Alternative TitlesJapanese: アイアムアヒーロー InformationVolumes: 22 Status: Finished Genres:Drama, Horror, Psychological, Seinen Serialization:Big Comic Spirits Statistics1 indicates a weighted score. Please note that 'Not yet published' titles are excluded. Ranked: #1351 22 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Members: 46,569 | Ranked #1351Popularity #131Members 46,569 Add to List Chapters: /264 SynopsisInsecure 35-year-old Hideo Suzuki is forced to work as a mangaka's assistant when his own series fails due to low sales. As he struggles through a mundane life plagued by hallucinations, he comes to realize that his relationship with his girlfriend isn't that great, suspecting that she may be cheating on him with her ex-boyfriend. After confronting her about the possible affair, however, Hideo feels bad about his inquisition and decides to visit her house to apologize.
But the world as he knows is about to be overturned. At first, not much seems to have changed, but he soon realizes that society has become a living nightmare, as the horrifying reality of what is taking place around him finally begins to sink in.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]BackgroundI Am a Hero was nominated for the 3rd, 4th and 5th Manga Taisho Award (2010, 2011, and 2012) and is the winner of the 58th Shogakukan Manga Award (2013) in the general manga category. As of November 30, 2015, the series has sold 4 million copies.
The series has been published in English by Dark Horse in omnibus format since April 26, 2016; in Spanish by Norma Editorial since May 24, 2013; and will be published in Argentina by Editorial IVREA in the second semester of 2016. It has also been published in Italy, France, Mexico, Germany, and Indonesia by different companies. |
Related Manga| Spin-off: | I Am a Hero in Osaka, I Am a Hero in Ibaraki, I Am a Hero in Nagasaki | | Other: | I Am a Hero Koushiki Comic Anthology: 8 Tales of the ZQN |
Characters| Kurokawa, Tetsuko Supporting |
More reviewsReviews 264 of 264 chapters read VAPOR_KNIGHTS_(All reviews)
160 people found this review helpful |
WARNING TO ANYBODY WHO IS INTERESTED IN THIS MANGA, BE PREPARED FOR THE LAZIEST, MOST INSULTING COP-OUT OF AN ENDING POSSIBLE
This review is spoiler free. it is also my first review, as I just have to put this warning out here since all the top reviews are praising this manga.
When I started reading this manga, I had fairly high expectations going off what I'd heard from people and the other reviews here. Little did I know, the other reviews were written before the manga was completed. I didn't even realize that the manga was completed myself until I got to the end. if that last chapter hadn't been uploaded and I was under the impression that the manga still had many more chapters to go, I would have easily given this a 9, or maybe even a 10. I loved this manga.
Unfortunately, it was just too good to be true.
This manga was exactly what I was looking for. It had very real characters who you could empathize with, a compelling story that always had you wondering what was around the corner, and the author even took a very interesting turn regarding the origin and motive of the zombie virus that I was eager to learn more about. I couldn't stop reading, and before I knew it, I had reached the 'end'. If you can even call that an 'ending'.
I'm just going to say first off that I don't know the circumstances behind this ending, whether the publisher decided to axe the manga, or they forced the writer to reach an ending as quickly as possible at the expense of a real conclusion. Perhaps the author decided that he did not care about his work anymore, and tried his hardest to sabotage all that he had built. Disregarding the reasoning, the truth is in the paper: THIS ENDING ANSWERS NOTHING, GOES NOWHERE, AND SATISFIES NO ONE.
Right after the final climax (i had no idea that it was the final climax, mind you), suddenly the threat is completely gone JUST BECAUSE, the hero decides 'oh well!' and just goes off. All of the questions that you had, all of the big mysteries that were just starting to reach clarity, all the amazing events and concepts that the author was building up to reach some spectacular culmination.. gets completely tossed out the window as if it never mattered in the first place. The ending reads like a slap in the face, as if the author is laughing at the foolish reader who wasted their time reading all 264 chapters just to get trolled.
You become attached to these characters and intrigued by the plot, all for nothing.
One of the most ironic parts of this manga is found in one character's lines. One of the characters introduced towards the end of the story is a fan of the MC's manga (the MC is an author of an obscure, unpopular manga before the zombie apocalypse). In reference to the MC, the aforementioned character comments on how 'it's so sad for an author to be forced to end his manga in a way that he wouldn't have wanted'.
Are you serious? it's almost as if the author knew that his manga was going to have a garbage ending. I CANNOT possibly believe that this author thought this was a good or even satisfactory ending.
To conclude, I want to remind you that this really was a great story before the sudden end. While I won't tell you not to read it, Just remember this warning and expect to have almost no questions answered.
Thanks for reading! read more 264 of 264 chapters read Coppy(All reviews)
22 people found this review helpful |
I'm gonna let this would-be masterpiece pop my first review cherry.
TL;DR: Imagine yourself chewing a fresh piece of gum. First couple of chews were all hard and boring. But as its flavour starts to release, it motivates you to want more. This continues to build up and up. Until when you've finally chewed and moisturised it enough to have that pleasant squishy feel with its flavour at its prime. Absolute Bliss. But wait. Right now, you are getting told to stop and spit it out. A mix of disappointment, dissatisfaction and perhaps anger, right? That's my experience with I Am a Hero. Dissatisfaction and disappointment with a dash of anger. End TL;DR.
Alright, I'm going to assume that I can let loose from here. I'll sync my thoughts as I type and try to keep this short.
After finishing a romance zombie manga, my interest with zombie manga rose a little. So, I ended up reading I Am a Hero's summary through recommendations. A little bit of blah blah here, I dislike reading or watching multiple stories at once because my memory will get mixed up and the feelings will jumble up annoyingly. I had already started reading another romance manga at this point but decided to start reading I Am a Hero anyway, especially since that shotgun on the cover picture probably means some good ol' F U zombie actions.
Art - 10/10:
I'm not a picker. The faces were drawn very differently comparing to the other manga/anime I've read/watched. I had a hard time getting used to it but the attention to the details of the many sceneries in this series more than make up for it. Plus, since we're getting a lot of gore here, it helps a lot for me to separate I Am a Hero from my other Happy, Feel Gooo.Great manga/anime. Actually, I'm just going to say it bluntly, the faces were drawn ugly but they are also very unique. Anyhow, it's not like everyone in real life are beautiful or handsome anyway. Take my 10 with no shame.
