Heroman - Episode 1 Preview

What do you get when you take one of the greatest minds in american comics Stan Lee, and introduce him to the  wonderful japanese artists at Bones? You get a product that verges on cliche, but contains so much polish and spunk, that it can stand up as one of this seasons best new upcoming shows. The first episode definitely gives a sense of updated nostalgia, from the designs of the characters (specifically the overgrown Heroman) to the setting and antagonists. And you can tell from the first time that Heroman is deployed, that this will be a great action packed show.

Stan Lee has always made great comics and characters that are instantly recognizable in any form of media. Spider-man, Iron Man and The Hulk all have their own assets that people can understand even if the character isn't actually on the sheet (or screen or what have you). Spider-man's chest logo, Iron Man's eye slots and The Hulk's physique, and even his purple pants, specifically. When it comes to Heroman, there is no exception with the characters being recognizable. Heroman himself is HUGE, almost three times the size of our young protagonist Joey, and has an odd yet streamlined design that will leave a weird taste in your mouth at first but it certainly 'looks right' after the first few minutes. Sure, he's got stars plastered on him more so than Captain America, but that's part of his appeal. His eyes stand out the most, probably being one of the only features that shows some kind of emotion for the watcher to read. It isn't necessarily a bad thing though, it's very similar to the kind of emotions we see from characters like the Master Chief from the Halo series. Silent, yet profoundly powerful.

The animation and sound production is the slickest I have seen yet this season. In fact it's probably some of the best production I have seen from Bones, beating out even Soul Eater. It's definitely good for eye candy, not just for the eyes but the ears as well. The opening tune is catchy, just like any other shonen opening might be. It also has a few surprises, such as the often seem cameo of Stan Lee in his productions. If you wanted to see him animated and speaking Japanese, this is your chance!

Joey Jones (great Marvel name right there) is a normal boy, although a bit lower than middle class in terms of living conditions, and goes to an american school in the fictional Central City on the West Coast. He has a girl, Lina,  pining for him (not in the creepy way) that he happens to like back, but Joey is either too shy to respond or has some kind of self esteem issue. Either way, that doesn't stop Lina's brother (who looks like some hyper jock) from giving Joey the rough up every day at school. This setting sets up the kind of nostalgic feeling that is reminiscent of stories such as Spider-Man. Although it seems to be now mixed with the 'slice-of-life' mentality of japanese producers as well, being set in a school after all.

If the action sequence in the first episode is any indicator of the rest of the series, it will definitely be a highlight of the series. Even when something as simple as a search and rescue comes into play, it is artfully well done and it gives you a sense of awe at the power of Heroman. Sure, there wasn't anything overly mind blowing in the first episode, but I think that just honestly leaves you wanting to see what he is really capable of in the coming episodes.

Heroman seems to be a great modern classic in the making, and a great notch for both Bones and Marvel to show other studios how collaborations are supposed to be done. If you are looking for a great action anime and aren't too terribly worried about an extremely complex story developing, then I think this will be the diamond in the rough for you this season.