I AM A HERO

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

MANGA ActionI Am a Hero in IBARAKI
MANGA ActionI Am a Hero in OSAKA
MANGA ActionI Am a Hero in NAGASAKI
MANGA DramaI Am a Hero Koushiki Comic Anthology: 8 TALES OF THE ZQN

REVIEWS

• 

  heychrisfox

  97/100
  An eminent, nearly perfect manga that is haunting and gripping in its apocalyptic spin.

  I've had many strong feelings regarding I Am A Hero, ever since I picked up the first volume on a whim after seeing it for years, being recommended constantly and having it haunt library shelves while passing by. Those feelings lasted to the very end of the series, and those who have read any of I Am a Hero know how fascinating and troublesome having strong feelings about this series is. But after having some time to reflect on everything, and to think about the journey that it led myself as a reader and its characters down, I'm ultimately happy with everything, in a way that I can say it's a remarkable piece of literature that stands out against all its peers with a deft, brutal regard that few other authors and artists are able to capture.

  To begin, and put most simply, I Am A Hero is a zombie thriller. With years of the zombie trends of the west behind it, this series is a fusion of classic zombie tropes, unique and new views on what zombie fiction can be, and harnesses the best the genre has to offer while blending it with familiar manga tropes and unique Japanese sensibilities to help make a story that's truly unique amongst its contemporaries.

  I Am A Hero spends the majority of its first arc with no zombies. No threats. Not much of anything really. It's all about contextualizing what normality is for our protagonist, Hideo Suzuki. He is troubled, he's a huge otaku, and he's a deeply idyllic if not a bit self-conscious soul. We learn about him, his weird mood swings and tendencies of seeing hallucinations with some sort of mental health problem similar to dissociative identity disorder, and learn about all his various relationships with his romantic partner, co-workers, and the various parts of the world that surround him in the midst of the sprawl of Tokyo.

  It seems all simple, and plain, almost boring. This is intentional, a very slow burn that leads into the inevitable, unavoidable conflagration of any good zombie thriller: that literally everything is about to crumble around Suzuki. In a land of moral niceties, and politeness, and law abiding, the fabric of everything that people know as correct is going to be stripped away, and the series is going to test everyone's acceptance of the new reality versus their desire to hold on to what made Japan unique before the apocalypse. Despite this happening in a million other zombie stories throughout media, something about the setting of Japan, and the odd character dynamics of the various people the story introduces brings a new context to things that makes sure the story feels fresh.

  I also would be remiss to mention the female lead Hiromi. She really brings a lot of heart and soul into the series. And while it's best to let her express herself in the narrative through her own actions and statements, the level of emotional attachment and passion her presence injects into the series is unparalleled. Despite Suzuki holding own as the central protagonist, many may argue that Hiromi is actually the star of the show from beginning to end.

  When the zombies hit, I Am A Hero doesn't hold back. If what you're looking for is freaky, high-octane zombie apocalypse storytelling, this series has you covered. Zombies run at full-tilt, upping the danger factor in the scenes of actions. Zombies are also often so mindless and crazed, that they act in ways that are actively bizarre and horrifying. We might be scared to sprint non-stop for 3000 meters, because we know we'll be injured, but a zombie will run the same distance and keep going, even if it's ankles rip at the joints. Zombies also remember their past, and mumble sweet somethings in their bloodlust. There is something just downright creepy about a store-clerk zombie grumbling "ARIGATO GOZAIMASU" with a mouthful of hair and flesh. Moreover, the level of violence and gore is refreshingly beautiful if downright disturbing. Zombies don't care where or how they bite you. Your arm, your leg, sure... Your neck? Your actual face down past the eyebrow? It doesn't matter to them, you're still food, or at very least a vector for infection.

  And without going any further into describing both the zombies themselves, and where the narrative takes them, I Am A Hero doesn't rest on its laurels once it gets up to speed. Every time you feel comfortable with the story, the author adds in a new complexity. Zombies will do things you didn't expect, horrific and unexpected scenes of violence will blindside you, characters will act in the most gut-wrenchingly awful ways you can imagine and yet you can perfectly imagine it as logical in the context. And as the narrative develops, it continually evolves, over and over again, until the "new world" created by the apocalypse almost begins to resemble an alien landscape from the humble origins it once came from.

