Okay, full disclosure, I’m a little biased towards Class 1-A. I mean, they’re our crew, our buddies, our chums; I don’t really care about Class 1-B. Whilst I don’t despise the characters, it is easier for me to note their flaws and question their actions.
Tweet, tweet, y’all: it’s time to focus on Class 1-A’s most avian student. Normally I’d feel bad about jokingly referencing a character’s physicality, but neither Hawks or Tokoyami are above it; so, let’s see how well our resident edge lord can flock shit up.
What did the potential transfer student say to the Hero-in-training? Whatever he wanted, because he had a device that allowed him to alter the pitch of his voice and trick them into falling for his Brainwashing Quirk.
MHA is back, baby. So excited by this fact was I, that I neglected to write about it for three weeks. Chalk it up to pure, unadulterated excitement…or the fact that I was busy. Regardless, I’m talking about it now.
What can be said about My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising without spoiling the plot in its entirety? Nothing, so buckle up for a slew of words that detail every single thing I found to be cool in this second film outing for the series I love oh so much. Fair warning, I am just going to write this as it pours out of my head; so, literacy be damned, this is about fun…and cool…and cool fun…and punching things really, really hard…with a film budget. As is apparently the case, My Hero loves throwing Class 1-A onto islands when it needs a film set piece. I don’t know why. Maybe so they can wreck shop and not impact mainland Japan? You could argue that it’s so Pro Heroes aren’t as readily available, but that only applies to this film, since the first took place on an island that had literally just called a bunch of extra Heroes to it. Regardless, Class 1-A is on an island, helping out the locals as part of their training. With …
Since the dawn of more-than-one-fictional-character-with-superpowers, people have longed to see them punch each other really hard. Not in a serious way, more in a no-holds-barred-no-consequences kind of way. Enter fighting games. The perfect opportunity for heroes and villains alike to test their mettle and meet in completely non-canon scenarios, wearing completely nonsensical clothing, all for the enjoyment of whoever so holds the controller. I mean, there usually is a story in there somewhere, but that tends to be drowned out by the aforementioned clashing of fictionally historical characters…or historically fictional characters…or a bear in a hat. With a concept so closely surrounding the idea of decking villainy until it says uncle, it was never too hard to foresee a fighting game featuring those lovable chaps from U.A. High. This is especially true if you knew about the one that already came out for the 3DS, but let’s not argue semantics. That being said, some concession may have been given to this Japan only predecessor, as One’s Justice focuses on the tale of My Hero Academia …
First, grab yourself a large bowl, preferably one the size of a mobile, self-sufficient island. Next, your going to want to throw in a few helpings of Heroes, with some innocent citizens added for good measure. Carefully raise the stakes with an important scientific expo and then let everything rest for about half an hour. If you followed the steps correctly, you should see a world threatening disaster form; however, don’t panic, this is what we were looking for. Place the finished product in a cinema and enjoy. Okay, so I know this isn’t technically part of the My Hero Academia season, but given the lead-in episode we watched, I felt it fair enough game to cover. Also, I kinda just wanted to talk about it…sue me. Anyway, Two Heroes sees us follow up with the newly mentioned legend of one David Shield, scientist extraordinaire and former partner to All Might. Invited as a surprise by David’s daughter Melissa, our Symbol of Peace finds himself swarmed by an adoring public and a rather awestruck best bud. …
As you have no doubt ascertained from your own life experiences, challenge is what spurns us onward. It is a driving force that demands us to improve, lest we be left behind. It’s like some sort of selection, perhaps natural in nature and since nobody has ever flown such a theory before, I shall claim it as my own. Brilliant. Anti-social Darwinism aside, challenge also holds a myriad of forms, some more entertaining than others and others…well, others are sometimes a literal punch in the gut. Since he first popped his face through a solid stone wall, Togata has been a…noticeable presence. Standing as the numero uno of U.A. and all those within (perhaps even the faculty), he is a new major player in the make-up of this world. Apart from possessing the same lustre and dynamite hairstyle of one Symbol of Peace, Togata brings one element to the table that our Class 1-A lacks: Experience. Okay, so they’ve dealt with some serious Villains and found themselves on the wrong end of a decades long …
In the years upon years of superhero tales, concepts once unheard of have been explored with tremendous amounts of realism and fantasy. How does one with the power to life a mountain cope with a day job? How does a champion of justice remain impartial to their own desires? How does nobody ever figure out that their closest friend looks identical to that guy who breathes fire? Questions of varying validity, but fun to pick apart regardless. Even villains are not exempt from this treatment, building sympathetic tales of woe and injustice, toying with our emotions and making us realise that even seeming lunacy can have its explanation. Still, there are those well worn tales that breathe once more, surprising us all with their poignancy. Of all the things I thought would kick off this episode, a subdued monologue by Twice was not even on the list. But this is why My Hero doesn’t use my lists. Having appeared as your standard goofball villain, Twice thus far existed for one gimmick (as ironic as that …
The human mind is a complex system. Born within are the ideas, concepts and observances that comprise a person and their world. Of course, such a lofty notion is seldom on the forefront of thought and people tend to focus on what is occupying their mind at the current moment. Of these possible lingerings, anger sets the deepest roots and can take a hell of a lot of effort to weed out. Filter this into the ol’ anime engine and you’ve got yourself one prime foundation for some serious percussive maintenance…which hopefully stops short of crossing the concussion and serious injury threshold. Since the day he first screamed into our lives, Bakugo has been impossible to ignore. Whether his bombastic posturing irked you, or charmed you, our Heroic futures have been lined with the presence of Lord Explosion Murder. Personally, the guy kinda pisses me off. Though your part and parcel Shonen friend/rival, Bakugo never really added anything but pain to Midoriya’s life. Hell, the first time we met him he told Midoriya to kill …
In every fictional competition from the 90s onward, subversion has seen our heroes fall short of that gleaming gold trophy that signifies first place. Sure silver can be just as shiny, but it also carries the lesson that there is always something new to learn, some new metaphorical hurdle to soar over. Of course, reliance on this subversion saw that it became just as predictable as our hero scoring first, if not more so; thus, the results of the Provisional Hero Licence Exam come as a wonderful surprise that shouldn’t have surprised anyone. With exactly who you’d imagine managing to fail the test to begin all provisional careers, this episodic outing showcases the searing pain of consequences. Though Shonen logic dictates that rivals combining their powers to fight a larger threat equals victory, there was no conceivable way that kind of thinking could counteract Todoroki and Yoarashi’s clash. In a real combat situation, their lack of emotional control could have meant the deaths of countless civilians and most likely themselves. I know Endeavour sucks as …
If anime has taught me anything, it’s that the truest moments of self-discovery occur during the heat of battle. When pushed to the absolute limit, to the brink of this mortal coil, the truth comes out and people learn who they are. The retrospection, the insight; unavailable in any other situation, in any safer locale. With that in mind, it sure is a nice thing that awesome, soul-searching combat takes place in barren fields, far away from the innocent masses. I mean, it does…right? Back to our regularly scheduled arc, we find ourselves face-to-face with Gang Orca; a character so awesome that he alone is the “Gang” in his name. He also appears to have a gang, but they aren’t nearly as whale-like. Still, they do have guns that fire fast-acting cement and their loyalty to their boss is admirable, so I’ll give them points for that. Either way, this collection of characters provide a substantial threat to our Heroes-in-training and their hopes of passing the Provisional Licence Exam. Due to the nature of the …
