Heroman Discussion Thread

[Classical]

The story about a dude named Joey Jones, who wants to be a hero. The original creator is none other than Stan Lee, and animation is being produced by BONES.

Crunchyroll's Heroman Page (http://www.crunchyroll.com/library/HEROMAN)
ANN Page (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=11266)
TV Tokyo's Heroman Page (with trailer) (http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/heroman/)

Note
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[Quarkboy]

So it's up now on Crunchyroll, and I thought I'd post my own thoughts.

(Full Disclosure I'm the translator, but I haven't read scripts for episodes 2+ yet).

I didn't know what to expect other than "Bones" level animation, which you definitely got, but what really impressed me was how they captured the feeling of southern california and saturday morning cartoons.

Usually anime makes a horrible parody of the west, but here it's exactly the kind of caricature you normally get in actual US cartoons, not their Japanese counterparts. The jock, the cheerleader, the cool wry friend... All versions of similar Japanese archetypes but here presented in a totally believable way to be actual western people.

So far the plot seems minimal, but looking at the preview for ep 2 this show is not going to waste any time before crazy stuff starts going down.

Good points: Awesome animation, an odd, yet perhaps brilliant robot design for Heroman, and it manages to somehow capture the good feeling of a saturday morning cartoon while still having the kick-ass nature of shounen anime. Music score is one of the best rock scores since FLCL (okay, well it has that potential, anyway).
Bad points: Voice actor for Joey is a newcomer and it shows. Hopefully he gets a bit better... Plot so far is as cliche as they come, but executed with a lot of energy.

Oh, and did I mention that it seems implied that Joey's parents died in a spelunking accident? How cool is that.

Also, anyone else see the resemblance between Heroman and the picture of Joey's dad? I wonder...

[pi8you]

Been dying to share your thoughts, eh? ;)

A pretty slow episode overall, but outstanding Bones animation is outstanding (gogo attention to detail!), the soundtrack's definitely got some potential (no BECK or FLCL yet, but its very early), grandma looks like she's going to be full of awesome, and I worry that Heroman rolling off of Joey's lips every third line is going to get annoying.

[Fencedude]

They apparently couldn't quite handle there being no school uniforms, so it seems Lina's stuck in her cheerleader outfit permanently.

Also her brother's a dick.

And while I don't have any issues with female Seiyuu playing boys, Joey really really sounds like a girl.

[angelx03]

They apparently couldn't quite handle there being no school uniforms, so it seems Lina's stuck in her cheerleader outfit permanently.

Well, it is a standard in American cartoons to have a limited wardrobe. :laugh:

[Funkatron]

So it's up now on Crunchyroll, and I thought I'd post my own thoughts.

(Full Disclosure I'm the translator, but I haven't read scripts for episodes 2+ yet).

I didn't know what to expect other than "Bones" level animation, which you definitely got, but what really impressed me was how they captured the feeling of southern california and saturday morning cartoons.

Usually anime makes a horrible parody of the west, but here it's exactly the kind of caricature you normally get in actual US cartoons, not their Japanese counterparts. The jock, the cheerleader, the cool wry friend... All versions of similar Japanese archetypes but here presented in a totally believable way to be actual western people.

So far the plot seems minimal, but looking at the preview for ep 2 this show is not going to waste any time before crazy stuff starts going down.

Good points: Awesome animation, an odd, yet perhaps brilliant robot design for Heroman, and it manages to somehow capture the good feeling of a saturday morning cartoon while still having the kick-ass nature of shounen anime. Music score is one of the best rock scores since FLCL (okay, well it has that potential, anyway).
Bad points: Voice actor for Joey is a newcomer and it shows. Hopefully he gets a bit better... Plot so far is as cliche as they come, but executed with a lot of energy.

Oh, and did I mention that it seems implied that Joey's parents died in a spelunking accident? How cool is that.

Also, anyone else see the resemblance between Heroman and the picture of Joey's dad? I wonder...

Slow ep but so far I'm loving what I see. Is it me or or do I see the American flag every 10 seconds? And Stan Lee Cameo is made of instant win.

[Chris Beveridge]

So it's up now on Crunchyroll, and I thought I'd post my own thoughts.

(Full Disclosure I'm the translator, but I haven't read scripts for episodes 2+ yet).

Is there an ep count for it yet? I haven't seen anything firm yet.

[Fencedude]

So it's up now on Crunchyroll, and I thought I'd post my own thoughts.

(Full Disclosure I'm the translator, but I haven't read scripts for episodes 2+ yet).

Is there an ep count for it yet? I haven't seen anything firm yet.

ANN lists it as 2 cour, which seems reasonable, Bones series are all over the map in that regard, but most of their headline projects post E7 have been 2 cour.

It also feels like a 2 cour show, if that makes any sense.

[Chris Beveridge]

So it's up now on Crunchyroll, and I thought I'd post my own thoughts.

(Full Disclosure I'm the translator, but I haven't read scripts for episodes 2+ yet).

Is there an ep count for it yet? I haven't seen anything firm yet.

ANN lists it as 2 cour, which seems reasonable, Bones series are all over the map in that regard, but most of their headline projects post E7 have been 2 cour.

It also feels like a 2 cour show, if that makes any sense.

Hopefully it'll make it to 2 cour. I'm definitely enthused by the first episode.

[Classical]

I didn't know what to expect other than "Bones" level animation, which you definitely got, but what really impressed me was how they captured the feeling of southern california and saturday morning cartoons.
They really did a fantastic job of capturing the feel of SoCal. I too was very impressed. The animation was fantastic and I loved the attention to detail.

Usually anime makes a horrible parody of the west, but here it's exactly the kind of caricature you normally get in actual US cartoons, not their Japanese counterparts. The jock, the cheerleader, the cool wry friend... All versions of similar Japanese archetypes but here presented in a totally believable way to be actual western people.It was kind of surprising how the characters were similar to some of the Japanese archetypes, and it really did feel like I was watching the kind of characters I've see in some of the US cartoons.

That aside, the episode itself was great, and I really like the OP and ED.

[Fencedude]

Hopefully it'll make it to 2 cour. I'm definitely enthused by the first episode.

Well, if its scheduled for 2 cour it'll be 2 cour. Its not like half year anime get canceled or anything.

[bci110]

Slow ep but so far I'm loving what I see. Is it me or or do I see the American flag every 10 seconds? And Stan Lee Cameo is made of instant win.

Oh, good. I'm glad I wasn't the only one that noticed the Stan Lee cameo. That was pretty cool :).

And if Lina is stuck wearing her cheerleader outfit throughout the entire series that's okey-dokey with me. I saw visions of Eureka while watching her scenes.

Anyway the first episode was a nice setup for the series, and I did take a liking to Joey despite the poor vocals. (I hope Quark will be correct in that his acting will improve over the course of the series.) Heroman in a way does resemble Joey's late father, so I'm now curious to see if they will go in that direction or not. Animation is what I expected from BONES - pretty much top-notch; resembles their work on Eureka Seven in my view.

[pi8you]

Slow ep but so far I'm loving what I see. Is it me or or do I see the American flag every 10 seconds? And Stan Lee Cameo is made of instant win.

Oh, good. I'm glad I wasn't the only one that noticed the Stan Lee cameo. That was pretty cool :).
Not to be harsh but... Obvious recurring Stan Lee cameo is obvious. He's even in some of the promo art.

[untoldsorrow]

Slow ep but so far I'm loving what I see. Is it me or or do I see the American flag every 10 seconds? And Stan Lee Cameo is made of instant win.

Oh, good. I'm glad I wasn't the only one that noticed the Stan Lee cameo. That was pretty cool :).
Not to be harsh but... Obvious recurring Stan Lee cameo is obvious. He's even in some of the promo art.

Yeah, I was kinda expecting it myself considering he plays a major role in the development of the series. I am just glad it is out of the way and hopefully he doesn't show up every episode somehow.

As for episode 1, I was quite pleased with it. I went in with little interest but it was done quite good. I just want to know why Psy is in clutches but he seemed to be able to bend down and help Joey pick up his books fairly easy. Also, the teacher's fashion is almost out of Eureka 7, lol.

[ilmaestro]

Really liked a lot of things about this first ep, from little bits like the eyecatch, to the ED, the design of Heroman, and just the overall tone of the show. Lina is pretty cute, too.

How well do you guys think this would go over with a general American cartoon-watching audience? Would Joey's "ambiguous" design hurt it at all?

[Fencedude]

Really liked a lot of things about this first ep, from little bits like the eyecatch, to the ED, the design of Heroman, and just the overall tone of the show. Lina is pretty cute, too.

How well do you guys think this would go over with a general American cartoon-watching audience? Would Joey's "ambiguous" design hurt it at all?

Watch your topic titles.

[bci110]

How well do you guys think this would go over with a general American cartoon-watching audience? Would Joey's "ambiguous" design hurt it at all?

I don't think that Joey's design will hurt much if/when this show reaches Western shores. I think the audience will be too focuded on Heroman itself and the action-packed storylines that they might not even care that much about how Joey is drawn.

[Fencedude]

How well do you guys think this would go over with a general American cartoon-watching audience? Would Joey's "ambiguous" design hurt it at all?

I don't think that Joey's design will hurt much if/when this show reaches Western shores. I think the audience will be too focuded on Heroman itself and the action-packed storylines that they might not even care that much about how Joey is drawn.

Its not the design as much as the voice. Granted, he's kinda girly looking anyway, but the voice makes it really hard not think he's a girl.

[bci110]

Not to be harsh but... Obvious recurring Stan Lee cameo is obvious. He's even in some of the promo art.

Well I never even saw the promo art so I didn't know that he was in it. So yeah I had a knee-jerk reaction when I saw his cameo appearance. If I did viewed the promo art I would've reacted differently.

[strangefour]

Hello again True Believers! It's time for the first funtabulous episode of our Heroman!

-OP is a nice and peppey.
-Oooh the evil aliens get a really nice background music.
-Our hero, Joey Jones, sounds like a little girl. Good name though.
-It's nice to see neighborhoods in anime that don't just scream JAPAN. They feel nicely American suburban.
-Cute girl likes Joey. Joey is afraid of cute girl's big brother. Everyone is afraid of a guy with crutches?
-A teacher with big bouncey bountiful locks of long luxurious hair! And very questionable fashion sense.
-Heybo! No look both ways before you cross the street little robot boy. Little robot look out! NOO! Little robot is dead ;_;
-Oh I like. Joey didn't save up his meager money to waste on a toy, but comes by it because the rich kids are stupid assholes.
-Montage! We're gonna need a montage~
-Stan Lee needs coffee. Get back there Joey.
-Heroman sense tingling!
-Heroman requesting permission to be a hero. Permision granted.
-The aliens are Ganmen cockaroaches?
-The ending teaches me Heroman loves hot dogs, baseball, & playing drums.

"Fixed a robot. Alien lightning hit robot. Fight aliens." That's a decent super hero origin. The first episode was as fun as I was hoping. Has a very "The Mighty Marvel Way" origin story setup.