Character - 10/10:
Not a picker. I don't really pay attention as to whether the stories behind the characters contradict or make sense at all. They were all believable and it was interesting how their relationships progressed. No complaints, so no penalty from my default 10/10 score.
Story - 8/10:
Honestly, I think I could give this a 0 because I absolutely hate bad endings. Bad as in incomplete or illogical endings. As you may understand from my TL;DR, I Am a Hero felt incomplete to me. There were quite a few cues throughout the story that MAY have indicated that the author needed to cut this story short or worse. I'm going to be naive and believe that there is a FULL version of I Am a Hero and by judging the series' direction while mixing a bit of estima.. imagination, I'm giving this an 8/10 for its high potential for a masterpiece ending. What's a masterpiece ending? It's any ending that leaves a gapping hole in my heart with a pint of satisfaction for finishing the series.
Enjoyment - 8/10:
Reading it was a bliss. Finishing it was a nut job. I'm going to imagine that I Am a Hero does not end where it ended.
Overall - 8/10:
Should be 9, right? No. I'm still salty from that sorry excuse of an ending. Actually, I should rate this at below 5/10. I seriously dislike it when a story terminates abruptly, especially when I'm so engaged to it. It's like a school excursion getting cancelled just as every arrived at the destination. 'We're finally here. But we are leaving now.'
Ol' me can't take this unbelievable turn of event. I'm going to believe I Am a Hero has not end. The next chapter will see the return of our gal, a more in-depth explanation of the final climax and a mention of one of our last heroes in the series - the quiet heroine.
PS. Sorry for screwing up the overall score that represents I Am a Hero. It doesn't really deserve an 8 and I truly am bad at rating. I still have hope for this and I gave my overall score based on what I hope. Sorry for that.
I hope we can find a manga/anime that can top this, and still have a befitting ending.
PS2. Sorry, I'm really out of time now. Please endure my grammar mistakes if applies. read more 264 of 264 chapters read cerwisc(All reviews)
13 people found this review helpful |
I didn't really like this. This is not a manga for people like me, who value meaning, ambition, purpose, ya get it. However, even I can recognize that this manga is amazing. It is the scariest manga that I've ever read, it beats out the 'disturbing' scary of Junjo Ito, the 'gory' scary of your stereotypical apocalypse survival horror manga, and the 'existential crisis' scary of psychological horror, it comes close to jumpscare shock. Why?
Because everything is so goddam pointless. I believe 'I Am a Hero' is actually one of the most realistic tellings of an survival horror story. The realism is precisely what gets to me. The freaking monotony of the dude's life before and after the event, his averageness (to be generous,) the fact that people just get super well adjusted to having crazy dead people around very quickly just freaks me out. I thought there would be more delusional people or people who just snap, but no. They even treat the zombies as people, like what the hell?
Anyways, I finished it but I'll never touch it again. It's too weird, I don't think I'll ever come to terms with it. I don't really wanna think about it either. Whoever wrote this is a madman. Insanity.
And that, folks, is how to scare someone out of a fandom. read more 264 of 264 chapters read Nimbus-kun(All reviews)
2 people found this review helpful |
It was a really nice ride, one of those where you can't stop reading and wish it went on and on, but the ending was probably one of the worst endings I've ever read.
Great portrayal of how everyday people would react to such a disaster as a zombie outbreak took place and the realism in how it would be handled was a 10/10 for me.
Great plot points and creative thinking that had you on edge while swallowing chapters, that unfortunately, were not explained or developed further.
The characters were really nice and you grew to like them and sympathize with them.
Overall a great manga with strong moments and a veil of mystery engulfing it in the whole journey. The ending was what destroyed my experience for this manga making me wonder, did the author get so sick of writing this manga that wanted to butcher it a.s.a.p? read more
RecommendationsView All
Recent NewsHere are the North American anime & manga releases for March Week 1: March 5 - 11 Anime Releases Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch Movie Trilogy (incl. I - Koudou,..read more Mar 4, 3:28 AM by Sakana-san Discuss (3 comments) Here are the North American anime & manga releases for November Week 1: November 6 - 12 Anime Releases Black Clover Part 2 Blu-ray & DVD Combo Galaxy Angel Z..read more Nov 5, 2018 2:27 PM by Sakana-san Discuss (7 comments)
Recent Forum DiscussionPoll: I Am a Hero Chapter 204 Discussion
Stark700 - May 4, 2016 | 11 replies | 3 replies | | Alternative TitlesJapanese: アイアムアヒーロー InformationVolumes: 22 Status: Finished Genres:Drama, Horror, Psychological, Seinen Serialization:Big Comic Spirits Statistics1 indicates a weighted score. Please note that 'Not yet published' titles are excluded. Ranked: #1351 22 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Members: 46,569 | ReviewsSort- Most Helpful (Weighted)
- Most Helpful (All Time)
- Most Recent
- Friends Only (Weighted)
264 of 264 chapters read VAPOR_KNIGHTS_(All reviews)
160 people found this review helpful |
WARNING TO ANYBODY WHO IS INTERESTED IN THIS MANGA, BE PREPARED FOR THE LAZIEST, MOST INSULTING COP-OUT OF AN ENDING POSSIBLE
This review is spoiler free. it is also my first review, as I just have to put this warning out here since all the top reviews are praising this manga.
When I started reading this manga, I had fairly high expectations going off what I'd heard from people and the other reviews here. Little did I know, the other reviews were written before the manga was completed. I didn't even realize that the manga was completed myself until I got to the end. if that last chapter hadn't been uploaded and I was under the impression that the manga still had many more chapters to go, I would have easily given this a 9, or maybe even a 10. I loved this manga.
Unfortunately, it was just too good to be true.
This manga was exactly what I was looking for. It had very real characters who you could empathize with, a compelling story that always had you wondering what was around the corner, and the author even took a very interesting turn regarding the origin and motive of the zombie virus that I was eager to learn more about. I couldn't stop reading, and before I knew it, I had reached the 'end'. If you can even call that an 'ending'.
