DESCRIPTION

CAST

ONA ComedyTu Bian Yingxiong BABA
ONA ComedyTu Bian Yingxiong X

REVIEWS

• 

  andyndeatcha

  70/100
  It'll either not be to your taste or you'll love it -- what it does it does with a lot of intensity

  It'll either not be to your taste or you'll love it -- what it does it does with a lot of intensity

  To Be Heroine ping-pongs between a gonzo comedy with well-animated action scenes, and a melodramatic story about the tragic impact industrial corruption has on a friend group, their families, and their community. It doesn't always work cohesively, or well. An anime of great moments succeeding or failing on whether you are in a place to meet it halfway. It has an interesting gimmick where events in the real world are voiced in Chinese, and the alternate world in Japanese. There's also a distinction in the visual direction between the two major settings.

  Episode 4.5 is mostly omake for those interested in anime production and seeing key animation, but they do show a clip from a later episode, so if you don't want any spoilers, wait to watch it until after you've finished the rest.

  I would recommend it for several different types of people:

  • You'll watch a short show for sakuga animation, even it is weak in other ways.
  • You like gonzo comedy with action scenes and will suspend your disbelief for that.
  • You like melodramatic tragedies, and will put up with the show being zany for a few episodes until the plot really starts to arrive.
  • You like all the disparate tones and genes listed.
  • You want to watch something different or novel, and don't mind if it doesn't all come together in the end.
    If you identify with any of those, I'd suggest you watch three episodes and see if it works for you. At seven episodes, it's a pretty short watch, and if you're interested in experimental storytelling, it's worth watching just for the novelty.

  For those who action or zany comedy isn't enough to get you through 3 episodes, there's a decent if not exceptional sentimental drama after that if you can stick it out. There's romance, though that's not the focus. Though there are better shows that do that if you haven't already watched them, maybe you should watch those instead.

  As far as the commentary on industrial corruption, there's better media on the topic, but this one has some obvious passion behind it. Despite the darkness it delves into, it's exploration of the topic is rather fantastical and idealistic, so some might find it a bit trite or shallow in this aspect. It's willing to show individuals losing the fight against societal institutions, but does ultimately resolve the problem perhaps a bit too quickly/easily for the more experienced/jaded in the audience.

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