[Fencedude]

"Fixed a robot. Alien lightning hit robot. Fight aliens." That's a decent super hero origin. The first episode was as fun as I was hoping. Has a very "The Mighty Marvel Way" origin story setup.

Heh, I knew you'd like it.

And yes, Joey really does sound like a girl.

[angelx03]

I hope if it gets an English dub, they'll get a better boy-sounding voice.

[EmperorBrandon]

I hope if it gets an English dub, they'll get a better boy-sounding voice.

I think in general the show really seems like it could use a good English dub, since it would work much better with the setting anyway. Hearing Japanese in non-Japanese settings in anime is usually not that odd for me, but it was feeling somewhat odd here.

[Nork22]

Like it, but me wants in English. ;)

[bci110]

I hope if it gets an English dub, they'll get a better boy-sounding voice.

Yeah I hope so too. I see this airing on CN or one of the Saturday Morning cartoon blocks on another network (one of the Disney networks, perhaps).

[Shiroi Hane]

Heroman's face keep giving me Gad Guard flashbacks.

[bci110]

Heroman's face keep giving me Gad Guard flashbacks.

1 episode of Heroman >>>>>>> 26 episodes of Gad Guard :devil:.

[Quarkboy]

Warning, pretentious ponderings ahead...

Something I've noticed about this show:

The motif is a circle.

The logo centered around the O in Heroman... The title cards... Heroman's fixed pose http://www.crunchyroll.com/library/HEROMAN shows how the red on his arms and chest form a perfect circle... The red ring that hit the planet causing the lightning storm... The UFOs... Even the title of the opening song, Roulette. The control device, even the official webpage are all circular.

Everything in this anime seems based on the motif of a circle or perhaps ring.

Compare that to another recent mecha anime, Gurren Lagann, which based its entire existence on the motif of a spiral.

Now I have two questions: Which is cooler, circles or spirals? And will Heroman somehow link the circle motif to the plot and message, or is it just there for visual design purposes?

[Westlo]

So.. is the English song they used in the PV.. like the English Dub OP? Or just an insert song for later on...

[einhorn303]

I love it so far. It reminds me of "Giant Robo," with a emotional bond between a young bond and his currently stoic-faced super robot. Regarding the bolt of lightning turning the toy into Heroman, I imagine the bolt of lightning is how some other benevolent intelligence digitally travels through electric signals or something, coming to Earth and inhabiting the most convenient nearby "vessel." And something about nanotech or somesuch.

Ok, I have to admit, I love it for the American setting too. Seeing a schoolbus in an anime is pure awesome. And cheerleader moe!

It's interesting to watch this show while imagining that Joey is actually a girl. Based on some of the Japanese fanart, it seems people are already doing this.

The only thing I don't like about the show is the design for the evil insect aliens. At least the grunts. They just don't seem that intimidating or cool. The "big boss" one at the end of the OP was more attractively villainous though. "Skruggs"...does that remind anyone else of "Skrulls?"

They apparently couldn't quite handle there being no school uniforms, so it seems Lina's stuck in her cheerleader outfit permanently.

Also her brother's a dick.


I don't have a problem with that :sweat:

And yes, her brother really is a dick. I mean, what has Joey ever done wrong? He's a nice and harmless kid. I guess it's like back in highschool where kids would get ostracized for being slightly different/nerdy.

[Razzuel]

I thought the first episode was good, but I think the show has the potential to be quite generic and cliche. I'm hoping that the show goes in interesting directions, but the first episode wasn't enough of an indicator.

(Full Disclosure I'm the translator, but I haven't read scripts for episodes 2+ yet).

I thought your subtitles were fantastic for the first episode of Heroman. Good job.

[TheGreenMan]

Why does Joey sound like a girl?
Oh good, Lina has the hots for Joey, but her older brother (what, she has no little sister) is too protective of her...a freaking jerk. I thought she would a tsundere (maybe a little).
Stan Lee wants his coffee, bitch.

[Funkatron]

Why does Joey sound like a girl?
Oh good, Lina has the hots for Joey, but her older brother (what, she has no little sister) is too protective of her...a freaking jerk. I thought she would a tsundere (maybe a little).
Stan Lee wants his coffee, bitch.

More like he wants his coffee, true believers!

Makes me wonder whether or not anyone in Japan will even know who he is?

[Konoha]

That was great fun. I cracked up when I saw the hummer with al the other cars stuck in traffic, they definitely did a good job of making it actually look like America. I kept expecting Heroman to talk because of the facial expressions, but silent is fine too.

Everyone is afraid of a guy with crutches?

The dick jock can beat up the nerdy kid because people expect that, but no one can get away with beating up someone that needs crutches. He may be a dick, but I don't think he's stupid - telling their father about Joey takes a sneaky mind. I'm sure later on he'll get saved by Heroman and maybe his opinion will change, blah blah blah.

I was very excited that Suyama Akio was in the show, but he definitely isn't voicing a likeable character (Nick).

And the ending sequence gets a big thumbs up!

[pi8you]

Why does Joey sound like a girl?
Oh good, Lina has the hots for Joey, but her older brother (what, she has no little sister) is too protective of her...a freaking jerk. I thought she would a tsundere (maybe a little).
Stan Lee wants his coffee, bitch.

More like he wants his coffee, true believers!

Makes me wonder whether or not anyone in Japan will even know who he is?
Of course they will, they've all seen Spida-man ;)

Me? I'm waiting for the first EXCERSIOR!

[bci110]

Makes me wonder whether or not anyone in Japan will even know who he is?

Considering how popular Spider-Man and the X-Men are in Japan, I'm pretty sure most Japanese people know who Stan the Man is ;) .

[HitokiriShadow]

I decided to give this show the benefit of the doubt and went into it with an open mind. It ended up being an exercise in how much stupid bullshit I could take. It basically takes the some of the most annoying cliches of American comic book heroes and school life and adds in a few lousy Japanese ones. I'm amazed they didn't air this simultaneously in the U.S., because it belongs on Saturday morning TV for little kids.

Some of the most annoying things were the fact that they even gave "Heroman" an American flag style paint job (because his name wasn't bad enough, so they had to add the fucking stars from the flag), and utterly stupid plot points (Oh, he just happened to leave open a window that was 10 feet high and he couldn't possibly reach and also happened to leave the recently repaired robot directly under, which was then struck my magic lightning). Apparently some people are in love with Heroman's design, but, even leaving the paint job aside, I find it really boring at best, and outright stupid at worst.

Lina is the only remotely redeeming aspect of the show, but that's simply because she's a cute girl. The show will need to improve dramatically to keep me watching past episode 2, if I can even convince myself to watch that much.

[Quarkboy]

I find it really boring at best, and outright stupid at worst. Kind of like everything I've ever seen Stan Lee's name attached too (which isn't much, admittedly, but Ultimo looked equally stupid).

If that's what you think of Stan Lee's other stuff, then I can safely say this show is not for you.

[HitokiriShadow]

I find it really boring at best, and outright stupid at worst. Kind of like everything I've ever seen Stan Lee's name attached too (which isn't much, admittedly, but Ultimo looked equally stupid).

If that's what you think of Stan Lee's other stuff, then I can safely say this show is not for you.

It looks like you got to that right before I edited it out. After I typed it, I realized I couldn't even remember what he was actually involved with for American comics. I forgot he basically invented American comics, or at least helped create most of the big ones. His American stuff is fine; while I've rarely read American comics, the character designs are decent enough and I liked the old X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons along with the Iron Man movie and most of the X-Men and Spider-Man movies. It's his anime cross-over stuff that seems to inevitably look terrible.

[malazar]

And if Lina is stuck wearing her cheerleader outfit throughout the entire series that's okey-dokey with me. I saw visions of Eureka while watching her scenes.

Unfortunately, Lina gave me visions of Mutsuki from Space Pirate Mito and Aoi and Mutsuki: A Pair of Queens since the characters look exactly alike and both wear blue clothes and a blue headband type thing.

I did enjoy the first episode well enough to continue to check it out for now. Invading insectioid aliens are always a plus for me.

[bci110]

And if Lina is stuck wearing her cheerleader outfit throughout the entire series that's okey-dokey with me. I saw visions of Eureka while watching her scenes.

Unfortunately, Lina gave me visions of Mutsuki from Space Pirate Mito and Aoi and Mutsuki: A Pair of Queens since the characters look exactly alike and both wear blue clothes and a blue headband type thing.

So there's a negative side to Lina? That's not good...:sd:

[a fist of JUSTICE!!]

I enjoyed it, because it was exactly what I expected it to be: light, simple entertainment that draws heavily on American cartoons and comics. I doubt it's going to be a favourite of mine, but it'll be a fun way to pass the time every week.

Also, bonus points for the Stan Lee cameo! They're a given at this point, but damn do I love them.

[Jarmel]

Anyone know if there has been any murmurs about a BD release in Japan? It's a Bones work so I'm guessing it will since they've been pretty good about that.

[Ashyukun]

In the aftermath of rescuing Lina & her father, Joey agonizes over what he should do and whether he's really worthy of the power that's seemingly been bestowed on him. Of course, his worrying gets cut short when the Skrugg decide to come calling and want to collect the Professor, Joey, and Lina as 'samples' and it's pretty obvious he can't do anything but step up to the plate.

I'm kind of surprised at how fast things are moving/escalating, with one of the big Skrugg ships (though small compared to the mothership, which looks like it would be IMPOSSIBLE to have not noticed...) descending and looking like it's getting ready to unload on Joey's party. Still looks quite good and moves along quite nicely. The opening and Will's reaction to seeing Joey and Heroman definitely makes me wonder if he's perhaps going to end up fighting with the Skrugg, but that's kind of hard to imagine when their clearly stated objected is to destroy the Earth. There's a whole lot more in the OP as well that looks interesting- like potentially another giant robot. The massive hole in the ground in front of Joey & Heroman at the beginning isn't that I can tell there right now either, which means that scene has to be set somewhere down the line in the show.

Also, I noted that the lyrics in the ending were actually translated and subtitled, though the opening is still un-subbed.

[pi8you]

Wow, they didn't waste any time shoving him through the do I/don't I angst stage did they?

I love how the crowd first reacted to the aliens, oh hey, no big deal, just shooting a movie... OMGWTF, heh. Joey falling over the fence when his grandma showed up made me laugh pretty hard too.

Detail, detail, detail. Psy's skateboard-thing there in the shop, some jaw-dropping backgrounds (the warehouse in particular), Joey's dropped drink, the WANT on Will's face as he saw the Skrugg* wreaking havoc, the shoulder cannon flying off as Heroman flip-sploded the second bug, awesome awesome awesome.

*these guys don't just look like any old bug monster, they're twigging Bugrom to me, albeit much more competent/deadly.

[Ashyukun]

these guys don't just look like any old bug monster, they're twigging Bugrom to me, albeit much more competent/deadly.
Yeah, I had the same thought about them- they do in many ways look a lot like the Bugrom. Which would in a twisted parallel way make it appropriate for Will to end up allied with them. :P

[Fencedude]

Huh, not bad. It feels like its lacking something though...I don't really know what, the fight just didn't have the impact I felt it should have. Maybe its just me.