I'm just going to say first off that I don't know the circumstances behind this ending, whether the publisher decided to axe the manga, or they forced the writer to reach an ending as quickly as possible at the expense of a real conclusion. Perhaps the author decided that he did not care about his work anymore, and tried his hardest to sabotage all that he had built. Disregarding the reasoning, the truth is in the paper: THIS ENDING ANSWERS NOTHING, GOES NOWHERE, AND SATISFIES NO ONE.
Right after the final climax (i had no idea that it was the final climax, mind you), suddenly the threat is completely gone JUST BECAUSE, the hero decides 'oh well!' and just goes off. All of the questions that you had, all of the big mysteries that were just starting to reach clarity, all the amazing events and concepts that the author was building up to reach some spectacular culmination.. gets completely tossed out the window as if it never mattered in the first place. The ending reads like a slap in the face, as if the author is laughing at the foolish reader who wasted their time reading all 264 chapters just to get trolled.
You become attached to these characters and intrigued by the plot, all for nothing.
One of the most ironic parts of this manga is found in one character's lines. One of the characters introduced towards the end of the story is a fan of the MC's manga (the MC is an author of an obscure, unpopular manga before the zombie apocalypse). In reference to the MC, the aforementioned character comments on how 'it's so sad for an author to be forced to end his manga in a way that he wouldn't have wanted'.
Are you serious? it's almost as if the author knew that his manga was going to have a garbage ending. I CANNOT possibly believe that this author thought this was a good or even satisfactory ending.
To conclude, I want to remind you that this really was a great story before the sudden end. While I won't tell you not to read it, Just remember this warning and expect to have almost no questions answered.
Thanks for reading! read more Unknown of 264 chapters read N201_ASYLUM(All reviews)
64 people found this review helpful |
There's a reason why the summary is so vague. And how it explicitly does not state it's a manga about zombies; what makes this manga exceptionally creepy is how it portrays a zombie outbreak. There's no big TV announcement that goes 'MAN-EATING ZOMBIES ON THE LOOSE STAY HOME AND LOCK ALL YOUR DOORS' by some frantic news reporter. There are just little hints here and there, and in the beginning it wouldn't even cross your mind this is gonna be a manga about zombies. The true horror starts when this realisation suddenly hits you.
But oh well, since everybody is just dropping the zombie bomb in their reviews. HELL YEAH IT'S A MOTHERF***ING ZOMBIE OUTBREAK MANGA.
Ok now moving on ~
Read it if you're into:
A dystopian setting in an urban era/envrironment.
Realistic and detailed art.
Zombie or horror in general.
What I find distinctive about this manga's horror style is its 'silence'
Let me try explaining this. Usually in horror manga, the scary visuals make you imagine some sort of noise to accompany it. Seeing a smiling ghost can create a creepy laughter in your head, or a man walking down the alleyway and being followed can create the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing.
In I Am A Hero, there's no sound to the visuals. (especially so in the beginning chapters) This is partly because of its abruptness of the scary scenes, there's usually no build-up to the creepiness, and that makes it even scarier.
Some of these drawings are serious nightmare material. I kid you not, do not even think of showing this to children or your 5 year old brother because this shit will ruin his childhood. And the fact that the plot is made even more believable because of its realism just creeps into your brain and makes you very uncomfortable: it COULD happen to you.
The title couldn't be more perfect as well. On the surface it is a zombie manga, but perhaps the title signifies it's truly Hideo Suzuki's (main character) story. The story of an ordinary guy suddenly pushed into a nightmare and forced to be a hero. Even amidst the incomprehensible terror, the helplessness, and the feeling of loneliness in a very scary world, you can still find the willpower and the bravery to say,
'I am a hero'. read more 34 of 264 chapters read Bl4ckEnvy(All reviews)
52 people found this review helpful |
I was avoiding this manga because the summary looked stupid and really boring but I was wrong !!
Its a great horror manga , and a great zombie manga.Some people tell me its like HOTD but its wrong the manga is kind of slow but with that its more realistic.Don t give up the manga just because the zombies ( well i think they are zombies ) aren t appearing in the first chapters.
Story 8
I give the manga a 8 for the story its slow but pretty interesting and the author first explains the life of the main character before the monsters get in.There are only a few chapters ( 34 now ) so i can t tell anymore without telling spoilers.
Art 7
Its a realistic manga with a realistic art its not everyone pair of shoes.Even if I m not such a great fan of realistic art i liked it.Note , don t read it late at night the monsters freaked me out they are really well made.
Character 7
The main character is kind of freaky and strange in my opinion. Personally I don t think the main character is sane , he talks to himself.There aren t any side characters that make a impression on me.
Enjoyment 8
I really enjoyed the manga and i recommend it to all horror and zombie lovers out there. read more 264 of 264 chapters read Coppy(All reviews)
22 people found this review helpful |
I'm gonna let this would-be masterpiece pop my first review cherry.
TL;DR: Imagine yourself chewing a fresh piece of gum. First couple of chews were all hard and boring. But as its flavour starts to release, it motivates you to want more. This continues to build up and up. Until when you've finally chewed and moisturised it enough to have that pleasant squishy feel with its flavour at its prime. Absolute Bliss. But wait. Right now, you are getting told to stop and spit it out. A mix of disappointment, dissatisfaction and perhaps anger, right? That's my experience with I Am a Hero. Dissatisfaction and disappointment with a dash of anger. End TL;DR.
Alright, I'm going to assume that I can let loose from here. I'll sync my thoughts as I type and try to keep this short.
After finishing a romance zombie manga, my interest with zombie manga rose a little. So, I ended up reading I Am a Hero's summary through recommendations. A little bit of blah blah here, I dislike reading or watching multiple stories at once because my memory will get mixed up and the feelings will jumble up annoyingly. I had already started reading another romance manga at this point but decided to start reading I Am a Hero anyway, especially since that shotgun on the cover picture probably means some good ol' F U zombie actions.
