Heroman

Over the years there have been several attempts at merging Eastern manga and anime with Western comics and cartoons. Batman had two manga outings (Child of Dreams and Death Mask), while the X-Men saw their manga counterparts run straight into a wall. Spiderman and The Hulk made appearances as early as 1970, and many people already know about the promised anime adaptations of several well known titles (Wolverine, X-Men, Iron Man, etc).

The problem is that all of the attempts thus far have not been as successful as one might hope or expect. One of the reasons for this is because the titles that have been ... adapted to date are already well known, and each has a wealth of existing storyline that makes reinvention more difficult (which some may find odd, but have a think about and you'll understand why).

It's strangely ironic that it has once more fallen to Stan Lee to light the way forward.

Originally a manga written by Stan Lee himself and drawn by Ota Tamon, Heroman tells the story of Joey Jones (a true Stan Lee name), an orphan living with his grandmother in Centre City. He spends his days attending school and working part time at a cafe (where Stan is also a regular customer), but all the while he wishes more than anything to be a hero.

In all honesty I wasn't sure what to expect from Heroman. The name itself is very typically Stan Lee in its simplicity, but one would expect a tad more complexity from the story itself. The plot is very, very straight forward and in true Stan Lee fashion, the story can at times be very "preachy". That said, the simplicity of the tale is rather appealing as there aren't any of the hang ups typically associated with East-West crossovers.

The main reason for this is because Stan Lee decided against using pre-existing material and started from scratch on a totally new idea. He wanted to create "a hero for the 21st century", and in a certain sense he managed to achieve part of that goal. The only problem is that while Heroman may be a different take on traditional heroes for the Western world, the whole idea itself is a throwback where Eastern media is concerned.

An orphan and a giant robot are nothing new in anime and manga. Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still showed just how good the format could be given the right setting, story and characters, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Other shows like Tetsujin 28, Gad Guard, Top wo Nerae and even Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann all play around with the concept to a degree. Anime and mange are rife with tales of humans and their super robot counterparts, so it may seem a bit strange that Stan Lee would use the idea to herald a new age of crossovers.

Thankfully Stan is a very clever man (I'll explain this in a bit).

Bones have produced a very good looking show for the most part. The animation is very crisp and fluid, and the numerous actions scenes are choreographed very well. The characters follow Ota's original designs for the most part, and are reflective of the shows Western heritage, although one does have to wonder about the patterning on Heroman as it seems a bit too US-centric.

One thing that bears mentioning is the palette used throughout the series. Bright, bold colours abound which, together with the distinctly Western characters, give Heroman an air more akin to traditional Western comic book adaptations (the original X-Men cartoon for example).

Unfortunately, while the visuals may be very good, the same can't be said of the acting. Komatsu Mikako and Kimura Ryohei play the roles of Joey Jones and Simon Kaina fairly well, but the series has one inherent problem when it comes to acting. The whole show is geared towards a Western mentality, a factor which will inevitably cause problems for any seiyuu unfamiliar with the mindset. Because of this there are occasions where the acting in just doesn't seem to mesh well with the on screen action, and there are several occasions where the actors either ham it up too much or become completely wooden.

That said, the series will probably receive an English dub at some point, but whether that is better or not remains to be seen.

A big plus for Heroman is the quality of the sound effects, almost all of which are crisp, clear, and very well choreographed. The series is littered with great noises, whooshes and explosions, all of which would become a veritable cacophony if they were mixed with music, so it's a good thing the majority of the show is relatively unencumbered in that department. The background music is often subtle and varied, and the tracks are used in a very intelligent manner.

Like many other anime out there, Heroman makes use of two opening and ending themes to highlight the midway point of the series. The first twelve episodes feature "Roullette" by Tetsuya (of L'Arc-en-Ciel fame) as the OP, and "Calling" by Flow as the ED. Both are upbeat, but very typical, J-rock tracks that work quite well with the theme of the series.

The OP and ED for the second half of the series, "Missing" by Kylee and "Boku no Te wa Kimi no Tame ni" (My Hands For You), by Mass Alert, are far less upbeat than the first two tracks. "Missing" is more of an emotional rock track, with all that entails, while "Boku no Te wa Kimi no Tame ni" has a slight feeling of angst. Strangely though, both tracks are equally well suited to the series, especially given that events become more serious later on.

As for the characters themselves, well, anyone who has read a Stan Lee comic will find many things that are familiar, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're good. Joey develops fairly well over the course of the series, but the main problem is that he is the only character who receives any substantial growth. What is surprising is the lack of attention given to Simon, Lina, Professor Denton, and even William. It would have been nice to have more insight into their respective characters over the course of the show, and while there are some efforts made in that direction, these seem more like afterthoughts than anything else.

My main gripe with Heroman is that William Davis, Lina's older brother and the guy who keeps tormenting Joey, doesn't get anywhere near the attention he deserves. Yes, he starts off as a bully, but his transformation is just as profound as Joey's, and it would have been nice to see how his character copes with the change.

Now while it's pretty obvious that the series possesses a number of issues, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. The truth is that even with all its flaws, Heroman is a rather entertaining series, especially as it's a throwback to the super robot shows of bygone days. Yes it has more cheese than Switzerland (and the plot has about as many holes), but the story is well put together and the whole thing looks good. Granted there are problems with the acting but they're mainly from cultural differences rather than a lack of talent.

Which brings me back to the reason why Stan Lee is a clever man. When one considers Heroman from a manga and anime perspective, it clearly falls short of the mark set by many other super robot tales. Likewise, when consider from the perspective of Western cartoons and comics the series is nowhere near the level of Stan Lee's more popular franchises.