  Which is about the time that I need to discuss a crucial thing mention to anyone who has already read the series. No review of I Am A Hero can be complete without it, but people who haven't experienced should skip this part of the review until you have the entire experience under your belt. Put simply, the ending is something else.

  It's easy to have a lot of strong feelings about the ending of I Am A Hero. For everything that the series and the author were able to construct over their not-insignificant publishing time, it all seems to snap out of place at the finish line. You can barely say it limps across, so much as ekes out a crawl. And after the journey that led here, especially in the final climax with... whatever you want to say happened, in all its epicness, the finale of the series almost seems like a cop-out. I've researched a little into what happened. Apparently there are statements around the time that the author, Hanazawa, was blindsided by a serious death in his family, and it kind of destroyed his artistic output at the worst time possible. This can maybe better contextualize things for some people, at very least.

  It's a truly heartbreaking resolution, however, and nobody can blame you if it leaves you with a bitter taste. It can feel cruel and mean to experience, and while there are ways you can rationalize the ending, as many others have before in their criticisms, this ending is truly one of the worst in my recent memory. It's a black mark, and if only it could be repaired, although that's almost certainly never going to happen.

  This all beings said, with any criticisms that can be raised from things that should be left unmentioned til the end of this wild tale, I Am A Hero is nevertheless an immaculate read that I've come to cherish. It's a story I've thought about almost daily since I finished it; different scenes, scenarios, and moods evoked in the manga that seem to echo in my mind. This has to speak to something that the manga did far above its peers, dwarfing its competition with ease from beginning leading all the way up to the end.

  You'll note that, despite me critiquing a manga, I have nary a mention about the artwork or the dialogue. It's mostly because there isn't much to say when you're looking at something that executes on its fundamentals so well. How many ways can I say that the visuals are so breathtaking that they can actively haunt you? How does one express the raw beauty in loneliness the manga so often captures in its full-page spreads, or single frames that demand your eyes to study it while the story begs you to keep reading? How does one explain the ugly, disgusting reality of the bleak, violent world put to page, one that continually defies your expectations over what visuals you expect to see? What do you even say better than the plain yet contemplative philosophy laid out by the characters themselves? If anything is to be questioned in I Am A Hero, it is certainly not the art or dialogue.

  Sure, I Am A Hero has its flaws. It really likes to pander to the otaku identity of the protagonist, leaning very heavily on the fact that many people are expected to relate to him. A lot of the jokes about Suzuki also being a licensed gun-owner in Japan or a polite individual in a polite society, while chuckle-worthy, do start to wear thin as he parrots the same lines a few times every volume. We get it, bro, there are lots of laws about guns in Japan; yes, okay Japan is a very polite, lawful society, but you don't ACTUALLY have to apologize for everything you do or report yourself to police for every crime you commit in a survival situation. The narrative can also go on tangents here and there. I do like how they further contextualize the story on a broader scale, and the tangents are NEVER boring, and always engrossing. But there were a few times where the narrative perused some new, legitimately interesting characters, but left me turning page after page hungry to know what happens to the main cast, frustrated that I wasn't getting any resolution on their condition or safety, like some bizarre, chapters-long cliffhanger.

  But for the sheer ingenuity, the desolate beauty, the cruel philosophy, and the bizarre science-fiction that I Am A Hero is able to concoct, I can only come to the conclusion that I Am A Hero is so close to perfect, that the less than stellar parts are still light-years ahead of any other manga or piece of media even closely related to it. I Am A Hero shoots for the moon, and some might say it misses in its attempt, but the journey the manga will take you on still has it on a trajectory that's out of this galaxy, leaving you with the contemplative acceptance that the journey this manga takes you on is far more amazing than any destination it could have reached.

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• 

  sushiisawesome

  20/100
  An abysmal cast of characters, poor plot and unfocused themes make this a drag to read.

  This review contains spoilers, as I find myself unable to explain what I dislike about this manga without diving into spoilers. You have been warned.