Art - 10/10:
I'm not a picker. The faces were drawn very differently comparing to the other manga/anime I've read/watched. I had a hard time getting used to it but the attention to the details of the many sceneries in this series more than make up for it. Plus, since we're getting a lot of gore here, it helps a lot for me to separate I Am a Hero from my other Happy, Feel Gooo.Great manga/anime. Actually, I'm just going to say it bluntly, the faces were drawn ugly but they are also very unique. Anyhow, it's not like everyone in real life are beautiful or handsome anyway. Take my 10 with no shame.
Character - 10/10:
Not a picker. I don't really pay attention as to whether the stories behind the characters contradict or make sense at all. They were all believable and it was interesting how their relationships progressed. No complaints, so no penalty from my default 10/10 score.
Story - 8/10:
Honestly, I think I could give this a 0 because I absolutely hate bad endings. Bad as in incomplete or illogical endings. As you may understand from my TL;DR, I Am a Hero felt incomplete to me. There were quite a few cues throughout the story that MAY have indicated that the author needed to cut this story short or worse. I'm going to be naive and believe that there is a FULL version of I Am a Hero and by judging the series' direction while mixing a bit of estima.. imagination, I'm giving this an 8/10 for its high potential for a masterpiece ending. What's a masterpiece ending? It's any ending that leaves a gapping hole in my heart with a pint of satisfaction for finishing the series.
Enjoyment - 8/10:
Reading it was a bliss. Finishing it was a nut job. I'm going to imagine that I Am a Hero does not end where it ended.
Overall - 8/10:
Should be 9, right? No. I'm still salty from that sorry excuse of an ending. Actually, I should rate this at below 5/10. I seriously dislike it when a story terminates abruptly, especially when I'm so engaged to it. It's like a school excursion getting cancelled just as every arrived at the destination. 'We're finally here. But we are leaving now.'
Ol' me can't take this unbelievable turn of event. I'm going to believe I Am a Hero has not end. The next chapter will see the return of our gal, a more in-depth explanation of the final climax and a mention of one of our last heroes in the series - the quiet heroine.
PS. Sorry for screwing up the overall score that represents I Am a Hero. It doesn't really deserve an 8 and I truly am bad at rating. I still have hope for this and I gave my overall score based on what I hope. Sorry for that.
I hope we can find a manga/anime that can top this, and still have a befitting ending.
PS2. Sorry, I'm really out of time now. Please endure my grammar mistakes if applies. read more 54 of 264 chapters read Yitzki(All reviews)
34 people found this review helpful |
I Am a Hero is not your average zombie manga - it's best compared to other horror zombie books/movies that have become so popular recently.
I am a Hero focuses on your everyday character, no one special, as is common with most zombie stories. A zombie outbreak occurs in Japan, and he tries his best to survive.
What sets this apart from regular zombie manga is that:
1. This manga manages to terrify you even though it's still (it scared me more than some zombie movies) and
2. The emotions that the artist conveys are great.
The artist draws the zombies in a very gory fashion - if you don't like that, then this is not for you. However, if you do like gore, it's everywhere in this. The zombie deaths are great, and while some may say that the story moves too slowly, (it isn't overly action-packed) every chapter is needed, either in developing the characters or developing the knowledge of the outbreak.
In summary, this is a great manga if you want to scare yourself and gain a full understanding of the outbreak. If you want more action/fan service, go read Highschool of the Dead.
read more 264 of 264 chapters read cerwisc(All reviews)
13 people found this review helpful |
I didn't really like this. This is not a manga for people like me, who value meaning, ambition, purpose, ya get it. However, even I can recognize that this manga is amazing. It is the scariest manga that I've ever read, it beats out the 'disturbing' scary of Junjo Ito, the 'gory' scary of your stereotypical apocalypse survival horror manga, and the 'existential crisis' scary of psychological horror, it comes close to jumpscare shock. Why?
Because everything is so goddam pointless. I believe 'I Am a Hero' is actually one of the most realistic tellings of an survival horror story. The realism is precisely what gets to me. The freaking monotony of the dude's life before and after the event, his averageness (to be generous,) the fact that people just get super well adjusted to having crazy dead people around very quickly just freaks me out. I thought there would be more delusional people or people who just snap, but no. They even treat the zombies as people, like what the hell?
Anyways, I finished it but I'll never touch it again. It's too weird, I don't think I'll ever come to terms with it. I don't really wanna think about it either. Whoever wrote this is a madman. Insanity.
And that, folks, is how to scare someone out of a fandom. read more 143 of 264 chapters read OnceTwice(All reviews)
24 people found this review helpful |
I'm not zombie/horror connoisseur by any means nowadays because it tends to be all the same, where there is a break out of a virus and every one fights to survival. But I Am a Hero is different. It takes a 180 approach to the zombie genre and turns in up on it's head. Not to be specific, when the outbreak begins, the reaction of from Japan is much more realistic, not your atypical Marshall law panic as seen in many movies, but a more subtle and unusual response to the sudden pandemic.
The main character stars, Hideo suzuki, a socially awkward and average unfulfilled mangaka until the outbreak. He is turned to the most powerful person in his periphery due to his possession of hunting shotgun(guns are rare in Japan) and the lack involvement of the government and the Japanese SDF. The plot mainly follows suzuki's escape into the less populated prefectures of tokyo while having people to join up on his journey. Though Suzuki is the main character, the plot later on branches out into other side characters and subplots later on.
This manga is quite the thriller. I can't stress enough how deep it delves into the sense of ambivalent paranoia that you the reader feels and the characters are subdued to. The key of survival and the interaction between survivors is a major plot driving point. Not mention the manga is quite scary moments at times, where I was personally freaked the shit out of my seat. The psychological impact that this zombie plague has on the cast of characters is very underlying, in other words, the psychological impact deconstructs the meaning of human society as they try fight off the infected. There are a whole lot of themes in I am a Hero such as morality, fear of death, and facing reality, which leaves a lot for the reader to explore and interpret.
The art is drawn in pretty meticulous detail and at times the panels feels 'episodic', only showing certain framed shots. What strikes me most about the art is it's feeling of motion, or rather lack of it. I mean this by the panels seeming to be very static, like stills of real life (This could probably be explained by how his art resembles photographs, very still snapshots but realistically captured). This boils over to how it affects action panels in the series. The action feels more like a photographer taking pictures of the scene rather a fluid continuity of motion as one may have seen in other manga's presentation of action sequences, for example shounen manga.
