Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
b-p-89
I'm glad I ignored reviews and ratings I saw online before watching this. In terms of style, Hero Mask is a mix of Deus Ex, Detroit: Become Human, and your typical American criminal investigation drama. It certainly isn't anything groundbreaking, but definitely worth the watch if you're a fan of the genre. I have to agree with another reviewer in that there seems to be some strange aversion to anything Western by some fans and that seems to be the case here.
One reviewer on Youtube griped about the Western names and was confused about whether it was taking place in Tokyo or London. If it wasn't obvious from the architecture, the fashion, and characters mentioning the River Thames by name, it is indeed set in contemporary London and the characters have English names because they are, well,…
Read at the sourcePokerHeel
Hero Mask had all the ingredients to be interesting.
The art style isn't going to please everyone, but it's worth a look.
So this is season 1.
It's... A mess. In the good and bad sense of the word. I know what they wanted to do, and I like... Certain things. But it's done in a rather confusing way. Luckily I like the genre, otherwise I would have given up, I think.
The plot is pleasant, even if complex and sometimes exhausting to follow. But the characters are the biggest weak point in my opinion. James Blood doesn't inspire me, he doesn't take me on a journey through his story.
That said, Hero Mask still respects its genre and it’s worth watching.
Read at the sourcedaaphish
This review is for Season 1 only since MyAnimeList lists them separately.
*No Spoilers*
Summary:
This season has an interesting plot, but it is so plot-driven that it completely overlooks the meaning and characters. The watcher doesn’t get to know or care about the characters, and you don’t get to learn why they do what they do. Overall, the story is confusing (although many questions are answered in Season 2), and the characters are stagnant and uninteresting. With that said, the plot is unique and interesting. Don’t judge this series based on the reviews that say it’s not “anime” because of its art style. If you enjoy suspense and action, this is probably a good choice for you.
Story: 7/10
The plot at its base is interesting; it’s a mystery-sci-fi-secret agent-suspenseful story. Howev…
Read at the sourceSidsAnime86
Even though I'm still watching season 2, I had to write a review for season 1.
It is a good anime with a great plot and great potential, but is poorly handled by bad editing skills and almost no background music/sound.
I understand why this show scored so low.
For me, the main problem was background effects, music/sound and bad editing. Some of the scenes are dragged unnecessary long. And the lack of background effects makes it seems even longer.
The most sound u hear in the background are ventilation/air condition noises from an office building or the wind blowing.. sometimes it even feels like you are sitting in a plane and hear the "flight" noise that u experience while traveling.
Some of the scenes in season 1 are quite emotional.. its a crime investigation show, so there is a lot…
Read at the sourceBlackwing1963
Hero Mask is one of those anime, heck even story in general, that is a slow burn.
We are quickly introduced to our protagonist James Blood (given that he is using some high tech contacts, bullets with tracers built-in, etc.) it would almost imply that he is supposed to be your James Bond type of character. A person who charges face-first into danger, even if that is going against direct orders.
While James is busy fishing his target out of the river from the auto chase, we meet up with Sarah (a prosecutor), our second main character of this first story arc who is going to meet her mentor and friend Monica who is walking across the street after a somewhat meeting. Halfway across the intersection, Monica mysteriously drops dead of a heart attack. And thus the mystery and conspiracy begin.…
Read at the sourceDr_Zoe-Hange
Where should I begin, well I completed this show in hopes to see some development but its overall a very mediocre show, saved only by its graphics & art design, which on it own, are not so unique or stellar but are clear with vivid colors.
Setting is okay, nice to see Britain in an anime setting which is not so much of a common occurrence.
Story: Poor
The story revolves around these Masks, which are an unstable product of biotechnology often granting the wearer with some superhuman abilities. Although the whole scenario around these Masks is stressed to be mysterious for our lead characters and story development, the fact is : there is no mystery. All maneuvering by certain mafias and corporations to get hold of these masks is pretty clear & understandable. So there's no element of surpr…
Read at the sourceReyvinHill
This is a review of the anime only. I have not read the manga.
This is an anime that you really have to pay solid attention to while watching. You can't miss even a few seconds without suddenly being lost. I like that it moves fast and is complex like that but it makes it exhausting to watch, especially if you're trying to marathon it, the way I did.
