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Al's Anime Reviews - Sentenced to Be a Hero
2 months ago
General
Heroism, a punishment for only the worst criminals. Those sentenced to the fate of a Hero are forced to fight at the front lines against the Demon Lord's army, and if they die, they can expect to be revived and continue the battle. But when their leader, convicted of killing a Goddess, meets another goddess himself, the contract they forge may be enough to change the world...
Each season, we get at least a few of these double-length (or, god forbid, triple-length) episodes. I've found them to be a double-edged sword, leaving me either fully engaged or turned off completely and angry at having been forced to watch more than I wanted. Which outcome happens almost always revolves around one question: Did this need to be 45 minutes long to tell its story?" The good news for Sentenced to Be a Hero is that yes, it did.
A lot is going on that needs to be sorted through, even after using an opening title card to explain that the ultimate punishment in this fantasy world is not death, but rather to be sent on suicide missions while being resurrected repeatedly and losing a bit of your soul and memories each time you die. One issue is that we have a lot of proper nouns that mean different things in this world. A "Hero" is one undergoing the ultimate punishment. A "Goddess" is a living weapon able to manifest items seemingly out of midair. "Fairies" are normal animals mutated by the corruption spread by a "Demon Lord", and I have no idea what exactly a Demon Lord is other than a big monster. In addition to all that lore, we need to get to know our main man Xylo as a character, as he serves as both the emotional core and viewpoint character. In this episode, we learn about him by seeing how he acts around different groups of people, ie., fellow prisoners, holy knights, knight commanders and Goddesses. We also watch him in combat and see how, despite his constant grumbling, he does try to save as many lives as he can.
This makes us wonder about the nature of his crime, what a man as good as Xylo could've done to end up with this fate. And not only do we get that answer, but the context behind it, which makes this a revenge plot, a redemption tale and a save-the-world adventure all rolled into one. All this could not have been done in a single 22-minute episode, and splitting it in two would've left this premiere with far less impact, even with the show's high-tier animation.
The first thing that stood out to me was how the script actually respects the audience's intelligence. There isn't a single line of narration explaining the world, not one mention of stats or classes as a worldbuilding shortcut. Exposition comes through the characters discussing their situation and the world, reminding one another of the grim nature of their lives, criminals receiving eternal punishment for their crimes. I didn't need anyone to tell me that Dotta was probably sentenced for theft, because he keeps stealing throughout the show. The nearly hour-long premiere was primarily focused on action as Xylo, the newly awakened goddess Teoritta and Commander Kivia battle to defeat the ridiculously named demon god Awd Goggie, so I can't say much about the characters yet, but I already have a concept of who they are and what motivates them. Xylo and Dotta's situation reminded me of the inmates who are forced to fight the wildfires that ravage California every year. The actual action was gorgeously fluid and well storyboarded, backed by a soaring musical score worthy of any Hollywood fantasy film.
Second... Look, I know that as both a critic and a functional adult who lives in a society where the gamers should rise up, I should be above making fun of people's names. It's not like fictional characters get any more say in what they're named than real-world meatbags either. All of that being said though, I am begging the anime industry to find even one or two native English speakers with a modicum of taste and run some of these character names by them. Jokes aside, we do live in a globalized society with all sorts of resources right there at our fingertits, so you can't even use the language barrier as an excuse anymore, especially since a name like Xylo Forbartz is clearly trying to sound like a cool-guy hero name from a Western fantasy setting. Just imagine, all of you Japanese writers and editors that are obviously reading this review right now, if I tried to pitch my own gritty animated series set in feudal Japan, starring a hero named Chinchin Tsunamiyamoto.
Yeah, it ain't so easy to take me seriously now, is it? And I'm dunking on his name because, let's be real, if you just read the show's description on its own, you might think this is just another drop in the overflowing bucket of seasonal fantasy slop we have to dunk our heads into every three months or so. "Xylo Forbartz" is exactly the kind of nonsensical letter combination that some inexperienced light novel author would pull out of an online name generator to slap onto their generic potato golem of a protagonist right before they get to the scene where he's hit by Truck-kun and given magical cheat powers by some busty goddess with all the wisdom and common sense of a bundt cake.