The affect of this becomes a contradiction to the eyes. The first contradiction being that the action appears to be lacking a sense of motion and that movement is static. One would typically expect, or subliminally expect, visual artistic cues like motion blur to guide the viewer's eyes and to indicate the direction of motion and the immensity of the associated kinetics. But functional drawing techniques such as motion blur or 'speed lines' is entirely missed in the action sequences, leading to more probable confusion and ambiguity from the reader as to where the motion starts and stops, and it's rate of change. Therefore, much of action panels being played out in its own reality, which when observed, must necessarily represent great acceleration and momentum, in order to fit logically the frames of reference. A nod to this hypothesis could be if this series ever gets an animation or live action, I think it would be very interesting how it would turn out.
Though story pacing at the beginning might be not engaging, it really picks up in later volumes. I really recommend this if you like a different sort of riveting zombie horror manga.
2016 Update not really spoilerish but anyways
I bumped the score up to a 9 from an 8 which I believe to be the rating of the series from when I wrote the write and the point in the manga there. But currently, the this manga deserves a resounding 9, as it blew expectations in terms of where the plot is climaxing, unsuspecting turns, and overall newly found grandiose scope, which makes the manga go far beyond my initial impressions.
2018 Update regarding the ending, I think some people reviewing must really reflect on their interpretation of the ending with the whole manga in mind. As in my opinion, the ending, was very befitting so what series had built up and expressed thematically, to a tee. read more 34 of 264 chapters read Bepbo(All reviews)
15 people found this review helpful |
Note: I included one spoiler, because it actually relates to one of my points in the review. I gave a fair warning, so don't complain if you spoil things for yourself! You've been warned! ;)
Currently at the time of this review, I've read 34 chapters of I am a Hero (only 35 -I believe- are currently released), so this is more of a review of the first 'segment', if you will, rather than the entire series.
Story - 7 (good)
In a nutshell: We have our quirky, 35-year old, perhaps mentally unstable?, main character, Hideo trying to survive a zombie outbreak. It's as simple as that! I don't want to get too into it, since I want to prevent spoilers of any kind. But I am going to warn you now; this manga is VERY slow. Nothing happens until probably ~15-20 chapters in, and these are fairly long chapters. There were several times I felt like dropping this manga, but I had heard lots of great things about it, many good reviews and praises, so I stuck with it. As slow as it is, give it time and wait til the outbreak occurs before you drop it, you may find it's worth your time.
Art - 7 (good)
It's either you love it, or you hate it. I enjoy realistic-anime styles occasionally, and I couldn't imagine this manga any other way. The images of monsters, hallucinations, and zombies can tend to be pretty darn graphic; They do their jobs extremely well! Let's just say, for those who are sensitive to graphic images or have weak stomachs, you might just sleep with your nightlight on again!
Needless to say, the artwork was the biggest payoff for me. It's what kept me from dropping this manga, because I always wanted to see what terrifying creature would turn up next.
Characters - 3 (poor)
Uuuuuuugggghh.. Okay, I'm very bias on this and I know for a fact not everyone will agree with me here, but.. I can't stand a single character in this manga. The only truly 'main character' is Hideo, and he's -okay-, but he tends to get on my nerves with just HOW awkward he is. To me, he just seems like a very unpleasant person to be around. (Warning: Spoilers up ahead!! Just skip down past the 'END SPOILERS' line if you don't want, well, spoilers.)
---SPOILERS!!---
It really bothered me when, after his girlfriend had turned into a zombie and died, he hardly reacted at all. He apparently loved her so much, albeit getting into a fight with her right before she turned, but he didn't seem shocked, scared, devastated.. nothing. It just seemed like a very underwhelming reaction for characters who are supposed to be portrayed as realistic. Yes, I know every human being reacts differently to trauma, stress, etc., but it really bothered me since he seemed very attached to her and in love. At least he cried for her once he was on the train, SEVERAL chapters later, but the initial reaction (or lack-there-of) very much bugged me.
---END SPOILERS!!!---
Otherwise, I never enjoyed or got attached to -any- character in the entire 34 chapters. They came off as completely bland to me. I might like the newest character to join Hideo in the latest chapters, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
Enjoyment - 6 (fair/okay)
This is tough for me, because I genuinely like this manga aside from me not strongly liking a single character, lol. It trudged on forever it seemed, but once the conflict arose and the zombies appeared, it sucked me in and nothing could draw away my attention. As I said, the artwork for the zombies/monsters is captivating and disturbing; just the way I like it! Another aspect I loved what that there were genuinely times where I felt the uneasiness and suspense of the situation (taxi scene, anyone?). It's definitely a manga that holds my interest enough to keep me asking for more! I just gave it a fairly low score because of the first 10-20 chapters and lack of character interest.
Overall - 7 (good)
This manga is unique, to say the least, but not too bizarre either. I would recommend checking it out, you know, if you're into that sort of thang. read more 93 of 264 chapters read rokkugoh(All reviews)
12 people found this review helpful |
I love a good post-apocalyptic manga.. I've read the 8 volumes released so far and the mangaka is doing great capitalizing on all the potential of the story. It's a thrilling read so far.
Hideo, a manga illustrator struggling with his job and maintaining a relationship with his girlfriend, finds himself trying to stay alive in world where a virus is spreading like rapidfire and people are rabid and biting each other. A lot of the scenes were actually incredibly disturbing like the scene where all the manga illustrators go crazy. Not to mention, Hideo isn't all right in the head and has never been.
The art is really interesting too. It's like it purposefully makes everyone look ugly, maybe to show the ugly side of human nature? ..The story takes a really fascinating look at human nature. There are people that take their defensive stance, some people who go looney tunes in their survival mode, and yet others who become actual monsters in their actions. Fascinating!
I cannot wait to read more. read more 117 of 264 chapters read billydonaldcole(All reviews)
9 people found this review helpful |
although the pace is often criticised in I Am A Hero, especially in the first and second volume, i feel like was a valuable section to build the characters personality. the build up was very necessary. the main character is likeable yet very uncool.
