Hero Mask

I tried watching this show, I honestly did, the story was alright, I couldn't get invested no matter how much I wanted to, I wanted to give the show a chance, but it failed, it couldn't keep me entertained and it was a flop, the plot has an alright premise but the execution is utter garbage.

The art style is typical for an anime airing this season, nothing special, nothing horrible. The sound was alright, didn't focus much on it, but it was good, at least.

Netflix needs to step up their game if they want to actually create decent anime.

So, after reading a lot of blatant lies about this magnificent series, I’ve felt compelled to write a review to balance things up.
Two things have become clear to me after reading a lot of over the top negative comments about Hero Mask: a) A big (and very vocal) part of the anime fandom don’t like their anime to be “tainted” by any kind of Western influence and b) A lot of anime fans dislike big changes and series that try to break out of the norm.
Enter Hero Mask, a Netflix original series that, despite being made by studio Pierrot and a ... (relatively unkown) japanese staff, looks and feels Western as fuck. It also is radically different to anything we have come to expect from anime, both aestethically and plot-wise. So yeah, for a big part of the anime fans at least, half the battle was lost even before it started.
Which is a pity, really, as Hero Mask is a truly great series that combines noir-esque crime thriller elements with a touch of sci-fi. It is not that different to Psycho Pass or Monster (the 2 closest examples I can think of, anime-wise) although it probably would be more accurate to compare it to Western live action shows like True Detective and Black Mirror (with a healthy dose of James Bond-esque action scenes).
It is by no means perfect, though, and it does get a bit slow half-way through and the finale could have been handled in a better, less confusing way (although I want to believe that there’s a second cour on the way: it certainly would help to clarify a ton of things that are left unanswered by the end of it). However, if you are looking for a serious, mature and gripping thriller with a touch of sci-fi and a wonderful, unique aestethic (and also an outstanding soundtrack that kept reminding me of Monster all the time) and some of the best 2D action scenes I’ve seen this decade (that car chase at the end of Ep 3, Good Lord..) look no further, this is your series.
Just (don’t) believe the (negative) hype.

[Spoilers]

In a world where every normo wears a guy fawkes-like mask and whenever anything happens, there is a zoom-in into character's eyeball, we follow a squad of cops who quite literally suck at their job. Just so happens to be, one of the guy fawkes dudes bumps into this cop woman in a busy street and then she dies. Another cop sees this shit happening and concludes that it was a murder but oh such a mysterious murder indeed. And now we have the setup ready for this mystery cop show anime filled with action and cliches so lousily executed that they become the sole ... selling point of the entire thing. Great.

Let's start with the villain terroristo-kun's and their amazing skills because it is so amazing. These quite-literally-baddies fold some paper/bandage thingies all over their faces and then the bandage can basically turn into anyone's face because sci-fi is listed in the genres. This is apparently very new, advanced hightech shite which is not a common thing to occur in the series universe, so many cops and other people who witness this lose all their shit and get terrified just by looking at the face-metamorph action. The whole baddie side of the anime is not even laughable, but rather: pathetic. Baddie persons can basically beat 50 gun-wielding cops with your everyday bushcraft knife. Epic swords skills are not even required since the cops just like stand there waiting for the baddies to come and slit their throats open. The baddies also make some sort of sicko facial expression and laugh very evily when doing this just to demonstrate how insane and evilzz they are. Oh, and did I mention they are practically immortal? Well, now you know. We also have other equally great stuff like villains who are too kewl to even look at the explosions or destruction they spread because apparently, someone thought it would be real badass thing to not do. There is also a scene in the series where dude shoots four times, but manages to headshot 6 cops while doing so [rewatched the scene to make sure that it really did happen]. Random car-chase sequences, endless amount of bullets and lots of bang bang sounds, Mexican standoffs, too, because aren't those just lovely western thingies to put in an anime. The actions of the villains and cops make exactly as much sense as they are believable.

The next thing I want to talk about is the title of the show, Hero Mask, which is actually written with a font/logo that makes it appear to be written rather like: Hero=Mask or Hero≠Mask. Hero equals Mask, Hero does not equal Mask. When I saw this, I thought maybe it's some type of witty, subtle wow thingie regarding the plot line or characters of this series. Spoilers: Nope. Apparently it just looked really cool way to design the thing so there's that. I am not going to go much further into detail with the writing of this show. Half of it is basically cheap-as-hell blockbuster flick that is now an anime and contains some mystery, cops vs. crime and sci-fi elements you typically see in movies that focus on these subjects and which mean score starts with a 5 on IMDb, except this one seems to be made with zero self-awareness/respect towards the audience, and contains some feels. Later on the series takes some sort of weird training arc route centering around the sci-fi bandages while also focusing on some bizarre relationship drama, and further introduces some "it's bigger than us" epicness when the 'mystery' --erm -- *starts to unfold* with the help of "Oh wait! Now I remember this important plot related thing, me and my silly memory, hehe." and literally dogs working as plot devices in the narrative. I also facepalmed for realz when the "big mystery scheme" was eventually structured on a blackboard with post-it notes and some thread like they do CSI and other hyper realistic 'detective' series. The terrific thing is that the 2nd half of this show is still vast improvement from the first one. What I really want to say here is: Thanks Netflix.

