Better off deadbeat
Creative Staff
Story & Art: Kengo Hanazawa
Translation: Kumar Sivasubramanian
Adaptor: Philip R. Simon
What They Say
It’s the end of humanity as we know it–but are you a part of the zombie-human hive mind or about to die outside of it?
With Hiromi absorbed into a huge, mobile ZQN nest, will Hideo be able to extract her or will he seal his death warrant with his ignorance and hasty choices? Humanity has a very slim chance for survival. See how several groups of survivors get it all wrong and possibly end the human race! Go way further and get way stranger than the I Am a Hero film adaptation in this final omnibus volume!
Collects I Am a Hero original Japanese volumes 21 and 22
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Disaster stories will always come with this inherent baggage of being unable to bring a fully satisfying conclusion. In cases like zombie apocalypses, even when our heroes survive another day, there’s no true end in sight outside of continuing to survive. And in that sense, maybe it was just fated for I Am A Hero to go out with a whimper.
As multiple factions have all somehow found their way to Tokyo, it definitely feels like a final showdown is at hand. Hideo continues solo, trying to fend off the giant mass of fused ZQNs that recently absorbed Hiromi; Korori’s merry band of misfits continues to rebel against Asada and his cult; and Kurusu continues to remain the single wildcard of the batch, using his ZQN powers whenever he sees fit. In terms of setup, every character feels like they’re where they should be, and yet the execution itself feels wholly unchanged from the tone of any other place in the story.
Hideo has always been the type of character to bumble about, testing the patience of readers until he eventually stumbles into the plot. So to have him eventually run into Korori’s group only to be just far enough away to not be able to communicate with them feels very in-character for him, and yet his interference with their fight against Kurusu and Asada is simply frustrating to witness and shows just how little he’s progressed as a character. Yes, Hideo is able to fire a gun at any and all characters at this point, but his core character of being a shut-in that never truly understands anyone no matter how intimate they get has never been fully challenged. He acts based on his own needs first and that’s never changed even as the series comes to a close. By the series’ end, even with his increased confidence as a hunter, he still comes off as this sad, pathetic character who relies on his own offbeatedness to get through the day.
Contrast this with Korori’s group, who while introduced far later into the story, better fits the archetype of a more traditional zombie survival story. This deep into the series, it feels like author Hanazawa has committed to strongly to painting Hideo as this non-heroic character to the point that he isn’t able to progress the story with him. So while slowly bringing more focus on Korori as this likable character is the logical choice in-series, it still comes off as far too late and too sudden to really have as much impact as it could have potentially had if Korori was given more focus earlier on. Unlike Hideo, Korori’s shortcomings (read: his very blatant and unapologetic pervertedness) feel like they’re made up for through his willingness to put those actions aside for the better of the group he’s willing to protect. Yes, he still wishes to someday create his own manga, but those goals never come off as selfish as he’s still able to prioritize the safety of others first and foremost. He’s able to be a leader when the time comes, and his ability to work alongside other characters like Tomabechi and Auntie paint him in a far better light than Hideo.
As the chaos with the giant ZQN and the surviving humans continues to unfold, it feels chaotic in an almost unintentional way. Jumping between multiple characters feels less intended for the story and more for the simple sake of author Hanazawa still figuring out who’s likable enough to drive this story home. And while he eventually settles with Korori and co, this again feels like a decision that’s made far too late into the series. Soon enough, we’re met with a timeskip and further contrasting between Korori’s group and the solo Hideo, but by this point, we’re met with more questions than resolutions to really care.
In Summary:
While there were a handful of satisfying moments, I Am A Hero omnibus 11 was ultimately an unsatisfying conclusion to the series, bringing no sense of closure to the story outside of brief allusions taken with little to no context. The sudden focus on more minor characters at the eleventh hour feels too sudden, while main characters like Hideo and Hiromi feel unceremoniously dropped with little to no fanfare. Even if it was the author’s intention to have Hideo come out just as mundane as he started in the series, the trajectory taken to bring that point home never feels like it was taken to its full extent.
Content Grade: D
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Manga
Release Date: November 5, 2019
MSRP: $19.99
