A dynamic, inspiring start to a great new series:
A friend recommended I watch 'Boku no hero academia' aka 'My Hero Academy', having not read the manga I had given it an initial uninterested passing glance in the Shonan Jump store. However, I'm glad I took the time to sit and enjoy the crazy twists and turns that follows the growth of the aspiring hero in the making, 'Izuku "Deku" Midoriya'. The initial episode left me somewhat wanting but before I knew it I had binge watched the final 5 episodes in tense anticipation of what was to come.
A very solid 1st season that blew away my preconceptions and left me eager for Season 2, due at the end of March 2017.
Deku dreams of becoming a super hero, having grown up idolising the hero, 'All Might'. Unfortunately he finds himself part of the 20% that can't develop a quirk (aka power or mutation). Despite this, after an unexpected rescue from non other than All Might himself, his circumstances change and he manages to attend the prestigious U.A. Hero Academy.
A friend recommended I watch 'Boku no hero academia' aka 'My Hero Academy', having not read the manga I had given it an initial uninterested passing glance in the Shonan Jump store. However, I'm glad I took the time to sit and enjoy the crazy twists and turns that follows the growth of the aspiring hero in the making, 'Izuku "Deku" Midoriya'. The initial episode left me somewhat wanting but before I knew it I had binge watched the final 5 episodes in tense anticipation of what was to come.
A very solid 1st season that blew away my preconceptions and left me eager for Season 2, due at the end of March 2017.
Deku dreams of becoming a super hero, having grown up idolising the hero, 'All Might'. Unfortunately he finds himself part of the 20% that can't develop a quirk (aka power or mutation). Despite this, after an unexpected rescue from non other than All Might himself, his circumstances change and he manages to attend the prestigious U.A. Hero Academy.
Deku fits the standard Shonen manga role of being a clear underdog amongst his super hero peers, yet has a strong heart and will to succeed through hard effort. This is in clear contrast to his natural gifted rival 'Katsuki Bakugou', an confident egotistical hothead with the quirk of creating explosions, matching his volatile personality. Initially one dimensional and easy to hate, the show does a great job of revealing his flaws, having you empathise with his poor pride and anger management, making him a much more rounded rival overall.
Boku no hero academia has such a diverse and quirky dynamic set of characters, everyone is sure to have a favourite. Ranging from the pure and innocent 'Ochako Uraraka', with the power of levitation, to 'Shouto Todoroki', the prodigy with the power to wield both ice and fire. One of my favorite classmates ended up being the calm and straight talking 'Tsuyu Asui' who resembles a toad in both her features and quirk abilities!
Boku no hero academia has such a diverse and quirky dynamic set of characters, everyone is sure to have a favourite. Ranging from the pure and innocent 'Ochako Uraraka', with the power of levitation, to 'Shouto Todoroki', the prodigy with the power to wield both ice and fire. One of my favorite classmates ended up being the calm and straight talking 'Tsuyu Asui' who resembles a toad in both her features and quirk abilities!
The fantastic character design helps flesh out the cast further with Uraraka and Deku's rounded and kind features that contrast strongly against the raging glare and sharp feature of Bakugou. Every hero has a distinct silhouette, attitude and voice that fits them perfectly. A personal favourite amongst the teaching staff is 'Shouta Aizawa', a scruffy unkempt and lazy teacher with bloodshot eyes. He later reveals himself to be a professional in his field and really proves his worth, he is also voiced by Junichi Suwabe who did a fantastic job as Worick in the GANGSTA series.
We can't ignore the greatest super hero of them all, the No. 1 All Might!, he is every part the muscle pumped American hero dream, complete with perfect smile, yet he also has a deep surprising backstory. Hiding a crippling secret, that reveals to us that even the strongest of us have moments of weakness where we need a helping hand. The bond he forms with the younger heroes is especially fun to watch, especially as he attempts to guide Deku through what it means to be a super hero. He often has a hand in the funniest scenes in the series.
The character interaction really helps to diversify the cast and highlight their relationships with one another, such as the Deku's mother showing her support, the teacher and student mentor bonding or the raucous banter between students. Occasionally broken up with comedic scenes and inappropriate behaviour from the tiny classmate Minoru.
The heroes were well thought out and explored, but sadly the main villains felt like wasted potential. Introduced midway through the season their appearance led to the story taking quite a dark and brutal turn. The main villain 'Tomura Shiguraki' has an interesting character design as well as an unhinged personality, it was a great chance to have a deep and twisted backstory for him but this was unfortunately only touched upon. The same could be said regarding the rest of his villain entourage. None the less, it is clear at the end of Season 1 that the villains will have a much bigger role in Season 2 but it would have made the already impressive concluding scenes have much more substance. The final fights in particular were intense, full of surprise and awe inspiring moments.
Despite this, in just 13 episodes, they did a great job of developing a well rounded and developed protagonist in the form of Deku, with a strong supporting cast that could equally enjoy the spotlight. This gives the story a strong foundation to build upon and launch - all quirks blazing, into Season 2.
I look forward to seeing what obstacles and villains are revealed to challenge the upcoming heroes in Season 2, if the manga artwork is anything to go by, it will be well worth the wait!