"Jamesuuu, Jamesuu." So this anime has this character dude called James who is some type of "unfit to follow the typical cop codes" archetype, and this side of his character is practically the only side of his character. The cop squad contains other equally well-planned dudes like an old guy who wears hipster classes an acts like some type of thug-life connoisseur. Then there is this hacker dude who is like really quick with keyboards and stuff, and some very hot looking females who kinda just are there for the sake of it but still appear to be real important, plot-wise. Like Sarah whose name is Sarah and she is hot and can even use the gun occasionally as long as it includes shooting an inanimate objects such as floors. She literally can't miss. As a whole, I found the cast to be highly irrelevant. There are quite a lot of other characters, too, from lawyers and business owners to mad geniusses, and pretty much none of them are interesting to follow or even worth of talking about. I cared about no one and saw no reason to do so either.

The dialogue and feels side of this series are almost as lively and fresh as the action scenes, and I can't even decide if I want to blame the writers, the execution or the seiyuu work. The woman who got killed was apparently real interesting person and loved by all, so naturally, Jamesuu talks about her importance by saying "She was like a mother to me." He sounds like a middle-aged man reading out loud a tv guide. "The Bold and The Beautiful Episode 8744 today at 5:30 PM on channel four just like has happened for the past 27 years, great." Of course, the music choice during this scene is so successful they could have as well played Skrillex and the effect would have been the same. I don't understand why such basic things are so hard to do correctly or at least in moderately acceptable manner. If this was just one scene and rarity in the series, this would be nitpicking, naturally, but that's how the entire thing works. Executed and acted without actually trying to achieve the things that it is supposed to achieve. Quickly put together without even considering to polish the thing to some degree, or even place a fitting BGM to play while the scene plays out.

The series is not all pure bad, but finding good sides from it hasn't been the easiest thing. Scenes that made me laugh or momentarily excited/feel anything/get any type of expression out of me, were scarce. One of the best ones was this romantic no-teasing-without-pleasing occurrence where dude pinched his woman's cheek (Eve or whatever she was called) and told her she is getting fat. Pretty funny, yo. One other was this childhood scene with kids and one of the kids fell in highly adorable way, almost made me :3, but these type of small details were pretty much the only praise-worthy content I saw. The stuff that was actually supposed to matter, didn't really matter to me.

In terms of art, Studio Pierrot hasn't been at their best recently, but I guess Netflix did some decent-ish funding this time around, and major problems don't exist, but the thing is still far from impressive from the animation department. Some CGI is used with character movements, the action sequences suffer quite terribly when it comes to the scale and dimension of things. Like some "fight" scenes with multiple people don't really feel like they are taking place inside a spacious room (even when they literally are), but rather it looks like the characters are just in a 2 -dimensional row in relatively tight space. It can look pretty damn weird at times. One more thing I need to mention is the mouth movements and placement that can be pretty lol-worthy at times, like in this one scene with May (or Mey, didn't use subs, too lazy to check how her name is spelled), her mouth was placed to where her nose was supposed to be, yet she was speaking and the thing was fully animated. Real weird err. The art style itself it fairly decent and perhaps deserves some praise too, and in generally, the production is easily passable from the arts department. Surely the thing could be much more fun/entertaining to watch if it contained more of those well-made/memorable animation sequences or artwork, but as it is, the art kinda just is there, much like the female characters. The biggest exception from this quality level is pretty much the entirety of episode 6 which was the easily the best thing from the entire series and in some sense made watching this series not feel like a complete waste of time. But even when I say this, ep 6 was still highly based on coincidences and continuity errors; events that were highly unlikely to occur as they did, but at least it managed to be entertaining and showed that occasionally some extra effort is being put in the making of this series, too.

The score is completely dull and boring. It has nothing to say and nothing to offer -- outside one song in episode 13 that lasted like 10 seconds. The song variety is also highly limited. Similar thing can be said about the voice acting which is just weird. PG13 anime with adult characters, no adult-feel coming out from any character in terms of behavior or speech. Many of the characters sound pretty much as empty as they feel. For example, out of the many crying scenes none seemed genuine.

Enjoyment-wise, my expectations were not met. I thought average action series could keep me entertained for the day, but eventually, it wasn't very fun to watch, it felt irrelevant, unimportant, and at the same time, was not so bad nor over the top in a way that could have offered high entertainment value with ironic viewing either. As a bottom line: If Hero Mask tried to be stupid in the most boring way imaginable, then it did its job. I don't typically write reviews this long, but I was, at times, so bored I had to do something while watching it just to refrain from falling in coma.

