HEROMAN by ビギナー
This anime series based on a manga by Marvel Comic’s Stan Lee has just come to an end. While it wasn’t as well received among American fans as I’m sure the original creators had hoped, I actually found it pretty good…
I feel that one of Heroman’s strong points is the pacing of the story and how it follows through with all its subplots. While the story itself is obviously not incredibly original, it’s executed surprisingly well (I think BONES is to thank for this). The 26 episodes are divided into a few different story arcs, none of which I thought were too rushed or too dragged on. But the best thing is that each one is connected to another – the first arc introduces the characters and completes the preliminary battle against the Skruggs, which is important because they return in the final arc, with foreshadowing of their return surfacing even sooner than that. The following arc dealing with how Heroman becomes public knowledge is equally important for Joey’s involvement with NIA later on. And sprinkled between the “main plot” episodes are scenes and “filler-ish” episodes that are still very important. The episodes focusing on Joey and Lina’s relationship, Joey’s family (his sister and dad), Psy’s past, etc., are nice breaks from the usual action-packed events but still play important roles in the main story. The subplot involving Will, which I thought was just going to be cast aside, ended up also being brought back in later episodes. Basically, the 26 episodes of Heroman are planned out very well and none of them seem insignificant to the overlaying plot.
Another good point for Heroman is that it sticks to the serious nature of its story. Unlike most other shonen anime, Heroman has no random, hyperbolic comedic scenes to interrupt the drama of the show, and the angst is kept pretty minimal. Additionally, it’s one of few anime to take place in America (a Los Angeles-based setting specifically), so it’s quite interesting seeing an anime version of the very place I live in. Along with the setting, the premise, events, characters, etc., in the story make it obvious that it has ties to American comics. But despite this, it has some truly good character relationship scenes, such as Joey and Holly visiting their dad’s grave (episode 22) and Joey almost giving CPR to Lina (episode 19), which I don’t think are as common in American comics.
As for the characters, I found them fairly average – not the most well-developed but not one-dimensional either. Joey is your typical nice guy wimp-turned-hero, but you can’t help but become slightly attached to him as he grows throughout the series. As for Lina, I’m glad they didn’t force tsundere-ness on her as far as how she feels about Joey and instead made her feelings very understandable. I’m not sure what to say about Heroman himself other than I think they should have given him more personality. We’re supposed to see him as more than just a robot, but we didn’t get one episode delving into any human traits he may possess. It’s fine that he doesn’t talk, but his lack of facial expressions and anything other than being in synced with Joey makes him seem like more of an enigma despite being a main character. As for Psy, Holly, Professor Denton, and the rest of the characters, they were all okay.
When it comes to animation, Heroman excels thanks to the brilliance of BONES. The many action scenes in the series were consistently well animated and you can tell the creators were not trying to take any shortcuts with them. The designs of the many settings, machines, characters, etc., were also consistently detailed. And as for music, I particularly liked three of the four OPs/EDs – the first OP “Roulette” by Tetsuya of L’Arc-en-Ciel, the first ED “Calling” by FLOW, and the second OP “Missing.”
ヒーローマン by 菊川れもん＠ついったー
All in all, though Heroman gives us a story and characters we’ve seen many times before, its enjoyment comes from its good pacing and execution, consistent mood, and great animation. In general, you’ve seen a show like it before, but not quite like it. After an intense (though admittedly cliche) finale finishing off the Skrugg for good, the last episode ends hinting at the return of a past villain, which means a second season of Heroman is very likely.
I don’t believe Heroman is actually based on any manga, there was a manga that came out before it aired but this is pretty common for original works. The Stardriver manga is a recent example. Even though the show ended with a “To be continue” it doesn’t quite look like there will be more due to how poor the dvd/bd sales were. Stan Lee is apparently going around pitching the show for tv so maybe if it some how succeeds on the west we will see more.
Overall I enjoyed the show but it did irked how little time was spent on characters like Holly who were given an entire episode for introduction but stayed on the sidelines for the most part.
I thought I read on Wiki that it was based on a manga that Stan Lee worked on. Oh well…
Yeah, it doesn’t look like the show did very well among American fans. If it can get on TV, there’s a chance it will reach a wider mainstream audience. But if not, I agree that we probably won’t see anymore of it if the sales are that bad.
Lina seemed like a sideline character from the get-go, but I would have liked to see more focus on Holly and Psy too. Even more minor characters like Ms. Collins and the news reporter (forgot her name) should have also had more attention. Ms. Collins seemed like she would have a greater role only to get cast aside before too long while the news reporter, who was insignificant early on, suddenly got a lot of attention in one of the later episodes.
I have just finished watching Heroman (caught up with the past 5 episodes I’ve missed) and I have to say, it is a great show. Many people dismiss it as just another ordinary kid’s show or as an anime ripoff of American cartoon, but Heroman is so much more than that. I admit, I did laugh a bit upon seeing the first episode because it was so strange seeing an American setting in an anime and because it started off with a cliche setup (poor weak boy gets bullied, cheerleader likes him, he gets picked on by the jocks, then aliens invade, and somehow a bolt of lightning transforms a toy into a giant robot). The first arc was the most predictable and the weakest, but after that the episodes became increasingly more interesting and engaging (the government arc had me on edge waiting for the next episode). The art is very clean and crisp and it’s animation is top-notch. The music in this series is really good (although I hated the first opening Roulette. I loved Missing to bits though.)