Every once in a while it’s nice to take a break from it all and get away somewhere fun. Perhaps visit the sunny coast, or take a flight to countries unexplored, maybe return to school for an additional test or two? For those with particularly keen eyes, you may have noticed that that third option is a little different and is definitely the one we are going to talk about; because who would want to spend a special episode at a dumb beach? Certainly not every anime in the history of ever. With its very first movie running in Japanese theatres, My Hero Academia is doing its darnedest to ramp that ol’ interest meter ever higher. How? By taking a break from all that pesky Provisional Hero Licence Exam malarkey and giving us a soft introduction to the basis of said film, throwing in a splash of mystery solving for good measure. That being said, the movie references don’t really hit hard until the end of the episode, at which point the notion of promotion …
When traipsing down the arduous path of heroism, one must learn an important lesson: Not every problem can be solved with a punch, no matter how powerful and able to change the weather. There are times when it is more important to save those in danger than pursue those causing it, to show that the truest offence against evil is a solid defence of the innocent. Of course, when a punchable threat appears every ten seconds, it can be easy to forget this simple fact, but that is why we’re here. Remember the basics, champions-of-justice-to-be, working smarter towards your goal and never forgetting those who look to you for guidance and protection. Even if they’re really annoying… Having passed the first round by the skin of their teeth, Class 1-A have joined the ranks of those standing in shock as the arena around them explodes. However, rather than heralding the appearance of the League of Villains yet again, said detonations are merely part of the (probably very expensive) second round. With such carnage around them, …
First of all, should anyone ever ask you why shape-shifting characters inexplicably possess non-human biology or colouration, please direct them to this episode. Though it is true that My Hero has shown us how a clever mind may turn a strange Quirk into a force for justice, there are still those that shall ever remain…weird. I mean, on paper the ability to willingly manipulate your body and render opponents harmless is a winning combination, just ask Kamui Woods; however, things get a skosh grosser when, instead of timber, said malleability and binding comes in the flavour of malformed flesh. So, if I’m being completely honest, the main reason I find Meatball to be such a disturbing Quirk is the vagueness regarding the state of those rendered lumps. Though none seem to be frantically squirming during their unwilling transformation, I can’t imagine the experience to be anything less than horrific. Shishikura even specifies that each victim of his Quirk retains their senses in totality, so are they in pain? Are they cognisant of being a wad …
As a wise and fictional man once said, “There’s always a bigger fish.” Now, whilst he may have actually been talking about a literal bigger fish, one can extrapolate the message of his statement to be far grander. No matter how strong or smart one thinks they are, there is somebody out there in that wide and crazy world who stands just a little taller, jumps just a little higher. When faced with such a harsh reality, many may lay down their arms and submit to an inescapable fate; however, those are not the people we are talking about. This is the world of Shonen and in this world, willpower alone can topple the very foundations of rhetoric and reality. With last episode planting the idea in our heads that Todoroki may not be as cool and in control as he appears to be, we are immediately reminded that characters we have never seen before are seldom allowed to make valid points. It takes, like, two minutes before the technicolour ninja brigade is sent, flying …
Being popular can sure be a drag. I think, I don’t know from personal experience, but fiction has led me to believe that it can, in fact, be a drag. This is most especially true when pitted in direct competition against those who hold feelings of animosity and envy towards the popular and even doubly more so especially true when said animositous and envious can shatter the earth itself with a single open palm. So, as we learnt last week, having your Quirk broadcast across the country does not for a subtle Hero make. Combined with the general bubbling fury each other school feels for U.A. and the unstable nature of teenage hormones, a perfect storm of chaos is a-brewing in the Provisional Hero Licence Exam. You know, it’s moments like these that call the teachings of Stain back into the mind. What was it again? That Heroes have forgone the ways of altruism in favour of compensation and recognition? Well, though I definitely can’t abide his murderous actions, one can’t help but think there …
Nobody likes tests. they’re stressful and nerve-wracking and if you say that you actually do enjoy tests, then I think you’re lying. Fine, sometimes they’re necessary to measure the growing skills of their participants, but how many people in this world actually need to know the total internal angles of a triangle offhand? It’s 180° by the by. I know this and never have I needed to know this. I’m not some kind of…triangle-making guy. Now, if tests were used to test how well I could fend off 1,530 budding Heroes whilst simultaneously keeping myself from failing…it would go horribly. Who the heck could actually pass a test like that? Why, you’d have to be part of the main cast of an anime series to pull of something that monumentally tough. You see, because we’re watching an anime that has a main cast. Infallible humour aside, it’s finally time for us to watch our Heroes-to-be shine as they take to the grandiose stage of the Provisional Hero Licence Exam. Not just in intensity, mind you, …
If you have ever once dreamed of being a superhero, chances are high that you have also pondered how you will deal that decisive blow. Will it be a single punch? Perhaps a flurry of blows, accompanied by a hearty shout? Maybe nobody can even see your move, completed with such speed that there is only time for a pithy one-liner before your enemy hits the ground. Whatever the case, I am certain that it is something fully suited to your personal tastes and screaming with the voice of your honest inner-child. And in the end, isn’t that what really matters? Apart from actually beating the bad guy. With the violent reunion of the Musketeer motto fading into history and the dorm room competition summarily concluded, it is time to once again enter the hallowed halls of U.A. and get back to some schooling. I know, I know, you’re all excited to see some good ol’ fashioned learning, but we’re going to have to put the classroom in our rear view mirror and traipse on …
In tales of youth and the trials that lie held within, metaphors of change are a given. Heck, we’ve seen more than our fair share thus far. So, why not mix things up a little and throw in a good ol’ fashioned physical shift in scenery? Not sure why I phrased it like a question, because it’s happening regardless. Yes, those budding heroes we all know and love are leaving the nest and getting a place of their own. Rent’s pretty decent too, all they have to do is train tirelessly in preparation for entering one of the most dangerous careers in existence. Also they get a fridge. With the drama of All Might versus Mama Midoriya still fresh in our minds, this episode takes another step down from the blood-boiling action no too far in our pasts and presents the U.A. dormitories in all their splendour. Dubbed Heights Alliance, said rooms will serve to house the entire student body and the numerous hijinks they will undoubtedly get into. For this reason, the bulk of …
In the final moments of good versus evil, everybody clenches their fists and prays that the side of justice will prevail. Luckily for us, fiction provides an infinite number of scenarios wherein that is the case. However, what happens after the villain falls? More often than not, the hero ventures onward to thwart new evils that may arise, content with saving the day. This is not one of those times. Having finally reached the limits he spent his life breaking, All Might is the Symbol of Peace no longer. Reduced to the frail form the world now knows true, we catch our first glimpses into what comes after the cape. With All Might and All For One’s clash still burning within the collective conscious, this episode takes us on a more subdued path through the repercussions of such a titanic bout. Looking much like his protege after every fight, All Might is laid up in hospital, pondering the revelation that Shigarakiis the grandson of his mentor. To Gran Torino’s credit,he spends much of his time …
