Funimation
Stars: Anthony Bowling, Jonathan Brooks and John Burgmeier

What they say: For citizens of the Xian Empire, justice is a myth. Lord Keiro, the deranged Shogun of the Imperial Army, blazes a trail of terror across the countryside in search of the sacred sword that will make him a god. Standing in his way is Taito, an omnipotent star reborn in human form – a young hero who vows to use his celestial strength to avenge those slaughtered by the villainous Shogun. Taito’s mystical powers steer him toward a violent showdown with Keiro, and if used recklessly, his newfound abilities could shred the very fabric of his being. To master the art of control and become a heroic martial artist, Taito must seek the guidance of others like him: the seven star-born warriors with the strength to shatter a corrupt empire.

What I say: Hero Tales certainly has its heart in the right place. Chinese mythology is abundant with stories to be told, and surely an Anime would do right by that, wouldn’t it?

Unfortunately, Hero Tales faults far outweigh its good points. The first thing you will notice is the rather simple animation. It by no means stands up to even average efforts. It is simple to start with and the quality dips frequently. And while Taito and the supporting cast are good and fleshed out by the end of the series, we sure take the long way to get there. For every episode that moves things forward, there are 3 filler episodes.

Now, at this point, it might seem like I didn’t like Here Tales. But honestly that’s not true. It was not a bad series at all. It just wasn’t overly good. There was enough there to keep me watching but just barely. The series really hits its stride in the last few episodes of Part 2. And that is a shame as the potential was there all along. Even the final battle, which was satisfying, seems almost undone in the final episode epilogue.

That was the true problem with the entire series, it was on the edge of greatness the whole way, and it just missed it.

The English dub was good. It took the cast a few episodes to warm up to their roles, but once they did it was pretty enjoyable.

Film: 7/10
DVD: 8/10

Recommended to fans of Chinese mythology