The zombies i feel are the best zombies i have 'encountered'. being able to move at a range of paces and have slight personalities carried on from the moment of their death. This makes them that much scarier than ordinary zombies.
the best thing about this manga is the art style- the drawing is immense, the faces are not drawn exactly like a real human but this gives them extra emotion and facial expression. the double page drawings are in real detail and occur often throughout the book. sometimes there is a page donated to the animation of a single moment/movement
overall and excellent manga, if ones looking for a less shonen/weekly published manga, this is perfect. and a work of art read more Unknown of 264 chapters read D3va(All reviews)
8 people found this review helpful |
This review will be based upon the the first 191 chapters and might change according to how the story turns out.
Story: The story is the typical zombie apocalypse story but compared to other manga or movies it starts some days before the apocalypse. It follows the life of a mangaka during his daily routine. Its a boring normal life but seeing it through the eyes of Suzuki Hideo will make it interesting and fun. It will keep you focused even if its not what you started the manga for. After some chapters the apocalypse breaks out and you follow this character to his journey for survival. I will also say that its really similar to Apocalypse no Toride's story but its completly different to the other parts(art,chars). So if you liked that manga you will like this one too.
Art: The art is incredibly! Its detailed clean and realistic. The faces are full of details and expressions. Honestly i havent seen better drwaings for faces than this. I have seen a lot of opinions about the faces, other say that its ugly but realistic at the same time. I believe its a hit or miss, i really like it but a lot of people hate it.
Character: The characters are really interesting and the develop and change during the journey. He does a really good job to show a lot of different kind of people and how they react to the apocalypse. I would focus tho on the main character, he is pure gold. He is a normal guy that gets to be in extreme situations. His reactions and character is hilarious and will make you laugh all the time. But he will get serious when the situation is dangerous.
Enjoyment: I really enjoyed reading this, it has the right amount of comedy,action and dialog. It wont tire you with extremly long dialogs or non-stop action sequences.
Overall: I believe this is a great manga for people that like the zombie genre but even for all those that want an apocalypse manga or a manga that focuses in the connections between people in extreme situations. I suggest to everyone to read this manga and i am sure that when you finish it you gonna be a fan of Hanazawa Kengo read more 50 of 264 chapters read MangaGreat(All reviews)
8 people found this review helpful |
I have given up on I Am a Hero.
I have given it three tries with this latest attempt having me forced myself through 50 chapters – 10x more than I typically give to any manga. There are a number of reasons why, but it boils down to an inability to connect with the characters and an incoherent story.
In regards to characters: The MC – Suzuki Hideo – is an aspiring mangaka, but his behavior and manner of speech make him seem more like an oversized manchild. He spends his time talking to a series of hallucinations he conjures in his mind which appears whenever he wants a conversation (at one time being peed on by Hideo too) and, when not talking to those hallucinations, he may do anything from posing stupidly or singing such enlightening songs as ‘The Pussy Song’.
Overall, I really detest the MC. Many of the characters act like him so, so guess how I feel about them.
About an incoherent story: Many reviewers describe the story about being a zombie apocalypse/outbreak type of story. I can’t say I agree. It is about zombie-like creatures suddenly appearing everywhere, causing chaos, and eating people, but nothing makes sense.
To begin, the ‘zombies’ look horrific and are often bending their bodies in horrible ways…yet strangely, nobody seem to recognize them as being some form of monsters. Very often, they’re treated as normal people who are just acting weird. Even as they’re biting people’s limbs off, they’re treated that way.
Furthermore, despite chaos being everywhere (even happening on TV and the JDF mobilizing), the MC somehow keeps running into people who seems 100% oblivious to what’s going on. At one point, there was a whole group of people on the train who saw that a large cloud of smoke billowing out of a city and people were being chased and killed…nobody other than the MC even cared.
Something wasn’t right. It almost feels as if the manga is a massive delusion from the MC rather than something real and/or some unwieldy social commentary/symbolism from the author. If it is the case, I had found it difficult to grasp. I mean really difficult; it took until chapter 30 before I began to get an inkling of the message the author was trying to convey. By the time I gave up on this manga, I finally started grasping the message that manga has been sending. Unfortunately, by that point, I stopped caring.
To cap my review, I think I’ve given this manga far more of a chance than I give most, but I think it has too many large weaknesses to ignore.
Overall, I think its biggest weakness (aside from what I mention above) is that the plot appears to go nowhere. I’ve read 50 chapters and, insofar as I can tell, the manga seems to comprise solely of Hideo going from place to place not looking for anything in particular aside from ‘safety’. This is bad because that means the story would have to be character-driven for reader interest…and my feeling towards the characters make it clear that isn’t going to work.
I suppose I can see why some others may like this, but it’s really just not my type. read more 262 of 264 chapters read MisterK(All reviews)
5 people found this review helpful |
I've started reading this series because photorealism mixed with surrealistic themes was intriguing and it all started at the pinnacle of zombie apocalypse love which was around 2009.
So the core story is pretty basic, an unlikely hero survives first days of zombie apocalypse outbreak in Tokyo and travels around deciding what to do next. On his path Hideo Suzuki uses his shotgun to kill some walking dead and while fighting his inner demons, pushes onwards as the survival instinct kicks in.
Been reading it since day one. Since the beginning it seemed interesting but along the, sometimes, tediously slow pacing, odd action shifting from one city or even continent to another, to wrap up a story which in the end looks like it tries to deliver some deep message, but in the end it's all about violence and sex. After few chapters characters, even with most odd quirks, seem flat, amount of deus ex and other tropes break the tension and amount of literally copied and pasted images or poorly drawn characters over photos filtered to look like drawings, while covered with sudden walls of text just annoy too much.
Series got it highs and lows and latter grow progressively as the series lean towards end.
All in all, it fails somewhere. Loses its charm and looks like author had too much fun trying to do very long series which, at some point had been flagged to either end soon or end axed thus leaving reader with very lazy, 'feel good' ending which doesn't really feel that great.