As we watch our hero do his best to earn the coveted We Have Guts At Home trophy, the show continues to radiate blazing "Go fuck yourself if you're not down with Xylo Forbartz" energy, and I can't help but respect that (even if I still think his name is fuckin' stupid). Is the story doing anything particularly novel or interesting? No, not at all. We've got a badass warrior with some cute companions who gets betrayed by the Powers That Be and cast down as a prisoner after a battle against a horde of demonic creatures goes wrong. No matter what happens over the course of the show, I'm sure it'll invariably lead to Xylo enacting some richly deserved grimdark revenge.
It's worth noting that this show doesn't want to be poignant or induce any feelings in the viewer beyond the sheer unfairness of Xylo's situation. Even before the final moments reveal the truth, it's obvious that he's not like the other Heroes--none of the Holy Knights immediately recognize him as such, and Dotta, the other Hero that Xylo works with, was clearly sentenced for being a thief and doesn't have even a quarter of the skills Xylo does. The truth, when it comes out, isn't so much a bombshell as it is confirmation of what everything about Xylo's actions already told us. That, for my money, is the best-done piece of the episode. Showing us Xylo's truth without explicitly telling it until the final moments is pretty awesome storytelling. Certainly a better part of the episode than the gross monsters, especially Awd Goggie and his name that outdoes the stupidity of Xylo's. And yes, I'm assuming that Awd Goggie is male because he shoots slime that turns into babies out of a suspiciously placed eyestalk.
Insert the "That's a penis!" reaction clip here.
Another bit of praise I have for this is that all of the characters whose names we learn appear to be actually important. And the one named character who dies in this episode? His name is straight out of Yorkshire folklore, so that and the fact that the bad guys are all called Faeries indicate some of the inspiration for this piece.
Sentenced to Be a Hero simply has the juice. I'm not sure if it's my preferred flavour of juice, but I recommend trying a sip regardless. I can't say I actually fully enjoyed this episode, or that I'll seek out more, but this does plenty right even if it's not for me, and there's something to be said for that.
Each season, we get at least a few of these double-length (or, god forbid, triple-length) episodes. I've found them to be a double-edged sword, leaving me either fully engaged or turned off completely and angry at having been forced to watch more than I wanted. Which outcome happens almost always revolves around one question: Did this need to be 45 minutes long to tell its story?" The good news for Sentenced to Be a Hero is that yes, it did.
A lot is going on that needs to be sorted through, even after using an opening title card to explain that the ultimate punishment in this fantasy world is not death, but rather to be sent on suicide missions while being resurrected repeatedly and losing a bit of your soul and memories each time you die. One issue is that we have a lot of proper nouns that mean different things in this world. A "Hero" is one undergoing the ultimate punishment. A "Goddess" is a living weapon able to manifest items seemingly out of midair. "Fairies" are normal animals mutated by the corruption spread by a "Demon Lord", and I have no idea what exactly a Demon Lord is other than a big monster. In addition to all that lore, we need to get to know our main man Xylo as a character, as he serves as both the emotional core and viewpoint character. In this episode, we learn about him by seeing how he acts around different groups of people, ie., fellow prisoners, holy knights, knight commanders and Goddesses. We also watch him in combat and see how, despite his constant grumbling, he does try to save as many lives as he can.
This makes us wonder about the nature of his crime, what a man as good as Xylo could've done to end up with this fate. And not only do we get that answer, but the context behind it, which makes this a revenge plot, a redemption tale and a save-the-world adventure all rolled into one. All this could not have been done in a single 22-minute episode, and splitting it in two would've left this premiere with far less impact, even with the show's high-tier animation.