It is pretty ridiculously well animated though, and they certainly aren't wasting anytime getting everyone onto the same page.

[CriticChris2]

Man, this is a show that's just plain fun. The characters are likable and interesting (except Will, he's a douche), the animation is typical BONES (that is to say AWESOME), and the story looks to be a very well-executed take on some very familiar tropes.

Also, I totally ship JoeyxLina now. They're just so damn adorable together.

[Fencedude]

Also, I totally ship JoeyxLina now. They're just so damn adorable together.

Not like they've presented any other possibilities. Show lacks female characters.

[pi8you]

Also, I totally ship JoeyxLina now. They're just so damn adorable together.

Not like they've presented any other possibilities. Show lacks female characters.
I do like that they've kept her attentions on him and not having her worship the robot in a Peter/MJ/Spider-man fashion

[Fencedude]

Also, I totally ship JoeyxLina now. They're just so damn adorable together.

Not like they've presented any other possibilities. Show lacks female characters.
I do like that they've kept her attentions on him and not having her worship the robot in a Peter/MJ/Spider-man fashion

I've pretty much always found the "romances" in superhero comics to be utterly infuriating, so I'm hoping they just stick with the "boy likes girl, girl likes boy, girl's brother hates boy" dynamic they have. I can get relationship issues in other shows.

[Ashyukun]

I've pretty much always found the "romances" in superhero comics to be utterly infuriating, so I'm hoping they just stick with the "boy likes girl, girl likes boy, girl's brother hates boy" dynamic they have. I can get relationship issues in other shows.
Well, it won't surprise me if there ends up being some competition for one or both of them- but so far the only other women who aren't totally on the sidelines are Joey's grandmother and their drill-haired teacher. There are others in the OP that look like they'll be more important characters, but none that are directly presented in a way that makes it look like they'll be romantic rivals. I certainly won't complain if they don't throw any love triangles or the likes in- the two leads are definitely cute, and from the ED it looks like even the other cheerleaders at least halfway support Lina's interest in Joey...

[Jarmel]

You're forgetting Haruko from the OP. She's going to take him and explore the galaxy together with Heroman:cool:.

[Ashyukun]

You're forgetting Haruko from the OP. She's going to take him and explore the galaxy together with Heroman:cool:.
Yeah, that scene in the OP is something of a WTF??? at the moment- I'm sure anyone who's remotely familiar with anime saw that and went, "Wait, WHAT?"

[Shiroi Hane]

Also, I totally ship JoeyxLina now. They're just so damn adorable together.

Not like they've presented any other possibilities. Show lacks female characters.
The girl with the freckles and denim shorts who was with Joey's group before he ran off to save the professor looked OK. I like freckles.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah, so your expected set up episode. I'll need to see another episode or two to see how I truly feel about this. Right now I find it decent to try at least one more.

Lina has definite potential. Her brother can step into a dimensional portal and never come back.

Heroman's design is different than what I'm used to, but somewhat interesting.

[Ingraman]

Makes me wonder whether or not anyone in Japan will even know who he is?

Considering how popular Spider-Man and the X-Men are in Japan, I'm pretty sure most Japanese people know who Stan the Man is ;) .

I didn't realize that it was him, but I wasn't paying much attention to the customers.

I probably wouldn't recognize Stan Lee if I bumped into him on the street. He might look vaguely familiar, but it's not like I see him/his picture/etc often. I've probably only seen him two or three times.

[Ingraman]

Heroman's face keep giving me Gad Guard flashbacks.

Heh... I was thinking Gad Guard, with a little DieBuster thrown in.

[bci110]

The opening and Will's reaction to seeing Joey and Heroman definitely makes me wonder if he's perhaps going to end up fighting with the Skrugg, but that's kind of hard to imagine when their clearly stated objected is to destroy the Earth.

I don't really believe that Will will join the Skrugg. I just can't imagine that his hatred toward Joey will lead him to betray the Earth. I think he's just going to play the role of the jealous jock and do what he can to keep Lina from hanging out with Joey.

Speaking of which, I'm definitely in support of a Joey x Lina romance. They're just as cute as the Renton x Eureka pairing; maybe even cuter.

[Ashyukun]

I don't really believe that Will will join the Skrugg. I just can't imagine that his hatred toward Joey will lead him to betray the Earth. I think he's just going to play the role of the jealous jock and do what he can to keep Lina from hanging out with Joey.
I'm not sure if it would exactly go down that way- but in the OP you can clearly see the shadows of what look to be Skrugg from Nick and Will when the scene with them darkens and the others in their group fade out. Perhaps they'll be captured and brainwashed or the likes, who knows. It's fairly standard comic book fare though for something like that to happen, though I do tend to agree that he's not just going to sign up with some aliens out to destroy the planet to keep Joey away from his sister- if it does happen, there'll have to more to it...

[strangefour]

-Drill hair teacher is in charge of the cheerleaders too. Huh.
-Joey is a weird little nervous boy. Maybe it would be easier to pretend he's a girl afraid of Lina's advances.
-Grandma is a leprechaun.
-The Skrulls are here-- err Skruggs.
-"Heroman Engage!" That's the best they could come up with? He should have just shouted "EXCELSIOR!" Or maybe they are saving that for a super move.
-hehehe Heroman doesn't even request permission to Punch this time.
-"Heroman Finish!" And now flex those robo-muscles with a pose.
-Damn it EVERYBODY finds out who has Heroman in this episode?

It is pretty ridiculously well animated though, and they certainly aren't wasting anytime getting everyone onto the same page.

Yeah, I guess the invading aliens are merely the first arc. I guess that's good. I was afraid it would drag it out for too long. Gets me excited for evils scientists and Will using alien tech for nefarious purposes.

[Ashyukun]

-Grandma is a leprechaun.
OK, I laughed harder at that than I probably should have...

-The Skrulls are here-- err Skruggs.
I've made that mistake several times in typing up posts about this show. It's tempting to just call them the Bugrum.

-hehehe Heroman doesn't even request permission to Punch this time.
I noticed this too... Transform! And hey, there's a nasty looking giant cockroach in my way. WABAM! He knows how to make an entrance though...

-Damn it EVERYBODY finds out who has Heroman in this episode?
I think I actually prefer this to the contrived trying-to-hide-it-all-the-time method. And given that Joey pretty much seems to have to be by Heroman's side when fighting, it's not like they COULD hide it for very long. Though I suppose they could have gone the route of his wearing a mask/helmet and made it a running gag that nobody thinks it's Joey because everyone thinks it's a girl controlling Heroman...

Yeah, I guess the invading aliens are merely the first arc. I guess that's good. I was afraid it would drag it out for too long. Gets me excited for evils scientists and Will using alien tech for nefarious purposes.
The pacing definitely is interesting- you'd think that aliens bent on destroying the earth would be a final arc type of thing and not what you lead off with. Will getting his hands on and making bad use of the Neo-Bugrum tech could be a good way of explaining the scene in the OP. I'm curious to eventually see the apparent mad scientist team in the OP with a robot that looks like a cross between the Big O and a bulldozer...

[TnAdct1]

-Damn it EVERYBODY finds out who has Heroman in this episode?
I think I actually prefer this to the contrived trying-to-hide-it-all-the-time method. And given that Joey pretty much seems to have to be by Heroman's side when fighting, it's not like they COULD hide it for very long. Though I suppose they could have gone the route of his wearing a mask/helmet and made it a running gag that nobody thinks it's Joey because everyone thinks it's a girl controlling Heroman...
Also, keep in mind that Stan Lee is invovled in this story. Given how he's the guy behind Marvel Comics, and the true identies of a number of the heroes that appear in these comics (Iron Man, the Fantastc Four, some of the X-Men) are already well known to the "public", it's no surprise that the controller of Heroman is revealed early on.

[bci110]

-Damn it EVERYBODY finds out who has Heroman in this episode?
I think I actually prefer this to the contrived trying-to-hide-it-all-the-time method. And given that Joey pretty much seems to have to be by Heroman's side when fighting, it's not like they COULD hide it for very long. Though I suppose they could have gone the route of his wearing a mask/helmet and made it a running gag that nobody thinks it's Joey because everyone thinks it's a girl controlling Heroman...

No, I think having Joey wear a mask/helment or something similar will make the show too tacky in my view. I liked what they did here and have him reveal at least to Psy, Lina, and the professor that he's the one controlling Heroman. Get it established early so you can concentrate on developing the story arc involving the invading Skruggs and how Joey's newfound heriocs will effect his relationships with his friends and rivals.

[Shirou Emiya]

Episodes 1 and 2 were great, I'm really loving this show so far, looking forward to Episode 3 :).

[Fencedude]

All links are Not Safe For Work, due to the site or the image itself. All links lead to Danbooru.

The Official Fanart Verdict on Joey Jones is in, and its rather unsurprsing. (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646207/)

See also: 1 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646675/) 2 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646982/) 3 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/648065/)

Though personally, I find This Interpretation (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/651156/) the most compelling.

[FUNiOP]

Episodes 1 and 2 were great, I'm really loving this show so far, looking forward to Episode 3 :).

My thoughts exactly.

All links are Not Safe For Work, due to the site or the image itself. All links lead to Danbooru.

The Official Fanart Verdict on Joey Jones is in, and its rather unsurprsing. (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646207/)

See also: 1 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646675/) 2 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646982/) 3 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/648065/)

Though personally, I find This Interpretation (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/651156/) the most compelling.

And there goes my thoughts of how innocent a show this is.

[Shirou Emiya]

Episodes 1 and 2 were great, I'm really loving this show so far, looking forward to Episode 3 :).

My thoughts exactly.

Sorry about my thoughts being so short and sweet, I'm not that great when it comes to reviewing stuff :sweat:.

Maybe I'm better off just not even trying? xD

[FUNiOP]

Episodes 1 and 2 were great, I'm really loving this show so far, looking forward to Episode 3 :).

My thoughts exactly.

Sorry about my thoughts being so short and sweet, I'm not that great when it comes to reviewing stuff :sweat:.

Maybe I'm better off just not even trying? xD

Hey, it works.

[strangefour]

All links are Not Safe For Work, due to the site or the image itself. All links lead to Danbooru.

The Official Fanart Verdict on Joey Jones is in, and its rather unsurprsing. (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646207/)

See also: 1 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646675/) 2 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646982/) 3 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/648065/)

Though personally, I find This Interpretation (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/651156/) the most compelling.

God damn it Japan. Granted can't blame them much on this one. Joey's hair and voice are 98% female.

[Ashyukun]

All links are Not Safe For Work, due to the site or the image itself. All links lead to Danbooru.

The Official Fanart Verdict on Joey Jones is in, and its rather unsurprsing. (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646207/)

See also: 1 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646675/) 2 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646982/) 3 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/648065/)

Though personally, I find This Interpretation (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/651156/) the most compelling.

God damn it Japan. Granted can't blame them much on this one. Joey's hair and voice are 98% female.
Yeah, I can't really blame them here- the design and voice acting definitely make it seriously low-hanging fruit. It would still not surprise me much at all for at some point there to be a gag where Joey ends up in one of the cheerleader uniforms...

