[DreamSword]

Episode #03: Invasion

What would you do if your home suddenly became a warzone?

Would you run for the hills? Would you stand your ground and fight? Sure, there are things many of would like to think we'd do, but the reality might not be those.

Personally, I find this episode's' portrayal of the situation to be rather realistic(atleast in regards to superhero stories), in that while the US defense force is out to fight off the invaders, the civilians are mainly out for themselves.

This even extends to our main cast. Rather than take out every Skrugg he sees, Joey's' focus is almost entirely on getting his grandma to safety. And rather than stick with and protect his sister, all Will can think about is upstaging Joey. And all while the world crumbles around them.

The atmosphere throughout a majority of the episode is appropriately intense, and while the focus is mostly on the action side of things, with the military fighting the Skrugg, there's a nice handful of character beats to carry things along. Especially on the side of Joey and Heroman. For a toy robot, Heroman sure is expressive and surprisingly autonomous.

One thing I definitely appreciate about the episode more on rewatch is the use of CGI for stuff related to the Skrugg. Especially their giant flying saucer, wherein the way that it's rendered makes it look rather otherworldly compared to almost everything around it. I do wish that the fighter jets were drawn instead of CG to help sell the effect though. But that's a nitpick in the grand scheme of things. This show's' presentation continues to be rather nice.

The climax of the episode makes it clear that the fight between humanity and Skrugg won't be a battle easily won, but that makes it all the more important that people celebrate their smaller victories. For now, Joey's' grandma is safe, and that's certainly something to feel some relief over.

While it might be labeled as Hero's' theme song, "Rise, Fight, Peace" more often than not tends to play whenever both Joey and Heroman are partaking in heroics. And indeed, a big highlight of the climax in this episode is showing that's not just either of them individually who make the hero, but rather both of them together. This song not only fits the mood made by such moments rather well, but is a very well put together tune in its own right.