Since time immemorial (roughly around the 1940s), superheroes have grasped the hearts and minds of children and non-cynics the world over. Few, however, continue to represent the pinnacle idealism of the fictitious breed. Serving as mirrors into the struggles of mere mortals, heroes serve as examples and warnings, cross-sections into how one should treat their fellow humans, despite any differences they may hold. And that is a beautiful thing, a guidebook of social interaction that also includes a justified scrap now and then. But what happens when the original existence of a superhero is combined with the flawed personifications we have come to expect? What happens when the infallible is felled, when the image of perfection is tarnished? What happens to idealism then? Well, for those resolute enough in their champions, perfect and ideal they remain. Since we first entered the world of My Hero Academia, All Might has stood as a bastion against the forces of evil. Though his weakened state was known to a select few, to the world he stood as justice personified, an ever-present guardian whose mere existence …
When dealing with the fictitious legions of villainy, and other assorted vileness, there is always a top dog, one who commands in the aim of conquering. They may not always be the best at all things evil, but they possess an ability frightening enough to inspire loyalty in those who revel in chaos. That being said, there are a select few who are both cunning and powerful, threats who even the best-of-the-best fear. And wouldn’t you know it, this just so happens to be one of those times. All For One is here…and he isn’t playing nice. So, that didn’t turn out how we thought it would. The Pro Heroes were so close to wrapping up the bad guys and calling it a day, then the most powerful villain in history decided to turn up and roger things rightly. Of course, by that lovely turn of phrase, I mean he looked in a direction and took Beast Jeanist down without so much as moving. Props to the denim dynamo for not only surviving, but managing …
When it comes to the world of amateur heroism, the proper channels are never flowing the way they should. Police are so hung up on solving cases that they miss the bigger picture and professionals pass the young’s concerns off as imagination. That’s why it’s always up to the ragtag group of teenagers to band together and…oh, the adults already saved the day? Well…good. I’m glad. It’s not like there was going to be a cool moment where everybody forgot their fear and hesitation in order to band together and save the day or anything. What’s that? A villain blinked and levelled a city block? Well, sure is good All Might is around. Always trusted that guy, never once thought he wouldn’t be on top of things and totally didn’t buy a silly disguise to sneak by any abandoned warehouses, no sirree… So, Bakugo got swiped, this our heroes know. What was kept hidden from them, however, was the actions of people whose job it is to save the day. You know, professional heroes…and the …
As far as I am led to believe, the kidnapping of one’s friend by a dastardly coalition of up-and-coming villains is a tumultuous time in any young adult’s life. Some reflect on what they could have done differently, others question what they will do come the next time and those plot chosen few pick up their shattered bones, forge an unsteady alliance with classmates who lack their ability to forgo logic for the sake of logic and head out into the hustle and bustle of night-time Japan. And yes, we will be focusing on the latter…because it’s way more interesting than the first two. Between Kirishima reminding us that he is Bakugo’s honest-to-goodness friend and Iida’s proclaimed worry for all classmates he represents, it would seem that our explosive dynamo is not quite as alone as the League of Villains believes him to be. With the intention of turning the obviously prideful and aggressive child to the side of villainy, Shigaraki is on the receiving end of a rather painful lesson. Yes friends, it would …
You know those people who always talk about what would happen if the heroes didn’t save the day? Well, I hope they’re happy, now that their dreams have come to fruition and made us all feel emotions and such. Like, I understand the objective concept of differing world views, but how do you slide so far down that scale that kidnapping a teenager seems like a good idea? First of all, they’re obnoxious and second-through-infinity, it’s just plain wrong. Now, I don’t mean to compare fictional kidnappers to the aforementioned people who want to see the villains win, but if the shoe fits…after a paragraph written in such a way that said shoe fitting seems likely. When we last left our heroes, they were attempting the most intense three-point landing in history. With the kleptomaniac villain who stole their friends quite literally underfoot, things were looking up for ol’ Class 1-A. Heck, they still were riding into this episode…then they weren’t. With a demonstration of why sleight of hand is simultaneously awesome and devious, the …
They say that everybody has a dark side, some part of themselves that seldom sees the light of day and is often a source of fear or shame. Normally, this relates to a secret one would rather keep buried, of something they themselves wish to hold no sway over others’ perception of them. Of course, in the world of My Hero, this concept is equally likely to relate to a dangerous shadow entity that dwells within somebody, longing for an excuse to go buckwild and unleash its fury upon all who dare come close. We are, of course, dealing with the latter. With an archetype centring on his mature stoicism, Tokoyami has had a somewhat difficult time leaving his mark on the goings on of Class 1-A. Yes, he does have a bird-face, but his moments of notoriety are towards the lower end. Though fans of this figure who finds revelry in the dark may dislike this, Tokoyami’s quieter existence has the benefit of making his moments shine. Remember when Tokoyami was standing still and …
Poison gas is rising, fire has a bright blue glow. According to some villains, UA has to go. ‘Cause tonight for, like, the second time, roughly around midnight, just when you thought you’d seen it all, it’s gonna hit the fan. Or, to put it less lyrically, the terror of the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains is far from over, their plans seemingly unhindered by the man known as Muscular making very fast friends with a mountain. Which is bad news, in case you were wondering. With roughly ten thousand more bone pieces than he began the night, ol’ Midoriya is looking a little worse for wear, which, by now, should no longer surprise any of us. However, unlike his bout with Todoroki, he doesn’t have the time to rest off his grievous wounds and instead makes a beeline for his friends and allies, who are apparently fighting blue fire and purple gas, both of which are very dangerous colours for those particular forms of energy/matter. Necessitous as this may be, Midoriya’s …
Fate, destiny, call it what you will, the proverbial, primordial force that drives coincidence and chance can be a real jerk sometimes. Sure, more often than not it drives fictional characters together through a series of meet cutes and charmingly playful happenstance, but it also has the potential to drop the murderer of your two superhero parents right in front of you. Is there a much slimmer chance of the latter? Yes, but that still isn’t a risk I’m willing to take. Which means a lot, because I’m pretty sure destiny is like Tinkerbell…only less mentally scarring to small children when it might fade away come Act Three. Since the self-proclaimed bad guys can’t get enough of our protagonists, for various reasons all similar and their own, we once again find ourselves witnessing a superpowered attack. Now, whilst I will go into how that is a cool concept that makes for some dope visuals, I do wish to take a handful of steps back and really drive home the horror of this fictional reality. This …
Work it, make it and do it, for that makes us harder, makes us better and, if that weren’t enough, faster and stronger too. Wise, wise words, once spoken by a pair of robots who hail from places unknown and make really cool movies about aliens who want to jam. And if words of such bizarre origins cannot find truth in My Hero Academia, then I ask you, my friends: Where can they? True, this is a tale of real emotion and resolving one’s personal demons in order to attain greatness, but it is also one where a bunch of kids run around a forest like crazy, dipping their hands in scalding water and eating chocolate until they throw up. As is always the case with this series, the wacky bonkers visuals that assault your senses the second you press play on your streaming service of choice all have a purpose, carrying enough vague scientific basis to sate that rampant curiosity which has already claimed six of my nine lives. In order to strengthen the …