  Now, to go on a tangent before starting the actual review:

  Something that has always bothered me about the seinen demographic and its fans is that it takes very little to appeal and make said fans assume something is amazing strictly by virtue of having adult characters. This takes on many forms; for example, seinen fans can assume that a show with complex themes is instantly fantastic because of those themes, while ignoring the fact it has no real hook to make the audience care or be interested in the main characters.

  What is a noteworthy trend is that many seinen praised as some of the greatest anime and manga ever often have uninteresting, dull and apathetic main characters who never genuinely grow out of that role. And mind you, I can understand the apathy that'd come with working day in and day out for years on end and all the disillusionment from that kicking in and replacing any hope someone had when younger, but the problem comes when even that is filled in a false sense of the manga being just gorier than what it would've been as a shonen. After all, maturity does not magically change if you swap age demographics.

  Where am I going with this? I am a Hero is guilty of everything I just said, even well before its infamously poor ending that negates whatever themes it was attempting to go for previously.

  The story is a seemingly straightforward zombie apocalypse where things have gone straight to hell, and everything that everyone knows is collapsing completely. The manga does an alright job (but doesn't linger, which your mileage may vary on) showing the main character reacting in complete shock to the trauma of losing virtually everyone he knows. The atmosphere is excellently presented, and there's always a curious feeling of wanting to know what'll happen next, and for once in such a manga the fact the main character is competent at fighting off zombies is justified by him actually knowing how to use a rifle properly, as opposed to most thrillers of this type wherein the main character simply whips that out of nowhere and adapts to it in minutes.

  Where the story falls flat is in its themes and presentation. In the former case, it's unclear what exactly kind of point there is to the story at all; in most zombie-related stories, there's often a message that even though humanity has died off, people will nonetheless try to live past everything and prevail. While traces of that do exist here (represented by the various resistance groups that pop up throughout the plot), this quickly gets thrown aside in favor of a discussion about collectivism represented by the zombies creating a literal hivemind, and individualism as represented by humanity.

  The problems with such a conflict are readily apparent; across the course of the manga, human beings have bonded together to fight zombies. More importantly, there's very little foreshadowing towards this beyond zombies being able to communicate with each other earlier. Speaking of humanity, this brings us to another problem about the plot; humanity, outside of the three main characters, are hilariously incompetent to the point where it breaks immersion completely.

  The aforementioned resistance groups have various problems that lead to them either disintegrating or becoming ineffective; while the manga deserves credit for attempting to show how radically morals would change in such a setting, it also fails to take into consideration the fact that human beings don't interact with danger the same way and often, people who face crises would become more clingy even to complete strangers because they don't want to lose more.

  This is clearly shown in the lack of camaraderie and friendship in the other resistance groups outside of the main leads in the story, who are borderline unlikable, extremely unrealistic and come off as plot devices that our main characters visit and proceed to move past. One particularly grating example is a group of internet trolls that form a resistance group onto themselves, and despite having fairly strict rules in order to figure out who is and isn't a zombie by suspicion, for some reason fail to notice obvious symptoms and coincidently fall prey to that plot convenience so that the group would collapse and their psychotic leader would proceed to become an antagonist in the series.

  More importantly, the various subplots in the plot never really stop being introduced, even a dozen chapters towards the finale. This makes the plot disjointed, chaotic and unfocused in how it juggles all these subplots, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that in the last third of the manga I legitimately lost whatever coherency the plot had altogether.

  This brings us to the other major problem that plagues this manga; the characters. If you can call them that, the characters are one note and almost strictly defined by how they react to events in the story, with extremely basic personality traits, virtually no quirks to speak of beyond the main character's excitement that the world is crashing and burning around him and how he wants to be a hero, and plagued by the extremely questionable presentation of certain aspects involving the manga in general.

