‘My Hero Academia: Season 2 – Part 1’ Blu-ray Review
If I had to summarize my thoughts on My Hero Academia Season 1, it would be: It has a relatable high school setting, a great lead character, amazing humor and an entertaining story. However, it ended Season 1 in a way that definitely wasn’t subtle about how a second season should be coming and I’m very glad that we got it.
As far as this part of season two goes, you don’t really need a lot of knowledge about season one to watch it. There is a recap in the first episode that doesn’t go into a lot of detail but does a good job of getting the essentials across and there are convenient flashbacks that serve as a friendly reminder or as answers throughout this arc. I can’t be certain that things from season one won’t come up after this arc is over so I recommend watching season one anyway to be safe and it is more great content. If you don’t have the time, there is a recap of season one (called episode 13.5) which is more in-depth about everything.
Part 1 of this season of My Hero Academia is the Sports Festival. What that includes is the hero characters from the high school taking part in what is essentially a tournament to showcase their quirks/powers and skills to the world. There are events that happen near the end of this arc to set up the plot for further episodes but that’s basically all that happens in this part.
What this arc does so well is the character development. The most notable being Todoroki and Ochaco as their backgrounds are given a lot of attention and you can’t help empathizing with these two and want them to do well. Many characters are given their own moment of brilliance in this arc although a majority of them come Izuku’s class as they’re the ones who have faced villains so they’re more driven than ever. Something that I appreciate about this anime is how it doesn’t make its main character (Izuku) seem invincible. Izuku is the same loveable lead from season one but there are small steps to him becoming a better hero especially in regards to strategy and battle in this arc although he still has a long way to go.
As far as the animation goes, it’s the same as season one in regards to visual style. The action scenes are definitely the highlight. There are many battle scenes in this arc and each fight is unique, dramatic and intense. It’s like Dragon Ball Z if it crossed into Marvel territory. There are aspects of this show that remind me of Ouran High School Host Club which is partly in the comedic use of animation with how expressive characters are in regards to reactions which makes jokes even funnier for instance.
The soundtrack for My Hero Academia is mostly great. I don’t find the opening (Peace Sign) and ending (Dakara Hitori Ja Nai) to be that impressive but that’s because the other pieces of music are epic and bombastic enough to make you stand up and cheer or to drive already great emotional scenes even further. I only wish the opening and ending followed suit but this may be a matter of personal preference.
When it comes to the dub, My Hero Academia has been dubbed by Funimation and Funimation are one of the best companies out there when it comes to dubbing anime. You will hear familiar voices because of this such as Chris Sabat (Dragon Ball Z), Caitlin Glass (Fullmetal Alchemist) and J.Michael Tatum (Ouran High School Host Club). All of the English cast are masters at this craft so you will have a great time.
Part 1 of Season Two of My Hero Academia is a good continuation of what came before it in regards to how brilliantly it handles action, comedy and drama. While there is very little focus given to villains in this arc, there are reminders that they are coming back after the Festival is over so it’s letting you have some great fun knowing more serious stuff is on its way.
My Hero Academia: Season 2 – Part 1 is released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 2nd.