3 Short Paragraphs (Or Not): I Am a Hero

2015,  Shinsuke Sato (Gantz) -- download

This was one in the Halloween list from a few years ago, because zombies are always Halloween to me, even when they are just action movies.

I Am a Hero is based on a manga about an unsatisfied manga artist (assistant; the assistant part is important to the unsatisfied bit) who feels like an NPC in his own life, fantasizes about being the hero (with his trusty sport-shotgun; the SPORT is important to the trusty-shotgun bit) and is suddenly thrust into the role, when an actual zombie outbreak happens. The Mary Sue aspect of the original manga, and the movie, is unmistakeable and there must be an equal number of indie (American style) comics about comic book makers thrust into fantastical situations. 

If the goal of the movie is to just fulfill the expected plot, then it does so admirably, alas not doing anything new or even interesting with the genre. And it doesn't even follow the more extreme, more base aspects of the manga, only touching upon them -- no giant hivemind kaiju sized creatures, no sex with teenage girls.

Hideo Suzuki (meaning hero, as he stresses) is said comic book artist, spending all day drawing lines for background in manga, while unsuccessfully pitching his own comic, and disappointing his girlfriend. It is notable that he is in his mid-30s, long after he either needs to be successful or start finding a "real job". They live in one of those cliche small Japanese apartments that would fit into my living room. Then a disease starts spreading, following the format of zombie movies, in that its on the news and everyone postulates but either ignores it or denies its happening, like our pandemic ran. Until its too late and Hideo's coworkers and girlfriend are trying to eat him.

The news tells him that high altitude can protect against the virus so he and his shotgun head off. He rescues a schoolgirl Hiromi, actually acting heroically when he doesn't think about it, but quickly finds out she is bitten; but by a baby, so the blood borne disease is taking its time. They walk for days, if not weeks, her not getting better nor worse, definitely not in the eating-his-brains category. Eventually they end up at a mall where a group of survivors are hiding out on the roof, occasionally venturing out for food and supplies.

Like most zombie movie collectives, a Lord of the Flies effect has taken hold and the more sociopathic leaders are in control. When they find out about Hiromi they want to kill her, and after a quick scuffle where a less than courageous Hideo loses his shotgun, they shoot her in the head with a crossbow. While they are out on a raid of a food store locker room, all the shit hits the fan, and Hideo ends up defending the last few survivors, playing out what must exceed even the fantasies in his head, a scene right out of video game, shooting up to a 100 undead monsters in the head, in explosive gore.

The end. The hero.

Again, all went on as expected. This was more a live-action movie for the fans of the manga, giving them just enough to... be satisfied? It was well enough done, by a director familiar with adapting materials, but it neither really, truly explored the "what it means to truly be a hero" nor went to any great extremes of Japanese zombie fiction. A kaiju sized monster might have made it more fun.