  The main trio are largely defined by their relationship to the main character and have very little agency of their own; they stand out as fairly unlikable people who hardly have any likable personality traits, and whatever bonding occurs between them feels as though it were written forcibly rather than flows naturally in the dialogue between them. This makes it difficult to empathize or care for them, and the manga does a poor job trying to make you pity them (one for being chewed out at work and being paranoid about being cheated on, one for being bullied and one for being treated like a sexual outlet with a resistance group) by giving them extremely forced backstories. And in the case of the main character himself, it only makes him more difficult to sympathize with due to his mistrust of his wife and monologues making it hard to pity or like the kind of malicious person he is, even before any of this started occurring.

  Outside of the main trio, the side characters don't receive development worth mentioning beyond being cannon fodder for zombies; some turn to zombies, others kill themselves, others yet start infighting with other people and all of them are idiots that seems to act in stupid and irrational ways when the plot demands that a resistance group be wiped out. This is often played for irony, and gets tiresome very quickly when the reader catches on to that pattern of a character mentioning something happening, something happening to them involving that subject matters and dying because of it. One time this stood out to me in a particularly forced way was when a female character gets pregnant, and while thinking of her pregnancy ironically gets bitter by a zombified child, which the manga portraying it as some poetic and tragic death.

  Beyond the cast, themes and story, the artwork is absolutely gorgeous and is bar none the main reason to ever read this manga. Details are beautifully drawn, gore is splendidly portrayed and the backgrounds are utterly beautiful. Characters are drawn distinctly from one another and expressions are dynamic and interesting to look at, which is a shame because it is wasted on a cast of dull plot devices.

  This brings us to my own personal enjoyment. In sharp contrast to the content of this review thus far and despite all my various problems with it, I actually did find some enjoyment in the mindless gore that the manga had to offer, and honestly enjoyed the beginning of the zombie outbreak when everything slid straight to hell. The issue is that there aren't many moments throughout the story proper that ever manage to replicate the same degree of tension as that initial feeling, which is a shame since it means that parts of the manga meander along what feels like filler within the plot, where things that are plot-significant are happening but could've easily been portrayed in a handful of chapters instead of 50, since virtually no character progression is occurring for the overwhelming majority of this manga. The zombies themselves are fairly dull beyond them repeating nitpicks of their day to day lives when alive, and them having some sentient hivemind did not make them any more interesting to me as a reader, as that is a subject that has been done much better elsewhere.

  And perhaps a nitpick of mine that may not be for everyone is the emphasis on rather disgusting sex jokes that come off as forced black humor rather than anything a genuinely witty person would come up with. Examples of this are abundant, but two that stick out are early in the manga when a woman who is notorious among the manga magazine the main character works in for getting around gets zombified, and I kid you not, she starts repeating AH AH AH in imitation of the orgasms she had in life. A separate occasion has a zombified man quite literally fapping until he rips his dick out, and while I'm certainly fine with sexual humor and dark humor, it slides into straight up feeling ridiculous and breaking immersion in the story completely in favor of some cheap, immature sex joke.

  While I did enjoy this manga enough to read it all the way to the end, I couldn't help but feel like this is a story that could've easily been shorter, more character-driven and focused. I genuinely believe this is not the mature story that a seinen tag'd imply it to be, and neither do I believe that even before its finale was it worth all the high praise due to all the various problems that plague the plot beforehand. The setting deserves points for attempting to portray a more intimate day to day take on humans surviving day to day for food and shelter, but ultimately I cannot call this anything other than abysmal due to its unlikable, uninteresting and underdeveloped main cast. The plot is unfocused and fails to resolve most of its subplots, while the themes are unfocused and unresolved.

  Ultimately, my opinion is that this was an utterly abysmal read. And I want to make it clear that this is strictly my opinion alone; I do not begrudge anyone for enjoying or liking this, and most certainly am open for discussion involving this should anyone desire for it.

  Thank you very much for reading this review.

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• 

  baba13

  80/100
  Massive in scope yet about the intimacy of humanity at its core. Its a thrill ride that never to be forgotten.

  Introduction

  This is one of the best zombie stories I’ve experienced period. I doubt we will experience a journey such as I am Hero again. I know the reputation of the manga mainly revolves around the ending which will be addressed. The main reason for the creation of this review is to talk about that and my love for this series. In this journey, I will be talking about the good, the bad and the ugly.