Where people get it wrong is in assuming that Heroman is an attempt to cross the East-West divide. It isn't, and the proof of that is in the fact that we have a traditionally Japanese super robot show created by an American and set in the US. Heroman isn't an attempt to cross the divide, no, it's an attempt to bridge it. By choosing this type of show, Stan Lee is sending a message to both DC and Marvel that if they want to crack the Eastern markets then they need stop trying to re-invent existing heroes, and should instead focus on creating new content using existing manga and anime as inspiration.

Heroman may not be as good as some of the older super robot shows, but what it heralds may be a new dawn for anime and manga, especially if Marvel and DC get the message.

Okay guys, let's talk about HEROMAN, the current front runner for anime of the goddamned decade.

So one day Stan Lee got up and said "I bet I can put those crazy Japanese to work!"
And so he did.

The result is HEROMAN, a throwback to old comic books, Saturday morning cartoons, teenage superhero shows and the 90's in general with glorious HD Bones animation. This shit is so nostalgic that when the overly elaborate commercial bumpers showed up I literally heard "Heroman will be right back after these messages!". This series is also most likely the most American(superior) anime ever produced. Taking place in CENTER CITY, CALIFORNIA, ... all the architecture, cars, people and etc are distinctly American. Like 30 seconds into the episode you see a traffic pile up, a Hummer, an oil refinery, several American flags, a garbage truck, a black person, a yellow school bus, Stan Lee having coffee, a most likely crime-ridden suburban neighborhood, a cheerleader, Flash Thompson and capitalistic toy commercials. I shed _tears_ when I saw that fucking school bus.

But yeah, basically it's about this kid who's suspiciously similar to Peter Parker. He gets picked on by jocks. One day he fixes up an action figure, the action figure gets struck by lightning and BAM, there's a giant, scowling Captain America knockoff looking at him like "the hell do you want, kid?". Then they go save the day after the kid punches his giant wristwatch. This giant guy is the titular HEROMAN, and he basically has one setting: Punch the shit out of stuff. Perfectly fitting for the most American mecha since Megas XLR.

Animation's obviously great.
Music's great.

The ED for this series is one of the best ever, because I know Stan Lee probably directed it. The whole thing is like a moving American comic book and you see Heroman playing baseball and the drums. It's just awesome as hell.

Then we come to the one flaw, most likely put in there on purpose by bones to get back at Stan Lee for making them do this. The main character, Joey Jones, is probably the girliest male lead in any robot show ever. Noriko and Nono were infinitely more masculine than this kid. Don't know who those people are? Get the hell outta here and watch Gunbuster and Gunbuster 2, and in the mean time cry that you haven't already. But yeah, Joey is a woman. He has a girl's voice, he dresses like a girl, his body structure is like a girl and all of his mannerisms and movements are those of a girl. It's almost creepy to know that this kid is a male. I bet there's a collective terabyte of yaoi featuring him already, and that's just awful.
But that's only on the outside. As of two episodes in, Joey is a competent and almost hotblooded hero. No fear, no whining. Hell, the kid runs at the giant cockroach aliens right aside Heroman like a badass.

Oh and his best friend is a cross between Tai Kamiya and Joseph Gribble. That's cool.

Verdict: Get to watching. And also start watching Night Raid, House of Five Leaves and RAINBOW too.

Stan Lee is amazing.

Anime is also amazing.

However, just because the two are amazing does NOT mean that they'll go well together.

When I heard about Heroman, I thought that it'd be awesome. I was utterly disappointed.

The characters do NOT react at all realistic.

... "Oh look! There's Joey, this girly teenager, fighting aliens with this weird ass robot! You're such a hero, Joey!"

It just seemed half assed that the characters would just accept a random alien-fighting robot come out of nowhere. And the stereotypical bully's first thought is, "You better not become a hero! I will become a hero yada yada yada".

Why doesn't any one show actual surprise at a mother****ing robot coming out of nowhere?

And, how DID that kind of thing come out of lightning hitting some toy? Seriously...

Oh, and the characters are so stereotypical. Girly teen protagonist who gets used to having a giant robot at his control and shouts corny catchphrases like 'HEROMAN! ENGAGE!' and the dude with crazy big hair who just goes along with the protagonist. The girl who likes the protagonist. The guy who dislikes the protagonist. This is not how a good anime should be.

Overall, this anime has just been overhyped to seem good when all it is, is just some stereotypical half assed piece of work.

Heroman is a weird one. I'm not talking about the actual content since I always write these opening paragraphs before watching the series or film. No, I'm referring to the fact that it was written by Smiling Stan Lee. Yes, the same one who was President and CEO of the United States' Marvel Comics back before they lost their damn minds and made a lot of insanely stupid decisions like Jubilee becoming a vampire, Nightcrawler becoming half demon, Polaris being retconned as Magneto's daughter, Speedball becoming Penance and if I keep listing these we'll be here for tens of thousands of words. Anyway, Stan Lee ... wrote the original manga with illustrations by Ohta Tamon. It picked up an anime adaptation not even a year after the manga started getting released from Bones. The same studio behind Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist and Wolf's Rain. So, have Stan Lee's skills at writing goofy and highly entertaining silver age style stories held up and if so how well do they transition to anime format? Face front, True Believers, let's look at Heroman and find out.

Story:

Young Joseph Jones is a poor teenager living on the west coast. One day he takes a broken toy robot from the garbage and decides to fix it. But fate has its own plans for young Joey. After a lightning bolt strikes the robot it grows to a massive size, transforming into the titular titan Heroman. Joey finds that he can control the behemoth after helping avert a highway disaster. The two face their great challenge when evil aliens called the Skrugg follow a radio signal to Earth with the intent of destroying the planet. Zounds, how will our heroes handle this situation?

