WHAT THIS?  STOP READING THE REVIEW AND GO WATCH IT!

OK I’ll go into detail.

(Kōhei Horikoshi, Shueisha)

My Hero Academia is set in a world where super powers have become the norm. 80% of the populace have super powers and thanks to that Super Heroes are now an actual occupation. Izuku Midoriya is a boy who dreams to be a super hero just like the greatest hero and symbol of peace and justice, All Might (basically he’s Superman), but in a rather heart wrenching scene he discovers at a young age he doesn’t have a super power.  Despite this he never gave up on his dream and at a time when people were standing back and just waiting for a hero to appear and save his friend, he ran forward without thinking to save him, spurring on All Might to act. (oh and later he joins a school for super heroes upon becoming All Might’s successor)

This series is GOOD no it’s BRILLIANT, and perfectly timed. We are in an age where super hero films are regular, both good and bad and this series asks the important question: What really makes a hero? We see a world where super powers are the norm, super heroes is a job, basically with fame and attention.

Is a hero defined by his powers or a Quirk as it’s known in the series or is it something more? But it’s so much more than the movies, to both sides.

Think the super hero movies are just silly and throw crazy stuff at you? This looks deep at the characters and how super powers affect the world ( no civil war stuff here) and each power is explored to the point even something you may think is a crap power can be used to impressive levels.

Think the moves compensate too much and dilute the imaginative world of the comics? (a huge problem with DC) well this world is bright with super hero outfits and crazy powers.

Each character has distinctive designs and powers so you can instantly see a room of characters and know who each of them are. Each character also has their own personality and it just oozes out at times. You have Izuku Midoriya who starts the series with no super hero powers but you do feel he has the true spirit of a hero and spent years studying and analyzing super powers to the point his brain may be his true greatest asset and not the power he inherited from All Might ( this comes into play in some great scenes).It also looks at, maybe suddenly gaining a super power may have adverse affects on an unprepared body.

You have his former childhood friend and later bully Katsuki Bakugo who has explosion powers and like Deku (as he called Midoriya and I will be calling him from now on to save time) looks up to All Might, but as time went on, his attitude towards Deku soured and seeing why that happens shows just how much thought this series puts in.

The other main characters Ochako Uraraka, the lead female with gravity powers and is designed to be cute (no really the design notes say that)  and Tenya Lida who comes from a family of heroes and has speed powers, and finally you have All Might himself. I won’t go too deep into him because, well the first series explains that way better than I could (and so much of this review is me holding back from just yelling watch it over and over)

The rest of the class  are all fleshed out and are not just people who get thrown into the background, in fact watching this you might not know who is considered “main” characters and who are the rest of the class. No one is just thrown into the background, and each of their powers are explored and developed in ways that makes even Marvel look lazy (my favorite character Tsuyu has the powers of a frog, and she uses it way better than the Xmen villain Toad).

The first season (because season 2 is currently airing in Japan) is available on dvd and is 13 episodes. You get a full experience from it, combined with the music and brilliant voice acting. When All Might is doing something awesome you feel it. You feel he is the spirit of peace and justice far more than Superman did in the recent movies ( the track “you say run”, my god that’s good).

This is one of the best anime series I’ve ever seen and as said it came out at the perfect time, when you saw movies get heroes right, or get them completely wrong (look at you Batman v Superman) this series came out and gave us something both new, fresh, and with a better introspection and understanding of super heroes than any of the main comic book companies. There is so much more I could talk to you about but I can’t insist enough:

YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE READ THIS, THE SERIES IS AMAZING GO WATCH IT NOW, HUNT IT DOWN WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS? GO WATCH IT

Rating:      

(Kōhei Horikoshi, Shueisha)