What’s this?
Leo is a hero who once saved the world from the invasion of a demon army. However, he was feared and ostracized by the people afterward, and ended up jobless. Feeling that his abilities would be better appreciated elsewhere, he joins the demon lord’s army that he once fought with. Now, in a new work environment, Leo strives to use his abilities and revive the demon army that is on the brink of collapse.
I’m quitting being a hero is based on Quantum and Hana AmanoThe fantasy light novel series and airs on HIDE Tuesdays.
How was the first episode?
Rebecca Silverman
Classification:
Even if you don’t admire Leo’s nerve for walking into the castle of the same demon lord he just defeated and asking for a job, you have to give him credit for realizing he was fighting on the wrong side earlier. This wouldn’t be the first title to posit that humans are the real monsters, and while it won’t necessarily be expanded upon here, that line of reasoning is wide open in this first episode. That Leo, after realizing he wasn’t doing a great job with a group, took it upon himself to fight Echidna, the Demon Queen, and her four generals, only to be completely pushed back by the very humans he was fighting for after defeating them, is a good demonstration of what is wrong in the world of the story. On another show, I could say it was an indication of what’s wrong with the basic good versus evil narrative, but I honestly don’t think that’s what this series is going for.
What does seem to be working is a simple role reversal: Leo was not respected as a hero, so he will try his luck as a villain. He knows that the path will be difficult, since he was the instrument of the defeat of the demons, but he is also tired, emotionally wounded and really fed up with living in a cave since he was banished from the same kingdom as him. saved. He wouldn’t blame him if he had a serious grudge; that he doesn’t seem to indicate that this will be a more light-hearted piece, or at least as light-hearted as it can be when war is involved. Not that anyone seems that interested in attacking humans again, Leo included. In part, that may be due to the beating the demons took, but it’s most likely due to absolutely no one involved having a taste for logistics. Since Leo came equipped with brochures, charts, and a resume, I think we can assume that planning and other logistical tasks are in his wheelhouse.
Despite all this relatively interesting information and a decent premise, the episode is a bit boring. Most of it is Leo explaining things, both to his prospective employers and to us in the audience, and while there’s some animation, it’s not very exciting. Lily’s constant tail wagging is cute, and the scene where Leo returns to town after defeating Echidna has just the right awkward balance, but if you don’t like the exposition, this can be a real problem. It has potential in Leo using his abilities to turn things around for people he’s previously defeated, but I could see the drag of this episode pushing people away.
Nicholas Dupree
Classification:
Right off the bat, I hate this title. Sure, it’s short enough and doesn’t have too long a subtitle, but “Hero” is such a clumsy word that it never looks right when I read it. The show itself is perfectly fine so far, maybe a bit confused on whether it wants to take its premise seriously or treat it entirely as a farce, but overall, this premiere isn’t a bad situation. But that title? Terrible. Horrible. My phone keeps automatically correcting it to “I’m getting off heroin” and I don’t need that kind of error in my work emails. As a protest I will call this I leave for the rest of the time.
Anyway, the real premise of I leave it’s solid enough, although I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen so many parts done better at other shows. I’m also really tired of powerpuff heroes gloating that being an Übermensch LVL 99 isn’t as much fun as they always thought it would be. So Leo himself is a bit bored during this premiere every time he’s supposed to be taken seriously. Fortunately, he’s much more charming when he plays an obtuse jerk who can’t stop talking about how he’s so much stronger than the army of demons he’s trying to get a job with. He’s a jerk, sure, but his casual ego gives him some personality and allows him to bounce off of the other characters in this episode in a way that’s funny more often than not.
There aren’t really any laugh-out-loud moments in this episode though, mainly because so much of it is used to construct the same joke four or five times in a row. Yes, Leo is much stronger than everyone else and completely defeated the demon generals! We definitely needed to see that gag go through the wash multiple times throughout the episode. It doesn’t help that while some of the generals at least return the chutzpah, a couple of them just go along with Leo’s obnoxious personality. Jokes like this need some real friction to be funny, and that’s lacking in much of this premiere. I’m especially not a fan of the underage girl-beast who has stated that she wants to marry him. The program has not yet used it for obvious. fan servicebut the prospect of seeing more of that is a good motivator not to watch another episode.
And he really didn’t need any more help in that effort. While there’s nothing particularly bad about this premiere, it doesn’t do much to make it interesting or compelling either. Maybe it’s the generic art style and character designs, maybe it’s just that the show is split too much between wacky comedy and a serious story of a banished hero joining the “dark side”; Either way, not being bad or objectionable isn’t the same as being good, and I can’t bring much enthusiasm to a show that leaves so little impression.