Hero Mask

Hero mask is an anime that doesnt feel like an anime. Hero mask is like watching a good sci-fi action movie thriller, besides the anime is really entertaining to watch it has major plot holes and i would like to split the anime in two parts to review it easily. First Season (First 15 episodes) The first season is an immersive thriller that hook you from the first episode. The developing of the story and the mistery is very well paced, the cast introduction and their motivations is well presented, but i have a major problem with one character: Harry Creighton, we only see few flashbacks ofhis backstory and his motivations but we never see how Harry and James how their relationship worked or how their "friendship" was built and for me that relationship was wasted. The final episode was only an excuse to take out 2 side characters from the main story, also for me 2 wasted characters. Overall the flaws and the plot holes the action scenes, the animation, the sound mixing were great and made it very entertaining to watch (7/10) Second Season (Last 9 episodes) The second season continues with the mask mistery and introduces new characters to the story. The problem with this season is that doesnt answers all the questions presented in the first season, the pace is rushed, some characters were forgotten (*cough Sarah Sinclair *cough) we dont know anything about some characters like the conspiracy man behind all the problems or the new director of the SEC or even the professor (how he escaped from the asylum?). This season has major plot holes, characters were killed just for the cause, characters personality changed just for the cause made a very disappointing second season. Besides the many downfalls the action scenes and the "conclussion" of the masks mystery is worth watching (6/10) In conclussion besides all its flaws and not being based on a manga, Hero Mask is a decent anime with good action sequences, very aesthetic and a good mystery plot. So if you are looking for a decent police sci-fi thriller give Hero Mask a try. I hope they released a movie or an OVA explaining in a better way the ending but after all i give Hero Mask a solid 7/10

I had high hopes for season 2, was looking forward to all the unanswered questions presented in season 1, but this was a huge letdown! Since there are no episode discussions for this season, I will use this review to relieve my frustrations.. sorry.. SPOILER WARNING!!! First of all, I was really excited for Harry's story and why he turned against SSC. Initially he was helping Connor in order to obtain a mask and save his girlfriend, but they never show what actually happened to her.. how she got sick? and why on earth did Harry leave SSC in the first place and became their enemy? Worst ofall they never showed what happened to Harry in the end? just a sound of gunshot which concludes he commit suicide?!!? Moving on, who is the mystery man voiced by Tsuda-san? They never reveled his name? how he is connected to the head of SSC? Why does he want to obtain the mask? Was he the mastermind behind all of this? Further moving on, the professor is a successful mask user? as it seems he is not affected by the rapid aging side effect? How did he escape the asylum? Is James alive now because of the mask? Did Tina actually die? Where did Sarah Sinclaire go? they totally forgot her in this season? This season was a huge disappointment! the story had a great potential, but is very poorly conducted! too bad it turned out this way..

This review is for Season 2 only, since MyAnimeList lists them separately. *No Spoilers* Summary: This season has an interesting plot that helps to piece together the unexplained parts of Season 1, although there are still many plot holes. Consequently, this is a better, more cohesive season. However, it remains plot-driven, and a lot of the character development is meaningless or non-existent. The watcher is supposed to infer almost everything about the characters based on vague backstories and poor dialogue. *Don’t judge this series based on the reviews that say it’s not “anime” because of its art style.* If you enjoy suspense and action, this is probablya good choice for you. Story: 7/10 The plot is clearer in this season (2) which makes the overall story more understandable. There are still breaks or backstories; however, they aren’t as meaningless. The story helps to end the overarching plot of the show in a cohesive way (albeit while still focusing on plot over characters and excluding some for no reason). Art: 7/10 The art style is interesting and works well for the “secret agent” type style and setting. Some episodes have better quality; however, the animation is not as poor as I’ve seen others claim in their reviews. It’s not as traditional in art style as other anime, but that’s fine. *Don’t discount this just because some people claim it has to be a generic art style in order to be anime.* Aside from a few crazy scenes, the quality of the animation and the style are great. Sound: 7/10 The music is nice, the voice acting is mediocre, and the sound effects are sufficient. Character: 2/10 Nothing ruins a story more than un-relatable, underdeveloped, or pointless characters, and this show is filled with them. Luckily, it doesn’t fall into the “why can’t any characters die?” category; however, the backstories lead up to something that often never comes about (at least in this season), the characters’ intentions aren’t always clear, and the main protagonist is just a risk-taking, impulsive “agent” who doesn’t have a particularly fleshed out backstory or intentions either. This is still the case in Season 2, unfortunately. There’s more pressure put on the main characters, but we still don’t care about them because the story is so plot-driven. Some just die for seemingly no reason, and others aren’t even in the story at all. It’s like they threw darts to select who would be the main characters in this season. Overall, this show has some of the worst character development out of any story out there. Enjoyment: 6/10 Season 2 was more understandable than Season 1, so it was slightly more enjoyable. The interesting sci-fi/mystery feel was engaging, but a strictly plot-driven story is never enough to maintain a watcher’s interest, and it prevents the story from really having clear themes and meaning. Overall: 6/10 This season has an interesting plot that helps to piece together the unexplained parts of Season 1, although there are still many plot holes. Consequently, this is a better, more cohesive season. However, it remains plot-driven, and a lot of the character development is meaningless or non-existent. The watcher is supposed to infer almost everything about the characters based on vague backstories and poor dialogue. *Don’t judge this series based on the reviews that say it’s not “anime” because of its art style.* If you enjoy suspense and action, this is probably a good choice for you.

Hero Mask season 2. At least the thing we can say is that it follows season 1. In the good and the bad. It's the same quality. I only watched season 2 because I watched the first, and honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this season. I followed all of this without really wanting to, which makes my rating dishonest. Given that it is the same quality as the first season, I give the same rating. At least we are entitled to some answers, but not all, which is a shame. Everything is rushed, and some things are forgotten. I had the impression that Netflix wanted to getit over with as quickly as possible.