[Shirou Emiya]

Episodes 1 and 2 were great, I'm really loving this show so far, looking forward to Episode 3 :).

My thoughts exactly.

Sorry about my thoughts being so short and sweet, I'm not that great when it comes to reviewing stuff :sweat:.

Maybe I'm better off just not even trying? xD

Hey, it works.

Thanks alot for the support, I do try my best.

[pi8you]

All links are Not Safe For Work, due to the site or the image itself. All links lead to Danbooru.

The Official Fanart Verdict on Joey Jones is in, and its rather unsurprsing. (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646207/)

See also: 1 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646675/) 2 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646982/) 3 (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/648065/)

Though personally, I find This Interpretation (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/651156/) the most compelling.
Joey's a source of infinite amusement, just for the trap/non-trap confusion that is getting sown, might even reach Bridget levels before too long. First show I've actively kept an eye on Pixiv for, they've just exploded on it (and oh god, the chan 'shopping).

[FUNiOP]

The more I think about it, the more obvious it is that Joey is a girl with a boy's name and story. I can't blame those people.

Episodes 1 and 2 were great, I'm really loving this show so far, looking forward to Episode 3 :).

My thoughts exactly.

Sorry about my thoughts being so short and sweet, I'm not that great when it comes to reviewing stuff :sweat:.

Maybe I'm better off just not even trying? xD

Hey, it works.

Thanks alot for the support, I do try my best.

This is probably the longest conversation about nothing I've ever had.

[Shirou Emiya]

Sorry about that xD.

Back on topic, I was really surprised at Stan Lee co-oping an anime series, any chances at all for Ultimo getting an anime?

[FUNiOP]

Sorry about that xD.

Back on topic, I was really surprised at Stan Lee co-oping an anime series, any chances at all for Ultimo getting an anime?

It seems inevitable at this point.

[Ashyukun]

It seems inevitable at this point.
Probably after Iron Man (this fall, which looks like it should be good from the promo test they did...) and Wolverine (OH GOD NO :depressed: based on its promo test).

[FUNiOP]

It seems inevitable at this point.
Probably after Iron Man (this fall, which looks like it should be good from the promo test they did...) and Wolverine (OH GOD NO :depressed: based on its promo test).

That sounds about right.

[Ingraman]

-Drill hair teacher is in charge of the cheerleaders too. Huh.

Somehow I'm not surprised. She fits right in with the one outfit that she owns (Joey was checking out her ass at the same time that he was wondering about his friend ^_- ), and it's nice that she's teaching math, rather than just a phys/ed teacher.

-Joey is a weird little nervous boy. Maybe it would be easier to pretend he's a girl afraid of Lina's advances. As shown elsewhere, he is a girl. ^_^;

-"Heroman Engage!" That's the best they could come up with? He should have just shouted "EXCELSIOR!" Or maybe they are saving that for a super move. I keep expecting to see him jamming command cards into his NES Power Glove. Then he has to go buy more at his favorite game shop.

-hehehe Heroman doesn't even request permission to Punch this time. I was happy to see it take some initiative. I don't want to have to listen to Joey shout out every time something needs to be done.

-"Heroman Finish!" And now flex those robo-muscles with a pose. If you're going to use that line, then at least borrow a move from Mortal Kombat. ;p

As fast as this is moving, is it only one cour?

[ilmaestro]

The Official Fanart Verdict on Joey Jones is in, and its rather unsurprsing. (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/646207/)
Rather than being a definitive verdict, I find this image confusing in many different ways. ^^;

[Shirou Emiya]

Sorry about that xD.

Back on topic, I was really surprised at Stan Lee co-oping an anime series, any chances at all for Ultimo getting an anime?

It seems inevitable at this point.

It better be the case, I can't afford to buy the manga right now so the anime will keep me happy/entertained until I can afford to buy the manga.

(I'll still watch the anime to the end of course).

It seems inevitable at this point.

Probably after Iron Man (this fall, which looks like it should be good from the promo test they did...) and Wolverine (OH GOD NO :depressed: based on its promo test).

Oh right, I completely forgot about the Iron Man anime, I hope it does well.

[FUNiOP]

Sorry about that xD.

Back on topic, I was really surprised at Stan Lee co-oping an anime series, any chances at all for Ultimo getting an anime?

It seems inevitable at this point.

It better be the case, I can't afford to buy the manga right now so the anime will keep me happy/entertained until I can afford to buy the manga.

(I'll still watch the anime to the end of course).

Well if we don't get it until after Iron Man and Wolverine, you're looking at waiting around a year.

[Ashyukun]

Well if we don't get it until after Iron Man and Wolverine, you're looking at waiting around a year.
I'm hoping enough people thought the Wolverine test animation was complete crap and that it was either dropped or completely 're-imagined'. I'm not a comic book fan by any stretch... but Bishounen Wolverine even looks horribly wrong to me.

[Shiroi Hane]

Never seen any Wolverine test animation. Clearly X-13 is better suited for anime though, being female.
Saying that, I am currrently watching FMA Brotherhood despite the preponderance of male leads. And Armstrong.

[Ashyukun]

Never seen any Wolverine test animation.
Marvel/Madhouse Wolverine Test/Promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyy-KBFvKPg)

[Fencedude]

Never seen any Wolverine test animation.
Marvel/Madhouse Wolverine Test/Promo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyy-KBFvKPg)

Well thats...different.

[Shirou Emiya]

Sorry about that xD.

Back on topic, I was really surprised at Stan Lee co-oping an anime series, any chances at all for Ultimo getting an anime?

It seems inevitable at this point.

It better be the case, I can't afford to buy the manga right now so the anime will keep me happy/entertained until I can afford to buy the manga.

(I'll still watch the anime to the end of course).

Well if we don't get it until after Iron Man and Wolverine, you're looking at waiting around a year.

Well I guess I could read the manga if my library ever gets it in.

Well if we don't get it until after Iron Man and Wolverine, you're looking at waiting around a year.

I'm hoping enough people thought the Wolverine test animation was complete crap and that it was either dropped or completely 're-imagined'. I'm not a comic book fan by any stretch... but Bishounen Wolverine even looks horribly wrong to me.

I actually kinda liked the trailer, but I do know what flaws you mean by.

[bci110]

Our unwelcomed invadors the Skruggs make themselves at home, and our military forces were no match for them.

Joey and Psy race home to check on Joey's grandma when they are ambushed by the Skruggs. Joey musters up his courage and summons Heroman to take them out. Heroman also reveals a new electrical attack that wiped out a few of the attacking Skruggs with little effort. Afterwards it appears that his grandma wasn't really paying attention to what was going on since she was wearing headphones while doing her housework.

OTOH Will doesn't accept Joey as a hero, stating that he and not Joey should be the one that should save Center City. He then starts to plot how to infiltrate the Skruggs' mothership. I think this will turn out bad for Will and his friend.

Typical comic book stuff, but pretty exciting and a bit frightening with all of the destruction. Oh, and Psy's little scooter vehicle was pretty cool.

[Ashyukun]

Yup, this is moving along in a very comic-bookish way- and looking damn good and being highly entertaining while doing it. They're doing a fairly good job of moving things along and slowly building up the level of what Heroman & Joey can do as well as building up Joey's confidence. He really needs to learn to stand up to Will- though from the looks of things and from Will's intended plan, I would be unsurprised if the next chance he got to do so will be under less than ideal circumstances.

You just knew that was going to be what had been happening with Grandma... :catgirl:

You've got to wonder how many episodes it's going to take before the President decides to take the Nuclear approach to dealing with the Skrugg...

[pi8you]

You just knew that was going to be what had been happening with Grandma... :catgirl:
Yeah, saw that a mile away, still, Joey and Psy bursting out with laughter afterwards was pretty cool.

I think my favorite moment of the episode was Joey getting more proactive control of the forcefield, extending it out to cover Heroman as the Electric Punchan built up.

[strangefour]

-Skrugg soldier stepped on a stuffed bunny. Now it's personal.
-Will is an asshole.
-Joe Biden is president?
-What the hell kind of crazy skate/bike/thing does Psy have?
-The American flag has been desicrated. We will get revenge my little stomped bunny friend.
-American, Fuck yeah! Oh never mind tanks suck.
-Joey and Psy share a tender embrace as a Skrugg threatens them...
-So the alien ship is basically a giant shrubbery container?
-Joey calls a time out on the alien invasion.
-Heroman Shoryuken! Heroman does not mess arround.
-Joeys steps in front of an energy blast. Heroman's expression changed!
-Nice lightning punch. POSE! I may get tired of some other stock footage here, but I don't think I will get tired of Heroman's "I just kick someone's ass" flexing.
-President Joe Biden has some awesome sideburns.
-The Skrugg's Spiral Tower/Teppelin rip off base isn't very original. I guess space cockroachs can't afford to pay designers.

Next episode: Sea Urchins and Stan Lee sighing! This is very comicbooky. In a boiled down japanese kinda way. I just hope it remains fun through out.

[Shirou Emiya]

This episode was really good, I loved Heroman's new attack, can't wait to see what happens in Episode 4.

[Fencedude]

Wow, the CG for those F-22s was really terrible. WTF Bones?

Anyway, ok episode overall, needs more Lina.

And I cannot for the life of me come up with anything to explain Psy.

[Ingraman]

Wow, the CG for those F-22s was really terrible. WTF Bones?

They weren't pretty, and I'm not used to the concept of the Raptor carrying weapons externally (but Wikipedia's entry does mention two hardpoints on each wing, which I wasn't remembering, but didn't surprise me) because it compromises the one of the jet's primary features. If aliens are invading, I suppose that you carry everything that you can and throw it at 'em.

[FUNiOP]

Wow, the CG for those F-22s was really terrible. WTF Bones?

It seemed like this would be gorgeous animation throughout, but it looks like we get a quality drop in the third episode. That's not like Bones. Didn't Zac say on ANNCast that wouldn't happen? Maybe the reason he's usually so pessimistic is that otherwise he jinxes stuff like this.

[kapparomeo]

What I liked most about developments in this and the previous episode was the way it dispensed with the onerous encumberance that is the hidden identity. Keeping secrets can certainly work - it's part of the mythology of many key superheroes, after all - but if mishandled it can be a source of meaningless angst. Privately I was pleased to see that many of the key characters being able to participate in Joey's adventures right from the start, instead of forcing him to frustratingly dance around the topic for half the series like some protracted courtship ritual.

One feature that I was less enamoured with was the Skrugg's invulnerability to everything except Heroman - I'm reminded of UNIT's Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: "Just once, I'd like to meet an invader that isn't immune to bullets!". There's a thin line between showcasing Heroman's greater power, and treating all secondary characters with contempt, and it's difficult to balance.

It may seem a little premature to start wondering about it now as the Skrugg have been barely introduced, but nonetheless I'm interested in seeing who the other villains will turn out to be. Judging from the OP the Skrugg will at least have some lieutenants with distinct identities, and given all those shadowy G-Men that appear on the CIA's shot I'll wager that Joey spends at least some time on the run from the government (they want to use Heroman to fight America's enemies! He just wants to help people!).


