English Dub Review: Stand My Heroes: Piece of Truth “Piece 01”

 

Overview (Spoilers Below)
The government holds a meeting with members of the DCD regarding a new group entitled STAND, tasked with investigating drug-related activities in the area. Several members nominate Rei Izumi, a rookie of the DCD forces, as a recruiter for STAND.

Rei comes into work later that day, as her probation for a previous mistake is over. Seki, the member who nominated her, informs Rei of her new position. Rei accepts and goes with another member (Aoyami) to meet with candidates for STAND at Investigation Section 1. The remaining members discuss how Rei must feel about her new position. One of the members (Yui) reminds them about an ability that will aid her in her position: resistance to most drugs.

While two of the STAND candidates act professional, one man (Arakida) berates Rei regarding her attire in this type of position. Rei feels depressed by this but ultimately accepts his criticisms as truth.

Seeing Rei’s confidence taking a hit, Aoyami attempts to reassure her about her purpose as a team member. With confidence back in tow, Rei tries to re-introduce herself to Arakida. However, Arakida gives Rei the same cold stance as before.

Soon after, she runs into the boss of Investigation Section 1, You Hattori. You and Rei head out for a cup o’ joe, with You informing Rei about a potential candidate for STAND, Takoyomi Hiyama. Takoyomi runs a group entitled Revel that specializes in snooping out drug-related information.

Rei attempts to meet with Takoyomi on a cruise ship party. Instead, she runs into Soma Kujo, later revealed as another STAND candidate. Rei later runs into Aoyami, who was on the cruise to snoop on Kujo, an apparently dangerous man.

Chaos then runs amuck as a butler stashes firecrackers on the ship. Arakida, who suddenly is revealed to be on the cruise as well (acting as a bodyguard for Takoyomi), motions Takoyomi to follow him, with Rei and Aoyami following. While running below deck, the butler comes out with a knife to stab Takoyomi. The attempt is unsuccessful, so the butler flees, with Rei chasing him.

Rei finds herself almost taken down by the butler, but her drug resistance saves her. The criminal is eventually apprehended by Arakida, who tagged along nearby. After the chaos on the cruise, a mysterious red-haired man informs a shadowy figure regarding an interesting person: Rei herself.

Our Take
I honestly have to say, this series didn’t look all that impressive at first glance. It didn’t look like an anime that would be able to hold my interest. I am happy to say though, that I was definitely wrong in that aspect. Though that’s not to say this show doesn’t have its problems.

The characters were alright for the most part. It was a nice change of pace to see Rei’s fellow teammates treating her with respect, something that I wish would occur more often in reality. However, the amount of characters introduced in such a short timespan was unreal! I could barely keep any of them straight! Would it have seriously killed the writers of the series to tone this aspect down?

While some characters, such as Rei, Aoyami, and Arakida, had well-developed personalities that had a feeling of realism, the rest are sort of…just there. Sure, they each have traits that they can call their own, but I feel as though the series could have placed them over the course of the season, not all at once. However, I don’t feel as though it’s even necessary to have all of these characters. I suppose it makes sense to have a wide variety of characters with different traits to allow at least one to grow on the viewer. However, the sheer amount of characters being presented at once here drags down this series in my opinion. With all types of anime, I’d rather see a few well-developed individuals than a million who are barely developed at all.

The animation is pretty standard, though it was certainly pretty to look at. The colors illustrate a charming feeling that makes them incredible to view. I didn’t really notice anything animation-wise that looked horrid, so this is certainly a plus for the series. The vocal talent presented throughout is also a major plus. All of the characters sound true-to-life, adding more enjoyability to the series overall.

The story is definitely a strong point here thus far. The drama that surrounds these characters was certainly captivating. There seems to be quite a hint of mysteriousness throughout that definitely leaves me intrigued. The interactions between Rei and her fellow co-workers are also interesting to examine. The teamwork presented by a majority of the individuals within is a commendable sight to see. Overall, the story has me pretty sold so far. I hope it continues to blossom into an interesting set of twists, turns, and dramatics.

Ultimately, this is a series that should not be judged by its cover. It presents attributes that can appeal to all demographics. While the amount of characters is unreal, I’m willing to overlook that based on the interesting story and the pleasing animation. I’m fairly optimistic regarding where this show is heading.