Sentenced to Be a Hero

Episode 3

Episode 3 of Sentenced to Be a Hero brings the mine shaft adventure to a close with explosive action and a whole lot of heart.

This series has more than impressed in these first three episodes. I think this week in particular cemented what the show already set out in those first couple of weeks - namely big action, excellent animation,and cool character/monster designs - while also showing the more resonant themes it can have in store too. Xylo, Teoritta, and the rest get to be overpowered fantasy superheroes and scrappy underdogs at the same time; in a lot of ways it's hard not to root for them to succeed.

This mine shaft fight has a very satisfying conclusion. We get to hear how the miners feel disrespected and ignored as common workers, and after seeing the grisly ends that might await them and the families they leave behind the audience gets a taste of the bitter unfairness of their condition. Maybe the real monsters aren't the monsters, but in fact… humans?

Well, okay the monsters are monsters too, can't forget all the zombie-making and body-chomping.

But back on topic, the plight of the poor miners is easy to sympathize with and Norgalle's feelings for them are strangely earnest. It's a great twist on the former-rebel-leader situation that Norgalle believes himself to be the true king and in this delusion acts as he thinks a true king should act: he shows nothing but deference and pride in his subjects while being ready to lay down his life to protect them. Norgalle's delusion is that he actually believes in the social contract that nobility has always purported to embody, and he is noble and tragic in equal parts. He makes the ultimate sacrifice too, risking bodily harm, intense pain, and the deepening madness that comes from rebirth in order to protect the miners. It's the standout moment of the episode by far.

The rest of the episode is great, too. The voice casts continue to impress, and I find myself preferring the dub for the first time in a long, long time. David Matranga and Emi Lo (Xylo and Teoritta's voices, respectively) make great banter for the various back and forths they exchange throughout this week's violent proceedings. Despite a lot of their lines being yelled in the midst of battle or in over-the-top power activations, there's a genuine sense of rugged practicality for the workaday violence they must endure and somber undertones for the emotional beats that follow.

I also feel like the scale of the violence this week is calibrated much better. The stakes are a few dozen lives rather than entire armies, the foes are cruel and powerful but not unbeatable, and the horror is often in the non-traditional modes of attack rather than wanton violence. I buy the slow-burn of increasing horror and desperate violence over a 25-year period based on this episode far more than the scene portrayed in the giant battle in episode one, despite how cool it might have looked.

And all of this wrapped up with a big ribbon in the exquisite visuals from Studio KAI. What's not to love?

Rating:

Sentenced to Be a Hero is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.