'Sentenced to Be a Hero' came out of nowhere and surprised with a compelling story and excellent production quality. It's without a doubt one of the best new series of this year. The story is set in a fictional world where humanity is on the brink of collapse in its fight against the Demon Blight. To aid them, a unit comprised of the worst offenders and sinners was formed; they are the heroes. Their punishment is eternal; not even death can save them. And with this premise, we were thrown into this cruel world where the story wasted no time to show that it's brutaland doesn't hold back anything. This is how a dark fantasy should be done.

The hour-long opening act made it clear that it's no seasonal fantasy show with a recurring story pattern or character archetype. It got me hooked on this show, which I had previously thought was just another dark fantasy. The story slowly started to unfold from that point. The story is not what it seems on the surface. It shows the heroes' world and their unique motivations, backgrounds, and personalities that enrich the story. The story gradually reveals some fragments of the past of the central characters and a few plot twists, hinting at the underlying narrative and conflict. The season leaves viewers with more questions than answers. It's great to see a story building tensions and intriguing the viewers to guess what's true and what's not.

It's not without flaws, though. As much as I liked how the story progressed, detailed world-building would have added more depth as well as more to the story. A few important aspects of the story are still murky, which might cause confusion. I hope the story's progression will clear these up, given how enigmatic the storytelling is.

It's a great watch for anyone who likes dark fantasy with cryptic storytelling.