It’s not often that the title of the show pretty much says it all but in the case of SHY, it gets you about 80% of the way there. A superhero that’s shy seemed like it would be an interesting change of pace so I decided to give this one a try. Did this one cause me to SHY away from it?
I couldn’t resist the pun.
Ahem…
Let’s go…
First Episode Synopsis
Teru is… well… shy… and yet, she has been chosen to be the hero of Japan. In fact, she was chosen three months ago so we didn’t even get to see how she was chosen. Instead, she’s trying to do a public speech and failing horribly. The audience is growing restless and so she decides to just end it and go off the stage… that is until a little boy shouts some words of encouragement at her. Even though it caused her to pause, she still ended up leaving.
Shortly after, the roller coaster at an amusement park malfunctions, and everyone is stuck upside down. SHY bursts into action and rescues them one at a time; however, the girl she was going to rescue first tells her to prioritize everyone else before her. SHY leaves her for last but when she goes back, the cars break free from the track! SHY did her best to stop the car and succeeded but some debris hit the girl and she was left in critical condition.
This failure to save her draws criticism and forces SHY to lock herself away in her room for a month. It isn’t until Russia’s hero, Pepesha, pays her a visit but despite trying to talk some sense into her, SHY still can’t transform as her heart isn’t into it anymore. That is until a hotel catches fire and the little boy she saved tries to be a hero because SHY is an inspiration to him. When he’s about to get injured, Teru finds her reason for being a hero again and is able to transform. She rescues an infant and her mother and is congratulated (and even assisted by) Pepesha.
Pepesha then kidnaps her and brings her to a secret base… IN SPACE! (Yes, I knew that was going to rhyme and typed it anyway). There, she meets Uni-lord, the one charged with overseeing all the heroes of the world. She warned Teru that a great danger is on the horizon and that is why the heroes were created. When Teru returns to school, they get a new transfer student… the girl she failed to save and her name is Iko Koshikawa!
Worth Watching?
YES – At first, a girl with anxiety playing hero sounded as if it was going to be a comedy and while there were some parts that made me smile, this was far from a comedy. Teru has a real condition of social anxiety and her trying to be a hero is very symbolic. Most people with anxiety will often dream of the person they cannot be. Teru is literally living as that by becoming SHY.
While a lot has yet to be unveiled, the first episode hit pretty hard. You really got a feeling for the kind of person Teru is and you get to feel her struggles and her pain as the naivety shines through. Despite being shy, she has a heart that wants to save everyone but she can’t swallow the bitter pill that tells her that it’s not possible to do. It’s no different than a doctor not being able to cure every patient. Patients will die just like not every person in trouble can be saved.
Even though she realizes this, it doesn’t seem as if she fully accepts it… at least not by the end of the first episode. Instead, she simply gets that reminder of why she was a hero, to begin with. The pain and self-doubt still plague her and it’s these emotions that make you want to reach through the screen, give her a hug, and tell her everything is going to be okay.
To invoke that kind of emotion after just the debut episode speaks volumes to how good Teru COULD be as a main character. The introduction to her was great but the development from here on out will be put under a microscope. Even if it’s slow and a bit on the average side, the show still drummed up enough interesting points to keep the viewer hooked and wanting to see the second episode.