical design team that is in charge of designing God’s (the Christian one) most ridiculous requests, like making an animal that is cute and ugly at the same time or one that can swim and walk on earth, just to make vague examples. Part of the fun of each episode is trying to discover beforehand what real animal the design member would come up with. Even if it’s a little formulaic, the show has some versatility like some episodes being a stand-off between two members or others being a full-team work.

The cast of characters is pretty good, you have some tropes to it but each one of them works pretty well for the needs of the show and is easy for any person to relate to them. Also, I don’t think it is mandatory to work in a place of similar nature but if you do, it certainly adds a new layer that will make you enjoy it more.

This show was a breath of fresh air as there are many things in the same package, on one hand, it is a wholesome slice-of-life comedy (getting aside the magical aspect of it), and on the other, it teaches you about animals, all kinds of animals and all kinds of trivia. I was surprised by how many things I didn’t know about common animals like penguins or whales and how they interpret their characteristics in a fun relatable way, like whales having laser beams, in a way it’s like having a cool teacher that wants you to know stuff not by forcing it into you but by presenting entertaining activities.

It has a somewhat insinuation of a story that is nice to have but it is pretty noticeable that this isn’t a high stakes show, as sometimes when the plot needs to get more serious in tone it fails to get you that engaged and you will mostly want to get back to the educational stuff.

Tenchisozo Design Bu is a pretty solid anime that will make you have a wholesome time while being educated, but don’t expect a great story to be accompanied with.

Watching this anime is like eating an nugget. Fuss free, brings joy, fulfil some craving but doesn't fill up the stomach.

If you're looking for a mind-blowing, perspective-changing anime, this probably isn't the one. But if you had a bad day at work and just want to watch a quick silly (yet educational) anime over lunch, this is perfect for few chuckles that brighten things up just a little :) And of course, their sense of humor can be kind of strange at times, but that's what make this show charming!

I wished the animation quality could be slightly better though. The characters are endearing ... but their charms are just diminished by the static animation at times :(

A good anime if you like anything that's bubbly, light and easy to watch. The characters are well written, although they do seem a bit too scared of death for immortals. Do not watch if you want heavy drama, dramatic tension or anything: this is first and foremost a comedy, and an educational one, just like Cells at Work. The character design is on point though, and I really love Unabara-San. Overall a good anime, but one that is very likely to be forgotten in just a few months, as with most seasonal anime.
The art and sound design were both really plain though: not ... bad, really, but nothing too impressive either. It's to be excepted of such anime, so I can't really complain much.

in simple terms, I greatly enjoyed this show. It is an excelent blend of educational and genuinely funny. When it comes to shows that incorporate learning into their story, it hits the sweet spot. Too much can also make a show seem boring or tedious. Too little leaves you wanting more. This anime hits the perfect balance. It makes you want to tell the nearest individual what you have learned after watching. The characters are refreshingly diverse. Many anime follow similar outlines for all of their characters with little room for nuance, especially when it comes to gender. Heaven's Design Team's characters throw out gender ... roles completely. They are true to themselves and are unconcerned with meaningless things like gender stereotypes. I also have to give the show props for showing one of the only trans characters I have ever seen in anime. I hope we can see more characters like her in the future.

The concept of Heaven's Design Team is very intriguing. It feels like something I would think about while spacing out in the shower (if I were religious). I really like that they also included how the anatomies would work in mythical animals. I never thought I would be so interested in why a unicorn could not exist. I imagine it would be difficult to explain the inner workings of made-up creatures. I have much respect for the author's vast wisdom. While the art style was unique, the animation itself was nothing to write home about. I really liked the bright colors that made the world feel all fluffy and upbeat. The character designs were somewhat simple, but the colors made them stand out more. You can really get a sense of their personality just from looking at their clothes.

Overall, This show is absolutely worth watching. Especially if you have any interest in animals or biology. But I think you can get enjoyment out of it either way.

It's a silly edutainment show about a team of designers to whom God (a fussy client we never see) has outsourced the creation of animals. The show both revels in design-focused humour (clients are the worst) and teaches you about the biology and physiology of various animals (in way more detail than I would have expected); it actually doesn't feel like it's aimed at kids?

It's also very much a series of vignettes within and across episodes, where the continuity is mostly about the relationships between characters, who are really diverse and fun. There's some nice gender expression diversity (i.e., a super soft and sweet ... muscular man designing cute animals like Otters, a little girl who makes the creepiest and grossest animals like poisonous frogs, a rowdy beer-swilling female engineer), and there's a trans woman character (Venus / Kanamori) - though, she's played by a male actor, which is not ideal.

Would strongly recommend for folks looking for something silly, sweet, and light!

This can be only called "light entertainment". It is a light comedy, with light information/trivia dump about earth animals, it has nice characters design, without any drama in it, and it is "okay" in animation department.

Basically, this is something that you won't hate, something you can watch to kill some time and be slightly interested, but it is not a masterpiece and is not a "must watch" material.

4/10 Story; 6/10 Art; 5/10 Sound; 4/10 Characters; 5/10 Enjoyment; 5/10 Overall.

The story doesn't offer much and while it has few minor things to ponder it is mostly just a premise to present an information/trivia dump.

Art is okay. ... There isn't much of details, but it is clean, with well defined lines, and characters are nice looking. However there's not much to look at in term of animation.

Sound is ... okay I guess?

Characters are stereotypical. Highly stereotypical. They're nice to look at, they have basic personality they stick with, but they're mostly stereotypes and do one thing.

It is okay overall and okay in terms of enjoyment.

Basically, you can watch it if you have free time and want to unwind, but if you skip it you won't miss much. In other words, it is not bad, you probably wont' hate it, but it is not "stellar".