The past is passed and there’s no going back. Well, there’s no going back, as of…now. We did the flashback thing, we spent time at the pool, but now we’re dried off and ready to kick this shindig off the right way. No need to hold back, My Hero, show us what you’ve got. We survived USJ, we beat down Stain, what more could you possibly have to throw at us? Really? That much? Well, I stand by what I said…I’m just going to stand by it really far away from where you are. Like, a few kilometres. That forest looks safe… Manufactured scenery is out, boys and girls, it’s all about that nature. Fresh air, trees, mud monsters specifically designed to push students to the limits of their tactical knowledge and stamina. You know, nature. Or at least the nature that My Hero presents, in its universe of loose child safety laws…or really solid contract lawyers. Yes, the life of a hero-in-training is not an easy one and our group once again find themselves …
It’s been a spell, hasn’t it? Since we last got to see those crazy cats at UA, saving the day, doing what they do best. Don’t get me wrong, the wait hasn’t been all butterflies and blushing, partly because we’ve all been, like, super busy with our lives and partly because we’ve all been dreading one thing: The League of Villains. Well, in-universe dreading, out here in the realm of the real we’ve all been thinking about the new thread of vicious energy they’ll inject into the story. Like that Stain guy, remember him? Boy was he crazy. Still, a breath of painfully fresh air that really hit hard, like drinking cold water after brushing your teeth. And before any of you get worried, I still want the good guys to win, it’s just interesting to see them beat the bad guys, preferably with their cool powers. Man, imagine all the things you could do with those powers. You could fly around without a care in the world (except for lighting storms and errant Boeings), …
Now, now, now, now once upon a time in the west, video games used to be primed for the west. Gamers wanted to escape to the west, free of any real violence and stress (which is scary). Grab the controller, slam the buttons, start fighting something. Dodge all the bad guys, slip on a mad guise. Bring your stats up, see all the killing you did. Draw your guns quick, playing around like Billy, kid. -30-
Since as far back as at least two people existed on this, the planet of Earth, somebody has been saying that two heads are better than one. Except when you’re talking about how many heads a single body should have, but especially when you’re talking about how to really headbutt something good. -30-
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Two sides. To every argument, to every coin, to every argument about coins. The problem is, that idiom fails to factor in that there are plenty of actions that involve far more than two…except the tango. And as the number of participants increases, so too does the number of opinions, the amount of voices calling out into the night…some other third thing. Realism aside, this has a tendency to tilt fiction towards the confusing, unless every character is in a particularly talkative mood. Just going to throw this out there, Tomura Shigaraki is one creepy dude. Disembodied hand suit aside, he is so focused on wanton destruction that he has never taken the time to wonder why he does what he does, or where what he does is leading to. Until now, of course. With two new recruits ready to call the League of Villains home, ol’ Shigaraki is given somewhat of a wake-up call and comes to the conclusion that he must come to a conclusion. This grants us the lovely opportunity to see …
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They say you should never meet your heroes. Something about expectations and the improbability of meeting them. Still, I doubt the people who spout such rhetoric ever took into account actual heroes. Like, superheroes. Although, if you ever did meet a superhero, chances are you are either in life threatening peril or are a bad guy…so the whole never meeting thing may still apply. You know what, ignore me. I no longer remember the point I was trying to make and am 90% sure I just confused myself…All Might is pretty cool though, right? Since time began turning in the world of My Hero Academia, Bakugo and Midoriya have been on shaky ground. And by shaky ground, I mean a minefield where every mine is actually ten mines and also the mines hate you. Despite multiple attempts from Midoriya to repair their shattered relationship, Bakugo is a perpetual source of ire and rage, culminating in the duo being paired off in this exam. One of those sink or swim manoeuvres. To nobody’s surprise, the former …
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If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Exams would be so much more interesting if they just gave students superpowers. Who needs logical thinking and problem solving skills when you can just fly under your own power? Or bend water to your whim? Well…it turns out those things are actually vitally important to surviving in the big wide world, so everybody. But I do not rescind my comment about the powers…as long as I can get in on that evolutionary action. Also, My Hero is still going strong…so that’s neat and far more relevant. With Yaoyorozu coming into her own last episode, there is a whole lot of catch up needed if we ever want to get to Midoriya vs Bakugo vs All Might (and yes I meant to include all of those versi). So we find ourselves in somewhat of a lightning round situation as the remainder of Class 1-A blast through their practical exams. Definite care was given to some students over others, but the overall result provides a …
Were limits to not exist in this realm we dub reality, there would be nothing to strive beyond, to shatter and leave reeling in awe as we climb ever higher. Also, it would make it really difficult to appreciate how awesome it is when an anime character, like, punches the moon in half or something. -30-
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As a great educator once said, “Exam arcs in anime are the ground on which new foundations are built and old ones crumble.” Now, don’t ask me the name of this esteemed teacher, for their identity has been lost to the waves of time and I totally didn’t just make them up to use as a paper thin veil for barely passable rhetoric. Speaking of passable, those exams sure do look tough… Picking up from the odd scene that capped off last episode and could best be described as a nature photographers fever dream, Tsuyu and Tokoyami take centre stage in this knock down, drag out, run away for the ages. Though not the longest bout to grace the lineage of My Hero Academia test scenarios, this round provides a nice amount of development for some strong supporting members of Class 1-A. Following the logic established by the U.A. faculty, teacher student match-ups are based on the worst possible mixes. Thus, ranged and single point attacker Tokoyami is pitted against Ectoplasm, a creepy cool looking …
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With the truth of One For All and All For One still (relatively) fresh in our minds, there is only one thing that can lift our spirits back to acceptable Shonen levels: Exams. Wait…exams are awful. Getting away from them is one of the major reasons people watch anime (don’t bother fact checking that, I’ve already done the research and am a trustworthy source). I mean, such an inclusion could only be forgiven if, say, the series blazed past the boring written segment and dropped us smack bang in the middle of another cool combat scenario…and also if Yaoyorozu got some more screentime and was absolutely adorable. So check your fears at the door, my friends, because that is exactly what happens. Reminding us once more that our cast of heroes are still very much at school, a new batch of tests loom over 1-A, a far greater threat to some than even the Hero Killer. Not literally, of course, on account of pieces of paper holding no ideological views and a single minded desire …
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With the wonders of a frog girl centred series fresh on our minds, and in our hearts, My Hero Academia leaves filler territory behind and performs a 180 degree roundhouse kick that gives us all both mood whiplash and a greater appreciation for the horrible past this fictional world left behind. No hyber buff hero smiling his way towards a brighter future, hair antenna billowing in the wind, just the emaciated form of All Might grimly explaining the truth behind the power to change the world. It’s a rough one this week. With their internships behind them, Class 1-A returns to dole out all the gossip, stories and jokes their bodies can handle. Tales of modelling careers, combat training and preventing a family of octopi from smuggling drugs onto the shores of Japan abound and are resoundingly overshadowed by the three students who came face to face with a man prepared to kill the entire part of the world this series focuses on. Although Mineta’s sudden opinion shift on women leaves a lot of questions …
