First Impression: Sentenced to Be a Hero

There is a greater punishment than torture or execution. In this world, the vilest of criminals are sentenced to be heroes—warriors meant to defend the Holy Knights as they keep Demon Blights at bay and battle against mighty demon lords and their man-eating faerie armies. Heroes not only fight on the front lines—they are resurrected again and again after they die, each time losing a bit more of their humanity and their memories. Xylo is one such hero: An unrelenting and brilliant warrior, he slices through faeries that even strong knights cannot defeat. He has no love for the kingdom or those he saves, but his ire is saved for someone—or something—else. In the midst of a vicious battle, Xylo may be forced to turn to the object of his rage, a weapon of immeasurable power.

This is how you do a double-length first episode—well, double-length plus an additional six minutes to be exact. Sentenced to Be a Hero is one of the most anticipated titles of the winter, but it wasn’t on my radar. And for that, I’m glad, because I could experience it without expectation and be totally blown away in my first viewing. It all starts with the gorgeous animation and excellent direction—so much time is spent creating dynamic fight scenes, but also thoughtful ones throughout. The episode feels like a motion picture and is really a feast for the eyes. The faeries themselves are an interesting enemy—globulous, acidic, and rabid, they’re drawn in dull colors with bright, glowing attachments, helping along the slightly cyberpunk feel to this otherwise solidly medieval fantasy setting. The demon lord is also conceptually interesting—a humongous beast that nonetheless is strategic and smart. He has a cool name, too: Awd Goggie. Oh, and I didn’t even mention the tadpole missiles!

The latter half of the episode, especially the several climactic scenes and the epilogue, develops the characters and story a little further than the previous 45 minutes; we get a sense, during the first 2/3, for Xylo’s integrity and the basic personalities of others, including the thieving Dota and the honor-above-all, vengeful captain Kivia. But the last half really lets us explore Xylo and this world a little more, and helps us understand Teoritta as well. I’m enjoying all four of these characters immensely—even in how obnoxious they can be, which adds a sense of realism to the show. And the challenging bond between Xylo and Teoritta is especially compelling because of Xylo’s history and the vastly mismatched personalities (Emi Lo in the English version and Mayu Iizuka in the Japanese version each have a field day playing this dynamite character).

I recognize that not everything is perfect about the episode—it takes its designs and action sequences liberally from many series before it (Fate/stay night, JJK, Evangelion) and is a little too on the nose on the Holy Knights’ insufferable desire for honor above all else. I also worry about how they’ll play with Teoritta and the “deity/ancient being in a little girl’s body” trope, though there’s no sign of any troubling yet. But all these are relatively minor concerns. The episode is well-written, incredibly animated, exciting, and provides a story that’s epic in scope. What a thrilling hour of television! I’ll be eagerly awaiting episode two.

Sentenced to Be a Hero can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

Twwk
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