I Am a Hero: Brilliant manga adaptation and zombie movie.

It's spooky season once again! That means that I've been delving into the archives to find some form of spooky media to cover on the blog. This October, I've specifically been diving deep into zombie movies, I just had the urge to watch zombie stuff after Resident Evil: Requiem dropped earlier in the year, I guess. Much like last October with Gannibal, this year I found another suitable live-action adaption of a manga. Shinsuke Sato is one of the very best at adapting mange into live-action and I have covered several of his projects throughout my tenure as a blog writer. Over a decade ago, before Train to Busan wowed audiences, the underappreciated adaptation of Kengo Hanazawa's magnum opus: I Am a Hero was released. 

I Am a Hero follows the exploits of Hideo Suzuki, a manga artist or rather an assistant aspiring to have a manga of his own. A meek man who isn't very assertive, Hideo finds his relationship with his girlfriend strained due to his inability to have his own manga published and serialised. After Tekko kicks him out, Hideo is left with just his shotgun and the license he has for it. Shortly after, a seemingly sick and reconciliatory Tekko calls to apologise to him, which makes him apologise and proclaim that he is to blame. Unfortunately, no true face-to-face reconciliation occurs as by the time Hideo arrives at the apartment, Tekko has turned due to being infected with the ever-spreading ZQN virus. Narrowly avoiding becoming infected himself thanks to the infected Tekko losing teeth on the door, Hideo fends her off which leads to her falling backwards onto Hideo's old manga award.

After escaping his ex-girlfriend, Hideo bumps into a female high school student named Hiromi. Hiromi reads some stuff on her phone that claims that the ZQN virus will die if you climb Mount Fuji, as if the high altitude would somehow negate the effects. Together, the two plan to test that theory. The duo don't make it very far before it is revealed that Hiromi had been bitten on the neck by her neighbour's infected baby a couple of days prior. Deciding not to shoot her, Hideo instead promises to protect Hiromi and lead her to Mount Fuji. After an encounter with an infected in a forest, the two happen upon a group of survivors that have made a camp within the confines of a shopping mall. Amongst this group is the nurse Yabu and the leader, Iura. Things escalate as tension rises when Iura reveals his true nature, putting him at odds with Hideo and Yabu. 

Shinsuke Sato stands alongside Takashi Miike at the very top of directors who helm live-action adaptations of manga and I Am a Hero is a testament to his skill and ability to respect the source material. He knows how to create tension, as seen near the very beginning of the movie before we even see the outbreak take a major hold on the city. The scene in which Hideo arrives to check on Tekko after having that reconciliatory phone call, is expertly crafted. The way the camera lingers on the shot peering through the letterbox as the ZQN slowly and eerily approaches the door is fantastic. That deliberate slow paced scene with that shot selection puts us in the shoes of Hideo as he too is peering through the letterbox. Credit also has to go to Taro Kawazu, whose cinematography brings pages of the manga to life in a beautiful way, with the locations becoming characters within themselves.

It is essentially a movie of two parts. The first half is a very methodical introduction as Sato introduces us to the major characters and their situation whilst the outbreak takes place. It's much lighter on action, but that doesn't make it worse by any stretch of the imagination with every scene included being necessary in building up the world whilst also providing some social commentary, most specifically about the world of manga and how it is produced. It is done in a manner that incorporates humour and as such, doesn't come across as lecturing the viewers. Tsuyoshi Imai's editing also aids in providing that very deliberate, slow-build pacing.

The second half is were the majority of the major action sequences take place and as a consequence, the pace swiftens sharply. The special effects are at their peak due to all of the action with the ZQN appearing in great numbers alongside a human adversary. On top of that, a major character development occurs with the title of the movie coming to bear in an epic manner. 

Speaking of the special effects, I Am a Hero is yet another example of the fact that practical effects are better than CGI fests. The ZQN look amazing with some reminding me of fish people from the works of HP Lovecraft. They're fittingly eerie, due to their designs and how they move. The gore also looks appropriate in terms of realism, there's a lot of it without it being too over the top, if that makes sense.  

The ZQN are rather unique and not just the average zombies. It's not just the physical appearance that's rather different, but also in how they operate. When left to their own devices, their memories cause them to attempt to repeat things they did when alive. For example, there's a former university athlete that performs feats of athleticism that is now enhanced by the infection. Another desperately attempts to get into a store to shop. There's also a salaryman who holds onto an imaginary railing as if he's taking a train to work. Hideo's boss is fixated on the deadlines of the manga they were working on. 

Malls and zombies seem to be an excellent combination ever since George Romero's 1978 classic Dawn of the Dead hit screens. Even Dead Rising, a Japanese franchise owned by Capcom, used a shopping mall as the major location of its first few titles. The one featured in I Am a Hero is a great backdrop for the action sequences and the story behind it is fascinating. The set was a legit mall in Korea that had been closed down. Why did a Japanese production set in Japan choose to shoot in South Korea? Japanese authorities didn't want them using a gun at suitable locations in Japan due to the strict gun laws. Ironic then, that Hideo himself makes mention of these gun laws in the movie itself. 

Yu Oizumi was the perfect choice for the leading role of Hideo Suzuki. He looks incredibly like the timid, non-assertive type of man that Hideo is. Not only that, but he has the acting ability to pull off the necessary range of emotions and handle the physicality with splendour. He's not your typical zombie movie protagonist. He doesn't begin as some badass who wields weapons that he's never carried before with ease, mowing down ZQN after ZQN. No, instead he's a man in over his head, attempting to live by the rule of law made by humanity despite humanity facing extinction. He's a flawed man and one who goes through progression which feels earned. When he faces reality and upon hearing Yabu's cry for help over a walkie-talkie, finally steps up to become a hero. A joy to watch and a well-written character. 

Masami Nagasawa is always a great choice as an actress and she nailed the tole of Yabu. As the unexpectedly capable nurse, she blossoms, handling some of the most pivotal scenes of the movie with graceful poise. Her interactions with Hideo were a major highlight of the movie and she gets some great lines. Kasumi Arimura also nailed the very difficult role of Hiromi. She delivered her lines expertly and actually got some emotion out of me during the forest sequence. On top of that, despite her lines becoming few and far between, she still managed to be a major part of every scene that she was in with body language and sheer physicality. 

Overall, I Am a Hero not only succeeds at adapting its source material, but also excels at being a zombie movie, breathing fresh life into a beaten down genre. Sure, it's very much a condensed version of the events of the first 8 volumes of the manga and with some changes thrown in that make it a more palatable experience as a movie, but it still retains the essence of what made I Am a Hero, Kengo Hanazawa's magnum opus. It has heart, it has passion and some great character progression, magical moments of cinema and plenty of gore. It's one of my favourite zombie movies and the manga is one of my favourites as well. No brainer of a recommendation.