Numbers and quick sum up for the wicked,

Story 4/10, more eh and meh than downright awful, but still too sucky and messy to be called average
Characters 3/10, about as interesting as a lesson regarding the history of spaghetti
Character design 6/10, some are too anime, few dudes look pretty badass I guess, milfs are hot
Animation 5/10, weird and inconsistent at times, can be good when it really wants to
Backdrop/other art 7/10, some great scenery here and there, impressive trees and buildings and VOLVO
Sounds 4/10, this OST and level of voice acting stands out because it lacks
Enjoyment 3-6/10, quality differences, and boredom is there, that ep 6 tho
+Favorite character: that cat named Wolf from ep 8-11 or sumtin who purred real loudly and broke vases like the motherfucker she is
Overall 4/10, not the worst anime Netflix has ever 'done' AKA called their original

Netflix has done it again. Licensing another original show that has all the worst aspects of Japanese anime and Hollywood cinema rolled into one objectionable package. Money might buy happiness, but it sure as shit doesn’t produce a quality anime. Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, is probably sitting on a yacht in the Pacific like, “you think I give a f—k about quality, shut your non-yacht owning face up before I Molly-wop your bitch-ass.”

…….(yes sir)

James Bond (I mean, Blood) embodies the typical action hero archetype of being a reckless, “shoot first, ask questions later” protagonist. As expected of the archetypal qualities ... of his character, he exudes pure “cool” and a suave, confident demeanor to confront hazardous situations without a moments hesitation. Unfortunately for Mr. Blood, this is all his character has to offer in terms of substance, neglecting a quintessential element that would allow the viewer to discern the “person” behind the “mask.” Regardless of the stories intent (i.e. an action packed crime investigation) it is imperative to construct believable characters; or, at the very minimum, characters that have a personality beyond their hackneyed quarks and conventional platitudes. And no, pummeling an old man with glasses and shooting a bunch of evil villains does not qualify as proper characterization.

Sarah Sinclair, an ordinary civilian who becomes entangled in the “mask” case when Monica auspiciously perishes from a “heart attack,” plays the role of prosaic side character. Similar to James Blood, her character is vacuous, simply existing for the sole purpose of……….you know, I’m not even sure; thus, proving how unavailing she is as a prominent character in the series. Episode 12 highlights this shortcoming when she uses the whiteboard to determine the nexus between Steve Martland and his business associates, because rather than sharing insight on her cognitive considerations, she merely works in silence, offering no insight into her thought process (i.e. her personality).

The man simply known as Grimm acts as a foil to James Blood, not in the sense that he is explored with any noticeable detail, but because he is an unhinged lunatic with no regard for human life (including his own). Hence why he walked into a fully-armed, federal building to fight a cluster of incompetent cops — the odds were only 30:1 — to show James his new mask and titillate him with ideas of bizarre, venereal adventures (don’t tell me this thought didn’t cross your mind when his face turned into a girl, you sick pervert). In truth, Grimm is deployed as a pawn to establish the presence of “masks,” provoking James Blood to embark on a mission to unveil the web of secrets surrounding the mysterious object in question.

While “Hero Mask” entertained the notion of a compelling crime investigation, it far too often descended into pointless action sequences — usual via a car chase — that were fairly jejune, not to mention cliched. It felt reminiscent of a 007 movie with its use of hi-tech gadgetry, elaborate combat scenes, and tension-filled atmosphere; of course, this is not meant to be a compliment, as these attributes disguised the numerous deficiencies in the overarching narrative. But who cares about the implementation of a weak narrative when you can have a UFC street fight in the middle of a busy intersection — with guns! Someone get Dana White on the phone, I want to see this happen at their next event.

“Hero Mask”, for the most part, plays out like a daytime tv drama, employing a rudimentary, black-and-white framework with dreadful voice acting and enough action sequences to put Bruce Willis to shame. It gives the vibe of a never ending police drama that will persist long past its shelf life for purpose of………….you know, I’m not sure about this one either. But with a season two on the horizon, you’d best brace yourself for additional narrative monotony and stodgy characters, as the ingredients in this irrational composition are flawed, unexplored, and encumbered with quotidian detail. “Hero Mask,” to its detriment, forgets to remove its own proverbial “mask,” limiting its scope and effectiveness as an engaging anime.

If elements of a story are clichéd in one medium, but they are transposed into another medium where those clichés are never done, is the story still clichéd? Are clichés universal, or are there boundaries between genres, mediums, and cultures that change our expectations of certain stories? This is what makes Hero Mask so fascinating to me, and how you answer this question will be the biggest factor in your enjoyment of the series. What would be the most clichéd series ever to an American audience is one that has no true parallel in the world of anime. The only shows that are remotely comparable ... to it are ones with direct western influence. I don’t know who came up with the idea of imitating every western action movie ever, but I’m so glad they did. Hero Mask is a fast-paced thriller with memorable characters, an engaging story, and white-knuckle action scenes.

