A Minor Variation

Haven't done one of these in a while, so why not?

What I'm Watching: Tiger & Bunny

Tiger & Bunny is sort of Japan's take on what would happen if superheroes started emerging in the modern world. The answer, if you were curious, is a reality tv show starring coporate-sponsored heroes.



So, yeah. Real crimes, real criminals, real super-powers and frequently real bystanders in danger; the heroes just... wear corporate logos, receive points based on their performance, and frequently get instructions from the producer to make things more dramatic, for the enjoyment of the fans following along on their TVs at home.



Or at superhero sports bars. Whatever.



Our protagonist is Kotetsu T. Kaburagi aka Wild Tiger, the Crusher of Justice, a veteran hero who is clearly not cut out for this corporate sponsorship thing, what with his refusal to take stage directions from the producer and his unfortunate penchant for property damage.



Wild Tiger gets no respect ever. He's second to last in point rankings, he can't give away his trading card - even criminals would rather be arrested by other heroes.



And if that weren't bad enough, his sponsor company summarily shuts down its Hero agency and he ends up shuffled off into the employ of a bigger corporation to play older sidekick and general-purpose second fiddle to a fresh new hero who has the same powers but is younger, more marketable, and doesn't believe in little details like keeping a secret identity.



Tiger's new partner is Barnaby Brooks, Jr. (quickly nicknamed "Bunny-chan" by Kotetsu, to his great displeasure), and he's the perfect Hero as long as the camera's on him. When there's no points to be earned or publicity to be had... not so much.



(Also, he has Farrah hair.)



The inevitable buddy-cop dynamic ensues.

I am six episodes in so far, and the plot seems to be partly Idealism Vs. Cynicism with Kotetsu's particular brand of old-fashioned "as long as there's hope, a real Hero never leaves a life behind!" idealism likely to win out over the more jaded attitudes of Barnaby and others, and partly the mystery of Barnaby's Dark and Troubled Past (the existence of which should surprise no one), with episodes here and there focusing on other Heroes and how they approach their jobs (for instance, Blue Rose, who would rather be an idol singer but the sponsorship money's in superheroes). I'm inclined to recommend it to the superhero comic readers on my friendslist as a different take on familiar subject matter; it's a fun show, and has a more affectionate angle on the genre than the initial thumbnail description of "corporate-sponsored reality TV superheroes" might suggest.

My only complaint so far is the gratuitous CG for most of the Hero suits save for (unsurprisngly) the girls' - it's not quite so bad for the power armor, but it's really distracting on Fire Emblem's cape-and-cowl ensemble. (Fire Emblem himself initially comes off as an annoying camp gay stereotype, but the show is pretty good about giving its characters depth; his joking flirtation with Kotetsu in episode six was actually kind of entertaining. I'd also assumed from the first few episodes that Sky High would have his head up his ass, only for him to turn out to be the most adorable thing ever, so.)

In any case, Barnaby is my usual favorite brand of emotionally repressed, driven jerkface, and Kotetsu just generally needs a hug, and this is my new favorite currently-ongoing show, so there you are.