I am a Hero Omnibus Volume 1 (I Am a Hero, 1)

Product Information

Alien Invasion: An early guess as to what caused the infection. Also apparently the correct one. The ZQN are a way to wipe out humanity without destroying infrastructure, and to eventually create alien/human hybrids.

Chekhov's Gun: With an actual gun. In plain sight. The wait shows the main character is far from an action hero, at best. The only possible explanation for this non-ending is that Hanazawa simply got burnt out and just wanted to be done with I am a Hero, completely destroying what once was a great story in the process. A real shame, but probably the Japanese manga industry is partly to blame. Potty Emergency: Oda experienced one while driving with Hideo and Hiromi, complicated by the fact she was handcuffed to Hiromi. Resulted in Bring My Brown Pants when Hideo uses a sledgehammer and a chisel from a hardware store to free them. The dead eventually do pop up in this book but it is not until much later into the story. The majority of the tension is knowing that these creatures will be introduced eventually, but the author brilliantly shows incredible restraint by making the reader wait for that to happen. Instead we spend some time witnessing our protagonist oblivious to the clues and signs that something bad is bound to happen. When the outbreak happens it is horrifyingly wonderful, I haven't been this wowed since the 28 Days Later films. This book does have lots of gore, so I would not recommend I Am A Hero for the squeamish or those who don't enjoy horror films. One thing that really impressed me is that all of the usual cliche Japanese goofball humor is missing from the book. We don't get the stereotypes that plague the majority of anime and manga fiction in this book. It was almost like the author saw the same boring patterns and opted to do something entirely new. Regardless it is a breath of fresh air and I love it.

アイアムアヒーロー ; 请叫我英雄 ; Tôi Là Một Người Hùng ; Jag är en hjälte (swedish) ; أنا بطل (Arabic)

Makes another appearance near the end when Hiromi finally gets absorbed by the Hive Mind and sees it as the same message board shown earlier (with some of the same posters, for good measure). Meaningful Name: The Alternate Character Reading for Hideo is why he keeps saying "I am a hero". Later we have Hiromi. Bittersweet Ending: Humanity survives, but only just, and by the end a lot of the main characters are dead. Hideo's entire mission is revealed to have been doomed from the start, and he fails spectacularly at saving Hiromi, with her joining the hivemind and only allowing him to live because she believes that stranding him on his own in the ruins of Tokyo is a Fate Worse than Death. However, Hideo is able to adapt to his new environment and even thrive. In the epilogue, he finds that a ZQC tower has given birth to an ordinary human baby girl. The baby girl grows up to greatly resemble Hiromi, he names her Hiiro, and lives his life content raising her as her father.

Book Ends: The series starts with a long-winded introduction detailing Hideo's daily routine before the Apocalypse. It ends with a long-winded epilogue detailing Hideo's new daily routine after the Apocalypse has ended. Tomato in the Mirror: Apparently Iura. Although it's obvious enough to the audience and to Oda, he seems to believe he's uninfected because he was never bitten ( The Virus can spread through other means as well, unfortunately for him). Played straighter with some of the Pisa and Paris "survivors", who believe that they and those around them are unaffected and are seen Through the Eyes of Madness.

I Am A Hero provides examples of the following tropes:

What I didn't like: The pacing is all over the place. I'm all for character building but my God the first half is really slow, over the top, weird, and sometimes boring to read. The main character is also a total loser, and that always drives me crazy in cliche world of anime. The manga can also be confusing to read and sometimes gotta re-read panels to get it all. I just didn't care for many of the characters here. Safe Zone Hope Spot: Played with relentlessly. There are several occasions where Hideo thinks he's finally found a safe place to stay for a while, only for it to turn out as anything but. Insane Equals Violent: Strongly averted with the protagonist, who is clearly mentally ill, but no more dangerous than anyone else. He has a good ability to tell the difference between his delusions and reality, and is one of the only characters in the series to know how to handle a firearm safely and effectively.

World of Pun: Boob Morning! (Oppai-yo Gozaimasu!), done by appropriately busty models and actresses acting as hosts for a morning variety show. Played for dark laughs since the host keeps saying it despite the program having turned rather somber due to the apocalypse starting outside. Mummies at the Dinner Table: With Tetsuko. He understands the situation, though - it's out of respect. Death of a Child: In fact, zombified children are quite troublesome, as they are more difficult to spot and evade, especially in a crowded places. See the gathering of refugees close to Mt. Fuji. Fanservice: Invoked by two men in a stolen Ferrari who offer Hiromi a ride if she takes off the pants under her dress because she needs to "show some ass". Furo Scene: Chapter 164. The series still somehow manages to contrive giving Hiromi and Oda a chance to take a bath at a small hot spring. All the while Hideo is holding off an increasing number of zombies headed towards them.What I liked: The moments when people begin to turn is great. I actually love that they still hold a little of who they are. Sometimes speaking or repeating words of something they did last before turning. Also the way they move is freaky and scary. Crawling like the grudge ass creatures. I also enjoyed some of the humor. It's so over the top and crazy you can't help but laugh. I also got to say it was a relief to see some real life manga troubles. Shit is hard work, and any artist can relate. So that was nice. Not a Zombie: With a few exceptions, the entire city is under this impression as few people who encounter them survive long enough to pass it on. Not Using the "Z" Word: The online term for the infected becomes ZQN, a portmanteau with the Japanese slang DQN (Dokyun, meaning "delinquent" or "idiot"). At least one scanlation uses "zombfags", in stride with English-speaking chan parlance. A Form You Are Comfortable With: The Hive Mind chooses to represent itself this way to those who end up enveloped within it, but still aware of their existence as individuals. For Hiromi, it looks like a Message Board.

The story line has a tendency to time jump and we seem to miss highly interesting sections, like what happened in Chapter 54 in the car. Can't say much without spoilers. These parts skipped were heading in a great direction and would have been interesting to see how things went down. It kinda leaves you guessing. Creepy Child: All infected children are these. A little boy spotted gnawing on a woman's remains, moaning for his mother. Titles Nominated for 5th Manga Taisho Awards". Anime News Network. 2012-01-16 . http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-16/15-titles-nominated-for-5th-manga-taisho-awards . Retrieved 2012-02-03. The entire first half of the book is getting to know Hideo, his g/f [?] and his work place... and how much he resents them all but not really but does. Oh, plus he tends to talk to himself (the voices in his head are visualized as all sorts of characters)

Nice even start to what promises to be a wild, grotesque zombie apocalypse tale. I understand there’s a film, but I haven’t seen it yet. Enemy Civil War: Some of the Infected kill both humans and other Infected. A minor character suspects that this may be because of a civil war among the aliens who started the disease. Running on All Fours: Several of the infected do this, but with the belly up, which is a lot creepier than the usual version. Running Gag: Hideo keeps refusing to let other characters hold his shotgun, because it is against the law in Japan.