-The Skrugg's Spiral Tower/Teppelin rip off base isn't very original. I guess space cockroachs can't afford to pay designers.

I think that it was more intended to recall a mushroom cloud than necessarily be a Gurren Lagann reference, but looking at it now I can see the resemblance.

[FUNiOP]

-The Skrugg's Spiral Tower/Teppelin rip off base isn't very original. I guess space cockroachs can't afford to pay designers.

I think that it was more intended to recall a mushroom cloud than necessarily be a Gurren Lagann reference, but looking at it now I can see the resemblance.

It's a rip-off that puts Nick Simmons to shame, at least from what we've seen so far.

[Johnny]

Episode 3 was great. Yeah, this is fairly standard comic fare but it's been getting increasingly enjoyable from the first episode.

[PsychoGoatee]

I'm really digging Heroman too, a lot of fun, done with style, and heart.

And the Stan Lee cameo in the first episode was awesome.

[Fencedude]

Heroman vs. Giant Sphere!

Giant Sphere wins ;_;

Anyway, pretty good episode actually. And of course Heroman can grow giant.

[FUNiOP]

Although the enemy being a sphere seemed about as lame as you can get, it actually beat the good guys and there are a lot more on the way, so that was a nice surprise I didn't expect from this show.

I guess Teppelin looks a little more original up close.

[Ingraman]

Heroman vs. Giant Sphere!

Giant Sphere wins ;_;

Heh... That fight brought back memories of watching Giant Robo try to duke it out with the Fogler Sphere long long ago, but Heroman came out of it a bit more intact than GR did.

Anyway, pretty good episode actually. And of course Heroman can grow giant.Heroman (almost typed Herman) can do anything!! ^_^; Watching Will be stupid (but at least he's trying to do something, I guess) was a bit tiring, but it was nice to see Joey try to drop the sphere in a hole at the suggestion of the one who brought this calamity upon the planet. It was a sound idea. Maybe they need big pinball paddles positioned throughout the city?

[Fencedude]

Watching Will be stupid (but at least he's trying to do something, I guess) was a bit tiring,

Yeah, Will may be a complete jackass with a major inferiority complex, but at least he's a PRO ACTIVE jackass with a major inferiority complex.

Which is more than can be said for anyone else in the city but Joey.

[Johnny]

Heroman vs. Giant Sphere!

Giant Sphere wins ;_;

Anyway, pretty good episode actually. And of course Heroman can grow giant.

Heh :P

Yeah the Augment mode or whatever was pretty cool. What's a superhero in Japan if it can't have a giant mode? ;)

[Ingraman]

And of course Heroman can grow giant.

What's a superhero in Japan if it can't have a giant mode? ;)

But the superhero isn't in Japan! ;p I wonder if the Heroman toy was made in Japan, though.

[Quarkboy]

And of course Heroman can grow giant.

What's a superhero in Japan if it can't have a giant mode? ;)

But the superhero isn't in Japan! ;p I wonder if the Heroman toy was made in Japan, though.

With a name like "Heybo!" I'd say that's pretty likely.
Hey, wait... What if Heroman has a super power up mode where he turns all white except for the red stripes...
Then if when he poses and the red circle fills in, that's be the Japanese flag! Some kind of meta commentary?

[Ingraman]

And of course Heroman can grow giant.

What's a superhero in Japan if it can't have a giant mode? ;)

But the superhero isn't in Japan! ;p I wonder if the Heroman toy was made in Japan, though.

With a name like "Heybo!" I'd say that's pretty likely.

That might just mean that it was designed in Japan, but it might still be built in China. ^_^

Not that every name means something, but I wonder if there was a particular reason for choosing that one. I momentarily misread what you wrote as "Heyboy", and my thoughts went back to the Puma Sisters in the Dominion OVAs. ^_^;;;;;

[Johnny]

And of course Heroman can grow giant.

What's a superhero in Japan if it can't have a giant mode? ;)

But the superhero isn't in Japan! ;p I wonder if the Heroman toy was made in Japan, though.

Quiet! You know what I mean :P ;)

[Quarkboy]

And of course Heroman can grow giant.

What's a superhero in Japan if it can't have a giant mode? ;)

But the superhero isn't in Japan! ;p I wonder if the Heroman toy was made in Japan, though.

With a name like "Heybo!" I'd say that's pretty likely.

That might just mean that it was designed in Japan, but it might still be built in China. ^_^

Not that every name means something, but I wonder if there was a particular reason for choosing that one. I momentarily misread what you wrote as "Heyboy", and my thoughts went back to the Puma Sisters in the Dominion OVAs. ^_^;;;;;
Well it follows the normal Japanese-style abbreviation pattern of combining the first part of the first word with the last part of the second word. (usual english abbreviation is first part of every word).

It's probably a shortened form of "Hero Robot"... remember "Hero" in Japanese is "Heero" so that'd be "Hee Robo"-> Hey-bo

Clearly only the Japanese would come up with that. If an american named the toy it's be the "Hero Robot Extreme 3000!"

[Ingraman]

It's probably a shortened form of "Hero Robot"... remember "Hero" in Japanese is "Heero" so that'd be "Hee Robo"-> Hey-bo

Well, accurate or not, that explanation works perfectly for me. ^_^ I forgot about their fondness for abbreviating everything.

Clearly only the Japanese would come up with that. If an american named the toy it's be the "Hero Robot Extreme 3000!"It'd be spelled as "Xtreme" and several more exclamation points. ;p

[Ashyukun]

It'd be spelled as "Xtreme" and several more exclamation points. ;p
And at least 'XTREME' would be in all caps....

I'm trying really, really hard right now to not write parody lyrics to 'Particle Man' for Heroman....

It was nice to see them show off that in spite of being very overpowered, Heroman isn't invincible and all-powerful- and highlight the link between Joey & Heroman at the same time. The Professor's plan was pretty good- the sphere (Tama-chan :P) just didn't play fair.

I'm kind of disappointed (but not wholly surprised- he's got to be a pain in the ass for a lot longer I'm betting...) they Skrugg just captured Will and Nick instead of just wasting them. But, yeah- at least he's not just completely full of hot air and actually doing something (stupid as it may be...).

[Ashyukun]

The Skrugg continue to expand their attacks as a total of five spheres expand outward destroying everything in their path with no real clue as to their intentions.

Meanwhile Joey, the Professor & Psy retreat to repair Heroman and try to come up with a plan. Armed with a sonic weapon (a guitar with the Skrugg amplification device on it), Psy, Joey, and Heroman engage in hit-and-run guerilla warfare against the Skrugg troops, eventually being joined by Lina who has, of course, come looking for her brother.

And unfortunately- as some of our theorizations regarding him prove to be at least in part true- they find him. I'm unsure as to whether or not I hope they manage to 'save' them or not... my bets are that the do manage to, or at least that they don't kill them.

This show's opening theme is starting to grow on me... it's not as stand-out as a number of others (K-On!!, Working!, and Daimao) but is still quite catchy.

[Suwako Moriya]

The poor aliens, they go from "everything bounces off us" to "that jerk punched us" in a single episode.

Decent episode, but yeah this is probably going to be one of those shows that I'll at best play a game of fall behind and catch up. Either until I finish it or give up on it.

[Suwako Moriya]

Huh, not bad. It feels like its lacking something though...I don't really know what, the fight just didn't have the impact I felt it should have. Maybe its just me.

It's sort of like those battles in RPGs where you're using mostly your normal attack to defeat enemies.

[Suwako Moriya]

Why do I get the feeling that even if they used an attack with the strength of 5,000 Hydrogen Bombs, it would do absolutely no damage to the enemy? Maybe I've watched too many series by now.

The battle this time was better. Probably because it was a bit more involving.

About the only redeeming factor of Will so far is the fact he's at least willing to fight back. Not that his strategy isn't full of flaws.

I'm going to make a prediction. In spite of their power and claims of being the rulers of the universe, the Skrugg are probably not as high on the ladder as they'd like us to believe.

[FUNiOP]

Will becoming a Skrugg was predictable since day one, but we still don't know the exact circumstances leading to that. This could be interesting.

[strangefour]

-Will wants to steal weapons. That was obvious before. Why didn't he take any of the weapons left over from the first trio Heroman destroyed then?
-Stan lee is safe in a shelter. No need to panic.
-Oh the professor collected the discarded alien weapons and anal beads... WTF!
-No disassemble!
-Heh. Will is totally useless. Just a bug in the face of the Skrugg.
-Wait. The ship just pooped a giant sphere. Nah a giant marble. Now it's on a Marble Madness track.
-Heroman! Eng-- oh he got flattened.
-But Heroman never gives up. "I must succeed!"
-Heroman cares not for you sense of scale. He can be augmented to any size he wishes.
-More Marble Madness.

Well after the show was moving so fast in the first 3 episodes I guess one slow episode is okay. Also nice to see the Skrugg's weapons aren't completely useless against an electronic children's toy.

I momentarily misread what you wrote as "Heyboy", and my thoughts went back to the Puma Sisters in the Dominion OVAs. ^_^;;;;;

Oh I haven't rewatched Dominion in ages. I forsee some Puma sisters in the near future.

[strangefour]

-Hey Heroman has an H forming the outline of his face. man I'm slow. I mean it's impossible to not notice the Hs at his joins and on his chest and the rest of his body. But I missed the face. Well the little symbol of his face on Jeoy's gauntlet makes it more noticeable.
-Will and Nick are now Skrugg pets. I hope they poked holes in the top of the jar.
-Guitars are WMDs vs the Skrugg. Quick! Summon After School Tea Time!
-Lina? Wtf are you still doing in town?
-Tiny Pink Skrugg sniper? Even tinier bronze Skrugg? Oh shit. That must be Will and Nick! My guess about thebody armor being the real Skrugg was right.


Psy, Joey, and Heroman engage in hit-and-run guerilla warfare against the Skrugg troops, eventually being joined by Lina who has, of course, come looking for her brother.

And unfortunately- as some of our theorizations regarding him prove to be at least in part true- they find him. I'm unsure as to whether or not I hope they manage to 'save' them or not... my bets are that the do manage to, or at least that they don't kill them.

The really evil part is the Heroman has been bashing Skrugg left and right. But only liquifying their squishy inner parts. Cracking Skrugg Will's helmet is the first bit of damage Heroman has done to the true Skrugg form, their shells. So now Joey has to find a way to crack the nigh indestructable shell without cracking the nuts inside. Things just got very amusing. In the mighty Marvel manner!

[Ingraman]

Not much happens in the episode. Does anything new happen? Will is still captured (who cares about the other guy) and the spheres are still rolling.

No one here cares anymore? It is hard to care about this show (and it compares _really_ poorly to Durarara, which I watched just a little earlier).

[FUNiOP]

Not much happens in the episode. Does anything new happen? Will is still captured (who cares about the other guy) and the spheres are still rolling.

No one here cares anymore? It is hard to care about this show (and it compares _really_ poorly to Durarara, which I watched just a little earlier).

It's just getting even more American with "save the White House from destruction" plot-lines.