The story itself is kind of lacking. The skrugg are evil for the evils and don't really have even slightly developed motivations. There's also a lot about the plot that doesn't make much sense not the least of which is bolts of lightning being magic. Heroman gains new abilities as needed by the plot which can come across as overly convenient. The story is also kind of predictable since it does follow a silver age aesthetic. However, the story is fun and a lot of the goofier elements do work in the context of a silly superhero story and those elements that are pretty predictable are vague enough that you can still enjoy watching it. It just doesn't have much tension since it's less a matter of “will they get through the situation” and more a matter of “how will they do it”. Part of what makes the goofier elements work is that it doesn't take itself too seriously and it does have several very funny moments to show for it.

Characters:

The series has characters who largely follow tropes. Including the scientist who does all the scientific stuff instead of having a particular field of study. They aren't bad characters by any means and most of the main cast does get some good character moments. They just don't extend very far from their tropal traits, which kind of works for the series. Heroman himself is a really good example since he's largely defined by... well, being heroic. He can't speak, or chooses not to, and rarely does anything besides fight for justice. It works in context since Joey has to initiate his transformation from a toy to a giant and he's a robot. I also appreciate the fact that regular humans largely don't respond to Heroman with hatred and mistrust, which is a bit of a departure from most of Stan Lee's creations.

Art:

The artwork is pretty good. Not the best I've seen from Bones but still well done. It features really good action sequences, some interesting alien designs and background Stan Lee because that guy's been appearing in his own work and in things based on his work since... he and Jack Kirby showed up in Uncanny X-men 98, I think. The character designs aren't bad, although Spike Spiegel would consider Psy's hair going too far and Lina almost always wears her cheerleading uniform for no good reason. In all fairness, Psy, Joey, Holly and Professor Denton rarely change clothes either, but she's the worst offender just because her regular outfit is a uniform that's supposed to be worn for practices and actual athletic events. Not as a regular thing.

Sound:

The performances are pretty good. Particularly coming from Komatsu Mikako, Kimura Ryouhei, Obata Mayu & Yasumura Makoto. The music is also well done, overall. It goes well with the aesthetic.

Ho-yay:

There really isn't any. The ho-yay factor is a 1/10.

Final Thoughts:

Heroman is a goofy series with under-developed characters and a story that doesn't make a lot of sense in several ways. And I kind of love it. In an age where most super hero comics have gone a darker and stupider route, a series like Heroman that returns to a more fun, exciting, and light-hearted sensibility is very much a welcome change. It blends anime norms with silver age super hero norms and the result is just a very enjoyable experience. It's not deep, but it is unquestioningly and unabashedly fun. Check it out if you're a fan of more light-hearted super hero works or if you just like silly action works. My final rating is going to be an 8/10. Excelsior! Next week, I end the year with a look at Heat Guy J.

How ironic that Stan Lee would have to go to Japan to make a good old-fashioned American style superhero show, but in an era where it's more common to see parodies, dark twists and subversions than the genuine article, it's nice to see a callback to the good old days. The heroes are very heroic, the villains are very evil, and we never question for a moment which side is in the right. The robots are awesome, the monsters are creepy, and the action is a blast to watch. Ordinary teenagers have ordinary teenage problems, nosy adults worry about their kids, and life gets a ... hundred times more complicated when you have to balance out superhero work. They just don't make shows like this anymore, which is a shame. I have nothing against complex or innovative storylines, but I hope people never lose their appreciation for simpler pleasures like this.

Heroman was made by Bones, which means it has some of the best animation on the market. The visuals are fluid and detailed, and also incredibly stylish, with lots of bright (but never garish) colors, expressive faces, and some increasingly cool and imaginative battles. It's also nice to see how much effort went into the design work; it's true that a lot of the character designs and outfits fall into basic stereotypes, but they're at least American stereotypes instead of Japanese stereotypes of Americans. Some of the characters do suffer from anime hair, though. Everything else, from the layout of Joey's hometown to the cars, cafes and even the houses are unmistakably American-looking. We probably have Stan Lee to thank for that authenticity, and it's part of the reason a lot of people, myself included, say the show would do well on American television. This is one of the best-looking kid shows I've ever seen.

The music score consists primarily of loud electric rock. It's intense, fun to listen to, vaguely reminiscent of Soul Eater's score and just as effective in setting the mood for all the series' fun action scenes. The show brings out some softer pieces here and there as needed, but the battle music is what you're going to remember.

I just have one language track to judge this time. As always, I have a hard time judging the voice acting in a language I don't speak, but to my non-fluent ears it sounds like a perfectly comic-booky archetypal cast, which is exactly what the show needs. There's not a lot of subtlety, this isn't a very nuanced show, but the characters that are meant to be over-the-top sound deliciously so. They shout with passion, laugh heartily and even carry the show through its tender moments. Heroman's voice, comprised solely of groans and grunts, is uncredited and possibly synthesized, but man does he sound like a big badass robot. Joey is the only male character voiced by a woman, but he's supposed to be a very wide-eyed and boyish character (he even looks androgynous), and Mikaku Komatsu gets this side of him across fine, so I'm okay with this.