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If there is one complaint about My Hero Academia that the internet has made abundantly clear, it’s that there is nowhere near as much Froppy as the world desires. With the proportional speed and strength of a frog (maybe), this UA student has captured the heart and minds of viewers everywhere and almost single-handedly brought the series into a territory it has never been before: Filler. I know, I know, the most dreaded word in anime. Six simple letters (or five, depending on your viewpoint on the double l situation) that send us on a wayward path that may last for months at a time. Luckily, this heroic breakaway is exactly one week long and simply exists to showcase a few future heroes whose names aren’t Midoriya, Todoroki or Iida. But let’s face it, it’s the Froppy show this week. Stationed on a boat and surrounded by burly sailors, one of whom is an anthropomorphic seal-man, our little frog appears even more out of her element than usual. Which is ironic…because water. Although the salinity …
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If there is one thing that fiction has ill prepared the world for, it is the aftermath to climactic conflict. The bad guy falls, the good guy stands, the movie ends and that’s all she wrote. Sure the hero may get a kiss in before the credits roll and people rush off entirely too fast to leave the cinema, but the rest, more or less, is silence. But let us say, for the sake of argument, that the world upon the screen did not end when Johnny McEvil was bested, that another evil perhaps sought to fill the proverbial void and reign chaos down upon the temporarily jubilant populace? Well, you get a sequel…but what if they didn’t wait that long? With Stain captured and taking a little time off to heal from his burns and shattered bones (before being transported to whatever maximum security prison can hold a guy who can paralyse via blood and wears enough blades to make a cutlery drawer blush), the world at large is in a bit of a …
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It has been said that every villain believes themselves the hero of their own story. The just, the correct, the one who stands against an antagonistic world and cannot be faulted for doing so. Then there’s Stain. A villain by his own design. A force to combat heroes, to kill them, cleanse the world of those who do not meet his standards. The necessary evil. The blinding irony of this all is that he still believes himself to exist as a force of justice. He’s also fairly insane too, so that probably helps with the contradiction. With Iida and Midoriya paralysed by blood magic and Todoroki on the defensive, the situation for our heroes-in-training was not looking so hot coming into this episode. However, as the flow of Shonen combat dictates, this low exists to make the highs higher and the victories all the sweeter…though not without another helping of internal introspection. With the Sports Festival providing an evolutionary moment for Todoroki and Midoriya’s recent training propelling him to new heights, Iida is understandably feeling …
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According to some vindictive chefs, revenge is a dish best served cold. However, since nobody whose mind is bent on vengeance is inclined to wait that long, revenge is usually served at temperatures reaching that of Earth’s sun. A common side dish for something of such blood boiling impossibility, is unprecedented screaming. and not just the loud kind, the kind of screaming that says, “I don’t care if my throat aches like nobody’s business after this, because I honestly am not thinking that far ahead and, in fact, am not even really planning to be alive long enough for that to matter.” You know, the mentality of a hero… …okay, so it’s definitely not the mentality of a hero and that is entirely the point of Iida’s recent subplot. Consumed by rage for his fallen brother, our engine-legged friend sought out the villain responsible and promised to bring him down once and for all. Only it wasn’t for all, it was for him. An intensely personal desire that cannot be blamed for existing and one …
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Since a man first leaped a tall building in a single bound, people the world over have pondered what it means to be a superhero. Is it strength? Skill? Speed? A conscience that cannot be quieted? Or the simple desire to help? Is it all these things? None of them? Some of them? The true irony is the answer is known and still a mystery. It is all of these and none of these. A mix that is specific to a person and what it all means to them. But what happens when ideologies clash? When one stands up and stands against what it means to be a hero? The answer is again a simple one: Chaos. Though he has not graced our screens for long, Stain is already becoming quite the interesting stutter in My Hero’s flow. After critically injuring Iida’s brother, the Hero Killer was given an introduction to paint him as a malicious and intrinsically evil force. Which he is. However, the past two episodes have provided a glimpse into the mentality …
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If anime has taught me one thing, it’s that you can never truly be considered a master of anything until you enter the tutelage of a seemingly insane old man…who is probably actually insane. For it is only they who can think outside of the box enough to unlock a whole new level of power and skill within a budding warrior. Extra points if they’re super old and have a whole Yoda vibe going. As somebody who frightens the bejesus out of All Might, a man who can literally change the weather with a single punch, Gran Torino makes quite the impact before his introduction…then he was introduced. Beginning as dead and upgrading to senile, the legendary trainer of All Might seems to be far less than advertised, long passed his prime and long, long passed his wits. But, since darn near everybody has seen Star Wars, or Dragon Ball, it is immediately obvious that Gran Torino fills a role left surprisingly empty in the series thus far. With every mentor figure being a well …
If I were to ask what the most recognisable feature of a hero is, what would you say? Their costume? Their powers? Their stance on killing and its correlation with becoming that which they fight against? Well, if any of those were your answer, you wouldn’t be wrong. Each is an undeniable quality of what makes a hero a hero and yet, there is an even more crucial factor that is ironically one of the most overlooked: Their name. Though it eventually fades into the collective unconscious when speaking of your favourite hero, a name is what marks them, what defines them, what showcases their personality and makes them unique. Though slapping “man” onto the end of an animal doesn’t score too highly on the creativity spectrum… In case the bombastic finale of the Sports Festival caused you to forget, the students of UA are far from the realm of professional heroism. Though their costumes made their debut some time ago, we are reminded this episode that our heroes-to-be are yet to name themselves, legally …
Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat (a thought which is as horrible as it is pointless in these peaceful, cat skin respecting times), it would seem that there is not a singular path when it comes to dubbing. A lot of these paths also happen to be winding, unfinished or just plain dead ends. But the ones that aren’t… -30-
It has been said that barking dogs seldom bite. It has also been said that Katsuki Bakugo does both frequently and has attempted multiple times to literally blow up said phrase, due to its inaccuracy in regards to his personal motivations. With the Sports Festival nearing its climax, this week sees Bakugo vs Todoroki in the match we’ve all been waiting for…at least since the spectacle of Midoriya vs Todoroki wrapped up. With a speed round of battles that lacked the inherent gravitas of said fight, fans both in universe and out are longing for the next big clash, perhaps none more so than Bakugo. With zero internal monologue, Bakugo reminds us all that he desires victory above all else. Moreover, he wants an indisputable victory, a triumph that cannot be ignored and other synonymous phrases. Combined with the knowledge that Todoroki saw fit to utilise his left side on Midoriya, Bakugo spends much of his screentime demanding Todoroki show him the same respect. Though his loud and abrasive manner fails to coax Todoroki into …
