Product Description

A hero's journey comes to an end!

The final scripts for Trans-Dimensional Warriors Airguard are in, and cast and crew of the hit TV show realize that time is short. Soon, filming will end and everyone will go their separate ways. As they near the special, 2-part series finale, prior romantic tensions between co-stars Minami and Sawada appear to have faded. But, as in any larger-than-life drama, appearances can be deceiving.

When Sawada chooses to hide an on-set injury, Minami's concern gets the best of him. Are his worries simply for the welfare of a respected acting colleague, or do they mask a deeper feeling? What of Minami's own romance with Katagiri... and Sawada's with Takagi?! Can any of the complicated personal relationships on this set resolve themselves without someone getting hurt?
In heroic fashion, popular creator Makoto Tateno (YELLOW) wraps her hit yaoi series!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #270013 in Books
• Published on: 2008-12-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

Review
Oh, Makoto Tateno, how I adore thee. Your art is beautiful, your releases have graphic sex scenes and you suck me in with your convoluted plot twists. I'm always sad to see one of your series end, but I take comfort in the fact that you're a fairly prolific artist, so I'll always have something new to look forward to.

So, we've come to the last volume of Hero Heel. In this volume, we've got the series that the boys are acting in coming to a close. They're getting ready to film the two-part series finale, but our main actors don't seem to want to let it go. As you may remember, our two leads are really good at transforming their feelings for each other into meaningless sex and fake relationships with others while trying to keep the other one from knowing their true feelings.

Okay, lust like this has always been one of my buttons. I love the angst that's involved with two characters wanting each other, but taking out their frustrations and wants on surrogate bodies. Don't ask me why, but it just does it for me.

During the filming of the finale, Sawada is injured on set and does his best to hide the extent of his injury. Minami, being highly attuned to Sawada, because of course, Sawada is the one that he wants to be screwing, goes to make sure that Sawada is really okay. This prompts the guys to really examine their feelings and evaluate what it is that they're hiding from.

There's a happy ending and things all work out in the way that BL novels usually do. However, it's a fun ride getting there and a ride that Tateno can take me on any day! --Boys Next Door

Review May Contain Spoilers

As filming of Trans-Dimensional Warriors Airguard begins to wind down, Minami is forced to accept that he and Sawada will soon be going their separate ways. It doesn't matter that Sawada has been treating him coldly; Minami's heart, no matter how strongly he tries to deny it, will always belong to the other man. As the cast and crew work on the finale of the show, Minami throws his best efforts into besting Sawada's acting. If nothing else, he's determined to leave the set as Sawada's equal, but will his broken heart ever mend?

Minami just can't get Sawada out of his head. Even though he's in a relationship with Katagiri, and Sawada has gotten back together with Takagi, thoughts of Sawada still distract Minami night and day. He's still obsessed with his co-star, and seeing him every day, acting with him every day, is a bittersweet torment for him. Why can't he just let him go? Why can't he just be happy with Katagiri, who treats him like gold? The way Sawada treats him could never be misconstrued as nice, and that's tearing Minami up inside. This kid has got it bad, and the worse Sawada treats him, the more the other man consumes his thoughts.

Hero Heel continues to be a gripping read, filled with intense emotions and seemingly hopeless love. Minami and Sawada remain rivals almost to the end, pitting their acting skills against each other as an outlet for their barely contained feelings. Each has tried to find love with another, but neither finds the contentment they're looking for. The backdrop of the TV series gave an added dimension to their relationship, and also allowed them to show off some flashy clothes. Makoto Tateno's art kept the story flowing smoothly along, and her character designs are sleek and sexy. --Mangacast

We've reached the explosive final installment in the Hero Heel trilogy. I will provide links to my reviews and other J LHLS reviews for the first two volumes at the end of the post.

Trans-Dimensional Warriors Airguard is headed towards the series end. That fact is starting to sink in and everyone is working very hard to put in their best performances. The romances between Minami and Katagiri and Takagi and Sawada seem to be going on, full steam ahead. But things are just bubbling under the surface. Sawada doesn't seem to be satisfied with sleeping with Takagi so he has a parade of partners going in and out of his apartment. Minami is confused because of Sawada's bizarre behavior towards him. Katagiri and Takagi are caught in the middle of this stormy relationship.

Sawada hides an injury that he sustained on set and is struggling to hide it. Minami showing concern, as a co-worker, heads over to his apartment with first aid supplies. Sawada behaves strangely again and when Takagi shows up Minami is worried about what Takagi is thinking. Soon a rumor starts to spread about Takagi and Sawada have broken up. Will Minami own up to his feelings towards Sawada? Will Sawada admit his feelings for Minami? How will it all end? You'll just have to read Hero Heel vol. 3 to find out.