As far as teenage superheroes go, Joey Jones is cut from the same cloth as Peter Parker. He's not particularly popular, but he still has good friends he can count on. He's not particularly intelligent but he does have a clever streak. He's at that age between childhood and adulthood, where he has concerns like whether his love is reciprocated but still retains a boyish heart. It's a decades-old character archetype, but if executed well it can still make for a likable lead, and that's just what Joey is. His friends and relatives all fall into the simple and likable category as well, they can all more or less be summed up in two or three sentences, but when push comes to shove you still find yourself rooting for them. All of them, that is, with the exception of Joey's best friend Psy, who is implied to have once been one of "the cool kids" and possibly a bully himself before a leg injury got him removed from the football team. It's not terribly important to the story, but a little extra effort is always welcome in my book. Joey's brash but caring sister Holly, zany mad scientist Professor Denton and mutual crush Lina have their moments to shine as well, creating an all-around lovable core cast.

As per the title, though, the real star of the show is Heroman himself. This series is a no-holds action spectacle, plain and simple, to dwell on anything else for too long would be completely missing the point. The Skrugg are definitely a viable threat, aptly modeled after cockroaches with strength and weapons humans can't match. They just want to take over the world and kill everyone, and all the other villains have very simple comic book-y motivations for what they do. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. It is immensely satisfying to see Heroman beating up the arthropod invaders, discovering more powers he can add to his arsenal, all the while showing off his flashy all-American paint job. Occasional use of stock footage notwithstanding (and the stock footage is actually pretty awesome) the crisply animated fight scenes only get more imaginative as Heroman gains new powers and new enemies.

After a little while Joey even gets some powers of his own, thanks to his gauntlet, and actually, I'd say giving him the chance to fight alongside his giant robot was probably the show's biggest stroke of genius. It adds that touch of human involvement to the fights that we just couldn't get from the silent, stoic Heroman, who only occasionally shows signs of sentience. By giving Joey a more direct involvement in the fights, which only increases as the story progresses, we're given a good look at Joey's personal growth, and that's handled quite well. The best part is, it never gets too dark or violent or complicated for children to watch and enjoy right along with you.

Compelling as it is, Heroman has as many problems as any awkward boy in high school. The show is pretty well-written on a whole, but the pacing isn't always up to scratch. I mentioned earlier that this isn't a character-driven show, and while they're all very likable, their development is nothing we haven't seen before. Make no mistake, the show's character drama works really well when it's used sparingly; it's cheesy and often melodramatic, but that's the point. During the lulls between battles when the characters have to carry entire episodes on their own, though... well, it's still pleasant to watch, but it's definitely not the show playing to its greatest strength. Meanwhile, we only get brief snatches of development from Psy, the character that does seem to have some hidden depths.

The series' low point comes in the middle, when Joey finds himself on the run from a government agency and has to hide out in the woods without making too much of a scene. Yeah, the whole "fugitive evading the authorities" story gets old really quickly. You can always be sure the show has something more waiting just around the corner, though, and when it's all cylinders firing, it's an absolute delight. The series concludes with a grand-scale finale that offers a satisfying resolution while still leaving enough openings for a possible second season. Most importantly, even if the characters aren't complex enough to carry the show all on their own, you still find yourself rooting for them all the way through. That's all I ask of an action show: caring about the characters enough to want to see them make it out alright.

That's the heart of what makes this show work, actually. Action and cool-factor are nice, but if there's no emotional investment, what's the point? That might not sound like much, but it's something I see people forgetting far too often. It's such a simple story that while writing this review, I initially found myself grasping at straws to find something, anything to say about it that isn't already obvious. But then I realized that being able to sum this show up in not so many words isn't a bad thing. It's a typical story we've seen dozens of times before, doubly so if you grew up reading American comic books, but it feels so sincere and passionate that it's hard not to cheer for it all the way through. It doesn't have to try too hard to be groundbreaking, all that matters is whether it makes the audience want to keep watching. Bring on the aliens, the mad scientists, the mutant plants, the rogue machines and scary weapons, the cool powers and wacky inventions! It's a lot of fun, dammit! That's all I have to say about Heroman at the end of the day, and it's all anyone ever should have to say about it. Isn't that enough?

Stan Lee is great. Sadly, Heroman is far from great, it's not even mediocre.
It's the perfect example of what happens when somebody who watched a couple of shows during the 70s and then, 40 years later, decided to try and make a show. The influence from Gigantor is tragically obvious, mixed with some Marvel shenaningans, and you've got something which is close to unbearable.

Story - 3:
It can be described in one word; yawn.
Evil cliché aliens from what could be the C roster of Marvel, invade earth and start fucking up shit because they want to drain the earth of it's natural resources (of course), and ... it's up to our unlikable hero and his uncharismatic robot to save the day, which they of course do with record speed, leaving the viewer with an even more uninteresting sub-plot, which instead becomes the main plot.

Art - 7:
This is where the show shines, Bones rarely disappoints, and such is the case here as well. The animations are fluid, the ether sparks and the fighting scenes, albeit completely uninspired, are visually appealing.

Sound - 5
No real complaints here either, the effects are fitting for the scenes.
The voice actors, aren't terrible with the exception of the main character, who manages to sound even more effeminate than the female lead. When I first heard him, I though it was a joke to be honest. I knew he was a boy, but his voice was absolutely ridiculous. Add him screaming HEROMAN at least five times during every episode, and you've got the recipe for something that will annoy most viewers to no end.

Character - 1:
Ah yes, and thus, we reach the core of the problem; a cast of the most unappealing characters ever produced. Can you spell cliché?
The hero is a young, effeminate boy obsessed with doing the right thing and upholding morals, the typical shonen lead in other words, but without any charm or personality.
We also have the cool and tough best friend character, the bossy/bitchy girlfriend who desperately wants to be tsundere except the writer doesn't understand the tsundere character, the good, scattered-brain mad scientist as well as the evil, elitist mad scientist and the obnoxious bad-guy-jock who isn't really evil and his truly evil as well as fat sidekick.Because you know, fat and rich equals evil.

