To Heroism And Beyond

Escapism. This is a construct which avid anime-lovers and manga-readers strive to look for in Japanese animated shows and feature-length films that not only bestow palpable grandeur, but instil story-lines which audiences can personally relate with. For sure, ever since the West have come to acknowledge anime as a genre that imbues outlandish and distinctive imagination, as well as a platform that has come to influence many of cinemas most acclaimed directors and auteurs, there have been a select few anime’s that can grant us this paradigm; a freedom that makes us forget about our own struggles and illuminates a premise that not only effortlessly transfixes our gaze towards the world and scenarios that we’re perceiving, but makes us become engrossed by the intricacies and attainability of the characters displayed. This is certainly the case for a select few Shōnen-centric properties that transcend its own distinct qualities by permeating ideas and themes that wouldn’t normally accommodate the said demographics formulaic perception. No other show, in recent times, quite profoundly exhibits this then Kenji Nagasaki’s adapted anime series of Kōhei Hirokoshi’s manga, My Hero Academia; a Shōnen animated series that wowed me in its entry season by showcasing a memorable cast of colourful and relatable characters and an animation style that seamlessly leaps off the screen. While there were a few slight problems regarding season one’s episodic length, conclusion and the characterisation of a plethora of individuals, season two builds upon those negligence’s by further expanding on its rich character development and further delving into the show’s true viewing beauty within its inherent amalgamation of vividly-striking action set-pieces and self-awareness that deconstructs the complexities of the superhero image and the acts of heroism…

Split into three separate story arcs within twenty-five episodes, My Hero Academia Season 2 continues-on from where Season 1 concluded, with Izuku ‘Deku’ Midoriya and the rest of Class 1-A moving on from the U.S.J. villain attack to compete in U.A High School’s Sports Festival; an event that serves as an opportunity for all the students to show off their Quirks (abilities) for the professional heroes. In being forced to compete with and against one another through three events, character clashes and issues with identity and pride come bursting to the surface as Deku engages with friends and rivals alike to take the number one spot. However, while these trials and tribulations are taking place, sinister forces lurking in the shadows in the forms of Tomura Shigaraki and Hero Killer: Stain plot to thwart All Might and his legacy…

It can’t be denied that Shōnen-specific series are one of the most popular genre’s of anime’s general outlook and short history. In being geared towards a narrative structure that mainly follows a young male protagonist embarking on a linear adventure filled with challenges, romance and success (echoing the methodology that Joseph Campbell theorises in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and many other properties that use the same archetype), Shōnen concepts generally occupy a familiar contextual outline that imbues positivity in which audiences, mainly the younger demographic, can be inspired by. This is inherently what My Hero Academia, throughout its two seasons so far, seamlessly achieves through its outlandish yet grounded plethora of characters and the relatable story-line that is presents. However, as good as it may seem that Kenji Nagasaki’s adaptive anime series executes many of the constructs that are synonymous with the aforesaid Japanese animated genre, My Hero Academia graciously distinguishes from its appeared singularity and offers-up mature yet different scenarios and themes that are discernible to contrasting genres; making it a show that boldly differentiates from the Shōnen ‘norm’. As much as it upholds a protagonist in the form of Deku who strives to achieve his goal in being the world’s best hero, there are other noticeable qualities that the aforementioned show upholds that makes each of the episodes that come around, that much more gripping and exciting to perceive and establishes an unanticipated angle to the proceedings. 

Whereas season 1’s thirteen-episode structure morally focused on Deku’s rise in obtaining a Quirk and applying his newly-found abilities to achieve his dreams, a fair amount of season 2 turns the spotlight on several of the other U.A. High students, some of whom include Bakugo, Todoroki, Iida and Uraraka, who are all so well realised that they all appear themselves to be just as imperative to watch as Deku is to the story. This isn’t to say Deku doesn’t get his fair share of screen time. In fact, from contrasting his own journey that was set for him in the preceding season, he undergoes a significant transformation over the twenty-five episodes that culminate the second season. Witnessing his bouts in the Sports Festival and moving onward to his internship with All Might’s mentor in Gran Tarino and an exam in which he has to partner and collaborate with childhood friend/rival in Bakugo, Deku significantly learns to control his Quirk, named ‘One For All’, and solidifies his own identity as a hero. Including the many actions that characters go through, Deku’s journey here is truly empowering and inspirational, and you want him to succeed like many Shōnen protagonists that have come before. The humility and the way in which he puts his own well-being on the line to help save his friends, whether physically or helping them with their inner-struggles, makes for some of the most emotional and memorable moments of not only in My Hero Academia, but in anime overall. Yet, season two’s real stardust comes in the form of its expansive characterisation and how characters, who spent much of their time in the first season not being focused-on as much they as should have, come more into spotlight and carry specific episodes on their own; which in turn enlivens the premise and the world in which these individuals are situated in. This, is where the tournament arc comes into fruition; a narrative line which occupies a formula in many acclaimed Shōnen series.