If you want to enjoy Hero Mask, you must do so because it is a standard western action show, not in spite of it. This is not a show I would recommend for anyone looking for an immaculate series that breaks new grounds and challenges expectations of what anime is capable of. It is, however, for those who want to enjoy an action thriller and all of the clichés that come with it.

My greatest compliment for Hero Mask is that every element felt very purposeful. There is a very specific vision for this series, so we aren’t left with any filler or wheel-spinning where we wait for the plot to finally come back around. The series is 15 episodes, which any anime fan knows is a very uncommon number. What this tells me is that the creators were able to tell the exact story they wanted to tell; they didn’t have to cut out plot elements or add padding to fit Hero Mask in the usual 12-24 episode mold. Releasing on Netflix gave them this freedom, and it definitely helps the anime stand out.

The characters were also quite enjoyable. While they may not always be the most competent at their jobs, they’re still good people who are doing the best they can to investigate the Hero Mask and the murder of Monica Campbell. James Bond, I mean, James Blood, is an officer at the SSC who is in the middle of the Hero Mask investigation. He’s the type of guy who’s always the coolest in the room and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty in a tough situation. James has a genuine desire to help people, which is why I enjoyed him so much as the lead. He is joined in the investigation by Sarah Sinclair, an assistant attorney who was a colleague and friend of Monica before her death. While she may be a little slow at making connections, her efforts added a lot of heart to the story. The supporting cast was functional as well, and each character was distinct enough that I could remember them and their motivations.

I also need to give a shout out to the action sequences. There were some beautiful car chases early on, as well as some epic shootouts. They even have some hand-to-hand combat that kept me on the edge of my seat. I won’t go into much more detail—action scenes are better experienced that talked about anyway.

If a generic action thriller isn’t something you are interested in, I would not recommend watching this show. However, fans of action, suspense, mystery, and drama will feel right at home with this love letter to all things western. It really just depends on what you are looking for. As someone looking for a unique anime, this was a fun binge-worthy experience. They leave it open for a sequel, and I’ll be the first to watch it if we get a season 2!

Honestly I wasn't too sure how I felt after watching this I mean sure I started to become invested with some areas of it but overall it was nothing special, this was honestly okay to put on in the background whilst doing something else,

characters

Okay so they where all terrible we never got told why this Woman meant so much to James and Sarah, in fact the only character we seemed to get some form of background from as the police chief but this was rightttttt at the end of the show, one added note is one random character who I don't even think was named ... honestly looked like Benedict cumberbatch which was kinda weird

animation

okay so it had moments of being really really bad .


overall this show was sort of just meh if you have it on your to watch list it should be far far far down the list of priorities.

When I decided to watch 'Hero Mask', I didn't have any expectations at all. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean this in a churlish way. What I mean is that I didn't bother checking which studio was behind it, who were the producers, directors, how much of an involvement Netflix actually had, etc. And maybe this helped me appreciating the series for what it was.

It's rather unpretentious (which I gladly appreciate) and straightforward. In a way, it is very much predictable, yet, the show does wonders keeping you on your toes and building tension out of some of your typical action-police-mistery clichés, so ... fair play to them. At times, it does almost seem like your everyday american police series adapted into an anime. I could understand how glaring that could be for some, but it didn't actually hinder my enjoyment of this latest Netflix production.

The Sci-Fi aspect of the show is kept to an oddly bare minimum. Without giving too much away, there are these "paper masks" enclosed with supernatural properties, and that's about it. There's a mystery behind them (what do they do? who is creating those? why are they creating those?etc), but it starts and ends right there. Ironically enough, most of the actual characters who could be considered as vilains (or ambiguous enough) don't even actually use that technology themselves, nor do the protagonists. Maybe this will be expanded in the second season - if there is one.

The series is very much, at least to the core, a police-action story - based on a mistery solving enacted by the double team of James Blood and Sarah Sinclair.
James Blood, our main protagonist, is a young detective. He's the muscles and the guns of the operation. He isn't shown to be particularly shortsighted, but he doesn't actually do any of the detective-work per say. He goes in, takes out his opponents in a fashionable way and makes up for most of the very-well choreographed fights of the series. As a main character, I must say that he does come across as slightly bland. We actually don't know much about him, both story-wise and personality-wise, and he does come across as slightly too goody-goody for a Seinen main protagonist.
Sarah Sinclair, a prosecutor, is the female lead of the series. She's also a bit beige and exactly what you would expect her to be when you first see her. That being said, I do appreciate that although she could have been a simple love interest and/or weak sidekick to our male lead, she actually gets to deal with the story in her own way. Whereas James is the action guy, Sarah is shown to be the brains of the operation. She's the one actually doing most the detective work.

The rest of the cast is a lot more interesting, both in designs and personalities. They're a lot more ambiguous, 'grey' if I may say so, and seem to have a lot more depth to them than the two main protagonists. Like I said, their designs are also more engaging and refreshing. Although, I'll admit, nice of them of making Sarah sport a different hairstyle at (almost) every episode, making her design look a lot less one-dimensional.