The characters is a complete abortion, and make the show close to unwatchable.

Enjoyment - 4:
Even though the story is boring and the characters are horrible, the show manages to be somewhat entertaining, much thanks to the visual eye-candy present. It's the kind of show where you can turn off your brain and enjoy the action present. If I was five years old, retarded and this was on during Saturday mornings, I would watch the shit out of it. Sadly, if you're not five year old, retarded and watching this on Cartoon Network a saturday morning, there isn't much for you.

Overall - 4:
This show isn't good, at all.
I don't think anybody with half a brain could enjoy this any other way than ironically. The animation saves this from a lower grade, still it gets a 4, because it's [b]bad[/b] no matter how you try to twist it around, since there is no substance; the action, story and characters suck.

Watch this as an example of what happens when somebody who watched a few episodes of Gigantor back in the 60s decides to write a script for an anime that could fit into the Marvel/DC comics universe, as one of it's most generic and uninspired titles.

If you miss Eureka 7 or Xam'd: Lost Memories then you should really watch this. I've only seen the first episode but I can already tell the chemistry amongst the characters is ace. The animation is fantastic and the story line does not seem like it will fail.

Heroman....... I gave the show a chance seeing that Stan Lee was behind it watched it for 7 episodes and couldn't enjoy it.

I found the story to be really mediocre and void of creativity, The protagonist is annoying and when it comes to the battles that Heroman is evolved in he does nothing but yell out the boring name of his robot "HEROMAN!"over and over while making needless hand gesture to activate some abilities with heroman's remote control. the name heroman seems like it came from a that of elementary student. The whole plot seems like it came from a child -.- the villains in ... the show the "Skrugg" are again mediocre, they are invading alien cockroaches with green goo guns. The battles between the military and aliens are nothing you haven't seen from Godzilla stock footage. I expected more from the show but it does seem to be targeted to a audience of 8-10 years of age with a lot of flash to keep the viewer hypnotized while the writers of the show just come up with the plot at the last minute before their deadlines.

Pass on this show if you want to see a good marvel show what "The Spectacular Spiderman"

Heroman is a bit of an odd one to review.
Written by the famous Stan Lee it would seem that his writing and studio Bones quality would go hand in hand for a successful series.

The first point i would like to make is that Heroman of all things isn't bad, it would seem that it had allot to live up two especially when people put this series with the names Bones and Stan Lee.
Bones has had a history of great series, of course they had flaws but they were enjoyable especially in their stories. Compared with their previous work this is why Heroman doesn’t seem ... to be as good.

STORY.
this is where the story would seem to fall short. It is a very simple plot, kind of a homage to some of the original comic book concepts. Spiderman was a man bitten by a radioactive spider which created a superhero, simple but effective.
This is also the same with Heroman, a simple concept made into a story.
The reason why i give Heroman a 5 in story terms is its simplicity, its not bad but i can see why people don’t like it. What seems to really annoy people is its shounen cliché and it does have a lot. School boy, Bullied, orphan, superpower's, saving the world and some added school romance; we have seen them all in quite a lot of things.
But with this show they seem to work as i said it is a very simple story and it is very Shounen. But i found myself liking it does bring you back to the days where there weren't ridiculous plot twists and stupid Mcguffin which will somehow save the day but make you cringe every time you hear it. It also is a very well passed series. it doesn’t spend too much time explaining "what happened last time" and it isn’t too quick. However it does move quickly and gets on with what its about which i do very much appreciate and thank the gods too there is nothing more dull then watching a fight that lasts more than an episode and most of it is talking.

Overall though i like its story its simple, you don’t have to spend time thinking about how this power works or what not, its easily enjoyable.

CHARACTERS.
this is where a lot of nerd-rage seems to be going on. The main character Joey Jones is very simple and incredibly Shounen, a orphaned boy who has a aura of good. He works for his money to surport him and his grandmother, He hates fighting and tries to avoid it and of course hes kind, his hole character screams Lawful good, his like an example of it. This makes him incredibly simple which in this series case is a good thing. It means he isnt hard to understand but he doesn't seem incredibly deep which leads to some of his actions becoming too predictable. There is some kind of story about his farther being a miner but this and why the bully's call him "useless" has yet to be explained.

Now on to the point which really annoyes people, his voice. Now to me it isn't much of a problem mostly because there are far more annoying characters with worse voices out there. But it is quite effeminate and it can be hard on the ear's when you keep hearing "heroman" being said over and over. It can quickly become a bit tiresome.
However though i find him quite a decent main character.

Second in main character wise is Heroman a toy robot Joey fixes and is then hit by lighting and turns into a larger more advanced robot..... Haven’t seen that one before. I could see what Stan lee and Bones were going for with this character a silent hero but it’s hard to like Heroman because he never speaks or reacts that much. He is portrayed with some kind of intelligence and he seems to know what Joey's thinking and saying.
However though i do like him as a hero of a kind, again the word simple comes to mind.

Now the other character's, Lina the popular cheerleader and love interest in the series. she doesn't really have much depth to her and doesn't really do much. While she not a bad chracter she doesn't have much that is interesting about her. However though it is good to see a romance that isn't mind numing in its stupiditly and they do have a bit of chemistry however though she really dosen't have that much significance.
Psy (atleast thats how i think you spell it) is the bad-ass best friend and support character. He gives moral support to help his friend and does do quite alot overall. He also has a slight back story about how he ended up being crippled or damaging his leg (whichever) which adds a bit but not much.
And of course a Science teacher (proff. denton or whatever) who migh as well be labled "Mad scientist" an alright character and does contribute and come up with most of the plans but apart from that hes just.... weird.
there are more but they dont real have much significance at all and are meer backround characters.
What the main problem is for this set of characters is there is very little to no character development. While there are changes and situations the characters don’t seem to be effect that much and get on with their lives.