When a fire consumes its fuel in one glorious spectacle, a truly memorable flash is seared into the memories of those there to witness it. However, with its power source depleted, it is only a matter of time before it burns itself away. Now, Todoroki’s situation is not that metaphorically morbid, but the analogy is still a pretty sound one. Especially when applied to this episode as a whole. With the explosive clash we have been waiting to see already over, this weeks affairs are of a much lower key. The cruel sadness of this being that the matches we see this week are the quarter and semi finals. Thus, despite their best efforts, Iida, Tokoyami, Bakugo, Kirishima and even Todoroki are not able to elicit the sheer thrill of last weeks fight. Not that I really expected anything else. After all, Midoriya vs Todoroki was the climax of the plot laid out before us. Though the Tournament Arc provided a solid backdrop, it was that clash we longed to see. And we have seen …
Here’s a philosophical question for you all: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object…but also that immovable object has the ability to produce frightening quantities of ice and fire? Action. Action is what happens, my friends. And I’m not talking about that surface level stuff, no, I’m talking about the kind of action that strikes your very core and leaves you shaking long after. I’m talking about that tried and true, learn from your mistakes, make yourself a better person Shonen Jump magic. With all of the lead up to the grand showdown between Midoriya and Todoroki, this weeks clash was already set up to be a memorable one. With two competitors who simply refused to back down, regardless of the circumstances, there was also no doubt that we would witness two powerhouses of the series show us what they had…but maybe not all they had. Despite his remarkable strength, their was still always a side of Todoroki we never saw: His left. Now, whilst a touch more literal than most uses …
Since the bombastic Bakugo first blasted his way through Midoriya’s life (and notebooks), we have all longed for the moment when the bullied would rise and take a stand. And we got that. So now let’s get wacky with things and see what happens when Bakugo fights Uraraka. Aren’t tournament arcs magic? So yeah, Uraraka vs Bakugo. Who saw that one coming? Not I, for one. Not I. And yet I find that this is one of those situations where you don’t know what you want until you get it. Because Uraraka vs Bakugo is awesome and so totally worth every second of this episode. For more than the reasons you’d expect. But let’s start with the reasons you’d expect: Explosions. Say what you will about his personality, attitude, the way he treats people, his overall willingness to work with others, his insurmountable pride, his anger, his disrespect, his violent tendencies, that thing he does where he makes explosions in his hand when he has a dangerous idea and…what was the point of this again? …
With our Shonen protagonist sitting back until round two begins, it’s time to take a look at the other characters who fill out this quirky cast and watch them beat the tar out of each other. Come on, it’ll be fun. We don’t even have to listen to Todoroki talk about how terrible his father is. I promise. So here we have it, the best of the rest. Is it a touch on the mean side to call these powerful students who are fighting with all they have to achieve their dreams “the rest”? Yes. Yes it is. But the series did it first. After all, they’re the ones who crammed five final matches into one episode. Last week had two and one of those was supposed to be frighteningly short. These fights are short, don’t get me wrong, however they are most certainly so to move the plot back to Midoriya and Todoroki. Or at least to Uraraka and Bakugo, oddly enough. Still, this is simply how series of this nature work and I am …
As loner heroes the world over have taught us, in a world of heroism, villainy and all that lies between, you can only truly trust yourself. Unfortunately, this particular belief flies completely out the proverbial window when somebody who has the ability to control minds saunters into the plot. Say, a blue haired boy who looks a little on the tired side. So Midoriya done goofed. Two seconds into the finals and our hero-to-be finds himself mind controlled by his opponent. Now, you might be thinking it a little harsh of me to blame our protagonist for this and you’d be right…had Midoriya not received a specific warning regarding the mechanics of Shinso’s power immediately before the fight. Which he did. Anyway, no use crying over spilt milk, especially considering the fight it brought forth. Although, I guess it wasn’t technically a fight at first, considering it was mainly Midoriya walking slowly towards the edge of the battlefield. Maintaining his low key existence, as consistently noted by Present Mic, Shinso’s plan for victory is simply to …
Though by its very definition the protagonist of a story is meant to carry our fullest attention, My Hero Academia loves to remind us all that there is so much more to this world than the trials and tribulations of one Izuku Midoriya. Unfortunately however, this weeks lesson came at the revelation that not all is well in the world of heroes and that even the right side of justice can be wrong. Since the beginning of this season, Todoroki has been leaving far more of an impact than he ever did in season one. Sure he was an immensely powerful student who was recommended for the Hero Course, but he was always just sort of in the background. Heck, half of his body was covered in ice for a while. Not too sure what happened to that particular aesthetic, but I image Horikoshi simply wanted to show the full face of this particularly conflicted individual. And boy is he conflicted. With confirmation that his father is indeed Endeavour, the number two hero in the …
Heavy is the head that wears the 10,000,000 point headband, a lesson that poor Midoriya is now all too aware of. Still, if there’s one thing that anime has taught us all: It’s not over until the acoustically superpowered commentator screams. Combine this with the burning hearts of teenagers with a dream and you’ve got yourself one heck of a Round Two. With the icy stare of Todoroki promising us a continuation of his suddenly spawned rivalry with Midoriya, we are quickly reminded why this is not the best situation for our green haired protagonist. Utilising his teammates for a little offensive and defensive boost, Todoroki is able to freeze a majority of the cavalry battlefield, and the opponents who stand upon it, in a split second. Not only that, he is also able to completely separate Team Midoriya from the rest of the competition, granting him the only chance to steal the coveted 10,000,000. Thus, in one move, we see Todoroki for the tactical, nigh unstoppable powerhouse he truly is. Sure we’ve seen his power before, …
To partially quote a man of great wisdom and import, “It’s dangerous to go alone.” Though a technically incomplete statement, it is one that will serve the students of UA well in this latest of challenges. With their success now riding (for some literally) on the shoulders of others, our heroes-in-training are sure to learn the benefits of allies and the simple fact that teamwork makes the dream work. Which rhymes, so you know it’s true. With his recent come-from-behind victory placing all attention on his fuzzy green head, Midoriya has found himself at the mercy of a heroes greatest foe: Popularity. Through the intense pressure that arises from having all eyes focused on him, Midoriya comes to understand the true weight of All Might’s presence. Though his smile sparked a joy and fire in his heart, these series has never really stopped to make you realise that Midoriya, in that regard, is one of many. Hundreds, upon thousands of intense citizens who admire All Might with an unfaltering reverence. That alone is enough to …
Though the old adage/children’s song that once referenced the ability, or lack thereof, to go over, under or through something most certainly never intended to reference gigantic killer robots, you can’t deny that they add a certain flare. They also undermine said adage/children’s song, as it would seem you can indeed go every which way when confronting such an obstacle, provided that you are able to generate titanic amounts of ice, pull a cannon from your stomach, or make yourself really, really hard. Speaking of, how about that Kirishima, huh? Tearing his way through the remnants of a robot that landed on his head after Todoroki’s latest ice-capade, he stands to remind us that even the lesser shown members of Class 1-A are still in the top percentage of contenders at UA. Unfortunately, as this episode goes on to show, it is a tad hard to stand out when your classmates are the secret heir to All Might, the son of the second strongest hero Endeavour and Bakugo, who is really, really loud. Times are also even …
Who doesn’t love a good competition that pits students against one another in a no-holds-barred fight to the finish line that will ultimately guide their path to the careers of their dreams? Probably those who don’t do too well honestly, but let’s not get bogged down in sombre semantics. Instead, why don’t we see what a bunch of superpowered adolescents can do when you group them all together, wind them up and let them go nuts. Sparing us from having to sit through weeks of preparatory exposition, this episode opts to express the two week period before the UA Sports Festival as a brief montage, cutting between the faces of Class 1-A and giving us an idea of their unique development. Though nothing too major on that front, it’s nice every now and again to see what unique powers the other students bring to the series. Though expected, given Midoriya’s prominence and the bombastic nature of Bakugo, the other students do not receive as much time to shine as they could. Heck, the simple fact …
