Hero Mask

Oblithian Dec 4, 2018

5.5

Since there is no rating, no reviews, and the summary is terrible I think the Mods can tolerate this being public for now.So to add to the summary above: After a well respected prosecutor turns up dead all hell breaks loose, as a long dead enemy resurfaces. Revealing the existence of a mysterious mask with the ability to mimick other people. Now, one man... and a woman demonstrate their ability to wear the same outfit everyday. As they unravel the mystery of their friend's death and bring the unknown purpetrators to justice. This is about a loose cannon secret agent type character. Very obvious James bond parallels (only more police oriented, less international spy), from his relationship to a Q/R type character down to his name being James Blood. It is basically an action movie, across 15 episodes. But, with a lot of gadgets, masks that let you look like anyone, and some escaped test subjects (some of whom are insane).The problems:The series misunderstands of how bullets, or kevlar vests work (the former being less acceptable). The sidekick woman (sera) is the stereotypical: Completely unqualified (as presented) but obstinate in their immediate need for answers while completely unphased by danger as they jumps in headfirst... Oh and for some reason this desk jockey is an action hero, with a inate skill with firearms. Because why wouldn't a sane civilian let the police do their job, while avoiding the line of fire and leveraging their skills on the back end of the investigation?Story: fairly basic, the enticement lies in the intensity (which isn't a listed factor). But it is atleast obvious what the story is.Animation: The style is moderately well detailed (the backgrounds are noteable), though a little dated in its appearance and colouration (particularly with regards to the characters). However, the movements and expressions are well done, so average seems fair.Sound: They have many levels of audio, but the tone sounds slightly muted.Characters: So far, there is not a lot of in depth character development, but average for an anime (which is miles below the anime with great Character development). I will update this review it as I watch.

Bobthehun Dec 9, 2018

4

The things that happen make no sense. Why is the prosecutor insisting on helping the police with police matters ? Why does she then not do police matters when she gets the ok? Why does it take longer to get the police station from the house in a car than the police station to the house on foot. Why are the police consistently incompetent? Why does the prosecutor need to draw a line graph to figure out that the person who was an employee of a company party to the conspiracy is a part of it ? Why can the bad guys use helicopters but the good guys can't. Why name the protagonist james fucking blood I mean come on. Really that was the best you could do ?why cant the Mr. Blood use anything other than a hand gun? Why is Mr. Blood the only one who can shoot straight ? So much huh ? What ? And why with this show... The plot is similar in stature to sword art online. So chances are if you enjoyed that you will enjoy this. while there is a fair amount of why did they just do that, the conspiracy main plot is not the worst thing ever. Some of the characters have interesting motivations although the show seems to masterbate too long to the motivations instead of just getting to it. The action sequences and animation are fairly good. The animation style I'd say is some what similar to the castlevania anime also on Netflix. The music is also not horrible. If you are looking for something to turn off your brain too it is adept at that. But if you are looking for something more look elsewhere.

eveura Mar 22, 2019

9.2

Hero mask is an anime on netflix that is a sci-fi thriller with a ton of action. You are taken on a ride with prosecutor Sarah Sinclair and SSC agent James Blood as they unravel the truth behind a shady company and the bio masks they are creating. When a supposedly dead convict shows up very much alive and wanting blood and a prosecutor ends up mysteriously dying they decide to plunge themselves into a case that turns darker by the episode. I am not the best at giving synopsis on things but I tried my best. The anime's plot is a unique one that is honestly quite interesting. I enjoyed the exposition, and finding out the facts as the characters did. When I say it has two mains it does yet it's very much a multiple person story. Though some parts are confusing as in the relationship between Monica Campbell, and Lennox Gallagher. I assumed they were husband and wife but at times it almost felt like son and daughter? It might have been explained and I missed it but that part was rather confusing. That was really the only thing I found confusing which is wonderful in my book. The story was full of winds and twists that were either predictable or not, it's really up to the person. I myself found some very predictable while others were a mild surprise. It was so nice seeing into the lives of a few side characters and their lives, their back stories to learn more about them. I almost wish there was more to that. More episodes explaining characters, the world that they were all in and even the technology they used. Everything was so intertwining and could have done with a full 20 episodes other than 15. It would have allowed for more character development and better understanding of their motivations. While you got the gist of it some left you scratching your head. While the story was lovely the animation was rather confusing. While it was beautiful, the women were so close to all being same face syndrome other than Anna Winehouse. However, there were slight variations that could help one capture their own uniqueness. The men however, they were very diverse but could also fall victim to the same face syndrome if not for a few tweaks. There were so many details in so much yet at times a lot of things were overly simplified. While you have such intense eyes nostrils were nothing but quick lines with minimal shading that let them go a bit too seamless with the face below. Objects around were incredibly detailed and looked off at times with the oversimplification of other things. Anatomy is tricky and at certain angles things do look a bit weird. Some times shoulders look to be in the wrong place and other times arms are far too short in one shot and perfectly normal in the next. Hands seemed to be an issue as well, mostly with shots that were at a distance. Close ups were near perfect. Their eyes were rather large and at times distracting with their very vivid colors but that is just a style choice and nothing wrong with that. The humans were a mix of simple and a bit detailed which threw me off at times. Despite that the art and animation is beautiful, the animators knew their color theory and despite the issues that I saw they really took their time to work on it. The music was lovely, each song amp'd up the scene perfectly and made the moment all the more interesting. I don't exactly hone in on the music when I watch so I can't say for certain if it was the best soundtrack or not. The voice acting however was well done, I watched the dubbed. Each actor brought their talents to the table and it showed. They all had unique voices and all felt incredibly real. They helped suck you into the story even more by being so believable. I hope they update the characters soon to include the english cast so I can know who they all were. One thing I will note however is the ending. It was very vague, sure it did it's job at leaving an opening but it was completely random. Felt almost as if it was just shoved in there at last minute. Overall it's an anime that held my interest from start to finish and if you like a good thriller with some good action I suggest watching this.