Which brings me to my point. One aspect of the series that kinda befuddled me at first was the art. The style is almost reminiscent of a Shōjo/Josei at times. Emphasis on the "at times". In the end, I think it all boils down to the nose and eyes, they're both very big (certainly Sarah's...) and there's a huge amount of details brought to the iris. When you get past that, you can actually enjoy the rest of the art which is certainly sufficient, hell even gorgeous in some scenes. The style is, for the most part, pretty consistent. The most glaring inconsistencies I've caught were either the size of the eyes, as well as how broad the male characters' shoulders actually are, but that's something almost every anime seems to struggle with. Great sceneries and on-par with every other Seinen.

I'll refrain myself from speaking about Sound/Voice Acting/OST as they usually rarely work in favor (or against, to be fair) my enjoyment of the show. It all seemed adequate from where I stood, but what do I know.

Overall, I thought it was a pretty good anime that I finished in a very little amount of time because it managed to kept me invested despite the obvious clichés it had going for itself. And I'm also surprisingly excited for a potential season two, go figure.

I was looking for a crime anime and I can't believe I found it on the day I was looking for one. I love the whole crime/suspense/ mystery genre and Hero Mask fulfilled my satisfaction. Although it kinds of slow to start off, I guess because of the whole character and story development, it really begins to take off but not too much leaving you wanting more! It's so suspenseful and I hope they make another season! It was like I was watching CSI with a sci-fi touch to it but animated. You may see a lot of negative reviews of this anime but honestly ... I think its just people that are already comparing it to other good anime's out there that their standards are way too high. But if you like the whole mystery,crime genre then I highly recommend this. You will have to be patient with the story as it is slow but I guess that just add to the entire suspense atmosphere the directors wanted to create. The pace of the story really made it feel like everything is being seen through a detective's point of view uncovering the truth very slowly. I love the artwork, the action scenes, the characters, everything was so well done! I really hope they make another one, the last episode just makes you want more!!! Just like a suspense/thriller/crime/ mystery, this will leave you hanging anxiously waiting for the next!

I get the impression that it is popular to hate on netflix anime on MAL, I don't know why.
I loved the series (part 1). It is a thriller with interesting plot that twists and turns as the story unravels. All the characters are smart and quick on their feet forcing you to pay attention to the plot. Not to mention that the character designs are pretty impressive. There are no fillers that waste your time and every lead pays off as you follow this action packed and psychological thriller.

The intro and outro soundtracks are pretty great, kinda reminds me of subtle dark knight ... vibes. The character designs are similar to B!! the beginning, which I love. There are lots of moving parts in the story. And the use of genome editted Masks as the mcguffin is pretty interesting. There are lots of civilian casualties and you get to see some of the tragic background of main cast.

-1 point because I thought that the animation was a bit choppy, which I think is a small trick that studios use to keep the production price tag down. BUT it is quite subtle and not significant compared to other beloved series.

HERO MASK is the second Netflix original that attempts to merge elements of Western action/crime thrillers with sci-fi shenanigans after B: THE BEGINNING face-planted itself into a bizarre cliche-ridden mess of disconnected ideas and hollow characters. The best and worst thing you can say about this bit of double dipping is that I now appreciate B just a little more for at least making an entertaining albeit drunken stumble of it. By contrast, HERO MASK is joylessly sober in almost every moment.

The possible clandestine offing of a prosecutor in quasi-futuristic London gets the inquiries of her colleague Sarah Sinclair and elite Special Service of ... Crime officer James Blood (yes, that's right) up and running. It's a typical corporate conspiracy setup. But the show is already so disinterested in whatever minute intrigue this premise brings that it quickly introduces another mystery in the form of strange paper masks that grant their users extraordinary abilities and then proceeds to scrap this idea for the straight conspiracy stuff again. Just like B: THE BEGINNING, there's no through line and even trying to come up with a comprehensive synopsis is a toil in futility. Let's just say it's a story with shootouts, chases, assassinations, investigations, interrogations, revelations, and whatever other -ations you can probably imagine based on what I've described.

HERO MASK’s lack commitment to its ideas matches that to its characters. The history both leads share with the deceased prosecutor, a relationship that is never explored in any detail, is their sole drive and character trait. The show occasionally posits James as some kind of loose cannon who is quick to shoot, but really he is a completely competent professional without any flaws, internal conflict, or character arc to speak of. The supporting cast is comparably stodgy and one-dimensional, although a couple get some oddly timed backstories involving their fridged lovers. The only interesting characters are the two mask users. Grimm’s scenery-chewing is ridiculous and dumb, but at least he stands out in a sea of dullness. Theo is the only character with any sort of relatable plight. Neither last very long.