The first thing that stood out to me was how the script actually respects the audience's intelligence. There isn't a single line of narration explaining the world, not one mention of stats or classes as a worldbuilding shortcut. Exposition comes through the characters discussing their situation and the world, reminding one another of the grim nature of their lives, criminals receiving eternal punishment for their crimes. I didn't need anyone to tell me that Dotta was probably sentenced for theft, because he keeps stealing throughout the show. The nearly hour-long premiere was primarily focused on action as Xylo, the newly awakened goddess Teoritta and Commander Kivia battle to defeat the ridiculously named demon god Awd Goggie, so I can't say much about the characters yet, but I already have a concept of who they are and what motivates them. Xylo and Dotta's situation reminded me of the inmates who are forced to fight the wildfires that ravage California every year. The actual action was gorgeously fluid and well storyboarded, backed by a soaring musical score worthy of any Hollywood fantasy film.
Second... Look, I know that as both a critic and a functional adult who lives in a society where the gamers should rise up, I should be above making fun of people's names. It's not like fictional characters get any more say in what they're named than real-world meatbags either. All of that being said though, I am begging the anime industry to find even one or two native English speakers with a modicum of taste and run some of these character names by them. Jokes aside, we do live in a globalized society with all sorts of resources right there at our fingertits, so you can't even use the language barrier as an excuse anymore, especially since a name like Xylo Forbartz is clearly trying to sound like a cool-guy hero name from a Western fantasy setting. Just imagine, all of you Japanese writers and editors that are obviously reading this review right now, if I tried to pitch my own gritty animated series set in feudal Japan, starring a hero named Chinchin Tsunamiyamoto.
Yeah, it ain't so easy to take me seriously now, is it? And I'm dunking on his name because, let's be real, if you just read the show's description on its own, you might think this is just another drop in the overflowing bucket of seasonal fantasy slop we have to dunk our heads into every three months or so. "Xylo Forbartz" is exactly the kind of nonsensical letter combination that some inexperienced light novel author would pull out of an online name generator to slap onto their generic potato golem of a protagonist right before they get to the scene where he's hit by Truck-kun and given magical cheat powers by some busty goddess with all the wisdom and common sense of a bundt cake.
As we watch our hero do his best to earn the coveted We Have Guts At Home trophy, the show continues to radiate blazing "Go fuck yourself if you're not down with Xylo Forbartz" energy, and I can't help but respect that (even if I still think his name is fuckin' stupid). Is the story doing anything particularly novel or interesting? No, not at all. We've got a badass warrior with some cute companions who gets betrayed by the Powers That Be and cast down as a prisoner after a battle against a horde of demonic creatures goes wrong. No matter what happens over the course of the show, I'm sure it'll invariably lead to Xylo enacting some richly deserved grimdark revenge.
It's worth noting that this show doesn't want to be poignant or induce any feelings in the viewer beyond the sheer unfairness of Xylo's situation. Even before the final moments reveal the truth, it's obvious that he's not like the other Heroes--none of the Holy Knights immediately recognize him as such, and Dotta, the other Hero that Xylo works with, was clearly sentenced for being a thief and doesn't have even a quarter of the skills Xylo does. The truth, when it comes out, isn't so much a bombshell as it is confirmation of what everything about Xylo's actions already told us. That, for my money, is the best-done piece of the episode. Showing us Xylo's truth without explicitly telling it until the final moments is pretty awesome storytelling. Certainly a better part of the episode than the gross monsters, especially Awd Goggie and his name that outdoes the stupidity of Xylo's. And yes, I'm assuming that Awd Goggie is male because he shoots slime that turns into babies out of a suspiciously placed eyestalk.
Insert the "That's a penis!" reaction clip here.
Another bit of praise I have for this is that all of the characters whose names we learn appear to be actually important. And the one named character who dies in this episode? His name is straight out of Yorkshire folklore, so that and the fact that the bad guys are all called Faeries indicate some of the inspiration for this piece.
Sentenced to Be a Hero simply has the juice. I'm not sure if it's my preferred flavour of juice, but I recommend trying a sip regardless. I can't say I actually fully enjoyed this episode, or that I'll seek out more, but this does plenty right even if it's not for me, and there's something to be said for that.
The way we see those enemies come down, and the fact that heroes are seen as basically criminals while Teoritta glazed Xylo's heroism makes me wonder what the hell happened that made heroes seen as criminals sent on suicide missions and expected to die. Did a isekai hero come along, mess up royally, and now hero is a tainted name?