"But don't worry; one of these all-destroying spheres will be crossing our borders and entering Canada!"
*room-wide sigh of relief / some people rejoicing*

[Ingraman]

"But don't worry; one of these all-destroying spheres will be crossing our borders and entering Canada!"
*room-wide sigh of relief / some people rejoicing*

I was laughing at that moment. Two went off into the water, so they can be ignored entirely. One's off to Canada, and a fourth is off to Mexico, so there's little reason to pay attention to them, either. Who cares about the neighbors? ^_^; If the spheres are only moving at 25mph, I presume that the nuke/don't nuke decision has to be made quickly because the east-bound sphere will be entering more-densely populated areas as it moves east? At that speed, it's going to take a long time to get to DC.

[Ashyukun]

So, our intrepid quartet (quintet if you count Heroman...) manages to sneak their way into the Bugram, sorry, Skrugg base and splits up. Will and Nick of course attack Lina, Joey, and Heroman- but Joey has some idea of how to try and get them back and puts the plan into action. However, though it works it doesn't mean they're getting Will and Nick back exactly- or at least Nick. And I can't say I'm complaining too much either. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, but it's not like they can kill half the main cast (including the lead & title characters...) half a cour in. :P

Still enjoying the show, but it's actually running closer to the back of the pack that I'm watching given how much I'm enjoying a number of the other shows this season...

LOL at the Combat Eyebrows though.... :catgirl:

[FUNiOP]

Another alright episode. Let's see how they beat Venom.

[Johnny]

Not much happens in the episode. Does anything new happen? Will is still captured (who cares about the other guy) and the spheres are still rolling.


Yeah, a pretty uneventful episode. Next episode with the infiltration into enemy territory looks pretty good though.

[strangefour]

-Will is defeated with the powers of familial love.
-Nick is defeated by 25 tons of concrete.
-"Two spheres went into the pasific ocean, one went to Mexico and another is going to Canada. So everything's working out for us." "Yay~"
-Heroman Cho Denji Tatsumaki! Heroman Thunder Break! Heroman Victory Pose!
-Dr Minami dresses like a clown and has horns for hair... Oh sure going along with his plan can't possibly have a bad ending.

After the first few episodes moved kind of fast things have slowed down. As have I with my watching of Heroman. It's interesting but no where near as funtastic as Angel Beats or Durarararararagi!! Hopefully the SKrug will get mashed to bits by episode 13 so we can move on the the aftermath of having alien tech laying around.

[strangefour]

-What lies in the Cocoon? Could it be Adam Warlo-- oh it's just Will.
-Huh. So Will broke Psy's leg.
-Dr Minami is only 3 feet tall? Must be related to Joey's leprechaun grandma.
-Heroman does not do slow and quiet.
-Heroman notices a rare and elusive underground radioactive spider.
-Eyebrow attacks. Someone's been watching Bobobobobo.
-Hehe. I like how the chest eyes follow Nick's expressions as he rants. Granted it's very Gurren Lagann. And Nick's evil. Not really a surprise there.
-Oh good we get to Kogorr next episode. Skrugg arc should be done by episode 10-ish.

Another alright episode. Let's see how they beat Venom.

No, no. Kogorr is obviously a Super Skrull.

This show just might be moving fast again. Hopefully. Nick will probably end up with a small army of leaderless Skrugg left overs. Dr crazy pants will have a giant sphere to crawl around inside. And so will some other countries... DUN DUN DUN!

[Garasharp K7]

Another alright episode. Let's see how they beat Venom.

No, no. Kogorr is obviously a Super Skrull.

Nah, you're both wrong - Kogorr must be Annihilus. Insectoid conqueror with a low tolerance for failure who likes to kill his subordinates. Yeah, that sounds like the lord of the Negative Zone right there. :)

The series has been enjoyable so far. I'm wondering what that Minami fella has in store for our heroes after the Skrugg menace has been dealt with. The man has mad scientist/supervillain written all over him - I keep expecting him to burst out with "And they called me mad! MAD! Fools! I'm show them all!" at any moment.

[Johnny]

LOL at the Combat Eyebrows though.... :catgirl:

Heh I got a laugh out of that too :)

Decent episode, the next one looks like it could be the best yet.

[Johnny]

So, Heroman and Kogorr face off. Pretty cool transformation by Kogorr too. Joey develops the ability to move at speed and it looks like he and Heroman have defeated Kogorr until Joey lets his guard down and looks to be in trouble.

[strangefour]

-Now back to the further adventures of the Skrugg Kill Crew!
-When last we left our heros a giant ball bearing producing womb had crushed -super Skrugg Nick.
-Teeny tiny mad scientist travels arround with a pair of breasts and has even crazier employees.
-You know what would make this show better: GIANT ROBOT HAND!
-Kogorr is a giant kaiju-esque flying Skrugg queen bee.
-Joey has super speed?
-JOEY!!!

Joey's sudden super power is a bit odd. His plot invulnerability is nothing new, but super speed? *shrug* Blame it on the glove.

[strangefour]

-Giant dump truck?
-Okay so little mad scientist is an ox. His henchwoman is an octopus. What are his two goons patterned after? A sea urchin and Elvis?
-Joey is dead. Heroman is stunned. Kogorr is smug.
-Joey is a surprisingly tough little girly boy.
-Don't make Heroman angry. You won't like him when he's angry mister Kogorr.
-No Heroman. We don't fight like that. With great power-- you know the rest. Excelsior!
-"Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls of all ages. It's showtime!" Big O Action-- err yeah.
-Heh mad scientist vs mad scientist.
-Kogorr might be dead. But his purple carapace lives on!
-Spiral implossion? Huh. Guess there won't be much Skrugg tech left over. Besides a few guns and carapaces and Will.
-A core survives! But who finds it! Nick obviously. He's so good at being evil.

Now the show is free to get to the real meat of the story. Mad scientists, super villains and cannibalized alien technology. Needs to work on it's pacing a bit though. First few episodes were fast paced. Then things started to drag until they broke into Spiral City. Still think this show would be more fun dubbed on a Saturday morning while filled with sugary cereal. Mainly so Joey wouldn't sound like a woman.

[Ingraman]

Lina gets Joey into the backseat of a sedan before she even asks him out for their first date.

I've forgotten what happened to Will's scrug-converted ass-kisser. Was he killed off? I think so, but I don't recall how. ^_^;;

I'm still not impressed with the show, and was hoping (but not expecting) that it would run only one cour.

[FUNiOP]

Why, Lina? He's such a girl. Is it the superhero in his backpack? *watching the end of the episode* It's the superhero in his backpack, isn't it? Who knows, maybe Joey will grow a pair.

And of course Lina wears a cheerleader uniform all the time. It's like the American equivalent of wearing a schoolgirl uniform all the time, right? Right?

We're done with Teppelin and moving on to Haruko. We're sure this is Bones, right guys?

[strangefour]

-A science lab build arround the DC sphere. That can't end well.
-LOREM IPSUM!
-Heh. Heroman spends his nights as a construction worker.
-Devastator is being used to dig holes.
-Hehehe, Minami has hair horn holes in his hardhat.
-Stan Lee wonders if Joey is getting the rest that a growing young gir-- err boy needs.
-Lina's still wearing her cheerleader outfit...
-Lina's mom is hot.
-Lina is now reluctant to ask Joey out?
-Hurray! Sexy drill haired teacher makes her return.
-HAHAHAHA! Hest use of a stop sign ever.
-Next episode: guitar wielding goth appears?

I've forgotten what happened to Will's scrug-converted ass-kisser. Was he killed off? I think so, but I don't recall how. ^_^;;

Nick. He was buried under the giant ball bearing making womb thing in Skrugg HQ. Two episodes before it blew up. He's too interesting of an evil little SoB to go away that easily. I hope.

[Johnny]

Best episode yet for me. I was enjoying this prior to ep 9, but it was definitely starting to drag on a bit. This episode had it all - a new Heroman form, final battle against the Skrugg leader, Minami seemingly revealing himself to be the new villain and finally the giant spheres are stopped.

Really looking forward to seeing how this is wrapped up now.

[strangefour]

-Heroman: Kills Skruggs Dead.
-A girl with questionable fashion sense is coming.
-Mayes Hughes prepares for an important day.
-Joey is giddy like a school girl to be asked on her-- his first date.
-Dangerous guitar girl is Joey's sister? Awesome.
Holly brings porn for Joey. What a good sister.
-The giant sphere's are named "Tama"? What are we supposed to treat them like kittens?
-Silly Holly. Americans do not shower together.
-Psy's leg is still recuperating...
-Holly plays a surprisingly sweet song. For an emo metal goth whatever flavor of crazy awesome she is. Would have been nice it it was solo guitar soundtrack though.

Well Holly makes this show more interesting atleast. In a "wow I must see Heroman again" kind of way I expected Lina would fill at the beginning.

Next week: Lina finally gets out of that damn cheerleader outfit. And into a bikini. *wink* Also Heroman fights Devastator. Shame Holly & sexy teacher aren't in bikinis it seems.

[FUNiOP]

Lorem Ipsum in the presidential report? So much for this being an accurate American setting. (http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx46/thesebzgal/blogs/anime_heroman/loremipsum.png)

Anyway, Haruko is about how I expected her to be.

I don't think anyone can argue against the fact that Joey is a girl now!

[Johnny]

Great episode. The Skrugg are gone and, in between school and his job, Joey is training Heroman and helping to reconstruct the city by night which means that poor Lina can't find the time or opportunity to ask him out :P

So, at the end, the special agent has confirmed that Heroman, or 'Ghost' exists. And who is the mystery girl in the preview?!

[Shirou Emiya]

Just finished watching this couple of days ago, I'm so sad that this will probably be the last arc for the anime (if it turns out to only be 26 episodes long).

Anyways, I hope Joey and crew manage to get to the scientist friend.

[Quarkboy]

Just finished watching this couple of days ago, I'm so sad that this will probably be the last arc for the anime (if it turns out to only be 26 episodes long).

Anyways, I hope Joey and crew manage to get to the scientist friend.

Why would you think it would be the last arc when the first one was 9 episodes long?

Wouldn't for a 26 episode show it would make more sense to have a 9 8 9 split over 3 arcs?

[Shirou Emiya]

Just finished watching this couple of days ago, I'm so sad that this will probably be the last arc for the anime (if it turns out to only be 26 episodes long).

Anyways, I hope Joey and crew manage to get to the scientist friend.

Why would you think it would be the last arc when the first one was 9 episodes long?

Wouldn't for a 26 episode show it would make more sense to have a 9 8 9 split over 3 arcs?

Oh :x.....excuse me for my brain fart earlier, wasn't thinking at all xD.

[Johnny]

Holly! <3

So Minami and the MIA are cooperating and Joey and Heroman escape when cornered by the MIA agent.

Next episode - bikinis and mech battles!

[Gatts]

I watched the first episode and wow. Two people die in a tanker accident and no one seemed to care. I almost expected Heroman to only come out carrying Lina and leaving her dad dead in the car.

Oh well, it's pretty entertaining. I should have started watching sooner, but I'll catch up over this holiday weekend.