If the plot points and character descriptions didn’t key you in on the affinity HERO MASK has for the worst of American action thrillers, then the stylistic preferences certainly will. Newbie writer/director Hiroyasu Aoki bungles the action with extreme rapid-fire cutting and disorientingly close angles reminiscent of directors like Paul Greengrass, Christopher Nolan, and the late Tony Scott. Unlike their work, the action scenes in HERO MASK lack the frenetic camera movements and are at least properly storyboarded. But certain information is often lacking. Sometimes we get a character rearing up for a punch only for the next shot to show the adversary reeling post-impact, skipping the point of contact. Other times, it’s a car coming out of nowhere. The weak sound design doesn’t carry the necessary weight to make up for the absence of perspective either. Overall, the action is either incomprehensible or simply not appreciable, all happening within a spatial and locational vacuum. And no amount of choppy editing can hide just how implausible every chase and tussle is. I’m willing to suspend my disbelief for a lot, but the action here is full of howlers. In the animated form without real actors, props, sets, or need for stunt work, these kinds of stagings are purely inexcusable aesthetic choices.

Formal duffs apply to the non-action scenes as well with overuse of close-ups and reaction shots. Surely someone will make a supercut of every sigh, sip of coffee, and nervous lip bite that must be endured to reach the end. The amount of excelsior HERO MASK stuffs into every scene results in a slog, especially in the show’s second half. There are some truly pointless scenes and cutaways that have absolutely no bearing on the story. Why must we cut from a tense scene of James snooping around a house, gun in hand and checking his corners (which ultimately goes nowhere BTW), to Sarah at home, comfy, drinking tea and staring disapprovingly at her cat? Is this supposed to be some kind of tension deflator? I seriously can’t figure this one out.

HERO MASK crawls in this manner all the way to its strangely dissipated conclusion. There’s not much in the way of proper resolution or catharsis with plenty of loose threads for season 2. It’s a fitting end to such a dull and unfocused production. What’s nice to say about HERO MASK? I guess the art and animation are alright. Even a studio like Pierrot can make something look nice when given a decent budget. But it’s not like there’s much to show, and even then, everything seems overlit and the character designs have glassy doll-like eyes that reflect their empty personalities. Netflix has proven itself capable of delivering quality original content, but it has a long way to go convince anyone that they are a player in the anime sphere as well.

I don't really know what I watched here.
If you ask me "what happens in Hero Mask", I can't explain. I remember the beginning, the girl diying and the mask stuff, but that's all.

I can't see any progression here.
I can't understand any of the characters motivations.
I can't even recognize the caracters of it and what they are.

That happens mostly because nothing happens in the course of the series. Yea, there's some things I can remember in the middle of it and in the end, but the plot doesn't make any sense and the show doesn't even have a premise.

Yea, the mask from the title is ... there and we learn its properties in from the start of the series, but we are fooled by it because Hero Mask isn't about it and we even forgot about its existence sometimes.

The sound is dumb. The animation is Naruto-tier, with character designs that are beautifully generic.

It's a waste of time. 15 episodes of nothing happening and pure boredom.

The premise is interesting, the art is pleasant enough, so what went wrong? Typically i will give a genre credit according to whether it takes itself seriously or not and the judge it accordingly.

Hero Mask is a case of mediocrity within a title that attempts to take itself seriously. How professional bureau agents go lone-wolf, breaking the law and endangering the public is beyond me. Somehow trained security guards have zero concept of cover and literally flag each with thier handguns in the most amateur and pathetic display of armed guardsmanship i have ever seen.

A cornerstone is even basic writing is to follow your ... own rules, whereas in Hero Mask, everything seems to be committed to pandering into a "cool" factor. Before they even wrote this, did they attempt to speak with any intelligence/spy/investigative bureau? I doubt it, or otherwise if they did, they must've missed everything that was said.

I'm glad I ignored reviews and ratings I saw online before watching this. In terms of style, Hero Mask is a mix of Deus Ex, Detroit: Become Human, and your typical American criminal investigation drama. It certainly isn't anything groundbreaking, but definitely worth the watch if you're a fan of the genre. I have to agree with another reviewer in that there seems to be some strange aversion to anything Western by some fans and that seems to be the case here.

One reviewer on Youtube griped about the Western names and was confused about whether it was taking place in Tokyo or London. If it ... wasn't obvious from the architecture, the fashion, and characters mentioning the River Thames by name, it is indeed set in contemporary London and the characters have English names because they are, well, English. Another reviewer on here mentioned that "every normo wears a guy fawkes-like mask". The reason you'll see people wearing a Guy Fawkes mask in one episode is because it was indeed, Guy Fawkes Night. A real celebration observed in Britain, crazy, innit? The show doesn't tell you explicitly, but it expects you to use your noggin and see the crowd of people, the fireworks in the sky, and the fact they are somewhere in London to piece it together yourself. Another common issue mentioned in reviews is unclear character motivation. Again, the show doesn't spoon-feed you every bit of information. For example, the main female's connection to the victim that kicks things off isn't made explicitly clear but if you can read between the lines, it is implied that they were more than just friends. It is also unclear to me why so many people are hung up on the character of James Blood when this series has an ensemble cast, following different characters and organizations as the investigation unravels.