Great Shōnen stories tend to compose their conflicts, characterisation and world-building around tournament arcs and My Hero Academia is no different in using this beloved structure in a way that is refined and appealing. From exciting action between fiercely competitive rivals to the resulting character development that follows, the tournament arc presented in Nagaski’s second season of the hit Shōnen series presents a clear and compelling articulation of these factors; not only slowly building-up the inevitable confrontation between Deku and his morose classmate Todoroki, but also developing other characters like Uraraka and Iida to the point where they can easily carry episodes all by themselves. While it can be argued that the first half of this second season stagnates the overarching story-line that My Hero Academia is trying to express, it’s a contextual mode of means that is seen to be a necessity in enhancing characters there were never fully-realised in the preceding season. Not only this, but the way in which it introduces new characters within this arc, with the inclusion of the Class 1-B members of Tetsutetsu, Monama and Kendo, the gadget-crazed Mei Hatsume and the anguished Shinso, provides for some thrilling character moments and strengthens/deepens the core casts personalities. From Monama’s animosity against Class 1-A, especially that of Bakugo in the cavalry battle, To Shinso’s fight between Deku and how he lusts to become blessed like the central protagonist is, never once are the moments that comprise the tournament arc uneventful and while it is one of the shortest arcs to be seen within My Hero Academia’s entirety, it’s ability to weave all of these newly found rivalries and backstories together whilst subtly building more of this colourful world right before our very eyes (how the sports festival fits in-line with the fact that being a hero truly is a profession), makes for a compelling and unforgettable watch. 

For all its apparent and likeable optimism that’s bestowed upon the first half of the second season, My Hero Academia proceeds to be an anime that is more than just an archetypal Shōnen series. As stated in my previous anime review of the first season, it’s an anime series that is willing to delve into realistic themes that both anime-lovers and general audiences alike can identify with and appreciate; despite its outlandish and expressively vivid super-heroic outlook. Whereas season one rightly cemented its motifs around Deku’s willingness to become a hero, despite his inability to compete with those who naturally have Quirks, and the engagements/relationships he has with his friends, his own mother and his idol in All Might, much of the precedent that’s addressed in season two, after the events of the sports festival, is this ever-changing role of being a ‘hero’ and how the show willingly deconstructs the arguably superficial nature of heroism. This comes in the form of another newcomer, Hero Killer: Stain, an idealistic villain with a wonderfully unsettling character design. Thanks to a complex worldview that motivates his horrific crimes of culling inessential heroes, Stain serves to be a compelling antagonist, more so than season one’s villain of Shigaraki who doesn’t do anything equally fascinating to warrant any attention. Stain’s views on the status quo that All Might has brought interestingly flips My Hero Academia’s optimistic outlook on its head. It endearingly highlights how a society that’s filled with heroes using their powers to provide a-living, has significantly deviated from the classical definition of a hero. Stain see’s the modern hero as a fake and wishes to return to the days of old, by any means necessary. From this, it’s fathomable to notice just how the creator, Kōhei Hirokoshi, understands the superhero genre; despite it being a category that many audiences are arguably fatigued from watching time-and-time again. As mentioned in my review of the previous season, Hirokoshi, as stated in an interview, was heavily influenced by the thematical intricacies of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and how the film seamlessly displays this notion that even people with exceptional powers still retain mundane problems and internal contradictions, juxtaposing the ability to help others with the inability to help ones-self. This is clear to see throughout the many episodes that comprise My Hero Academia thus far. Yet, there’s more to it than this. The very fact we’re presented with a character in the form of Stain that further explores the status of a ‘hero’ in a genre that many are tired of watching, just shows that the superhero genre is more than just your formulaic three-act structure with a climactic battle at the very end. My Hero Academia proves that superheroes aren’t just a singular mode of means, not just because it’s a popular superhero show with a diverse range of characters taking-up the screen space, but how the series paints a different view of heroism. Rather than being seen as figure-heads that inspire good-nature, their Quirks can be also seen as products. Clearly, it has all the optimism of those early superhero stories, but has the critical and methodical knack to question and ponder; something that feels similar but is new and different in its own way making it a show to be completely immersed in.