Overall the characters are simple yet effective, while some are incredibly cliché it doesn’t get in the way of their interactions and what not.

ART.
Just one word "Bones"
You cannot go wrong with Bones's animation. it is very well done and as far as i have seen there has been no change in quality especially no changes to style or animation slip-ups. Its animation crisp and its use in colours are bright but not detracting .It's quite obvious that they had a large budget for this show probably the Name "Stan Lee" was used to get it.
Character designs are also well done; some nice attention went into them to give it a American feel without being too ridiculous. Though you still have the Shounen cliché of "never changing clothes" and some retarded hair but its not a major issue.
Heroman's design has also got a lot of flak from the community, and while i admit it is basic and has a patriotic hint of "American flag" on it. I don’t find it too much of an issue it isn't total stupid.
However though there is one quaral i have with this series in animation or "why put this in" is Transformation sequence. Once maybe but more than this is just a waste of time. its a stupid decision but thankfully it isnt always the same one.

SOUND.
no complaints really, opening and ending theme are good but not amazing and back-round music is aright sometimes meh.

OVERALL ENJOYMENT?
so far i have enjoyed this series. It is one word: simple, non-complex you don’t have to get your head around some random Mcguffin they made up or ridiculous plot twists or even retarded characters its all non complex. You can easily sit down and relax while watching it without going "wait... What" or "oh for...." or even cringing at every line. so overall i have liked this series.

One of the most anticipated anime for this season.
The storyline is above average from what I've read from the manga,
but the animation is awesome, considering it is Bones who is doing fma brotherhood.
Give episode one a try and you'll get what I mean,
it's kindda different from other animes, but what am I saying, all animes are different.
There's something unique in heroman that promises to entertain you for hours.

There is a few things that should be pointed out before reading the review:
1. This is a Stan Lee work. If you don't recognize him he will feel left out during his numerous cameo appearances... and cry.
2. Ratings are a matter of personal preference, so i suggest making judgment by reading the points and not staring at my score.

-This is rated PG.
This matters on a number of levels. Don't expect any complicated plot; the first half of the show especially requires minimal internalization of what is going on. This also means when an enemy is destroyed they, hilariously, implode into their exoskeleton, as they are ... bug men.

-Bones animates awesome fight sequences, but leaves out logic.
I have to admit that the big showdowns between heroman and his evil foes were enjoyable. Heroman moves slowly as he is a giant tank and gives the impression of a wrestler more than anything else. He even parades in front of your screen and has his own victory sign.
Yet, there was always oddities that lacked explanations: How did he repair himself? Why can't missles affect the Skrugg, but his puny fists can? Even in a situation of aliens and toys turning into planetary heros, every story starts of by grounding itself to reality so we can understand it. This is one of the more selective points; you actually have to care about this a lot for this to completely ruin your enjoyment of the show.

-The second half attempts to compensate for a weak start.
The first segment is cliché as Heroman fights against the army of advanced aliens with their giant spheres, and yes i just said giant spheres. After you infer what happens, the plot thickens, and various encounters with human kind occur. Apparently this proves harder to do as he must keep his secret identity. If you make it through the poor first arc, the second arc will be more worthwhile; unfortunately the third major arc reverts backwards.

-Joey is an.. interesting character.
One must accept that Joey is not a women. While not bad animation, it lies more in the choice of his hairstyle. Personally, he must be one of the most unintentional ugly characters i have seen, but despite this adversity he makes his sojourn to manhood and becomes the hero he has always wanted to be. If you don't want to go deaf however, watch out for his blood curdling cry for heroman to attack.

-Other main characters don't get a lot of development.
Denton sensei, and Psy are helpful sidekicks, but don't get any personal attention and are always assisting Joey in his pursuit to save the world. Even Will, Lina's sister, gets no attention at all; If you make it to the end you will realize he is completely forgotten, while the context would be a spoiler i will say that it is odd if you consider how Lina has a brother complex.

-Comparing to average anime, it has a good romance.
In a world where tsunderes reign, couples can never relax and can never avoid drama, heroman is a breath of fresh air. The local cheerleader expresses interest in our hero from the start and provides a non-frustrating relationship. However, this is not the focus so this never turns for the worst.

-Psy gets no character development for a long time.
Now, this normally wouldn't bug people so much, and i had a point for development already. However, the fact that we have no explanation to the event that crippled him paranoid me throughout the series. Awesome character made personally awkward. I also always wanted to know where he got that awesome crippled person motorized skateboard too!

Ever thought of watching anime + marvel at the same time?

Collaboration with Stan Lee and Studio Bones.

Well here we have it. Heroman

One of the most anticipated anime series of 2010 and will probably be one of the best anime series of this year.

Just from watching the first episode, you get a slice of everything from action, drama and thrill. This anime series is packed with back to back action, which will surely make you hungry for more.

... Story - 9/10

This story goes away from your typical action animes. Since this is a collaboration with Stan lee, the story will just go so far in 2010. In this anime, a boy, who has no super powers, suddenly gets thrown into a world of adventure and action. From there, we'll just see what happens right?

Character - 9/10

The characters in this story are brilliant.

Art - 10/10

Marvel + Anime = Pure awesomeness.

