Heroman
| Heroman | |
 The cover of Heroman, Vol. 1 | |
| HEROMAN | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mecha |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Stan Lee, Bones[1] |
| Illustrated by | Tamon Ohta |
| Published by | Square Enix, Gangan Comics |
| Magazine | Monthly Shōnen Gangan |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | September 2009 – present |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Hitoshi Nanba |
| Studio | Bones |
| Original network | TV Tokyo |
| Original run | April 1, 2010 – present |
Heroman (ヒーローマン, Hīrōman, stylized as HEROMAN) is a manga and upcoming anime produced by Bones and created by Marvel Comics' Stan Lee.[2][3] Published in Monthly Shōnen Gangan beginning in September 2009, the anime is scheduled to premiere on April 1, 2010, on TV Tokyo and related stations.[4]
Story
Orphaned American boy Joey wants to make a better life for himself and his grandmother in the West Coast city of Center City, believing that becoming a hero will solve all of their problems. His hopes rise when he hears of a new toy robot. However, all he can get is a broken down model abandoned by rich kid and school bully Nick. After Joey fixes it, the broken toy comes to life as Heroman and obeys his every command.[5]
Anime Story
Aimed at a slightly older target audience, the anime series written by Gyo Yamatoya in association with Studio BONES[6] tells the story differently. When the animated series was announced at Tokyo Anime Fair 2010, the synopsis read as follows:
"Joey Jones is an ordinary boy who accidentally controls the Earth's only hope for survival against a militant invasion.
When they meet, the boy lacks and sense of strength and the robot is without a sense of good or evil. This is the story of a soft spoken junior high schooler whose model robot grows into a massive weapon, while the boy himself grows into a hero who can save the world."
Characters
- Joey (ジョーイ, Jōi)
- Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu
- The protagonist. A boy who repairs a model robot that is struck by alien-affected lightning and comes to life as Heroman. Joey also gains some abilities, which turn out to be almost entirely Defensive so he usually cannot battle without Heroman.
- Heroman (ヒーローマン, Hīrōman)
- A giant robot with no sense of good or evil. He obeys Joey's commands with brute strength, so together with Joey he can fight monsters and protect the city. His abilities are almost entirely Offensive and he is left vulnerable without Joey at the control.
- Psy (サイ, Sai)
- Voiced by: Ryohei Kimura
- Joey's best friend and classmate. He walks with crutches because he was seriously injured in a sports accident, but otherwise he's very healthy and athletic. Psy works at a skateboard shop and customized a motor-skateboard for himself so he can keep up with Joey.
- Lina (リナ, Rina)
- Voiced by: Mayu Obata
- One of Joey's classmates. She's from a wealthy family who fear Joey is poor, uncultured and a bad influence on her, but she clearly likes him anyway.
- Denton (デントン)
- Voiced by: Chō
- Joey's science teacher and an alien otaku. Denton sent the contact that attracted the Skrugg to Earth, making him directly responsible for the invasion.
- Vera (ヴェラ)
- Voiced by: Naomi Shindō
- Joey's mathematics and homeroom teacher. She is suspicious about what Joey is up to because she notices a difference in his grades after the initial incident with Heroman.
- Will (ウィル, Wiru)
- Voiced by: Makoto Yasumura
- Lina's older brother and an American football player at school. He tries to keep Lina away from Joey, and also has some past connection with Psy that has not yet been revealed.
- Nick (ニック, Nikku)
- Voiced by: Akio Suyama
- Will's best friend. He is a spoiled rich boy who might possibly have a crush on Lina, increasing his distaste for Joey. The toy that becomes Heroman originally belonged to Nick, but he threw it away because he couldn't be bothered to repair it.
- Gogol (ゴゴール, Gogōru)
- Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka
- The cockroach-like leader of the evil Skrugg (スクラッグ, Sukuraggu) aliens that Denton has been trying to contact. He wants to strip the Earth of its natural resources and then leave it for dead.
Soundtrack
The series' music is composed by "METALCHICKS" and "MUSIC HEROES". The opening theme is "Roulette" performed by TETSUYA of L'Arc-en-Ciel and the ending theme is "CALLING" performed by FLOW.
References
- ^ "HIROMAN ガンガン公式サイト". Square Enix. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ "Stan Lee, Bones Confirmed to be Working on Hero Man - Anime News Network". Anime News Network. April 10, 2008. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ^ "Stan Lee & Bones' Heroman Anime Now in Production - Anime News Network". Anime News Network. October 6, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ^ "Heroman, Senkō no Night Raid Promos Streamed (Updated) - Anime News Network". Anime News Network. March 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ^ "Stan Lee, Bones' Heroman TV Anime Dated for April - Anime News Network". Anime News Network. February 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ^ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=11266
External links
- Heroman at Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan Template:Ja icon
- Heroman at TV Tokyo Template:Ja icon
- Heroman official anime website Template:Ja icon
- Heroman (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia