4 Cut Hero is based on a Chinese Donghua and it has gained immense popularity after its initial release. It neither employs anything visually extraordinary nor does it offer a peculiar narrative of sorts. But what it does best is provide a commendable parody of the harem culture and explore several genres in one single setting. There is adventure, fantasy, action, comedy, and harem, all of which are infused into the other to make a compelling plot with short and crispy storytelling.
4 Cut Hero – review of the first episode and a general overview
4 Cut Hero Episode 1 has been titled ‘After Saving the World, I Just Wanna Stay at Home‘. It is set in the Cattelan year of 952, where the Dark Lord has declared war against Cattelan and has been backed by the Big Four. The battle continues for seven days and seven nights until Mr. Hero shows up and defeats the Dark Lord. Mr. Hero or Jed Daupin wants to be rich and he can acquire this by defeating the Dark Lord and rescuing the princess, which he does.
The comedy plays at this point and from this moment onwards when his entire dream is challenged and shattered as he discovers that his princess is actually a prince. The plot merges into a sort of mysterious narrative as it becomes unclear whether the Dark Lord Claudius is the actual villain or is it the prince who is pulling all the vicious strings underneath.
The episode doesn’t have any extraordinary animation, nor does it have any form of catch to itself. It is confusing and extremely disjunct, where at times it feels like the different shots are neither adhering to a flow nor are they under a said structural narrative.
However, the anime episode introduces the hero as a regular individual, where his ordinary life is highlighted and his mundane issues and problems are given importance to. It shows the basic struggles of unemployment and mediocrity, and therefore, the world of fantasy becomes a viable escape.
4 Cut Hero anime – release and episodes
4 Cut Hero is originally based on the Korean webtoon series 4 Cut Yongsa. This particular webtoon debuted in 2014. 4 Cut Hero has been created by Studio Phantom and Bilibili is in charge of its distribution. The Chinese adaptation was premiered on October 29, 2022, during the annual Bilibili event.
4 Cut Hero Season 1 started airing on July 17, 2023, and currently stands at seven episodes. The anime releases a new episode every Monday at 12 p.m. JST. The first season of 4 Cut Hero will have 10 episodes, each of which will have a runtime of seven minutes. 4 Cut Hero is however not available on Crunchyroll and is only available on Bilibili as they are the licensed distributors of the project.
Is 4 Cut Hero Episode 1 a marker of something exceptional about the anime?
4 Cut Hero Episode 1 has a peculiar take on a fantasy story. It is neither harem nor isekai, it is neither a conventional adventure nor a fantasy. It stands somewhere between all of these genres, and it offers a unique take on the power play of the monarchy and the hierarchy of a harem. 4 Cut Hero is an example of a series that has been designed to break away from conventions and deliver a sophisticated outlook on the entirety of human life and mediocrity.
Therefore, 4 Cut Hero is an exceptional series to watch, despite the fact that is utterly mediocre when it comes to the animation and the narration. However, this might be a metaphor for the confusing and unorganized life of the protagonist and might reflect the conditions of his life in the narration of his story.
Conclusion
4 Cut Hero is a peculiar take on a story. It has also evoked mixed feelings from critics and fans alike. While some believe that it is utterly lovable, others find it very confusing and exaggerated. But with this sense of mixed emotions comes the actual picture which is in play. The anime is not only a narration of the mundane objects of life but is also a critical take on the mundaneness itself.