After the first episode of Heroman i thought this could get interesting i mean come on it's a Stan Lee, but it didn't.And like most of the people who saw the promotions i was disappointed.
Story5/10
Heroman is about a weak boy who someday gets his hands onto something cool, and whats cooler than a giant robot.And like every weak hero he gets picked on by the jocks cuz this is an American anime.Guess who saves him every time his cool friend and his girlfriend who happens to be the big bully's sis.
Characters 3/10
The character selection in this anime is so not creative.
Art 8/10
The art isn't ... bad that's why i endured it for a time but i can't watch this shit anymore.
Enjoyment 3/10
I really don't recommend this anime to anyone.

Heroman is not your typical Japanese. If fact, it is a throwback to one of the 80s and 90s American cartoon. Remember the old days when you sitting in front of the TV on Saturday watching cartoons such as Spider-Man or TMNT. Well, this is one of those boy's cartoon. So far, the plot is pretty generic, and I highly doubt it will get any more in-depth. The art looks amazing as it represents what american culture looks like. However, aside from the human, Heroman and the aliens are laughable. Heroman looks the the Stay Puff Marshmallow man from Ghostbusters and the aliens reminds those ... angel from Evangelion.

Overall, if you like watching old nostalgic cartoon, then I recommend you to give this a try

Ok I'm seeing a lot of you refer to him as her. If you read the details on this site or read about it period Joey is a boy and he is the one with a robot. I know i got confused too when I saw the picture of a female with what I thought was her dad but that might have been Joey's mom. She is not dating the kid on crutches they are just friends.

The animation is great and the story line is captivating as far as this time of anime goes. I really enjoy it, sort of like digimon with ... robots.

well heroman started fine but one of the things that i din,t like whaz when heroman finish the fight or go all super he do a posee
a big O
WTF!?
what,s the point of calling him heroman~
if he got a O like a posse...

big O is more super than him...

the fight sense are pretty lame,but i have more to see of the anime...

... i think this qualify to be a america fanfics
well don,t know...
ill be back in like a moth to review the review~

but the art is pretty awsome and the music as well...

i hope hero man make my fav list

This is the anime I've been waiting for somestrange reason it always takes 5 years for a brilliant anime to come out and this is it!!!

While watching this anime you get the feeling you had as a child watching Goku beat the crap out of Frieza as you cheered him on relishing the triumph of good over evil.
While it does take at least 3 episodes to build it's way up to awesomeness that it is, you be glad you've stuck with the series.
The main character is likeable along with most of the main cast while I don't care for the herorine I realize I ... tend not to like alot of female characters so it could be just me.

This is a much watch series especially if you love the old classic type of hero vs villan story line.

I dont like Long Review so this is gonna be fast.

Heroman is like watch a US serie about a super hero in an anime. And it works really well.
And if you add the fact its Stan Lee, it gains a lot of extra points.

The plot is about a kid,Joey,who rebuilds a toy, this toy is impacted by a lighting and it becomes in Heroman, very cliche for now. Then the alien attack, the militaries are useless.....we need a hero to save us all......Heroman appears and save the world....but with some consecuences, i liked that, its great that the perfect peace were something hard to get ... and it needs more than muscles. Then we have the classic Marvel plot, being the hero but being treated as a villian, thats always works and it worked in heroman.
Now the serie havent finished yet, we have Will as a skrugg who have a lot of potencial for a plot and Heroman with the the president as an ally, it have to be bigger!!!

About the other things, sounds, art, character..........Its Bones so as an anime is great, the character are fine, but Joey could be annoying sometime, incluiding his voice ¬¬

The music is outstanding, Their OPs and EDs are 10/10, my fav one is Kylee - Missing , ITS SO ADDICTIVE!! and an insert song that i dont know the name is great.

Its a great serie for people who likes good action, good plot with no mind mazes and amazing animation, i didnt like in the beginning but now its one of my fav ones of this year

HEROMAN!! FINISH!!!!

I’m kind of surprised that people didn’t like Heroman when it first came out. Ignoring the fact that it came out during a pretty packed season, what’s with all these people saying it’s unambitious and kiddy back when it first came out, and even now? If anything, this was the Bones mecha series that should have been popular. It’s fun. It’s campy. It makes interesting stuff happen rather than cocktease the interesting stuff for more than half the series’ length and not deliver in the end. And it’s AMERICA as all hell.

Proof that anime fans suck right here man. But this isn’t a judgment of ... them. This is a judgment of Heroman. And there are three main reasons for why it’s so cool.

The Retro Setting:

I know that people complain about how Captain Earth’s characters are too simplistic and it’s true that the characters in Heroman aren’t much better in theory, but the reason I give Heroman a pass is because of its retro campy tone. When a show has an underlying sense of humor or style to its cliches, I can forgive them easier. And you can’t tell me that the show isn’t purposefully trying to be retro. It has a main kid character named Joey Jones. His love interest is a blonde cheerleader. His best friend has a fro. The robot has the red, white, and blue all over him. And Bones’ animation style looks like a commercial (in a good way). It’s doing all these American cliches on purpose to the point that it creates its own world of weird logic that you just have to run with in the same vein as Scott Pilgrim and Bakemonogatari. I love that sort of thing as long as the world is capitalized on – something Scott Pilgrim did whilst Bakemonogatari didn’t.

And believe me, Heroman capitalizes on its setting very well. It never gets to do it in an AWESOME manner equivalent to Eureka Seven’s Beam Arc or anything, but it does it with a good amount of consistency.

