Beyond the Heavens English Sub & Dub

About Beyond the Heavens

If you are hunting for a new action series, Beyond the Heavens (蒼天航路) deserves a look (2009). The setup goes like this. In short: 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. If you count yourself among viewers who like fast, high-impact fights, put it on your list. With 26 episodes in total, there is enough room for the story to develop.

Production & Appeal

Animation is handled by MADHOUSE, so the studio's house style defines how Beyond the Heavens looks and moves on screen. Because it leans on action, 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. On the casting side, Mamoru Miyano voicing Cao Cao gives the lead role a recognizable voice. It aired in 2009, which makes it easy to place in the wider anime calendar.