It is so satisfying to read this volume in English. I own the original Japanese volume but I don't know the language so I had to go by the pictures. But now I can enjoy it in English. Things wrapped up nicely. But it was tumultuous all the way to the end. Makoto Tateno-sama really knows her stuff. She is a master of whatever genre and story setting she decides to tackle. With this story about actors she not only makes things realistic back stage but also everything with the art to the plot of the story. The art is spectacular in this series. Her costuming to set designs are so rich, stunning, and detailed you can't help but be captivated by it.

The story is what really makes this a great series. Sawada is the guy that you love to hate because of the way that he treats Minami but you secretly want to cheer him on. Minami is the epitome of the uke because he's weepy and needy which can get on your nerves but you don't see much of the weepy uke in this third volume. Your heart goes out to Katagiri because he loves Minami so much and winds up with his heart broken. Even though the story ends I imagine a happy ending for Katagiri sometime in the future.

Hero Heel is a great series. I highly recommend it. Not only for the story but also for Tateno-sama's amazing skills at weaving a beautiful tale with gorgeous art. Check out this series, it's definitely worth your time! --Manic About Manga

About the Author
Makoto Tateno is the creator of the hit yaoi series YELLOW, as well as STEAL MOON, BLUE SHEEP REVERIE, and KASHINFU. She's also done shojo with her series RED ANGEL, and remains a prolific and popular yaoi mangaka in the US.

Customer Reviews

Amazng Ending!
I had a very enjoyable time reading this whole series. I read this book in one sitting on a car trip, even though I get carsick easily. That's how good it was. I love Makoto Tateno's artwork in this series. The costumes on the tv show are amazing. I love Minami! Sawada is pretty awesome too! Although I was rooting for happy ending, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Katagiri. He was one of my favorite characters, perhaps because he was so unassuming. He was so generous and kind. He sort of got tossed to the wayside though. The sex scenes were the hottest yet in this series! Very gratifiying:) Overall five stars!

This series get better with each volume as the emotional battle comes to a dramatic conclusion.
I really have a wonderful time finishing this series in one go. This story just gets better with each volume as the emotional struggles among the 4 actors deepen. The TV action hero series, in which the 4 guys starred in, serving as a background is refreshing and it plays like a sub plot. Sensei really has a fun time drawing the costumes :).

We know the outcome of this quadrangle love story. However it is the emotional battle to get there which holds my attention from Vol 2 onwards as I naturally root for both "hero" and "villain" to be together.
Who is my favorite character. It is ofcourse Sawada. He is such a cool, cool seme, his silence and near cynical outlook of life, making him such an interesting character. As the story progresses we almost fully understand Sawada's feelings and he remains a mystique till the end. Minami brought to the brink of despair by Sawada's rejection is one vulnerable character with a naivety and "goodness" which I find sometimes frustrating but then he is forgiven because he is afterall the uke hero. Katagiri may have most readers' sympathy by the end of Vol 3 but then I never rooted for him. I quite like Takagi, the more mature uke who learn the hard way there is no second chance in love, and find myself rooting for his and Sawada's reconciliation but that will not be the Yaoi ending we want. LOL.

I enjoy Hero Heel a lot. The 4 guys may have similar features (something sensei could improve on?) but they are 4 distinct characters and their emotional struggles to hold on to the one they love makes Hero Heel one captivating Yaoi. And the sex in Vol 3 is both sensual and sexy, and a bonus point to sensei for the condom :).

Hits the spot!
I'm so glad that I tend to read my *other* piles of manga while waiting for series like this one to be completed. I read all three books of "Hero Heel" over the course of two days, I hated putting it down for even a second. There's so much tension and interesting character development that I had to grab for the next book as soon as I finished the one before it.

What I found unique about this series is that the characters changed and grew as it went on. The plot covers a year+ of their lives, and their development is on the page for us to actually see! Anyone who's been reading BL manga for a long time will understand why this is a wonderful and rare thing. And I chalk it all up to the fact that this series spanned three books, so the mangaka had the time and space to create a more fleshed-out story.

There is also a true sense of suspense in the plot. I really couldn't guess or spot how the love quadrangle would end up until the very, very end, and that is also a pleasant change of pace from the usual telegraphing many other BL plots give. Tension also builds for the characters' physical well-being. They are actors on an action TV series and the plot makes it clear from the start that the work is fairly dangerous.

Finally, the art - wow! The covers don't come close to doing justice to the interiors. Backgrounds are fully fleshed and varied, and the action sequences are fairly understandable. Yes, the TV series costumes look amazing in their variety and levels of detail. And the adult scenes, of which there are at least one per book, aren't bad either. Have I used the word "intense" yet? Well, there you go!

There's quite a bit of Makoto Tateno's work in English already, and while I like most of it, this series is definitely the pinnacle of her translated work - so far. Don't miss it! And don't buy one volume at a time - your hands will feel empty between purchases. ~_^