It is rare that an anime comes by that reminds me of a parody itself, which, however, has something really touching in it. To Be Hero X is just such kind of show. It combines all the absurd, hyper-charged art you would hope to find in a gag comedy and somehow makes it a melancholy drama and a clever social investigation and an emotional poignancy that persists even after the final episode.

It is the most recent series in the To Be Hero universe, although you do not really need to have watched the previous series to enjoy the current one. What it has in common with its predecessors is the love of absurdity. Personage burst into cartoonish delivery, combats become anarchic showcases of stupefied reasoning, and comedy is spanning from Мат, of the gross-out, to bitter sarcasm. On the surface, one can just write it off as another loud and bizarre comedy. However, after a bit of perseverance, you soon discover that there is some sort of a planned story behind all the mayhem on the identity, the duty, and the meaning of it to be a hero.

The actual difference about To Be Hero X is balanced with story telling. It starts with the juvenile humor and some meta-jokes that make fun of the anime stereotypes, and at the climax, a gut-punch of sincerity is made. There is a continual play of parody and sincerity in the writing without it being disjointed. When the series sheds its comic disguise and gets down to seriousness, the moments have the greater impact due to the fact that you were not anticipating them. The anime is nearly telling you that: This is the absurdity of life, but it does not imply that it is meaningless.

To Be Hero X does not hold back any creative liberties, visually. It is not always fluid, but that is the style- it will tilt into crasser or cartoonish animation effects to push the comedy, but will then abruptly transition to an exceptionally well shot sequence when the mood changes. This opposition is a massive component of its character. The show is not attempting to be refined or traditionally attractive; it is flourishing in its vagaries. There is a possibility that this is an uneven production, however, this is a choice of art style that reflects the duality of the story itself- chaos and sincerity existing next to each other.

The characters are as mad as the world that they live in, and they are not nothing but jokes. X, the enigmatic new hero is full of contradictions: he is stylish and ridiculous, selfless and selfish, comic and tragic. Even the supporting characters are given their moment to shine and bring out some aspects that you would not have expected in this, seemingly, parody anime. All of them can be deemed as a reflection of the main theme of the show that a hero is not the one who is powerful and perfect, but one who endures, has his flaws, and is prepared to defend something.

It is also worth mentioning the soundtrack. It shifts between noisy songs that enhance the ridiculous battles and unexpectedly touching melodies that support emotionally touching scenes. Similar to the animation, the music echoes the tonal rollercoaster the show is putting you through.

In conclusion, To Be Hero X belongs to those rare anime that laughs at itself, laughs at you and then, when you do not expect it, it takes away the laughing to ensure that you feel. It is also non-conformist, untidy and at times not easy to classify, yet this is precisely what makes it effective. It is a festival of opposites: comedy, tragedy, parody, sincerity, chaos, meaning.