The Pacing:

The show is basically comprised of three or so arcs with each arc tributing a different aspect of comic book history. I’m not that much of a comic book fan, so I can’t really go into detail about them, but basically the first arc is a traditional sort of story, the second is a more edgy story, and the last is more of a grand story along with whatever you describe the type of story that characters like Venom from Spiderman populate. Each arc has its own setup, conflict, and payoff with about two or so episodes of downtime in between them – rather than the 7-20 episodes that makes up those other anime that I’m not going to list on this blog. Said arcs deliver well in terms of delivering the basics of what makes those comic books it’s tributing good, especially with its reveals, its fights, its characterization, and what it means to be a hero. Could really use some of that pacing in Stardust Crusaders right now.

The Relationship Between A Boy And His Robot:

And what makes said hero story good itself, apart from accomplishing all the basics, is the relationship between Joey and Heroman. Say what you will about how everything else is too kiddy, but this kid show gets the relationship between a boy and his robot better than most other popular “adult” mecha shows.

I’m not kidding when I say that this relationship mirrors Giant Robo’s in terms of how much a boy and his robot complement each other – and Giant Robo is the best classic mecha anime of all-time, so that’s a huge compliment. Joey is a weak kid who can’t do much on his own without Heroman. But on the other hand, Heroman can’t do anything unless Joey allows him to. They both depend on each other to get things done, and they both come to appreciate the other for it. It’s a classic old-school relationship that’s nothing too special, but it’s still pretty damn charming when it’s done well. And yeah, Stan Lee knows how to do old-school well. The rest of the relationships are cool too in an old-school fashion – I like Joey’s relationship with Lina and Psy and even Will (hey, a bully character that doesn’t suck) – but it’s the one he has with Heroman that at the end of the day, makes this show for me.

Conclusion:

Joey’s superpowers come from a toy arm given to him by a bolt of lightning. How is that not awesome?

If you've ever seen a superhero movie or something of the like before, then the premise of Heroman should be fairly familiar to you. A normal, unassuming boy suddenly get's granted some sort of superpower, and must use it to to defeat some sort of new evil that has presented itself to destroy the world. This should come as no surprise though, as Heroman is a 2010 anime produced by Studio BONES, with input from Stan Lee himself, creator of such big names as Spiderman and The Fantastic Four. But in this case, instead of the boy getting powers directly, he winds up getting a ... toy robot of his shocked by a bolt of lightning one night, causing it to grow to twice his size, and leaving him to command it. Shortly afterwards, an alien invasion begins, and it's up to Joey and the newly dubbed "Heroman" to save the world from this threat.

The premise is very basic, and you can see that Heroman does indeed draw a lot of inspiration from superhero works of the past. In one sense, this is kind of cool. It's rare to see an anime that actually takes place in America, and it is actually entertaining to see a simple story of a boy fighting against an evil threat, without any major complications. But ultimately, this simplicity is also one of the show's greatest downfalls, because at the end of the day, Heroman simply plays it too safe.

The story to defeat the evil aliens (bug-like creatures known as "Skrugg") is enjoyable, but has no real depth to it. Simply put, it's basically just Joey and his friends walking forward to the Skrugg headquarters, fighting any that they meet along the way. Eventually, this part of the story is actually resolved, and it's here that the show starts to get a little more interesting, even if it still is unoriginal and has been done many times before. And while there are some interesting themes brought up at points, most notably the question of what exactly it truly means to be a hero, these themes are usually forgotten shortly after being brought up, despite the fact that a closer examination of this sort of thing could have really brought up the level of the narrative.

This simplicity also seeps into the characters. Joey is your generic goody two shoes, who always wants to help people and is willing to put himself into harms way to do so. It's fine for him to start out like this, but he never really develops throughout the story, and is basically the same at the end as he was at the beginning. This is also true for most of the other characters. You have Psy, Joey's best friend who is much more brash and willing to get things done (who also uses crutches throughout the whole show, which is actually kind of cool), there is Professor Denton, a goofy school teacher who inadvertently starts the invasion by making contact with the aliens, and Lina, the obvious main love interest who Joey doesn't seem to ever give enough attention.

There are more characters as the show goes on, from the military agent Hughes, to even Joey's older sister, but they all share one common flaw, and that is a lack of development in any sort of way. Most of these characters are admittedly amusing and a lot of fun to have on the screen, but they don't seem to serve a whole lot of purpose at the end of the day, and could really be replaced by anyone else. The romance that is foreshadowed between Joey and Lina never actually hits it's stride, and Joey's sister is annoying and antagonistic basically the whole way through. Had we gone a little further into what makes these characters tick, they could have been quite good, but sadly, we are left with just some cliche character's that fall nicely into certain tropes and do their job well, but ultimately never go beyond that.

So you may wonder, if Heroman is mostly just a glorified superhero movie in anime form, why should you bother with it? Two words: Production values. Heroman was created by Studio BONES, who are well known for their work on other notable projects such as Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven. They are also known for their high production standards when it comes to animation, and Heroman is no exception. The whole show looks great, going above and beyond what you would expect from a work of it's nature. The character designs are all unique, the action is a thrill to watch, and it overall looks incredible, particularly in the final few episodes, where the animation reaches a jaw dropping level.

The music is also a high point of the show, using a high number of techno like tracks to really set the mood for a lot of scenes, sometimes enhancing them greatly. In addition, the Opening and Ending themes are all great, with the first ending being particularly interesting, as the whole thing is done in a comic book panel style, an obvious homage to the show's roots.

So all in all, Heroman is actually a little disappointing. Not because it's a bad show per-se, but because it could have been so much more. It looks and sounds great, and is certainly an entertaining watch, but it suffers from an overall lack of ambition, and settles in too nicely with doing what it's comfortable with, not willing to take a few more steps forward and provide something deeper and overall more satisfying. That said, Heroman is quite well at doing what it does, and if nothing else, is a fun ride from beginning to end.