Heroes Are Extinct 2
January 6, 2008
I’m having technical difficulties with the site again. This time I can’t actually log myself in to leave comments, so all my replies are vaguely anonymous (or avatar-less, I suppose) for the time being. Not that big a tragedy, but it’s annoying, especially since I just paid for something here.
I like this series so much. In the back, it’s revealed that it ran in Wings magazine in Japan, which is also where RG Veda and Princess Princess ran. There seems to be something vaguely bland and unsatisfying about all these series, and it honestly doesn’t bode well for the huge omnibus edition of Demon Ororon I have sitting next to me (also a Wings series), but I’m willing to forgive Heroes are Extinct its flaws because… well, it’s totally awesome and seems to be handling its characters and plot pretty well so far.
Right at the beginning of this volume, we are introduced to Cassiel’s brother, who is also a general. The two seem to share some sort of deep brotherly bond, since they are constantly together and rose petals tend to appear when they embrace. Velvet doesn’t really like the brother though, and through her, we find out that the brother has been up to some fairly shady goings-on.
The brother is all for the Earth Defense Force, though. While the generals are trying to find a new strategy, the brother appears and suggests (or rather, agrees with Cassiel) that the next plan of attack should be some sort of giant monster. The humans themselves don’t get much screen time or development, but Cassiel still really gets into planning out these really fake battles between his forces and those of Earth. He also gets the opportunity to live out a fantasy at the end of the volume which made me happy, indeed.
As for the flaws I mentioned earlier… yeah, there’s something slightly bland about this series. I enjoy it immensely, because like I said before, I really love sentai, but I can see how others might not be so forgiving. While everything flows really smoothly, it feels like it’s missing some vague minor details that might add depth to the series. The basic structure of the series is fine though, it was definitely set up to be a short series, and I think three volumes will be just the right length. Perhaps more details would have just bogged things down. A lot of the main characters stay pretty shallow in this volume too, most notably Velvet. Even I am wondering a little bit what Velvet’s deal is, because she doesn’t seem to want to open up to anyone at all. She definitely has problems with Cassiel’s brother though, and desperately needs to let off some steam. Punkin and the other general stay pretty much in the background this time, but they’re pretty… well, unimportant at this point.
I was very impressed by the thrust of the plot in this volume, though. Again, while it’s not the most original plot in the world, there’s a subplot involving the childhood of Cassiel that gets revealed at the end of the volume, and the brother’s sinister motives are explained in the end for what they are. There isn’t much progress on the invasion of Earth, but lots of other space drama happens.
So yeah, I LOVE this series, it still makes me laugh and I enjoy everything about it, but I can see how it might not be for everybody.
January 6, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Hmm. After reading your review of volume one, it sounds like it might be the sort of weird that I find amusing.
January 6, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I was dying when I was going through the first volume, the whole premise of the series (the alien invader being disappointed by the lack of a Power Rangers-like force, so he starts one himself so he can fight it) was great. The second volume was a little more serious, but it’s still got the really weird humor throughout. There’s also plenty of the regular types of jokes that fall flat, but it’s still pretty funny.
January 7, 2008 at 12:01 pm
[...] of Words of Devotion at MangaCast and vol. 20 of Red River at the Manga Maniac Cafe. Connie reviews vol. 2 of Heroes are Extinct, vols. 1 and 2 of Real/Fake Princess, vol. 9 of Law of Ueki, vol. 9 of Sgt. Frog, vol. 20 of Cheeky [...]