  Framing

  Firstly, it’s one of the most impressive framing devices for a zombie outbreak. Zombie stories in nature are usually human-driven and the zombies are more there as a symbol, humans being the real monsters. This is a trope that has been done so many times, of course for a good reason like Walking Dead comic for a period ( or video game), The Last of us etc. Then you have gotten the World Z film (haven’t read the book) or something of that nature that purely focusing on the Macroscope of the tale. So, you know the scale of the situation and how it's impacting civilisation as you know it. They lack that human interaction. It's balancing between the Macro and Micro story giving them unity like Yin and Yang symbol. The first thing to discuss is that the zombies are a threat. They come in hordes, unique designs and you always have that sense of unease. How does the author make the zombies terrifying, it's utilising the medium that is given to him. The first volume you start with TV, then a bit of Radio then the message board etc. I never read a manga that perfectly describes the crudeness of humanity through messages boards. Online they no ramifications so individuals can say whatever they want. Especially when they a zombie outbreak, people are going to say some nasty stuff. So, we get a firsthand account or second accounts of these individuals in the message board they perspective on the zombies or how their family members been inflicted. It seems like a simple storytelling device, but you have no idea how effective it is conducted.

  I will be exploring another key integration the author conducts, but at this moment I will exploring the micro-story. When I refer to Micro-story it is talking about the main narrative revolving around Hideo and Hiromi. Without these two individuals, the manga loses its individual touch. Though first I will talk about the misconception of the first volume of I am a hero. Many people critique aspects of it as boring, long, slow, and annoying but I will speak upon its favour. Firstly, I fundamentally disagree with all that notion, but I understand why it doesn’t click. The first volume of I am Hero does two major things firstly the slow build-up to the outbreak. As I’ve talked about above but the second aspect it delves into, is the pathetic aspect of Hideo character. Hideo is not a good person in the first volume, does he do an illegal activity? No, but how he acts in front of his peers and his lover is not good. The first volume is there to highlight the flaws of humanity. Hideo is a realistic character from the offset which makes it uncomfortable to read about him. In a lot of manga, you don’t depict the 30s years fellow whose dream is nowhere in sight. He very cynical individual and has some weird habits, the “disgusting or gross” is an important aspect to consider. Making things so distasteful in the beginning is risky but can have a massive payoff when handled right long term. This is paid off extremely well because this dude journey is truly something else. His growth is probably the best aspect of the manga. Now I discussed the first volume, the Micro story revolves around surviving. Hiromi is another character I love to discuss but that would lead to spoilers. So, to be vague, this character has a lot more than meets the eye and you will see this throughout the journey. The micro (main ) narrative is about them surviving, they have an overarching thread but to be vague survival is key. One aspect I really like is an intimate look at the cities they explore. It's either seeing it happen in real-time or the direct aftermath. Their reactions to the outbreak are fantastic.

  Now I will talk about the bridge of the Micro and Macro aspects, the side stories. This component is fundamental to the I am a Hero journey, this manga could entirely just be about Hideo, and it would have been good, but this component is what makes this manga special. They a lot of side stories or interludes between each main arc of the main story. You can briefly see the outside world through this framework. This can investigate Honk Kong, France situation etc. Sometimes it's just not just a reaction to the outside world but plenty of side characters, used so all this transpiring feels grounded. One of the coolest aspects of the manga is this fever dream, acid trip while somehow making it feel grounded. Some aspects are so goofy borderlines to horror. One of my favourite aspects of framing is the message boards. I know that’s weird but they certain progression, from this framework which has some amazing payoff.