Still, if you liked series like High School of the Dead or The Walking Dead but wanted more realistic approach this might be what you were looking. read more 105 of 264 chapters read js930(All reviews)
7 people found this review helpful |
I am a hero is, at first glance, pretty mediocre. In the first few chapters, we get to know mediocre characters, who lead mediocre lives, have mediocre problems. Our 'hero' is an (almost) average guy with some mental problems, and anyone can easily see that he is not a hero. He isn't even supposed to be a main character. Main characters are dependable, good-willed and most of all, they have determination. This may not be the case for every genre, but in the end, we all want our main characters to be role models, right?
Back to our hero. After he and his mediocre girlfriend get into a fight, he decides to make it up to her. She doesn't answer his calls, so he decides to stop by, and finds her lying on her bed.
You are now entering the world of awkward survival horror.
The true power of this manga lies in its ability to put a mediocre character in a crapsack world, and instead of the regular 'rise to greatness', the world remains a shithole, and our hero remains unlikeable. Well, not entirely, but there are better people to end up with in an apocalypse. Up until now, he has made me cringe more often than Bleach characters get their powers back, although in current chapters he becomes quite a bit more reliable. Remaining silent about the apocalypse because you are afraid to speak up in public isn't exactly the heroic thing to do. Neither is ducking so the girl behind you becomes the victim (while yelling/thinking 'I am a hero' at that). Still, these moments are what make the manga and the main character so thoroughly interesting.
Precisely for this reason, the story and our hero's personality are allowed to progress or regress as much as the author wants. Since the hero does not 'need' moments of glory, there really is no need to give him any, and this manga remains strangely realistic (although I don't think anyone would recite the laws concerning weapon possession in these situations). That really is a good thing. Many aspects of it have already been covered in other similar stories: People are used, deceived, thrown aside, as would probably be the case if this were to happen in real life. If you're a woman in a group of male survivors, how far should you go to survive? What if you have superior firepower but are on your own? Would you be willing to kill? To sacrifice yourself? These and similar questions arise quickly, as humanity's downfall will invite many to take justice into own hands. The author provides us with quite realistic answers.
The art is at first (you guessed it) quite mediocre. This may have even been done purposefully. However, if you're willing to sit out a few chapters of average character design, the body horror will make up for it. The author really went all out with this, with surrealism rivaling that of Uzumaki.
All in all, if you're up for some awkward moments with an surrealism on the side, portrayed by a realistic yet delusional hero, I can really recommend this manga. After all, the true heroes are the ones that can survive, aren't they? read more 185 of 264 chapters read benriya(All reviews)
5 people found this review helpful |
Hideo Suzuki, your usual deadbeat mangaka, struggling as assistant mangaka, but life is hard, especially when the non-life trying to destroy the world.
well, for the story and plot it's quite interesting, while maintaining the sanity, this mangaka must fight a whole bunch of zombies, first case happen to be the dearest one of the MC, and yet, the trouble doesn't end up in here, because this unreliable, bloody coward MC doesn't want any responsibility and courage, for the first part, and yet he keep growing, or at least keep up the courage and sanity trough out the whole story in unusual way.
another character beside MC surprisingly dependable, and yet because of it they had to take care the MC to help , at least himself.
certainly if you want an zombie story with unusual description of realism for the picture, with vibe for the whole story as dark as it could be happen in manga for this type, well you can try it.
read more 264 of 264 chapters read Nimbus-kun(All reviews)
2 people found this review helpful |
It was a really nice ride, one of those where you can't stop reading and wish it went on and on, but the ending was probably one of the worst endings I've ever read.
Great portrayal of how everyday people would react to such a disaster as a zombie outbreak took place and the realism in how it would be handled was a 10/10 for me.
Great plot points and creative thinking that had you on edge while swallowing chapters, that unfortunately, were not explained or developed further.
The characters were really nice and you grew to like them and sympathize with them.
Overall a great manga with strong moments and a veil of mystery engulfing it in the whole journey. The ending was what destroyed my experience for this manga making me wonder, did the author get so sick of writing this manga that wanted to butcher it a.s.a.p? read more Unknown of 264 chapters read DeadeNdiNg(All reviews)
4 people found this review helpful |
This is a great manga and it shows a lot of.. How should I say . Spunk!
Usually in other story's the lead character is automatically a natural born
Leader are a skilled fight ect ect, but the hideo is non of those shock makes
Him more interesting. He can be weird sim thumbs but that make it better and funnier
and hell he's no whimp when he has that beretta 687 in his hands. This is more
Of a reality manga not something that would have a kid turning flips with a katana in his/her hands
I think they should turn this into an anime or movie Unknown of 264 chapters read PinkyDonut(All reviews)
3 people found this review helpful |
First off, this is one of my absolute favorite reads of the zombie genre, so obviously I will be biased. Secondly, please bear with this reviewer's inadequate paragraph structure as I am writing this on my mobile.
Yes the story is slow and whatnot, but in my opinion, this is one of its greatest assets. It helps build tension and suspense, not to mention the reader will become completely absorbed in the plot development. Therefore, if you are the type to make judgement on a manga within the first 10 or so chapters, then you may want to stick with it a little longer before you draw your conclusion.
The character development is impeccable in my eyes. We are able to see see the changes in the protagonist and other characters from a simple mangaka, to the hero we all believe ourselves to be. Just in a more realistic fashion. Frankly, the fact that he's a mangaka makes the character and plot development all the more realistic in my opinion with the tension in the air.
To add to the realism, the artwork gives the reader a more fearful sense thanks to the gory disposition . The characters are a little more simple with the grotesque zombies drawn in a more detailed fashion.
All in all, you may wonder what's going on all of a sudden, but as others will tell you, every chapter is imperative to the story development so try to bear with it! In conclusion, I hope you guys will enjoy this manga as much as I do, happy reading all. read more 179 of 264 chapters read killjoi97(All reviews)
3 people found this review helpful |
I am a hero, you can't even tell what its about by the title or even the cover and that's what i love about this manga, every page is something unexpected. I am by no means a zombie genre fan since all zombie related media today tends to be the same, I am a hero takes everything you know about zombies and redefines it by making the characters believable and really vulnerable by putting them in situations most zombie movies wouldn't even think of. This manga made me scared of zombies again the vivid detail and the art style is amazing. This is not for people who are looking for a HOTD clone this is something very different, this is also not a kid manga either none of Hanazawa Kengo's manga is, I highly recommend this to all manga readers 17 and up :) read more 22 of 264 chapters read Chinaz(All reviews)
1 people found this review helpful |
I Am a Hero - A Mangaka Trying to Survive in Chaos.
