First Impression: To Be Hero X

Trigger warning: This episode show depicts an on-screen suicide. If such things affect you negatively, you may be better off skipping it.

Lin Ling wants to be a superhero, but the best he can do right now is work on superhero PR campaigns. Specifically, he is doing the new presentation about Nice, the white-haired Superman-style teenage hero who seems to have the perfect life. In this world, heroes are company creatures whose superpowers depend on the population’s trust, and Lin feels particularly inspired by Nice’s girlfriend, Moon. Nice himself is more of a cypher to him. But when the presentation delves a bit too much into aspirational, “everyone can become a hero” territory, his abusive boss shuts him down. That is nonsense, he says, asking, “What special abilities do you have?” A mishap with the client lands Lin Ling without a home, a girlfriend, or a job, alone on the roof, considering ending things. But before he does, someone else comes ahead and jumps: Nice himself! The horrified PR team decides to kidnap Lin on the spot, since he resembles the hero, and turn him into a substitute for Nice—the public’s trust will give him actual superpowers. Lin comes to accept the idea: He is an expert on all things Nice already, so he’s better qualified than others to pull this off. But will he be able to fool Luna? Not to mention the Enlightener, a truth-seeking superhero who already suspects a fraud…

The Arcane era of TV shows is definitively here: To Be Hero X is full of 3D colors and textures, its character designs are striking and expressive, the action is realistic and flows seamlessly, and all in all, I found it to be a feast for the eyes: The ending theme, in particular, is something to behold. But art design by itself cannot elevate a show; fortunately, the writing also has a lot of wit. Superhero stories (one of my favorite genres) come in all shapes and sizes, and this one inhabits a space between The Boys and Megamind, with its marketing-oriented heroes and the gap between reality and public image. The theme makes the story feel very contemporary: There is something very recognizable about Lin Ling’s life as a young loner without roots, consumed by his jobs, without a house or a community, interacting with all these inspiring public characters and doubting whether everything is marketing or there are genuine symbols out there that might provide inspiration and guidance. To make trust and fear increase the power of superheroes and supervillains, respectively, is a stroke of genius and makes for tense and uncertain battles. The last development, which I won’t spoil here, leads us into darker territory, and I’m not sure if I like it. But be it as it may, To Be Hero X is the most striking show of the season so far, and I’ll do my best to tune in next week.

To Be Hero X is available at Crunchyroll.