After witnessing your personal hero (who also happens to be the world’s hero) beat the absolute tar out of a mostly invincible, partly human monstrosity, going back to school may seem a little…mundane. Or at least it might, were said school not one that specialises in teaching those imbued with superhuman abilities how to fight other imbued with the like, or the teachers weren’t certifiable, or one of the required classes wasn’t an almost-no-holds-barred beatdown. You know, because education. And just like that, we’re right back at UA. The League of Villains has been turned away, at least momentarily, and the students of Class 1-A are settling back into the daily swing of things. Or so they would be, were it not for the UA Sports Festival just around the corner. Just another school event, you say? Not so, my misinformed friend. As so courteously explained to us in episode, the UA Sports Festival just so happens to be the most popular sporting event in all of Japan, with the Olympics having lost some of …
Anime. That wonderous creation that allows members of reality to take a break and wonder; “What would it be like if I could travel through time…and then blow it up?” It doesn’t even have to be that complicated, perhaps one simply wishes to witness a touching story that sees two star crossed lovers come together and make it work. Or, should romance lie beyond your collection of interests, simply watch a monster fight someone whose strength allows them to punch a building clean in half. That being said, each year bestows upon the world a very particular set of series, some which fall to obscurity and others who remain within the minds of viewers for time undetermined. 2016 was of course no exception and a select few of its offerings lie below… AOTY – ERASED There was no anime like ERASED in 2016. None dared to be so bold. None could follow the level of brilliance it achieved and few even tried. Tomohiko Ito may be more popularly known as the man who directed Sword …
Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia is one of the most popular Shonen Jump Manga in the publication’s modern era, and it’s Anime adaptation is seemingly no different. An instant hit, this series gained large-scale popularity across the world, with Viz Media being forced to release the Manga digitally through it’s Weekly Shonen Jump app by sheer demand of widespread audience. The Anime adaptation, which has been legally streamed across the world, met with much he same reception as it’s source material so it’s no surprise that, almost as soon as it’s first season ended, it was revealed to be getting a second. Bones, the studio behind the series, has just revealed the ver first promotional video for the upcoming second season, and although it’s only some thirty seconds long it’s still enough to get the blood pumping. Unfortunately the release period for the second season has yet to be disclosed, but we WILL be seeing this in 2017, and it is more likely to begin airing in the earlier months rather than the later, but …
Snap Discussion is the weekly round table discussion on a topic relating to Japanese pop culture as selected by the almighty Snapodile. Each week the SnapThirty team will weigh in with their thoughts on that week’s topic all with the hopes of providing some interesting and perhaps even conflicting view points on the matter at hand. This week’s topic is Friendship, Effort and Victory: The Spirit of Shonen Jump. For this topic we each looked at the legendary manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump and the iconic series that made themselves home in the pages of the magazine. Viz Media has called Shonen Jump manga ‘The World’s Most Popular Manga’ and it is hard to debate them on that. Here are some of our own personal experiences. Luke Halliday: For those who have followed our site, you’d likely have come to discover that it is no secret that I am a superfan of Yoshihiro Togashi and his manga. So I’d be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to once again talk about how good Togashi …
Oh how I have been waiting for this. Since Funimation first streamed their trailer for My Hero Academia, my mind has been racing as to who would be cast in the eventual English dub. Luke and I even bantered back and forth on one of the podcasts episodes about casting choices…we weren’t entirely correct, but I still beat Luke and that makes me happy. almost as happy as the official declaration of the English dub cast (flawless segue). With a few names you’ll recognise and a few you maybe won’t recall until you hear them speak and then remember that you’ve heard them speak in shows and be all like, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard those guys before,” the main cast is looking pretty sweet. Now, I’ll place some pretty hefty emphasis on “main” because as of now only four voice actors have been announced. However, with an air date of May 4th, it shan’t be too long until we all hear our heroes-to-be with their shiny new English voices. Not that the original isn’t great or …
Alright folks, Halliday-senpai and his cohorts are back once again to knowledge you up on what to watch this anime season. This time around we will be tackling the watch guide in a different format. We have sat down or a video version of the watch guide which will feature all of us roundtable discussing the season as we go through series by series and giving our thoughts and impressions. So without further adieu, here is SnapThirty’s handy video Spring 2016 anime season watch guide. Did we miss an anime you are looking forward to for Spring 2016? If so let us know what you are looking forward to watching in the comments section below. Do you agree with our watch guide? Let us know! -30-
Having followed the My Hero Academia manga since it first began in Weekly Shonen Jump, I have spent months waiting with bated breath for this anime adaptation to finally air. So it goes without saying that my expectations for BONES’ adaptation were high. Fortunately for me and everyone else, the My Hero Academia anime series looks to be in good hands after this fantastic first outing into Kohei Horikoshi’s wonderful world of heroes and villains. For those who have been living under a rock, My Hero Academia is the hottest new manga in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, with many famed mangaka giving it the seal of approval and fans touting it as the next big thing in shonen manga. Even Masashi Kishimoto of Naruto fame, has been vocal in his support of the series. It has all the right tools to be the next shonen mega hit in the same vein as Naruto, One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho or Dragon Ball Z and with this anime series that destiny is sure to be fulfilled. The …
What do you know about being a hero, huh? Being a hero takes guts, it takes bravery, it takes courage, it takes…wait, those are all kind of the same thing right? Damn, I don’t have any of those things, but do you know who does? A young man named Izuku Midoriya! Despite the fact that he doesn’t have any natural-born superhuman abilities, and most of the world around him does, he still dreams of one day being a great hero to rival that of All Might; his personal idol, and the world’s most powerful superhero. My Hero Academia, the Manga written by Kohei Horikoshi, follows Izuku Midoriya’s story as he trains to become the greatest hero under the tutelage of All Might. The Manga that has taken the world by storm is about to have it’s very own Anime adaptation which, until just recently, was only going to be shown across the great country of Japan. Thanks to the wonderful people of Funimation, this series is now going to be broadcast in the West alongside that of …
DETROIT SMASH! PLUS ULTRA! ONE FOR ALL! These are all familiar phrases to fans of the breakout Shonen Jump hit manga series My Hero Academia. These will also likely be heard in the upcoming arcade game from Takara Tomy Arts based on the series, My Hero Academia: Clash! Heroes Battle. The game will be a card game based arcade machine that will produce cards that can be used in battle. The game will be a simple game in the same vein as Bandai Namco’s Animal Kaiser and the arcade version of Yo-Kai Watch. It will feature many of the series’ heroes and villains as they duke it out for ultimate supremacy, or something like that. I personally have been playing Animal Kaiser and I must say that these kinds of card based arcade games are super addictive and I for one would love to play a game of this style based around the My Hero Academia series. The game will feature characters like Izuku Midoriya and Bakugo Katsuki. The arcade cabinet is set to hit …