The only real sticking point for me is that there are several occasions where situations are handled unrealistically in order to get characters into crazy shootouts or chases. I can look past it because the fight sequences are enjoyable enough, but at times it does feel like the governmental agency the main characters belong to is just a handful of rogue agents.

The pacing is great and the plot moves along quickly in 20 minutes. The score of the show and overall feel is very reminiscent of Detroit: Become Human which came out during the same time. Aside from the character designs, the costume design is pretty great and even the male characters change up their outfits from episode to episode. Didn't find anything wrong with the dub aside from a few awkward spots that made it clear it was was Japanese person trying to write a Western character. Overall, an enjoyable watch.

Hero Mask, otherwise known by its other title, Origami II : Papers Final Form

Before I even start with dissecting the characters and plot of this anime, something needs to be addressed, and that is the way this series deals with flashbacks. Never before in my life have i watched an anime where I literally had no idea I was watching a flashback until later in the episode someone says "3 years ago".
This anime has your classic set of characters for a cop show of its type:
Old man Boss guy: who seems like he's rough but he really just knows what he is doing
Hackerman: I'm ... in.
Main Cop guy : Whose literally to good at what he is doing to follow the rules, probably has robot limbs or something, idk
Main not cop girl: Who gets into the car saying "I'm not gonna give up" then proceeds to almost die
Bad anime villain: "Laughs" in anime
This is one of those series that takes place in the future, where for some reason the cops have all this amazing technology but the everyday masses still live in normal houses without anything cool. And this is where the "Mask" part of the title comes in
The masks are these super powered origami things, which fit over peoples faces and basically make them immortal, which shouldn't even be known about but the big business that made them accidentally gave one to a psychopath and he decided to take on japans entire police force, and almost won, and that's the end of episode 2. This anime has a big problem with pacing, it makes the masks seem like a serious threat, but over the course of the anime we only see a few people using them. It ends up becoming this murder mystery of some lady named Monica who was apparently really important even though she literally had one on screen conversation before she died.
The anime builds up this whole Live Corporation threat, then as soon as they think that we have seen enough of the same gun carrying, red eye goggle soldiers, it throws these other guys at us who are apparently different but in the end work for the same guys, so I just refer to them as Live's "Elite Battle Squad", who has two competent members, a guy who has an infinite amount of bullets in his gun, and some dude with bombs.
This anime has a lot of fights thrown in there, most of which are gun fights where the enemy shoots 15 billions bullets and don't hit anything, then our good guy pops 5 bullets and wins the fight, and then the one on one fights, which are quite frankly some of the strangest things I've seen in anime. It's like the animators sat down and said "you know whats the problem with fighting anime these days, they move to fast, lets slow everything down and make sure to clearly show every move they make", and then they throw in all these random sound effects in the fight, which sound completely out of place all the time.
I'll give it credit for its art, some of the background pieces and car driving scenes are done pretty good for what CG can do, but all the characters just have this really weird look about them that just messes with you.
It's not even that good of a mystery either. Basically every character introduced that isn't involved with the task force is a villain for some reason. And only one person is really trying to solve the mystery, everyone else is just sitting around either dying, or saying "Don't worry the cops will handle it from here" and then failing miserably at their job.
From the intro, which is almost nonexistent, it makes it seem like there is 22 mask wielding people out there, and if that's the case, oh boy do we have a long time to go before this mess of an anime is over. Hopefully Netflix decides not to continue with this one, cause once i realized this was just "Part 1" i almost stopped watching it.
so overall, its a 6/10. I'm not saying its the worst cause I've seen far worse, but if anyone needs to start wearing a mask, it's the anime itself.

this is on my Netflix list when it came out and finally watched it a few days ago. I like the story, the action and the plot. The characters are well introduced. The story that we can't guess what will happen next. Overall it's a good anime. Don't judge it by bad reviews, give it a try. This anime might not a typical anime you will see with all those hype because it's mix with western animation. I can't stop watching it that I even watch it in just one day the whole 2 season. I wish there will be season 3 so you ... I will see what happen to the mask.

I just finished this series (up to episodes 15). I have a habit of not reading any reviews of a show until I finish it. I am weird like that. So here I am absolutely blown away by this great anime, and I come to this page and see a wall of barely understandable smear reviews telling people this is a garbage show.

That is what compelled me to write this. Not liking this is fine, but this show has fine quality all around. Interesting characters, an amazing story, great sound, gripping plot progression, great choreography, good quality ... animation. I can hardly even understand the negativity that is being thrown at it. I hope it isn't because it feels like it was made for an American audience? Are anime fans that fickle? I hope not.

