One of my biggest vices is that I am an addicted binge-watcher, especially for stories revolving around concepts like superheroes, vigilantes, superhuman abilities, etc. From Marvel to DC, I have watched every superhero entertainment, and although I realize that it is the most-used entertainment trope, I still can’t get enough of it. Thus, when To Be Hero X was announced, I was particularly excited.
The reason for my excitement was the fact that even though it took the most-used entertainment trope within the industry, it still managed to make it unique. Be it character development, storytelling, or power structure, To Be Hero X forms its own path for every element, and that’s what makes it special.
A few days ago, a few members of the production team behind To Be Hero X were interviewed about the series. During the interview, they explained how they managed to bring individuality to To Be Hero X despite using the most clichéd form.
Every hero gets a unique representation
I have been so obsessed with To Be Hero X that I found an interview of the production team from Aniplex studios by Cocotame. During the interview, the team was asked about the new ideas embedded within the story that had never been seen before, particularly for a superhero story. One of the members, Takashina Makoto, revealed that these ideas helped them stand out.
Makoto stated:
The universal and classic theme of heroes has a universal appeal. The way in which this common subject is depicted as an anime is what is new and appealing about “TO BE HERO X”. There are 10 main heroes, and each one is an independent episode with an omnibus format of 24 episodes.
Makoto stated that even though the superhero trope has a universal appeal, the way it is portrayed as an anime is something that makes it unique. Not only that, the fact that there are 10 main heroes and every one of them gets a minimum of one episode to tell their story was also quite peculiar.
According to me, To Be Hero X doesn’t really follow the norms of a superhero trope story to the core. It tries to establish that the world revolves around these superheroes, but their own stories are filled with regrets, struggles, loss, and desperation, instead of just focusing on them getting powers and moving on with it.
Different animations and power structures make special
When I further read Makoto’s comment on the uniqueness of To Be Hero X, I discovered that every episode of the series is handled by different animation studios. Not only that, but the music and themes are also written by different writers for different heroes. The series is just an amalgamation of all these different elements into one big story.
Makoto stated:
Another feature is that each episode is handled by a different animation studio, and the images are a mixture of 2D and 3D. The background music and songs for each hero are also created by a different writer for each episode, so there are fresh surprises in each episode. If you start watching this work with the feeling of watching a normal anime, I think you’ll be really surprised.
While the idea of using different studios and writers for different episodes and characters might feel a little eccentric, in my opinion, it works in the favor of To Be Hero X. This way, we get to experience a new surprise with every episode and every character within the narrative.
I am convinced that because of this peculiarity at every single step, To Be Hero X has the potential to become the future of the Superhero trope and the anime industry. Hopefully, this combination of distinctive elements will be continued in To Be Hero X moving forward, because it will guarantee the series’ success.
To Be Hero X is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
