SUPER HXEROS Manga Volume 1 Review

-Written by: Chris S.

Superheroes are super popular in the modern era, but I’m sure you all knew that. Even during a worldwide pandemic, they save us from boredom and bring hope to our homes when it’s too dangerous to go to a movie theater. Disney+ continues to release hit shows from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. HBO Max gave us a huge surprise by releasing Zack Snyder’s improved (and way longer) cut of Justice League. The new animated series Invincible just began airing on Amazon Prime. Finally, we can’t forget the return of the My Hero Academia anime, which began its 5th season this spring! However, there is another superhero manga and anime that has made its way stateside that probably went under your radar. I’m talking about SUPER HXEROS by Ryoma Kitada.

I can almost guarantee that you’ve never experienced anything like this in the superhero genre. In SUPER HXEROS, an alien race called the Kiseichuu has invaded Earth to steal peoples’ H-Energy. H-Energy is basically a person’s lust or sex drive. It may seem strange at first, but the manga does a good job of explaining why this is a problem. Without H-Energy, humans will not have the desire to reproduce. This will lead to a decrease in the human population so the Kiseichuu can conquer them easily. The world’s greatest defense to this threat is a group of 5 teenagers called Super HxEros! As teenagers going through puberty, they have more H-Energy than your average adults, and they use this energy to fight the Kiseichuu. Absurd, right? Yes, but it’s a LOT of fun.

Our main characters are a boy named Enjo Retto and his crush, Hoshino Kirara. Enjo has feelings for Hoshino and misses their childhood friendship, but Hoshino doesn’t want anything to do with him or any other boys because she was attacked by a Kiseichuu when she was younger and has seemingly lost all sexual attraction. Later on, she finds out that Enjo is a member of the Super HxEros and gets recruited to the team when her H-Energy reawakens and is stronger than ever! With this renewal of Hoshino’s H-Energy, will she finally begin reciprocating Enjo’s feelings? Time will only tell in future volumes.

I was very entertained by this manga because of Ryoma Kitada’s creative imagination. The alien invaders, the Kiseichuu, look like a variety of anthropomorphic insects such as mantises, mosquitoes, bees, and butterflies, but they seem to become more human and sexualized as they absorb their victims’ H-Energy. The word “HxEros” is a combination of Ecchi, which refers to sexual themes, and Eros, which is a Greek term referring to erotic love. The Super HxEros all have smart watches that help them store and release their H-Energy for battle, which kind of reminded me of Power Rangers. But rather than using these devices to morph into hero costumes, it makes them stronger and their clothes rip off.

Needless to say, this manga is definitely not for children. SUPER HXEROS has as much fan service as you can imagine without being classified as hentai. Genitals are always censored, and so far there are no sex scenes, but oftentimes you will see the characters nude with exposed breasts and butts. These teenagers are very used to seeing each other nude. Retto is the only male on the team, and he lives in a dorm with four females. So, you could also consider this being in the harem genre. This leads to a lot of comedic moments, such as a girl who always mistakes Retto’s bedroom for her own when she sleepwalks.

If I have one tiny little nitpick, it would be the public’s reaction to the alien invaders. In the timeline of this manga, they have resided on Earth for 5 years, and people are aware of their existence. A scientist even appears on TV to tell people everything they have learned about the Kiseichuu. Yet, we hardly ever see crowds of people panicking when they appear, and there is no military involvement. So you’re telling me that these insectoids can’t be killed by guns or a can of Raid? Their only weakness is a group of horny teenagers?

Regardless, SUPER HXEROS is a very unique manga that I would recommend to readers of any gender as long as they are mature enough for the sexual imagery and themes. If you’d rather watch the anime, the first season is streaming on Funimation. I watched the first few episodes that correspond with the first volume of the manga, and I intend to continue watching it. The anime has the same story, but is a lot more censored. Whether you read or watch it, expect to laugh and have a lot of fun!