Production and animation wise, My Hero Academia is in a class of its own compared to many other contemporary anime shows. Aesthetically, this second season is a near mirror to the first instalment by generally sticking to a clean and eye-popping art design; neatly matching the thick and striking line-work of the manga. But, when needed, Studio BONES applies an unbelievably high-bar of quality animation when it is needed, delivering some of the most dynamic and fluid animation that I’ve not seen in a long time. The tenth episode, “Shoto Todoroki: Origin,” is the standout exemplar of this, serving-up a display of ice and fire that expressively collides with Deku’s One For All ability in an explosive scene that visually rivals the expressive animation depicted in both Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill. Above all this however, is the way in which characters look as if they’ve been lifted straight from the acclaimed manga itself, and put into motion. While there are many cases in anime when characters appear to look slightly different from their manga counterpart, as recognised with the differences seen between Bleach’s animated show and the original source, there’s little contrast from how the characters are projected in both My Hero Academia’s manga and televised series. The fluency in which characters leap onto a building or move their hands or legs towards another character, is expressionate yet natural all at once without restraint and certainly adds this idea of verisimilitude to a concept that is pure escapism at heart. Along with the spectacular bursts colour and creativity that My Hero Academia second season displays, much of these fight scenes wouldn’t have been memorable if it wasn’t for the enticing sound design. From the two opening intro’s that never get stale to listen too over-and-over again, to the composed renditions and additions of songs and roaring orchestral themes executed by Yuki Hayashi, everything from the music and the effects that pop-out from a particular action complement and certainly heighten the impact of what’s transpiring on-screen. As with every-beloved anime that comes along, there will be division between audiences in regards to the voice-acting and whether or not the series is either better in English-subtitles or savouring when it is dubbed. After watching the second season both in Japanese (English-subtitles) and dubbed, the voice-acting in My Hero Academia is solid. There’s never a moment when the English voice-actors, including Justin Briner and Christopher Sabat as Deku and All Might respectively, feel as though their out-of-place and ultimately, it comes down to personal preference in whether you want to watch the show in sub or dubbed. 

To state that My Hero Academia is one of the best anime series in recent years isn’t an overstatement since it not only produces everything great about a Shōnen action-series in an appealing and addictive manner, but it goes beyond (mind the pun) audiences predispositions. This second season in particular, where aspects that were initially deprived in the preceding season are now improved upon, is something truly special. Indeed, by having the nous to interweave profound character development and backgrounds within a short-space in the sports festival and to follow-on from that savouring optimise to another arc that dexterously dissects the superhero genre to a thought-provoking degree, Kenji Nagasaki’s series is head-and-shoulders above other anime of the same ilk. Its appeal lies within its inherent optimism and self-aware nature. Couple that with some of the most jaw-dropping animation sequences ever to grace my own perspective, a far more interesting and compelling villainous threat than the antagonists that were presented in the previous season and several fantastic new characters that never truly feel out of place amongst the already large and poignant cast, it’s not an exaggeration when I say that this second season significantly sustain’s My Hero Academia’s outlook in being one of the best anime series in recent times. Certainly, Studio BONES are doing right by this material, and with some of the manga’s strongest arcs still to come, I genuinely can’t wait to see how season three, and the rest of the future story-lines to come, are going to play-out…

And on that note, it’s time for me to end this week’s anime review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest anime review of My Hero Academia: Season 2 and I hope you’ve all enjoyed the read! 😉 If you have an opinion on either the anime series or the review itself, you’re more than welcome to comment your thoughts down below. If anyone’s interested, I’ll also leave a link to my review of the first season down below as well. For next week, I’ll either bring you a review of Marvel’s Black Panther or a retro film review that ties into an upcoming film release in March…Thank you once again for reading this week’s Blog Post and I hope you’re all having a good week! Adieu & PLUS ULTRA!! 😅👍💪💥

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – Alex Rabbitte