  Art/Panel Work

  If you have read my Wave Listen to Me review you understand, that besides the artwork, the attention to panel work is almost as important if not more than art. Because you can have awesome art but if composed correctly, it can have a lesser impact. So firstly the art being display is fabulous, it’s pretty mind-boggling how he did this at a weekly rate. He draws humans in a somewhat ugly manner that align with real people appearances. It can sometimes look too ugly in a real sense and adds that discomfort. I will use Inoue Takehiko and Hiroaki Samura as a reference points. Both are preferred artists for a different reasons. But both uniquely convey realism, For Samura, his anatomy is the most important component so that is empathised, in Inoue case, it’s the eyes he captured that feel real. Both authors are known for realism, but they are so stylised that it's pleasant to look upon. Where in Kengo Hanazawa case the art is not as stylised and depicts people with they imperfection a lot which sometimes you don’t know you dislike that. I enjoy the author, art style purely from the rawness of everything. The grotesque is examined so thoroughly, it can be horrific to observe. It's a weird line, to say the least, I'm not criticising the art style as I do enjoy it. Just it's hard to describe it, my view is that this crude realistic ish art style compliments this crazy story that is being presented. My favourite pieces of the manga would be the spreads and trippy acid feeling chapters.

  I think panel work, in general, deserves more praise. Sure, you can be a brilliant technical artist death note being a prominent example. But what more important to me is the fantastic panel work to compliment the story and being art featured. I love Death Note I am just using that as a reference point, but in that series, while the artist being amazing it's not using their medium to its maximum effect. Some of the panel work is uninspired, though the spreads are handled well. Here the author is not only a brilliant technical artist but his panel work is some of the best in the business. He understands when to use a POV shot literally with a shotgun. One chapter specifically all one person POV and it's glorious to read. The author is great at spreads but understanding the concept of the one, two and three punch. Some of my panel work and art is the psychological depiction of individuals, the art is brilliant and how it's laid out is nothing short but genius. He knows when a large scale can distract or enhance the experience, so he really deliberate with his panels within the big scenes. He wants you to be awed at moments. When reading some manga you like okay this is great, but I feel this can be presented better. In this case, utilises his medium maximum potential and it's an amazing experience.

  Characters

  Well, I already talked about Hideo in this review and this is non-spoilers so I can’t be specific. But I enjoy the characters in this manga, yes they are definitely throwaway or one-note individuals just merely due to the size of this manga. The characters that matter the most are pretty well developed. The reader kinda has to interpret the mindset and actions of the character because it's definitely there but it's for you to dig into which rewards observant readers. Sometimes you want to read between the lines and process the information and continue forward. This is most definitely a thrill ride, but the characterisation is a bit more subtle, and it can be lost within the rush. But if you going to read this for the thrill you will have a blast.

  Ending

  The ending is pretty infamous for being unsatisfying and just “one of the worst endings etc". They are some merit to an unsatisfying claim. Upfront this ending is not insulting to the fanbase or the series like how I view Attack on Titan Ending. The ending portrayed fits within the overall theme of the manga, for Hideo character specifically. They are more I wanted to be explored in the ending regarding Hideo character, but I think the author succeeded in finishing his character Arc. You contrast him from beginning to the ending and it fits. It's hard to say if it's good but it’s a fitting conclusion. The main bulk of the criticism lies with the Macro narrative. The bigger narrative was building towards something, which we really don’t have a concrete answer for it. It's this aspect of the ending that is disappointing. Though that is ripe for active discussion, because of the author attention to detail.

  In general, I don’t think I am a Hero was going to be super conclusive. Just due to the nature of the manga and scope. But during the final phase of the manga the author father passed away, which is a tragedy and it makes sense why the final product got kinda cut loose. He most likely didn’t have that sense of fun anymore, it probably tolled heavily upon him, plus mangaka with taking breaks it’s a messy industry on this front. So yeah, I do believe this manga would have gone on for longer if tragedy didn’t occur. The manga stopped becoming just about Hideo Journey but the balance between Macro and Micro aspects, sadly the Macro didn’t get the conclusion it probably deserved but the main narrative got an ending that fits.

  Conclusion

  This is a manga worth reading, I truly believe that. The execution of the end is quite flawed, yes undeniably. But this journey is amazing, it’s the most unique take of this zombie outbreak I’ve experienced. They a lot that can be said in the review for example I didn’t talk about the weapons and attention to detail. Like super-specific and even display complete maintenance of like a shogun. This is a unique piece of art and worth experiencing, you won’t regret giving this a go.

  I am having a hard time deciding between 8-8.5/10 but currently going to give it an 8/10.

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