The story knows what it wants to do and it excels at it excellently. For me, the storytelling and execution of everything is just as important, if not more, as the plot. So what if Heroman’s predictable? It’s freaking awesome, and that’s all that matters.
I loved the cast of characters. My favorite one was Psy (it’s the hair, dude) and Joey is quite a likeable main protagonist. His character development is great and you can really see the contrast between episode 1 Joey and episode 26 Joey. Lina annoyed me a bit, but I quickly got over that and learned to tolerate her (although why does she wear her cheerleader outfit everywhere?). Denton is whacky in a good way and Holly, who initially seems to be a horrible sister, actually cares very much for Joey and his well being.
Every episode reminded me of the cartoons I used to watch as a child, but there’s nothing really wrong with that since it brings back a sense of nostalgia and childish excitement but it’s different enough from said cartoons to bring out my enthusiasm in anime.
The one thing I didn’t like in the last episode is that they didn’t explain what the hell happened to Will. And the fact that they left an opening for a second season at the end, but I’m not sure if Heroman’s popular enough to get one. Oh well, Heroman does everything else well enough for me not to care.
I agree with just about all of your points!
From episode 1, I knew the general plot of Heroman would be cliche, but to me it’s all about the execution – if they can tell a familiar story in a refreshing way, that’s all that matters. And I believe they did with BONES’ fantastic animation and the good pacing of the show’s three story arcs. I too really liked the government arc. The conflict with how the media was distorting Heroman’s image was very realistically portrayed.
As for Will, I got the impression that he was killed in the blast (the part where Joey shouts his name as they’re both getting blown away). But it was kind of vague so they could decide to bring him back in a future season.
Great review! Although I think the characters you said were simply “okay” were most of my favorites. I loved Denton and his copious amounts of Engrish, even though a dub of Heroman wouldn’t be able to replicate the hilarity of his favorite word–EXACTLY!!–what with it not being Japanese. Holly was actually my favorite, after Joey of course. She seemed like she lived for tormenting Joey and Psy, even as kids, but in the end, she was the one screaming at people who pick on her brother and tossing them out of bars with strength that could go toe-to-toe Superman’s (at least in MY head) and declaring that only she may tease the poor kid. XD Psy was cool, and I was psyched to discover that he was a reference to The Condor, another animated hero created by Stan Lee.
I also really loved the clothes. Everyone dressed casually, but you can still tell that it’s an anime character. This is probably my favorite thing about the show, seeing as how I am a cosplayer. (I’ll also have you know that I was the very first Joey Jones cosplayer in the United States!) This one has so much potential for cosplayers like me, so I’ve been pestering all my cosplay pals to watch Heroman. I’ve already got a small group forming!
Gushing aside, I loved this show. I really hope we get that hinted second season, especially because that scene was just so true to Marvel. You think it’s over, but then again… Maybe not.
I gotta bust my arse to get to Comic Con next year so I can give Stan Lee a coffee cup. I’m the kind of idiot who goes for that kind of novelty. :D
Thanks for reading! ^_^
I’m not sure who my favorite character would be…Psy I guess. I was hoping he’d have more than just one episode specifically focusing on his character and we’d see him as more than just support from the sidelines. But oh well, though it was brief, I enjoyed what we saw of his backstory.
Send me photos of your Heroman cosplay when you have a chance! =D
I honestly had no idea this anime existed, or that Stan Lee was involved. I should watch it as I’m mildly interested in Japan-U.S. anime collaborative efforts. The last one I saw was Afro Samurai, which was so-so, although I haven’t watched the sequel. It sounds like Heroman is more impressive!
As long as you don’t have anything against Marvel super hero-type stories, you should like Heroman =) Let me know if you decide to give it a try.
Agree <3
the last few weeks ive been pressureing my anime club president "we should watch heroman, heroman is awesome" because the overall plot is pretty obvious, even at the end i knew what was gonna happen, just not how :D
and to the other joey cosplayer-! COMRADE <3 i'm pulling together a heroman group for this easter (that's when the convention anime matsuri is going on) hopefully i'l have a Holly, Lina, Joey(me) and Heroman :D (yes he says he'l actually make heroman's armor… oh i don't think he understands how complecated it is, but i'l make him keep his word XD) but yeah, and i'm still searching for a psy will and denton X3
anyway~ HEROMAN :D
Heroman cosplay sounds great. The designs of the characters’ clothes are pretty distinctive (not the typical school uniforms) so it would make a good cosplay gathering. Lots of luck with that :3
I really love Heroman stan lee MUST make a second season especially with THAT ending!!! if he does make a second season one thing i would like to see besides the return of Dr Minami is an evil counterpart of heroman just like spiderman and venom heroman and joey should have one. :)
I knew when I saw that ending that Stan Lee intended to continue this series. It was a very good use of cliff hanger after all, and I’m sure if he wanted to, he could make another one for a third season. (like maybe say, “The Skruggs are not the only ones in the universe who want to take over earth….” Or something like that. XD)
Anyways I’m just waiting patiently for the series to return, so until then I’m just chilling with some of my other series like Gintama and Ao no Exorcist (which by the way is ‘awesome.’ XD)