“Yuuma Tsugari is an ordinary high school student whose family runs a bathhouse. He leads a peaceful, uneventful life—but that all changes when two beautiful women approach him, each certain he's the legendary man she's been searching for! But which of them is right? Is he the hero or the demon lord? Turns out he bears the marks of both, and neither woman is willing to give him up! Wanted by the forces of good and evil, what's a guy like Yuuma to do?!” (Yen Press)
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Unabashedly leading with some ‘heavy assets', “I'm the Hero” is a tale of battling bountiful bosoms vying for the favor of a young man who has the choice between becoming hero or villain – the polarizing sides using all manner of seduction to convince the would-be champion. Undeniably, the title is an adolescence wet dream where ‘manic pixie dream girl' archetypes constantly flaunt and rub their privates against the squeamish protagonist. However, for those willing to embrace the absurdity and lewdness, the title does have more to offer than just teenage inspired fantasy.
Notably, the art-work of Tatsuya Endo is expressive and fun, perfect at capturing all the awkwardness of overabundant nudity. His female forms, while unrealistically top heavy, have a lot of personality and the contrasting attitudes of good and evil feel well presented in style. Overall, the books' frantic approach between fan service, comedy and action flows harmoniously under the pen of Endo.
The narrative, as previously mentioned, is basic teenage fantasy that is hard to be overly critical of. Certainly, the comedic timing is spot-on but this seems largely tied to art over the actually narrative. The plot is essentially just a means to set up scenes of awkward groping or a big breasted reveal. The story lacks depth, but at no point does the work pretend to be something grander than what it really is – giving the reader as many pleasant mammaries as possible. Essentially, those checking out the work probably know what they are in from off cover and synopsis alone, but can be assured, once the protective plastic is peeled back, the manga certainly delivers.
Given the release's rather limited narrative and ‘boner comedy' stylings, it is hard to really say if the series will adapt beyond this first release. The introduction of new characters and lore does allude to some growth, but more plausibly, the title will just stay focused on setting up countless lewd scenarios over establishing a deeper narrative.
Yen Press has been releasing more NSFW type content recently, with both “Please Put Them On Takamine-San” and “Sex-Ed 100%” being uproarious deviations into naughty narratives with their own unique charms. In comparison, “I'm the Hero” just delivers on the promise of a sexy comedic romp with not much else to add. Overall, fans of lewd humor with fantasy elements will enjoy this release but its reach outside of the existing audience is unlikely – you get what you expect!