Heroes are cool. Swooping in whenever and wherever they are needed most, vanquishing evil and keeping the innocent safe. What the populace is not privy to however is the behind the scenes effort that goes into forging these stalwart beacons of hope. I speak of training, the necessary evil in producing champions of the highest caliber. Sure running sprinting drills isn’t the most awe inspiring task in a world filled with an immeasurable number of super powers, but it just might be that hundredth dash that gave that hero the extra fraction of a second they needed to arrive in the nick of time. It may be cliche, but though everyone is not born equal, their actions may make them greater than the sum of their parts. As with every hero story ever put to paper, we began with the origin story, the answering of the call to action that sets up any great protagonist big or small, empowered or not. That being said, My Hero Academia is, in its own conception, an origin story, so …
It’s no secret that the writers of this fair site, myself very much included, are fans of the My Hero Academia manga that resides within Shonen Jump. As such, it’s pretty neat to know that an anime project based on said manga is set to launch in March of 2016, placing it within the Spring season. With tidbits released here and there, attentive news goers have probably seen character art depicting five of the main characters and, more recently, a listing of their respective seiyuu. Well, as is so often the case with upcoming series, more information has come to light…okay, not so much new information, but more coherent. That is to say that a new promo has streamed that showcases the character’s voices in action, along with a nice glimpse of their hero costumes. Not a whole lot more to be said about that that can’t be gleamed from actually watching the promo so, instead of wasting your time with inane banter, I’m just going to relinquish typing and put the video below. Also …
Look, it’s no secret that My Hero Academia (Boku No Hero Academia) is quickly becoming one of the most popular Shonen Jump Mangas of recent times. It features an incredibly detailed story with amazing characters and a protagonist that really puts all other who’ve come before him to shame. The Manga has just earned itself an Anime adaptation to be spearheaded by Studio Bones and now, as it has just been announced in this Week’s Shonen Jump over in Japan, the hit Manga will be getting it’s very own videog game for the Nintendo 3DS. It’s called My Hero Academia: Battle For All and it’s currently in early development stages. It was only a matter of time before this superhero series got itself a video game and that time will surely be in 2016, though nothing was confirmed by Bandai Namco Entertainment who are publishing the game in Japan. Battle For All is said to be a battle title that will feature most, if not all, of the main characters from the Manga series, giving …
As the hype builds for the anime adaptation of Shonen Jump’s latest hit, My Hero Academia, more and more pieces of information have begun trickling out on the upcoming series. Not only have we gotten some cast details for the series we also have now got a teaser trailer showcasing the iconic ‘You can be a hero!’ moment. The teaser which you can see below features protagonist Midoriya as he explains that people in this world are not born equal, only to be told by his idol All Might that he too can be a hero. It was confirmed earlier this week that Midoriya will be voiced by Daiki Yamashita who is reprising his role from the VOMIC (video comic) and also known for voicing Sakamichi Sonoda in Yowamushi Pedal. As for All Might he is to be voiced by Kenta Miyake, famous for voicing Mohammed Avdol in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. As a fan of the manga myself, watching this trailer gave me chills. I honestly believe that My Hero Academia is the …
Just under a week ago, fellow writer Luke Halliday posted an article regarding the possible Anime adaptation of Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia after the production company TOHO registered the domain name www.HeroAca.com. Judging by what has happened many times in the past, this registration has lead many to believe that there is indeed a My Hero Academia Anime series currently in production, but now we don’t have to judge our theories based solely off that, not after the series’ official Twitter account accidentally revealed that the series has been green-lit through a Tweet that was clearly posted a little too early. The Tweet, which has now been deleted for obvious reasons, basically stated that an Anime adaptation for the series has been officially green-lit. This Tweet, mixed with the statement released by Weekly Shonen Jump a few days ago that suggests there will be a huge announcement regarding the series on the 2nd of November, has lead many people around the internet to believe that this is not hoax, this is no trick, this is no misdirection, …
Superheroes. The hallmark of imagination since the calendar year began with a 1 and a 9. Beacons of hope born from the recesses of authors, illustrators and any other person who dared to leap outside of reality. With power born from the simplicity of their existence, heroes serve as idols to a world not their own, becoming more than fiction as they lay bare the greatest powers of humanity. Compassion, consideration, goodness, all that cliche hallmark crap that will never cease to inspire. Sure powers have gotten more complex than flight, and costumes more specialised than a cut of billowing red fabric, but the message has never, and will never change; being righteous is never wrong. For the sake of argument, and arguably reality, I’m going to assume you’ve all heard of at least one costumed crime-fighter in your life. Marvel, DC, that movie Sky High, it doesn’t matter, you know the basics of heroism. So, with that in mind, we find ourselves in yet another origin story, the beginnings of a nobody who will …
Out of the dark came a raging burst of energy that lit up the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump and shocked the world by becoming the fastest rising manga in recent Shonen Jump history. That manga is My Hero Academia, Kohei Horikoshi’s superhero action adventure series and news has just come through that all signs are pointing towards an anime adaptation being on the horizon for this blockbuster series. Based upon an earlier serialization attempt simply titled My Hero, Horikoshi’s latest work is a tweaked take on his original story of a world of super-powered people. After several failed serializations Horikoshi has hit it big with his tale of a powerless teenage otaku who gains the power of his hero and becomes the successor to a heroic legacy. However he can’t just be a hero right away, this guy’s gotta go to hero school! But class is anything but normal for Izuku Midoriya, in fact it is pretty ‘quirky’ – This is his Hero Academia. So while it is not entirely confirmed at this stage …
Not long after they have begun their simultaneously digital chapter releases of My Hero Academia in their Weekly Shonen Jump app, Viz Media have just thrown down the major news that they will also be releasing the series in print. My Hero Academia is a commercial success in Japan with volumes of the manga flying off shelves across the country and many touting it as the next big thing in Shonen Jump (including us here at SnapThirty). The series follows Izuku Midoriya a quirkless nobody in a world where 80% of the population developed powers known as quirks. He wants to be a hero more than anything and an encounter with legendary hero All Might may just be his very own shot at a superhero origin story. Viz Media announced their print release will begin with the first volume releasing in August 2015. Stay tuned for more details on the release. Remember with great power comes great manga and boy oh boy is My Hero Academia great. -30-
Throughout our childhood we’re told time and time again to enjoy it while we can. As teenagers, as school students, as growing human beings we’re once again told to enjoy every single moment. All the while it’s drilled into our heads that, once we become adults, we’ll only be left with a longing for the type of life we lead as young men and women. That’s possibly why nostalgia is such a power feeling. For many of you reading this article and definitely for us writing this article, the early days of our adolescence were spent enthralled by things like Anime or Manga. A possible memory burned into the minds of those people is that of waiting for a new issue of Weekly Shonen jump or the latest volume of your favorite Manga to be released. Back then it seemed as though all that mattered was what happened to Naruto next or how Ichigo Kurosaki (“Bleach”) was going to defeat the next Hollow. It turns out that what our parents said was entirely true; that, as adults, …