Anyways, I highly recommend you guys try this series out. This is the best Netflix original I have seen since Seven Deadly Sins, although it is entirely different. I will admit to two things that are objectively bad about this show. First, the name is terrible and sets up bad expectations. The show isn't about a mask, and even the presence of masks (even in the first episode you see there is more than one mask) isn't the heart of the show. The masks help kickstart the plot THAT IS ALL. The plot itself is about a police force trying to solve a gigantic case. Also, the word hero is misleading because this show doesn't have any hallmark aspects of a show with heros. No magical elements or even any character who could be described as a hero are part of this show. The other bad element is that WE NEED ANOTHER SEASON. Sorry folks, the story ends at an interesting point that ties up several loose ends, but it can definitely go on.

So what is the number one thing that this show gets right? It's the plot. It feeds you the plot in such a logical and strategic way. You will be trying to piece together the whole crime map yourself as each episode exposes just a little more of the story. Not only that, but the show tells the story so great. The show will jump to the perspectives of brand new characters and YOU WILL START TO CARE about these characters. Even if at first you have no idea why you are even watching them.

Guys, just lay back and enjoy this show. Don't go in with any expectations, just let them take you on an intellectual adventure and enjoy the story.

Hero Mask had all the ingredients to be interesting.

The art style isn't going to please everyone, but it's worth a look.

So this is season 1.
It's... A mess. In the good and bad sense of the word. I know what they wanted to do, and I like... Certain things. But it's done in a rather confusing way. Luckily I like the genre, otherwise I would have given up, I think.

The plot is pleasant, even if complex and sometimes exhausting to follow. But the characters are the biggest weak point in my opinion. James Blood doesn't inspire me, he doesn't take me on a journey through his ... story.

That said, Hero Mask still respects its genre and it’s worth watching.

The reason Hero Mask failed to live up to the expectations is because It throughs you right in the action without introducing any of the characters .

From the begginning of the show you are unable to feel empathy towards any of them because barely anything about them is revealed.

The plot starts directly from episode one with (not really a spoiler) the death of a woman which seems to ''have been'' an important part of the cast. All of the characters troughout the show say that she was really important to them without saying why or revealing anything about her past.

So the show just ... fails to make you invested in It.

First off, I do not have any issue w/ NETFLIX producing and offering anime into western homes and I will continue to watch said anime. Unfortunately, Hero Mask bit the big schwanz. The plot is solid as is the art and character development. All the music is top notch. Some of the reviewers complain about anime becoming too westernized. Guess what: Too bad Charlie. Anime has become globalized and because of that simple fact, anime will pick up influences from ALL across the globe.
So why did I rate Hero Mask w/ a 5? This is ... what you may call a true crime story, based upon some type of realistic scenario which means it needs to have some type of realism.
1. Gun fight in tunnel. James Bloods' car is getting peppered at point blank range and nary a bullet pierces the drivers side door. His story line should have ended right there in the tunnel but he walks away w/out a scratch.
2. James and Sarah are fleeing on a motorcycle. Chaser calls his superiors for a weapons drop, somewhere. That somewhere happens to be on the roof top of a 20 story building. How in God's name does the bad guy get up to the roof of a 20 story building, assemble his sniper rifle and take several shots at the fleeing James and Sarah? I work on the 24th floor of an office building. Getting thru security, waiting for an elevator AND if everyone on said elevator is going to the same floor I am, that whole evolution will take roughly 10 minutes. In that 10 minutes, I could walk out of range of the sniper.
3. For lack of better names, Boris and Natasha jump out of a twin rotor helicopter and start shooting the hell out of a building and those inside. THEY NEVER RUN OUT OF BULLETS! nor do they change magazines. The amount of lead the two of them put down range is impressive to say the least. Combat load is 210 rounds for an M16/M4 which is for arguments sake, 7 magazines. These two yahoos pop off several thousand rounds without changing mags nor do you see any mags on them. Gimme a fucking break.
4. I believe it was Fred Faraday that an assassination attempt was made while he was being transported to a safe location. What looks like a .50 cal sniper rifle was employed to do the job. I am basing my edumacated guess on the muzzle brake. Good choice. If this was the weapon that was employed, not only would the prosthetic hand have been removed, but so would have Freddy's head. With a .50 cal, you just have to be close and body parts come off. If you can find the actual footage, there is video of Canadian snipers in Afghanistan that have the record for the longest sniper kill. Watch the video and you will see what I am talking about.
5. The good guys: One shot one kill. Bad guys: Could not hit the broad side of a barn at ten paces.
These 5 examples killed the series for me.

I really enjoyed this story, as each episode unfolds your given a little bit more info into exactly what's going on. The story surrounds 2 character primarily; detective James Blood and a prosecutor named Sarah Sinclair. Together with the help of the rest of the special police force the try to unravel the mysteries behind murders and a mysterious mask that gives normal humans god like ability. I binged through it and was satisfied. The ending felt strange during the last few episodes due to them tying up all there lose ends but all things considered it was a decent watch. This isn't the next ... great anime or anything but if you have some time sit back and enjoy another good netflix original anime.