Beyond the Heavens English Sub & Dub

About Beyond the Heavens

Meet Beyond the Heavens (蒼天航路), an action and adventure anime by MADHOUSE (2009). Here is the premise in a nutshell. The premise: Souten Kouro's story is based loosely on the events taking place in Three Kingdoms period of China during the life of the last Chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao (155 – March 15, 220). The Three Kingdoms period has been a popular theme in Japanese manga for decades, but Souten Kouro differs greatly from most of the others on several points.

Further in, one significant difference is its highly positive portrayal of its main character, Cao Cao, who is traditionally the antagonist in not only Japanese manga, but also most novel versions of the Three Kingdoms period. Another significant difference from others is that the storyline primarily uses the original historical account of the era, Records of Three Kingdoms by Chen Shou. By this, the traditional hero of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei, takes on relatively less importance within the story and is portrayed in a less positive light.

In an action series like this, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. Voice work is led by Mamoru Miyano as Cao Cao and Takeshi Kusao as Dun Xiahou. Think of it as a pick for viewers who like fast, high-impact fights. With 26 episodes in total, there is enough room for the story to develop.

Production & Appeal

Production sits with MADHOUSE, which means the visual identity of Beyond the Heavens follows that studio's craft. Within the action category, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. With a 6.5/10 score, it is more of a niche pick than a universal crowd-pleaser. Voice casting, including Mamoru Miyano as Cao Cao, adds to the appeal for fans who follow seiyuu. Released in 2009, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.