The invasion of zombies is one of the most repeated themes in recent years. They are in movies like 'Dawn of the Dead', in games like Resident Evil, in books like 'World War Z' and even comics and series with 'The Walking Dead'. And it was not just stories with the kind of terror that were created. We have the movie 'Shaun of the Dead' which is a very entertaining comedy and even a romance between a zombie and a hot blood girl. (It's .. awesome). And our Japanese friends are not out of this. Many may have watched the famous 'Highschool of The Dead', but I've never been much of a fan of it because of a large amount of fanservice of the worst quality and many bizarre situations. For example, all your college friends and perhaps your family may have died and yet the girls take showers together and measure the size of their breasts. But it's not just fanservice that Japan lives and this is shown very well with the manga - 'I Am A Hero'. But being frankly honest, I don't believe there is any comparison between the two works because they are completely different and develop differently, completely opposite.
Hideo Suzuki is a 35-year-old mangaka assistant who dreams of one day being able to have his own series in a publishing house. He demonstrates that has a great mental problem, at times he hallucinates with a boy named Yajima and also features tormenting visions, with faces and hands showing up around him. In the midst of all, he still needs to deal with his dating, which is not going through a good time thanks to the jealousy with an ex-boyfriend by his girl.
While all Hideo problems only seem to increase, something terrible starts across Japan. Sick people are entering into a kind of uncontrollable rage, attacking anyone appearing in front of them and who is attacked also end up getting infected. These patients continue to move furiously toward their prey, even if they are seriously injured. The chaos will start to spread, but Hideo is slow to realize that it is something real and no longer a hallucination of his mind.
'I Am a Hero' is a manga created by Kengo Hanazawa, currently has 10 volumes released and is still in progress since August 2009 in the magazine Big Comics Spirits, Shogakukan magazine. The story goes at a very slow pace at the beginning, which may be far from the unsuspecting readers and would have walked away if I had not known that it was a story with zombies. 'I Am a Hero' only really shows his true face at the end of the first volume, on chapter 11. After this it's crazy and you end up getting stuck wondering what happens even though the pace still varies greatly between fast action scenes and still scenes of reflection. And we also have some really heavy and disturbing scenes.
The main character might be my big problem with the manga: I can not really like him at all. The author manages to make Hideo a real person, but he's so weird (sometimes crazy) that it makes me really uncomfortable and doesn't care so much about the life he had. The first few chapters were terrible for me, I just kept going just because I knew that at some point the 'shit was about to go down'. He sometimes irritated me, either with the song about female genitalia or with the fact that he tries to continue to follow the law even with everything going to hell.
Later we know other secondary characters that end up appearing very little. It's worth mentioning one that I really like that is Hiromi, although it often ends up having some unrealistic reactions that end up upsetting everything we had already seen and going a bit against what we witnessed in the manga as a whole.
Well, I also have to highlight the author's vision for the zombies, perhaps one of the scariest I've ever seen. They are of that type that runs and possesses physical strength above the ordinary, able to even pull half of your face with a bite. They are still able to speak a few sentences and seem to still maintain the habits of when they were still alive.
This raises an interesting question: most of the time, 'experts' and 'critics' often say that a good zombie story does not 'deal with zombies,' but rather with 'humans.' And it really is so in most cases, so much so that zombies mostly have no feelings, just act instinctively like animals, letting the whole plot unfold upon the psychological pressure between the living. But in the case of 'I Am a Hero' the thing is different. The human characters in the stories are so strangely or emotionally unbalanced that you have no more notion if the story really focuses on them or the zombies. The author's choice to portray the 'beings' with gestures and human actions ends up raising a debate about this, and only those who read (or intend) will be able to say whether this is a truth or just a theory.
Going back to the technical part, the art is amazing, we have an incredibly realistic look and with the passage of time, it becomes disturbing. Kengo Hanazawa's zombies are scary, the appearance with veins appearing on the skin, bulging, squinting eyes, and even larvae coming out of the holes even bothered me at times more than some classic movies. Other than the moments he uses whole pages alike and with slight differences to give an unbelievable sense of movement. The author who had already made a highly praised story for the development of human feelings ('Boys On The Run') seems to put everything into practice in 'I Am A Hero', now with a much bigger technique. Some even believe that his manga actually is a criticism of Japanese society, something very common in some works there.
Unlike 'Highschool of The Dead' that follows more to a 'shounen' side with high levels of fanservice, 'I Am a Hero' follows another serious and mature line. This is not to say that there is no action, the story has several moments that you read several pages in minutes and want to know soon what will happen. You will follow the survival of an aspiring mangaka, with no confidence and with a questionable sanity, in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
It was not an easy manga to read at first for me. The main character could only make me angry for being so loser and even insane, but all my effort to continue reading was rewarded. The story begins to look great after the first volume and is an excellent recommendation for lovers of the zombie genre. With the release of The Walking Dead and others, it is a great opportunity to venture into an alternative reading and quite fun and well-taken advantage of. That's the recommendation. READ IT!
Story: 10 Art: 9 Character: 8 Enjoyment: 9
Score: 9/10
This review was made from the first volume omnibus, brought by Dark Horse. read more |
Baca Manga One Punch Man Read I Am a Hero in Nagasaki 2016 Manga Online For Free. I Am a Hero in Nagasaki summary: A spin-off to the popular zombie manga I am a Hero. I Am A Hero manga Start Reading. Status: Completed Author: Hanazawa Kengo 2009. Nominated for the 3rd Manga Taisho Award (2010). Photos about this manga (All) Other manga by the same author(s). I Am A Hero Vol.9 Ch.156: Vol 09I am a Hero 156 Jul 7, 2014 I Am A Hero. Read I Am a Hero manga online. I Am a Hero manga English. You can read the latest and hottest I Am a Hero chapters in Readmanga.today. |
|
