X-men lite, anyone?

Non-anime time means pimping time. Right?

Prime television rarely catches my attention. But oh, boy. NBC’s Heroes blew my breath away. I am left wanting for more. Real people with super powers, may it be flying, healing capabilities, teleportation, psychic abilities, and possible super strength. It screams X-men. It screams sci-fi. It screams drama. Am I supposed to resist?

When I first encountered the trailer in mid-summer, I knew I had to watch take a peek at the superhero hook. Thank gawd I remembered to look up this pilot. I have a great tendency to forget things, you see.

People from various parts of the globe are connected by a not-so-coincidental (for television purposes) degrees of separation. Meet a non-peppy cheerleader who dabbles in pleasing past times such running through blazing fires and falling thirty feet from the ground. There’s the hawt Indian professor who travels to NY to unravel the mystery behind his father’s death and drive a taxi cab. You’ll encounter an artist who plays Cassandra through his drug-induced highs. We also find a Japanese salaryman who spouts Star Trek bits and embraces his newfound manipulation of space-time continuum. You’ll see a stripper with questionable sanity who has a mysterious capability of tearing the guts out of any living thing, literally. And along the way, you’ll bump into this really sweet nurse who has a bad case of brother and superman-complex. And this is only the preliminary characters. Based on the cast photos, the introduction of characters will pile up high in the next few episodes.

Is the pilot episode merely a taste of what to come? Or will this be a case of dashed hopes? Will there be exquisite twists worthy of Lincoln Rhyme novels? Will I marvel with ultimate satisfaction? Will I be astonished by the uncanny storytelling? Or will this be as convoluted as the second season of Lost? Ahh, the inevitable barrage of questions.

True, I am quite intrigued by the awesomeness of the pilot. The characters hit their notes. Japanese dude is darn funny. Sweet nurse dude is sickeningly adorable. I give a thumbs up on stripper girl and the not-so-peppy one’s gross out factor. I am lusting over Indian dude. I am loving the comic book-y appeal. Awesome act breaks. A much more awesome cliffhanger. I like the drama. I like the genre. I like the potential overarching plot. But one thing bothers me… This series might be taking itself a wee bit seriously. I hope not.

Another thought. Since I’m half-way smitten with the series, I really hope it won’t get cancelled. Shows I tend to favor seem to find themselves in that blackhole of cancelled shows.