We’re ruining that word, aren’t we?
I left this off my preview list for a few reasons. It’s part of a franchise that’s had a… bit of history, for one. The franchise is a Chinese production for one, which makes following things a bit rougher for me. Its first incarnation was a massively overbudgeted action show with a maturity level somewhere far below the grossest episodes of South Park, which further distinguished itself by having such a poorly received ending that they went back, completely redid it, and made it even more controversial. But if you squinted, there was an actual genuine story in there. It was… weird, but it did have a following that could appreciate both what it was trying to do, and who actually enjoyed the toilet humor combined with massively over the top animation spectacle.
Then it had a sequel (nothing is actually connected) that similarly destroyed several animators lives and was only about 10% as gross, but it was really just kind of a knock-off Kill La Kill, magic clothing and all. And it didn’t have the secret lesson about looking at yourself and realizing that you’re not a hero, you’re a huge piece of garbage and need to be better. Then comes this one, which has had a ton of amazing looking promos in a huge variety of styles, starting with this first one three years ago. Most are 2D animation, occasionally even getting a bit weird, so it was unclear what was even going on with the production or style at all.
Impressions:
Even in this episode, there was a mix of styles as well. Most of it was in the 3DCG (though the pre-air advertisement for it was entirely 2D), but when he pulled himself together and decided to try to actually be a hero instead of play at one, it switched into the stylized 2D. I still don’t think I could say which it’s going to be in, but being a Sunday morning show (on FujiTV even, which is kinda funny given the closing shot) does mean it’s a chill evening show for me. Oh, and also, unlike most ‘anime’ CG, it actually looks incredibly good instead of being horrendous uncanny valley stuff.
It also helps that both the story moves right along at a fast clip and this is the kind of protagonist I greatly prefer. Right from the go, we have Not-Peter Parker fired and about to commit suicide when Not-Superman walks right past him and falls to his death, so he gets shanghai’d into having to pretend to be him, which the magic hero system apparently warps people and gives them super powers based on their popularity/trust? He simpers and goes along with it until his supercharged boss tries to kill him, so we get the “I have power, I WANT to take charge of my life and live up to the ideals I espoused, so I WILL” moment which is catnip to me. And then we end with the girlfriend’s brains blown out all over his couch.
You got your character arc, you got your story setup, you got your hook for the next episode. This is what I wish I was seeing from every show. Let’s just hope it doesn’t backslide into its… past sins.
