Kengo Hanazawa

Holy shit was I hanging at the edge of my seat! Talk about a psychological thriller!

It's uncovered that zombies aren't really looking to eat people's flesh, but that they are reliving the last moments/relationships in their life. Along with super strength, speed, aggression, contortionist stature, and decomposition levels, I must say that these are the most erratic variation of the classic zombie I have ever come across. I tend to imagine zombies as being this slow, easily-killable thing, but now I can genuinely see a government be overtaken by these.

It doesn't help that Hideo is an erratic character himself; along with his delusions and peculiar personality, it's hard to read any point of this graphic novel and say that I felt safe.

The backgrounds (along with props) and character designs were phenomenal! I loved both the suburban and arborous illustrations, all shockingly realistic, which contrasts greatly by the comparatively simplistic (yet still realistic) design of the characters.

And speaking of realism, seeing the relationships the people had - both to survivors and their relationship with zombies, or the life stories the deceased had expressed and/or communicated before passing - just added that EXTRA layer of reality, and thus, gravity, to the whole situation. The whole book just felt REAL! And with its visuals, characters, and how its story unfolds, the problems our hero faces are as REAL as they'll ever be.

Favorite Quote: "Well, you see... I... I am thirty-five... but not everyone my age has had a lot of life experiences. It's about HOW you live, you get me?! HOW you live!" - Hideo Suzuki (I Am a Hero Omnibus, #2)… (mehr)

Tbh, a little bizarre how 2Chan is now a main plot point, and the whole, "she's our last chance to save humanity" cliche was disappointing, still, "I Am A Hero's" ability to be so grounded in reality is still impressive. I like the idea of the internet having a part in collectivising but I just don't think any normal survivor would start companion-searching on 2Chan lol. Furthermore, it appears that this lawless attitude the survivors have is going to last the rest of the series, and that's SUCH a shame because I always wanted to hear a story about the restoration of humanity after the apocalypse. Even the warping of reality and unreality in our unstable main character has been watered down, if not, mostly ignored.

All in all, I'm not sure how the series will continue but I still have my hopes!… (mehr)