The first thing that jumped out at me about this anime was the art style. It's phenomenal. It's very different from what we're used to but it's still absolutely stunning. I usually despise Western cartoon art styles but this was done spectacularly well. I loved it. It was sort of shoujo-esque in that there was a lot of focus on the eyes and lighting but I liked that.
The story was really confusing to me but I wasn't able to devote 100% of…
Read at the sourcedarl_travelgamer
this is on my Netflix list when it came out and finally watched it a few days ago. I like the story, the action and the plot. The characters are well introduced. The story that we can't guess what will happen next. Overall it's a good anime. Don't judge it by bad reviews, give it a try. This anime might not a typical anime you will see with all those hype because it's mix with western animation. I can't stop watching it that I even watch it in just one day the whole 2 season. I wish there will be season 3 so you I will see what happen to the mask.
Read at the sourceCreissonino
I don't really know what I watched here.
If you ask me "what happens in Hero Mask", I can't explain. I remember the beginning, the girl diying and the mask stuff, but that's all.
I can't see any progression here.
I can't understand any of the characters motivations.
I can't even recognize the caracters of it and what they are.
That happens mostly because nothing happens in the course of the series. Yea, there's some things I can remember in the middle of it and in the end, but the plot doesn't make any sense and the show doesn't even have a premise.
Yea, the mask from the title is there and we learn its properties in from the start of the series, but we are fooled by it because Hero Mask isn't about it and we even forgot about its existence sometimes.
The sound is dumb. The animation…
Read at the sourceAntalk
First off, I do not have any issue w/ NETFLIX producing and offering anime into western homes and I will continue to watch said anime. Unfortunately, Hero Mask bit the big schwanz. The plot is solid as is the art and character development. All the music is top notch. Some of the reviewers complain about anime becoming too westernized. Guess what: Too bad Charlie. Anime has become globalized and because of that simple fact, anime will pick up influences from ALL across the globe.
So why did I rate Hero Mask w/ a 5? This is what you may call a true crime story, based upon some type of realistic scenario which means it needs to have some type of realism.
1. Gun fight in tunnel. James Bloods' car is getting peppered at point blank range and nary a bullet pierces the drivers side door. His st…
Read at the sourceNightSkyBlue
I just finished this series (up to episodes 15). I have a habit of not reading any reviews of a show until I finish it. I am weird like that. So here I am absolutely blown away by this great anime, and I come to this page and see a wall of barely understandable smear reviews telling people this is a garbage show.
That is what compelled me to write this. Not liking this is fine, but this show has fine quality all around. Interesting characters, an amazing story, great sound, gripping plot progression, great choreography, good quality animation. I can hardly even understand the negativity that is being thrown at it. I hope it isn't because it feels like it was made for an American audience? Are anime fans that fickle? I hope not.
Anyways, I highly recommend you guys try this series out.…
Read at the sourceRelGmo7
I really enjoyed this story, as each episode unfolds your given a little bit more info into exactly what's going on. The story surrounds 2 character primarily; detective James Blood and a prosecutor named Sarah Sinclair. Together with the help of the rest of the special police force the try to unravel the mysteries behind murders and a mysterious mask that gives normal humans god like ability. I binged through it and was satisfied. The ending felt strange during the last few episodes due to them tying up all there lose ends but all things considered it was a decent watch. This isn't the next great anime or anything but if you have some time sit back and enjoy another good netflix original anime.
Read at the sourceFaydflowright
This series came out of no where on Netflix and I was so close to not even watch it. The trailer really does not do the series justice. The series is a near future, crime action show that I was surprised that it was actually an anime. Everything about the show is really aimed for the Western/Hollywood action audience... and I love it. Everything from the opening, to the fact that the show had a "costume designer" shows that this isn't your normal show. Actually, it almost feels like this show should be on a TNT or FOX staring a Tom Cruise kind of actor.