[Quarkboy]

I watched the first episode and wow. Two people die in a tanker accident and no one seemed to care. I almost expected Heroman to only come out carrying Lina and leaving her dad dead in the car.

Oh well, it's pretty entertaining. I should have started watching sooner, but I'll catch up over this holiday weekend.

Watch more carefully, they escape.

[Gatts]

Watch more carefully, they escape.

I'll rewatch it tonight since that was really bugging me. Oh and good to see the required Stan Lee cameo got taken care of early in the series.

[Quarkboy]

Watch more carefully, they escape.

I'll rewatch it tonight since that was really bugging me. Oh and good to see the required Stan Lee cameo got taken care of early in the series.

Oh it doesn't end there. He even puts himself in the second opening...

[Gatts]

Yay for getting back to thing a week later... although I guess that's normal, but not when you're trying to catch up.

Watch more carefully, they escape.

So now I see that they somehow managed to escape completely unscathed from a overturned car and a jackknifed tanker that was burning for no explicable reason. I'll roll with that. They also manage to get the heck out of dodge quickly enough to never notice a giant robot rip a car open and save two people who also flipped and crashed in a less spectacular fashion, but were unconscious (but still uninjured).

As for episode 2, lol at Grandma thinking some lightning blew off the side of her house. That's pretty amazing lightning there. Also Joey's going to have a heart attack if he keeps jumping whenever someone talks to him.

For some reason seeing the aliens touch down for the first time, I immediately though the Bugrom from El Hazard. But honestly my favorite part was the fight scene. It appears that the Bugrom (Skrugg/whatever) are extremely slow moving as they just stood there and let Heroman slug them in the face over. Then he busts out with the pose at the end. I had to pause for a minute until I was finished laughing. Great stuff.

[Johnny]

A fun filler episode with Joey and Lina going on their date...and being followed by everyone else :sweat:

Later, Heroman faces off against the MR-1 robot but more importantly, it seems the NIA have discovered the truth about Joey and Heroman.

[Johnny]

So Joey, Psy and Denton successfully escape the NIA and reach the mountains where Denton's friend lives. The OP seemed to hint at this half of the series having a different feel and after watching that episode, it does feel a little less happy-go-lucky. Will be interesting to see if that keeps up.

[Johnny]

So Joey, Psy and Denton are still on the run but when Joey phones Lina, the NIA trace his call and hunt them down. This time though, Joey manages to escape alone while Psy and Denton hold back the troops, until Joey runs into Agent Hughes...

[Gatts]

Well, episode 8 was interesting. Suddenly Joey has become useful. Well beyond being a great shield. That speed thing was pretty interesting. I'm not sure how Psy and Denton keep managing to stay out of trouble though. You would think blasting Nickelback covers would make them want to kill you more after the paralyzing wore off. ;) I also have to wonder how they aren't affected by the speakers being right next to their ears while they're playing. Maybe they have some high quality ear plugs?

I'm just happy that, for once, an enemy commander is smart enough to know to take out the little guy first.

[Gatts]

Of course. It's fine and dandy to bludgeon someone to death, but ripping their face off is no good. :/ Come on now. Double standards and all. At least let Heroman rip his face off first THEN tell him to stop rampaging.

At least that didn't account for much of anything in the end (except for the whole self destruct sequence that is)... oh and creating a new villian in Dr. Minami.

[Gatts]

My goodness Lina. Your mother lets you out of the house on a date wearing that? Then again, I've seen girls wearing something like that to the mall, but on a date? That's pretty strange.

[Gatts]

So Heroman now has regeneration powers? Wouldn't that have been useful when he broke his hand destroying the sphere back in the early episodes

[Johnny]

It looks like Hughes and Joey are cooperating to tell the truth about Heroman until Minami turns up.

It's Heroman vs MR-1! It looks as if Hughes has shown up just in time until Minami launches one last attack against Heroman, crippling him.

[Johnny]

The Heroman vs MR-1 battle continues as Heroman uses himself to defend the dam against Minami's attacks. As the battle is being broadcast live, it appears that public opinion is shifting in favour of Heroman and this is confirmed when he defeats MR-1. The charges against Joey are dropped and Minami is thrown in jail.

Then a mysterious figure appears over the city at the end of the episode...

[Johnny]

There's a mysterious person attacking various buildings and it looks like his next target is Center City.
Joey faces off against the mystery man and it turns out to be none other than...Will!

[Gatts]

Joey faces off against the mystery man and it turns out to be none other than...Will!

That should say "to the surprise of no one, it was Will". Although I'm quite amazed that they were able to tell it was him through a mask that completely covered his face just because his hat got knocked off.

[Johnny]

So we're on an uninhabited island that is the focus for Psy's ghost story. It's all fun and games until a mysterious man shows up at their door telling them to run for their lives. They are attacked by what appears to be tentacles and separated. Joey saves Lina and they meet up with the scientist again but the tentacles return...

[Ashyukun]

Finally finished the second arc... when I should have either gone to bed or done some packing but instead blew through the last two episodes instead. :sweat:

It's almost a pity we probably won't be seeing much more of Dr. Minami- his sentai-posing antics were hilarious even if his robot was overall rather boring. Amusing that his secretary avoided getting imprisoned... turned States Evidence, perhaps? And I can't tell- is that her over to the far right in the ED group shot, or the drill-haired teacher? I can't say I like the 2nd cour OP and ED nearly as much as the original ones- the OP isn't bad, but the ED definitely isn't as good IMO. Looks like the final (presumably) arc should be good too...

[Gatts]

Well, this episode was silly for a number of reasons.

First off I love Denton's swimsuit, but is that really appropriate to wear around students? Second, this has to be during summer vacation, but the school board would probably frown upon two teachers and three students heading off to vacation with each other. Okay so the first two points can be ignored if we just think about it as the government covering up for their absence. However it's still pretty suspect.

Then we have the ghost story which could have been good if everyone wasn't flipping off the handle left and right. Of course it gets interrupted by a bleeding man and no one heeds his warning to run away. Really? This is suppose to be a government island and they don't have any type of security for their guests. How did they get to this island, boat or helicopter? Who was their pilot? I'm sure if something dangerous happened on the island, they should have sent the crew members that helped them get to the island to tell them to evacuate. Instead we get some bleeding scientist who is all alone. That seems to be pretty poor planning.

After that and the ensuing fight where everyone gets split up, we have Joey with a complete lack of any type of sense diving after an unconscious person who has slipped underwater. So instead of continuing to search for her underwater, he comes back up to waste a lot of air and energy screaming her name when he knows she's underwater. Good job Joey.

Finally we have the worst part. We have a person who was underwater unconscious for around a minute's worth of time and instead of starting CPR (chest compressions if nothing else) immediately he's sitting there waffling. SHE COULD DROWN YOU DUMBASS. Sitting there and worrying about what part of her body your touching could have lead to the person drowning. Not a good thing. Really, he's old enough to know better. Okay, so it turns out that this is anime so she starts coughing on her own without any assistance. Good, now while she's coughing, turn her on her side and make sure she downs swallow her tongue or re-swallow the sea water she's coughing up. Oh you won't? Well, that's okay. Since this is anime, we don't need to worry about those things and she's magically alright on her own. Good thing you didn't touch her chest or she might have been mad that you saved her life.

Wow, that whole sequence really rubbed me the wrong way. Sitting there and watching someone drown while not knowing what to do is one thing, but they made it obvious he had at least some idea of what to do and spent that time deciding if letting her drown is a better option than maybe getting a bit embarrassed and touching her chest. :angry:

I guess I must be getting old when I can't enjoy a good old fashion romantic comedy setup when a person could potentially drown as a result of it.

[Gatts]

Well, I'm still pissed about episode 18, but I've gone right into 19 since that was a good enough cliff hanger to have me watch the next episode.

At least Joey remembers that he can put that armband thing on and use it. Plus this is the first time in a while that he's used his super speed, so I'll give him a plus for that. I will give him a minus for randomly bashing out "Heroman attack!" when Heroman is obviously not anywhere around. Look Joey, you took a few punches from the Skrugg leader earlier in the series, you're tough in your own right. Don't always rely on Heroman when you can do things on your own.

The cartoony way that fight ended with the tentacles wrapped up in a knot was about what I expected to happen, so I enjoyed that.

Ravi's a pretty confusing character. He took the time to go and warn everyone at the villa that the plant was on the loose while all of the other scientists evacuated and he was injured at the time. Now he's insisting that they run away before finding everyone. If he was an "everyman for himself" type of person, why did he go to warn them in the first place. Why didn't he just hightail it with the rest of the scientists?

So, the plant not only knows how to talk, it also knows what the words mean and what words to use in a given situation. That makes me think they've been training it for quite a while.

Heh, Lina doesn't like Collins hugging on Joey. That's good romantic comedy in a proper situation unlike the last episode which it was poorly timed.

Wow Joey, didn't you hear Ravi telling you that the plant was powered by a core. You should have figured that an electric attack wouldn't work.

Oh, so NOW you decide to make him small again. It took you long enough. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw him caught up in the vines. Which actually leads to a pretty important discovery this episode that I was wondering about last episode. It seems that Joey can continue to use the arm amplifier while Heroman is not active. (it wasn't really clear of that was the case the last time you saw him use it without Heroman around, which was when Lina asked him on a date). I wonder if Heroman can be large while Joey's armband is inactive. That would at least explain why he was tangled up in the vines while Joey was unconsious on the waterside before saving Lina (that still pisses me off thinking about it). Of course there's also the possibility that Heroman got tangled up after Joey put the arm controller back on to tangle up the vines and save Ravi and Lina.

Err... Ravi thinks it's impossible for the plants to lay a trap when earlier this very episode, they tried to lay a trap for them by simulating a human voice calling for help... Okaaaaaay. I'll let that one slide. (I don't have the energy to continue nitpicking small stuff like that. I'll just sum it up to the Admiral Ackbar syndrome and move on.

Good old Ravi again. Fantasticman, Captain Hero, Mr Giant, it's not like Heroman is a hard name to remember, unless you're intentionally trying to piss Joey off. I'm bad with names, but that's ridicoulous.

Did that plant have abs when it did it's little henshin transformation?

Oh and this is great. Plants that are elastic enough that you can't break free of them (like a finger trap) that also absorb the energy from your attacks and you're going to run up to them and attempt to beat them down in a brawl. Good stuff Heroman.

Now that's what I like to see. The ending of the fight was exactly what I've thought about Joey doing at least 10 times previously. That and we got the Heroman pose at the end. I miss that pose.

So, they answered my question about the island. They got there by helicopter. This of course doesn't explain how the other scientists got off of the island.

- Why the government would leave them on an island with a research facility that has no type of security and no known escape route (besides the one that the mysterious "other scientists" used). Perhaps NIA wanted to test Heroman's fighting ability so they set that whole thing up? If it's an attempt to modify Skrugg technology, then Will should have been able to detect it and make his way to the facility at while ago right? They've obviously been working on it for a good amount of time.
- How did Dr. Ravi plan to escape back when he was with just Joey and Lina? Back when he didn't know where the other people where. If they were going to escape to the airfield, why didn't they do that at the end instead of waiting two hours for a helicopter to pick them up? Or was completing your vacation more important than reporting what happened on the island to NIA?
- What type of knee injury did Psy sustain? They didn't really explain it other than alluding to Will causing it during a football practice. How long is it going to stay injured? The worse it could possibly be was a ACL tear (looking at all of the crap he's been able to do with just his knee brace on). If it was broken or an MCL tear, he shouldn't be doing half of the stuff he's been doing during the series.

