My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia
Introduction: A long time ago, back in 2016, I stumbled across a new anime. I didn't think much about it at the time. There were 13 episodes that revolved around a bunch of kids learning how to be heroes. It seemed pretty standard at the time to find one of a hundred shonen series where there's someone who is young trying to be the best they can be all while saving the world. Pokemon and Dragonball Z are just a couple of titles that everyone can pretty much recognize. This series intrigued me and reminded me of the reasons why I grew up liking weird shows like Beyblade or Metabots (if you really want an obscure title). Here it is 2021 and the series is still pumping along with their 5th season. So I figured it was time to see what all the fuss was about. Let's just say I was less than thrilled about the show.
The Good Parts: When it comes to the core aspect of the show - kids learning how to be heroes - everything is good. The teachers utilizing several parts of the university for training in rescue operations and fighting scenarios is something you would expect in a real life situation. I like the fact that the kids are constantly evolving with their fighting styles and equipment. They learn how to move, overcome their weaknesses, and build on their strengths. There are a series of tournaments and competitions where you get to see other kids use their abilities in awesome ways you didn't expect. Each season is filled with awesome episodes that cover a specific character's origin story - their reason for becoming a hero, their personality, their abilities while growing up, and their resolve in the story.
The Neutral Parts: Strategies and tactics are all part of the theatrics, but there's something that breaks my disbelief when their abilities become a little too powerful. I had the same issue with Dragonball Z and the power creep when the characters get strong enough to destroy the entire Earth. Realistically, most of these kids would be out of commission with the slightest amount of damage. Every now and then you would see some sort of consequence for "pushing beyond their limit." This might be a scar on their hand, being unable to move about freely for a couple weeks, or some new restriction on their abilities. I also like seeing the kids realize when a situation is entirely too much for them. What annoys me is that there isn't a consistency. Every season brings new stakes to the table and how the kids handle it depends entirely on the plot. Considering that it is a show made for kids, I don't expect things to always go the way of the adults. But I'd like to see less moments where the kids are alright "dying for the cause." The good thing is that other than the amalgamations and backstories, there are very little deaths to worry about.
The Bad Parts: Unfortunately, the thing I least liked about the show are the villains. No matter how secure the setting, the situation will always turn dramatic because a bunch of misfits managed to break through. This can be seen in the very first season. Who the core villains are and their reasons of attacking don't really become apparent until Season 5 (and outside the episodic series). Silly characters will pop up on occasion just to let the heroes do something between episodes. Nasty characters will show up to string along new ideas to the show. I understand that heroes must fight off bad guys every now and then, but something doesn't sit well with me when a bunch of 15 year-olds encounter these devastating villains over-and-over wherever they go (when the series time span lasts a little over a year).
Series
Season 1: If you are wondering whether or not to watch this extensive show, this season is your baseline. It has everything the rest of the series will cycle through - origin stories, older heroes, battle scenarios, and villains. The series keeps close to the original source. You'll see less cringe in the character's personality traits as you progress through the seasons. There are also huge pivots in the story that will essentially add or remove whole characters and settings.
Season 2: First-Half is the Sports Festival Arc where the kids compete with each other. You'll see several replays of situations, cutting the actual content back to about 15 minutes per episode. The next arc will cover the kids being interns or being "apprentices" to a bunch of top-dog heroes. Although the actual time of their visit is one week and the actual time of the fight is 10 minutes, you will see in gruesome detail how gross and distasteful the villain Stain can be for a simple kid's show. Last few episodes is the Final Exams Arc where they fight the teachers.
Season 3: If you are binge watching the show, you can pretty much skip the last episode of Season 2 (Episode 38) and the first episode here (Episode 39). They do this thing where the last episode previews the whole next season and the first episode is just a long list of replays of what already happened. The Forest Training Camp Arc doesn't really make sense to me. They decide to leave the security of the university (which is shown to be pretty flimsy) to a secluded location with little-to-no security. It just screams, "Villains Attack Me!" I don't know how "using your quirk a lot allows you to do it more later" but any sort of physical endurance training will definitely improve whatever you can dish out. At least we get to see what Class B is made of. The Hideout Raid Arc changes everything when the strongest hero fights the strongest villain and both take each other out. There are a lot of ideals being thrown around in the background too like how the kids aren't supposed to attack without a hero license, whether it is a good idea for the truth behind the #1 Hero to be revealed to the world, and how everyone reacts when the villains really make a move on them.
However, that isn't the season finale. Episode 50 merely wipes the slate clean of a few straggling story threads and turns their attention in setting up new ones. These include new dorms, new ultimate moves, and new costumes. The Provisional Hero License Exam Arc is basically another tournament with their fellow classmates. Episode 58 promotes their movie. Hero licenses are passed out in Episode 60. The last few episodes cover a bunch of single stories: a villain, Froggy out on the open sea, a fight between the two main characters introduced at the beginning of the show, and a prelude to the next season.
Season 4: To fill the hole left by One for All, we get introduced to three upperclassmen. These guys are wacky and will be seen a lot from here on out. And instead of the internships like we saw before, now our heroes can go on patrol with their Work Studies. The vast majority of episodes will revolve around this one new villain (competing with the League of Villains) and his control over a little girl that allows him to make booster shots that enhance people's abilities. Episode 81 begins the part of the show a lot of people have grown a disliking for: School Festival Arc. Not only are the kids actually having fun for a change, but we get the stupidest villain combo ever - Gentle Criminal & La Brava. Our main protagonist is the only one able to stop them with the help of his new air-blaster cannon.
Season 5: Unlike the previous competitions between the classes, the Joint Training Arc shows off some new heroes, abilities, and costumes. The industrial complex battle scenario might not be the best setting for all the fights, but it makes do. There is the Endeavor Arc where our three main characters tag along with the new top-dog hero. There's a bunch of character development and massive fights that show off this "shadow of All Might." Then I decided to stop watching the show right when Episode 108 introduced My Villain Academia. I know many feel this is when the show really excels when it highlights several villains, but the amount of torture and despair they went through is too much for my psyche.
Overview
Review: There is a lot to say about My Hero Academia after watching 100 episodes. Considering it is a shonen, you'll see a bunch of small kids getting beat-up while doing the impossible for a bunch of random, sometimes trivial, reasons. A ton of episodes are preludes to new arcs, summaries of old ones, or rehashes of previous moments. Because of this, there is a bit of discontent in the storylines when some drag-on over multiple episodes. Once you cut-out the opening and ending credits, you get about 15 minutes of great story-telling. The show continuously advances different ideas for the kids as they learn new tricks, grow new skills, and actually care about how a costume adapts their abilities. It can be hard to watch whenever the show tries to make the villains "outsmart" the heroes, but the outcome of the battles no matter the setting can be fascinating to pursue. Other than the disgusting behaviors of some of the characters and stories, I actually enjoyed the show. Consider the first season your litmus test on whether or not you should check it out too.
1-14-2022