My Hero Academia First Impressions

Class is in session! My Hero Academia finally debuted its anime, and it is one that I’ve been looking forward to. I’ve been reading the manga, and it is actually the first series that I picked up with the manga first (shameful on my part). I am very impressed with the manga so I had high hopes for the anime. Let’s focus on some key points from the first episode.

The Opening

The opening is usually something I skip just to make the episode a bit faster, and I don’t even feel bad if the opening isn’t good. There are key factors to a good opening: the vocals, the rhythm, the imagery, and the way the song and imagery connects together. My Hero Academia’s opening was a hit for me. It starts off introducing us to the top hero of this world, All Might, and our protagonist, Midoriya Izuku, complemented with a cool and quick intro. An upbeat guitar solo follows with flashes of all the other characters. The first verse is slower and has that solemn feeling that connects us with Izuku, as he feels a bit helpless with his situation. I especially like the first verse because I can feel how Izuku is feeling even without looking at the animation. The bridge of the song connects Izuku and his rival, Bakugou Katsuki. We can already see a good rival story brewing especially right before the chorus hits when they are ready to fight each other. The chorus returns us to the upbeat sound from the beginning of the song. We feel hyped up as we are shown All Might kicking ass. It also showcases another hero, villains, and our young heroes. The song ends with Izuku throwing a punch followed by quick images showcasing the young heroes again, and then concludes with the characters standing in front of the school. I really liked this opening because the song was good, and it showed me a good idea of the anime’s tone. This will be an opening that I won’t be skipping.

Score: 9/10

The Story

This is a world where the majority of the population are born with special abilities known as “quirks.” What do you do if you have super powers? Be a superhero of course, or a villain, whatever works for you. Mirdoriya Izuku has wanted to be a hero since a little boy. His idol is the number one hero, All Might. Izuku is inspired by All Might’s heroism, and his catchy line “Don’t worry, I’m here now.” As a kid, Izuku would watch clips of All Might’s heroic acts, while waiting patiently for his quirk to reveal itself. Time passes and still nothing. Izuku’s mom takes him to see a doctor and unfortunately, Izuku is one of the few that were born quirkless. Izuku is now in his last year of junior high, which is a pinnacle point for this world’s youth because they can go to a high school and train to be heroes. Although he is quirkless, Izuku still hopes to enroll in the top school, U.A. He is bullied by Bakugou Katsuki who crushes Izuku’s dreams, and even coined the nickname “Deku” for him. Izuku hits his low point, but he decides not to give up on his dream. He holds his head up and continues his life, but he is attacked by a villain. Things are looking bad for him, but All Might arrives and saves the day. A near death experience turned out to be a chance encounter with All Might, and this will open up doors for Izuku. For the time that it had, the episode introduced us with its world, hero/villain structure, in depth info on Izuku and his backstory, and sets up Izuku as a part of the hero world.

Score: 9/10

The Characters

Midoriya Izuku (Deku): He is our protagonist, an average looking and timid guy. His goal is to become a hero like All Might, but he was born quirkless. This doesn’t stop Izuku. He works diligently as he collects notes on many different heroes and villains. He tries to go to every scene where heroes and villains clash. He is a bit naïve and scared of confrontation, but his perks are being goal oriented and always keeping a head up, which is what I like about him. He shows us that even against all odds, you don’t have to give up. You can still pursue your dreams.

Bakugou Katsuki: Also known as “Kacchan,” assigned by Izuku. He is a loud mouth, aggressive, and extremely full of himself. He doesn’t hesitate when it comes to asserting his superiority over others as he declares that he will be the only one to enroll in U.A, and everyone in his junior high class are nobodies. Kacchan’s quirk matches his personality; his quirk is explosion. He doesn’t hesitate to use it when he is agitated or angry, which is pretty much all the time.

Izuku’s mom: She isn’t really a main character, but she was focused on in this episode. In the flashback, she takes Izuku to the doctor, and is just as devastated as he was about the bad news. Later, she tries to reassure Izuku, but breaks down in tears when she sees him crying. She apologizes to him through her tears as she believes that it is her fault. This is very powerful to me because I can’t even imagine being a parent and feeling like you failed your child. It is also something that she had no control over (DNA). We can tell that she is a loving and supportive mother.

All Might: A very tall and muscular man with cool hair, and a majestic demeanor. All Might is the number one hero, and he makes heroism look like a walk in the park. He always keeps a smile on his face even in tough situations. His smile and signature catch phrase “Don’t worry, I’m here now,” provides a sense of security to those around him. His exact quirk is unknown to us, but he seems to possess super strength, speed, reflexes, and durability. He is known as the “Symbol of Hope.”

These characters weren’t too original to me, but they are characters that I can connect with, and I hope to watch them developed properly.

Score: 8/10

Animation, Setting, and Sound

The animation didn’t hit the ballpark for me, but then again I wasn’t expecting Fate Stay Night UBW like animation. The characters’ (except All Might) designs were very standard, and most of them remained stagnant during certain animation and dialogue. We didn’t get too many fight scenes in this first episode, but I am hoping that the future ones are promising.

Score: 6/10

The setting was also very standard; a Japanese city. I was hoping to see unique buildings, and maybe even the school in this first episode, but I may be asking too much. The anime did do a good job with establishing the hero world in the setting. It seemed normal to have a monster villain wreak havoc followed by a spectacular show when the heroes arrive. Still, I wanted a bit more from this first episode.

Score: 6/10

Honestly, I didn’t really pay too much attention to the sound, but I’m not complaining. They certainly did a good job with My Hero Academia’s opening, and the sound during the rest of the episode wasn’t a miss. There were good music cues that complemented certain dramatic or humorous scenes, which are a plus.

Score: 7/10

Overall

I enjoyed the first episode of My Hero Academia. It established a cool world and a relatable main character, and I am intrigued by both. Although an idea of going to school to combat an evil faction isn’t anything too original, My Hero Academia draws you in with the super hero element, and it fits in nicely with our super hero dominated entertainment. It made me want to stick around to see how the story and characters will be developed. I will definitely be tuning in for My Hero Academia's entire season.

Overall Score: 8/10

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