Bah, I'm over analyzing again. This is the same thing I did with Book of Bantorra. I need to turn off my brain and watch more.

[Johnny]

- Heroman summon doesn't work. Ravi reveals that the island is being used for biological weapons testing.
- The vines can now mimmick human voices. They're learning fast.
- Miss Collins vs the crabs :sweat:
- Heroman is found, but he's not in a great position.
- The vines mimic Heroman and attack.
- Heroman destroys the crystal and the vines are defeated.

[Ashyukun]

So, Holly gets in on trying to track down missing people- including Prof. Denton, with mixed results. As in, it's hard to tell if she's actually trying or just goofing off- though they do manage to run into the culprit, and he/it makes off with Holly.

But what made this episode? Even the writers acknowledge that Joey makes a better girl than a boy. Psy? Not so much...

[Shirou Emiya]

Am I the only one that's actually up to date with Japan and never falls behind on watching a new episode? =/

I guess Heroman isn't as popular here as I thought it was, oh well lol.

[Johnny]

Am I the only one that's actually up to date with Japan and never falls behind on watching a new episode? =/

I guess Heroman isn't as popular here as I thought it was, oh well lol.

I'm enjoying the series but in all honesty, there is better stuff airing at the minute so Heroman isn't a 'watch as soon as it's up' series for me. Look at the Rainbow thread. At the minute I'm pretty much the only person commenting, but I know there are quite a few others watching.

[Ashyukun]

Am I the only one that's actually up to date with Japan and never falls behind on watching a new episode? =/

I guess Heroman isn't as popular here as I thought it was, oh well lol.
*shrugs* I'll be caught up after lunch today, and will likely watch the next episode over lunch the day it is simulcast (Thursday). It's not the highest on my priority list of shows to watch so it's taken me some time after getting a month and a half behind on EVERYTHING to get caught up on. I imagine Johnny is right as well in that there are a decent number of people watching it but just not commenting on it here...

[Gatts]

Am I the only one that's actually up to date with Japan and never falls behind on watching a new episode? =/

I get frustrated by the little inconsistencies. When I start nitpicking every little detail as I'm watching I tend to take a short break. I would have caught up the last time I watched otherwise. Besides, I've never put much value in watching a series week to week. I still see the same story if I wait a few weeks or if I watch it as soon as it comes out.

[Ashyukun]

Following standard plot practices, this is your usual 'episode of reflection and reaffirmation of resolve' before heading into the conclusive arc. Psy was injured in the fight in ep. 21, and though it's not serious Joey is wavering in his confidence that he can really be a hero. We learn a good bit about his family's past and a bit about why Holly is likely the way she is. Will also stops by to see Lina- both to say goodbye and to warn her to stay away from Joey as well as dropping the bomb that he'd clashed with Joey & Heroman. Joey gets his confidence and resolve back, but before Lina can say anything about what's on her mind Denton calls and apparently has some shocking news for Joey....

I'm kind of disappointed that they're playing things the way they are with Joey and Lina and holding resolving things with what happened with Will up, but it's probably not THAT surprising given they're certain to run into him again, though it's uncertain whether they'll be helping each other or not. I'm figuring he'll make it through and perhaps even get returned somewhat to normal (perhaps even having come up with a way to fix Psy's leg in the process...) given his presence in the final shot of the ending...

[Johnny]

- Looks like there have been a load of abductions in Centre City.
- Holly tells Lina all of Joey's little secrets :sweat: She's housebound though as a result of the abductions and Denton hasn't returned either...
- The beach? We're not getting another beach episode are we? :sweat: :P
- Holly's dressed for the occasion :nosebleed:
- Our abductor appears, attacking Holly. Will?
- Whoever it is, it's got Holly! :O

[ilmaestro]

Bah, I'm over analyzing again.
I'm just glad you realized this yourself. ^^; I particularly liked your dismissive use of '"other scientists"'.

[ilmaestro]

But on that note, Lina really, really annoyed me in this episode. Her little tantrum is so much of an over-reaction it's not even funny.

And I'm glad they finally cleared up the... er... "mystery" surrounding why all these things were happening. >_>

Will should have been in it (that is, the series, since he went off cosplaying as Q from 3s) more, too.

[Gatts]

Bah, I'm over analyzing again.
I'm just glad you realized this yourself. ^^;

I try to ignore things, but sometimes it's just too much at once. Really, in five minutes we had a scientist go from "I've got to warn everyone to get off the island before something happens" to "let em rot, I've got mine". Then we have "wow, plants are trying to sabotage us by pretending to use a human voice" to "they aren't smart enough to setup a trap". It was amazingly stupid even for a kids show. :)

I wanted to watch some more tonight, but lucky me, I get to work overtime.

[Gatts]

Joey's hero worship is pretty damn annoying so I know what Holly is feeling, but she also has to remember that he was too young when everything happened so all he has to hold onto is stories.

[ilmaestro]

It's difficult for me to comment on something "realistic" that is so far removed from my actual life experiences, but I have to be honest I was kind of on Joey's side in that scenario, too. The way Holly was going on, I thought for sure there was going to be some other part to their Dad's backstory, or at least that he would have actually "promised" her something. Her attitude seemed to be written a little younger than I keep thinking of her as.

[Ashyukun]

It's difficult for me to comment on something "realistic" that is so far removed from my actual life experiences, but I have to be honest I was kind of on Joey's side in that scenario, too. The way Holly was going on, I thought for sure there was going to be some other part to their Dad's backstory, or at least that he would have actually "promised" her something. Her attitude seemed to be written a little younger than I keep thinking of her as.
Well, it was a very scarring experience when she was at a very impressionable age- and obviously the baggage from it has stayed with her as she's gotten older.

[Gatts]

Well, it was a very scarring experience when she was at a very impressionable age- and obviously the baggage from it has stayed with her as she's gotten older.

The real question would be how their mother died IMO. If she died from the stress of being a single mother, then Holly's being angry at their father is even more understandable. If she died for some other reason, then I would think that she's been holding onto her grudge a bit too long, even for an impressionable child. It's never really stated clearly why Catherine died other than it happened in 2003.

[Funkatron]

It's difficult for me to comment on something "realistic" that is so far removed from my actual life experiences, but I have to be honest I was kind of on Joey's side in that scenario, too. The way Holly was going on, I thought for sure there was going to be some other part to their Dad's backstory, or at least that he would have actually "promised" her something. Her attitude seemed to be written a little younger than I keep thinking of her as.

Well, one of the most important figures in a girl's life is her fathers, so I can understand where she was coming fro. Stuff like that tends to stay with you for a while. It sorta explains how she is different than she was back then (pretty dresses vs being punk/goth)

[Quarkboy]

I saw this comment over on CR, and I figured I'd post a long response here for posterity and because people might find this interesting.

A perceptive soul has realized that the name of the main bad guy, Kogorr, is actually "Gogorr" in the original Japanese.

This is not a mistake on my part. In fact my preliminary glossary was explicitly corrected by the producers. The official glossary has "Gogorr" for the Japanese name, and "Kogorr" for the english.

I can only speculate the reason for this change, but I have a good idea...
This show was planned in part by Stan Lee, and it's likely he came up with most of the names of the characters in Heroman.
He probably decided to name the bad guy "Kogorr" himself, making "Kogorr" the original name.
In Japanese "Ko" as a prefix, however, is usually the kanji "小” or "子" meaning small or little, or child.
Words that begin with "ko" are not super scary alien leaders.
"go" on the other hand is much better as a prefix and doesn't have that problem.
So I suspect it was the Japanese producers that changes Kogorr's name to Gogorr for the Japanese audience, but they wanted it kept in the subtitles (and possible dub) as Stan originally intended it.

That's my suspicion, anyhow. I didn't attempt to fight this change because 99% of viewers would never be able to tell anyway, so it doesn't hurt anyone's enjoyment of the show.

[Shirou Emiya]

Only one more episode left of the show, hopefully the DVD Special is very long in runtime.

[ilmaestro]

Posting to keep sub-threads in order.

[ilmaestro]

So the show got secretly epic really quickly. I really enjoyed this week's ep (Lots of flashing lights woo! I can't admit to paying it my 100% attention, but I'm not really sure you should have to with a show like this) and next week seems set up to be a cool finale, given how the show has gone.

Love how Will's design has changed as the show has gone on (and Heroman's, at least for the moment when they lit him up in Iron Man colors this week).

[ilmaestro]

I do see what you guys are saying, and wasn't trying to downplay the importance of the event in the context of her life, but I like the way Gatts summed it up.

[Ashyukun]

So the show got secretly epic really quickly. I really enjoyed this week's ep (Lots of flashing lights woo! I can't admit to paying it my 100% attention, but I'm not really sure you should have to with a show like this) and next week seems set up to be a cool finale, given how the show has gone.

Love how Will's design has changed as the show has gone on (and Heroman's, at least for the moment when they lit him up in Iron Man colors this week).
Yeah, it did ramp up to epic-level pretty fast. I'm actually pretty satisfied with the pacing of the show over its course- unlike certain other shows, they've at least been building up to this and it was more of a 'everything coming together' for what's going on now as opposed to a BAM! PLOT TIME! like some others have.

Definitely looking forward to the conclusion next week. :)

[ilmaestro]

Yep, I can't disagree with that. They have at least been plugging away at the overall storyline for a fair amount of time.

[Shirou Emiya]

Sigh, I am so sad that Heroman has ended, hopefully there will be a Season 2 because of what happened during the last 1-2 minutes.

[Ashyukun]

Putting the thread in the right place...

And with Heroman done (for the season), that makes three for three (4 if you count the one that's 'done but still airing') shows ending this season that have finished well. I'd say that Heroman went out with an appropriately big bang with the requisite amount of cheesy lines from the supporting characters.

I can't find much of any fault in the episode to be honest- they did just about everything as well as I think you can, right down to the teaser 'stinger' at the end to show that they can very easily keep things going with another season if they want. The only thing that would have been nice that I thought was lacking was something involving Will- it seemed like everyone (Lina included) had just forgotten about him completely. At least Joey who knew he was around (assuming the others hadn't seen him fighting alongside Joey and Heroman) should have looked around to confirm he'd survived. You know he had to, of course- but leaving it completely unanswered was a bit disappointing (unless I missed something in the background somewhere...).

Overall though, a highly enjoyable show- and one that unlike far too many others did a good job of planning and pacing things out so that thinks kept moving at a fairly good pace. While they obviously accelerated hard into the finale, it wasn't like too many shows that try and do so from a standstill or moving in a totally different direction. If this is what collaborations between Stan Lee/Marvel and anime studios can do, I'll have high hopes for the upcoming Iron Man anime.

At the least, it will have a lead who you can definitively tell isn't a girl. :P