I wish that there were more animated shows like this out there. Though there are moments that show where an hour long/live action format would have been better. The art is beautiful, and the pacing is good... just giving you enough every e…
Read at the sourceJakensApprentice
If elements of a story are clichéd in one medium, but they are transposed into another medium where those clichés are never done, is the story still clichéd? Are clichés universal, or are there boundaries between genres, mediums, and cultures that change our expectations of certain stories? This is what makes Hero Mask so fascinating to me, and how you answer this question will be the biggest factor in your enjoyment of the series. What would be the most clichéd series ever to an American audience is one that has no true parallel in the world of anime. The only shows that are remotely comparable to it are ones with direct western influence. I don’t know who came up with the idea of imitating every western action movie ever, but I’m so glad they did. Hero Mask is a fast-paced thriller with…
Read at the sourceLupinXXIII
HERO MASK is the second Netflix original that attempts to merge elements of Western action/crime thrillers with sci-fi shenanigans after B: THE BEGINNING face-planted itself into a bizarre cliche-ridden mess of disconnected ideas and hollow characters. The best and worst thing you can say about this bit of double dipping is that I now appreciate B just a little more for at least making an entertaining albeit drunken stumble of it. By contrast, HERO MASK is joylessly sober in almost every moment.
The possible clandestine offing of a prosecutor in quasi-futuristic London gets the inquiries of her colleague Sarah Sinclair and elite Special Service of Crime officer James Blood (yes, that's right) up and running. It's a typical corporate conspiracy setup. But the show is already so disinteres…
Read at the sourcedonhumberto
So, after reading a lot of blatant lies about this magnificent series, I’ve felt compelled to write a review to balance things up.
Two things have become clear to me after reading a lot of over the top negative comments about Hero Mask: a) A big (and very vocal) part of the anime fandom don’t like their anime to be “tainted” by any kind of Western influence and b) A lot of anime fans dislike big changes and series that try to break out of the norm.
Enter Hero Mask, a Netflix original series that, despite being made by studio Pierrot and a (relatively unkown) japanese staff, looks and feels Western as fuck. It also is radically different to anything we have come to expect from anime, both aestethically and plot-wise. So yeah, for a big part of the anime fans at least, half the battle was l…
Read at the sourcephotophobic
well everyone
welcome to the anime james bond
but really not that good
story - 6
honestly, it felt both simplistic but still somewhat ambiguous (though not in an entertaining manner). the pacing was alright; there just wasn't enough depth to capture my interest past the first few episodes
art - 6
i wasn't expecting much when i saw hero mask was by studio pierrot - tg:re2 has left me with scars. that said, i wasn't as horrified as i expected to be. there are plenty of well drawn moments in hero mask varying from beautiful backgrounds to the yellow eye of the mask. however, studio pierrot seems to struggle with drawing people - it's hard to pinpoint but they're just a bit stiff, their eyes are a bit bland, and there'll be the occassional foolish idea to make them more realistic than usual…
Read at the sourcefaded-moonlight
When I decided to watch 'Hero Mask', I didn't have any expectations at all. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean this in a churlish way. What I mean is that I didn't bother checking which studio was behind it, who were the producers, directors, how much of an involvement Netflix actually had, etc. And maybe this helped me appreciating the series for what it was.
It's rather unpretentious (which I gladly appreciate) and straightforward. In a way, it is very much predictable, yet, the show does wonders keeping you on your toes and building tension out of some of your typical action-police-mistery clichés, so fair play to them. At times, it does almost seem like your everyday american police series adapted into an anime. I could understand how glaring that could be for some, but it didn't actua…
Read at the sourceBenjaminRogers
Hero Mask, otherwise known by its other title, Origami II : Papers Final Form
Before I even start with dissecting the characters and plot of this anime, something needs to be addressed, and that is the way this series deals with flashbacks. Never before in my life have i watched an anime where I literally had no idea I was watching a flashback until later in the episode someone says "3 years ago".
This anime has your classic set of characters for a cop show of its type:
Old man Boss guy: who seems like he's rough but he really just knows what he is doing
Hackerman: I'm in.
Main Cop guy : Whose literally to good at what he is doing to follow the rules, probably has robot limbs or something, idk
Main not cop girl: Who gets into the car saying "I'm not gonna give up" then proceeds to almost…
Read at the sourceUglyboi85
I was looking for a crime anime and I can't believe I found it on the day I was looking for one. I love the whole crime/suspense/ mystery genre and Hero Mask fulfilled my satisfaction. Although it kinds of slow to start off, I guess because of the whole character and story development, it really begins to take off but not too much leaving you wanting more! It's so suspenseful and I hope they make another season! It was like I was watching CSI with a sci-fi touch to it but animated. You may see a lot of negative reviews of this anime but honestly I think its just people that are already comparing it to other good anime's out there that their standards are way too high. But if you like the whole mystery,crime genre then I highly recommend this. You will have to be patient with the story as i…
Read at the source
