I was hoping that it would come together at some point, but as it turned out, To Be Hero X is a disappointing mess.
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It’s sort of a mix between The Boys and Baccano, with a more cynical outlook on the superhero genre and a large character cast that supports a non-linear narrative structure. However, To Be Hero X lacks focus. Baccano, for example, has a busy set piece with the train where a large amount of the cast frequently interacts, leading to very well explored character dynamics and a puzzle narrative that’s rewarding to solve. To Be Hero X, in comparison, structures itself as an anthology of stories that more or less function independently. Most of the “puzzle” is effectively just gradual worldbuilding, like any other show, and the questions it asks are either not answered or aren’t embedded in the narrative enough (like drop-feeding clues, etc.) to be connective tissue.
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img70%(https://imgur.com/IsBThJ7.jpg)

What I’m trying to say is, there isn't a larger structure that makes this series narratively engaging, so it comes more or less down to how good these short stories are on their own: And unfortunately, that’s something where To Be Hero X is often middling at best. Even the better short stories struggle to make a compelling story (ep. 5,6) beyond just a functional origin for the character, pacing has issues with being too fast (ep. 10) or slow with some egregious padding (ep. 12), and the worldbuilding doesn’t branch out from simplified structures (a social media app and few hero agencies) and thus the commentary that is made, while not bad, remains simple as well. It’s also odd to me how the female heroes noticeably aren’t allowed to be as twisted and weird as the male characters, and thus receive way worse story arcs (especially annoying if you consider the popularity contest they ran for season 2), and how, at times, the characters are outright misogynistic or the writing has sexist undertones (ep. 2,4). Which is non-problematic if you view it as a critique, but I do wonder to what extent it’s satire/commentary when this stuff is the foundation of a joke (ep. 16).
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The second half had some more interesting arcs that felt quite connected, but it also exposed that the narrative simply isn’t structurally interesting, so seeing the same scene from different POVs turned out to be pretty boring.
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Visually, this series is very good, although I don’t like the 2D portion aesthetically as much, and I mourn that the 3D portion was significantly smaller. I expected there to be a lore reason why some parts are specifically 2D or 3D, but as of now, there isn’t an answer yet. Nonetheless, the animation was consistently very good if not great (even if sometimes very derivative of a certain animator), and it’s always cool to see when a team seems to have received enough resources to go all out with ambition. In addition, this one of my first exposures to Chinese animation, so it was nice to learn to discover some amazing talent, such as Zehua Su 苏泽华 or Miao Zhang 张淼.

Overall, To Be Hero X is a mess. It was failed by its script first and foremost, but even initial strengths, such as the eerie direction of the first episode, aren't well maintained throughout. I commend the ambition but the final result isn't up to par.

Favorite episode: 23
Favorite characters: Ahu, Nice and Cheng Yang