My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising – Review

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising

Director: Kenji Nagasaki

Runtime: 104 minutes

What do you get when you cross the X-Men with manga? Well, other than the failed X-Men manga, you get My Hero Academia. For the uninitiated, My Hero Academia is a manga and anime series created by Kōhei Horikoshi. Currently running in Weekly Shonen Jump, the series is on its 263^rd chapter, with the widely popular anime series recently completing its fourth season. In the world of My Hero Academia, 80% of the global population has a ‘quirk’ (the series name for superpowers)—so really, it’s the X-Men minus the racial undertones. My Hero Academia is a pretty standard Shonen battle series: lots of fun and lots of fights. So, going into the series’ second feature film, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, this was exactly what I was looking for—and thankfully, I was not disappointed.

Let’s make one thing clear: the vast majority of anime movies of this type are not canon. They are, for the most part, special pieces that fit within the ongoing story of the manga or anime but have no direct impact on the ongoing story. With this sort of freedom, creators can take these stories in many different directions. Heroes Rising remains faithful to the overarching story, using this opportunity to introduce new viewers to the world and the type of story they could expect to encounter if they were to take up reading or viewing the series.

That’s not to say that the film is a bore for established viewers, with an interesting setting and premise that sees our heroes out on their own, devoid of the support normally offered by teachers and senior heroes in the main story. The story is tightly paced throughout, managing to balance its quiet and intimate scenes with its bombastic battles masterfully. The animation is a definite step up from the regular series, boasting many beautifully crafted backgrounds and establishing shots. The character models are on-point throughout and display more dynamic movement than can be achieved in the ongoing anime series. Character Bakugo benefits from this immensely, with the animators able to display his movement abilities to their fullest. During the third act, the difference in animation becomes even more evident as the final battle evolves into a kind of ballet-like neon light show consisting of dynamic shots and movement from our lead characters.

While set firmly within an established world, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising does well to set up its self-contained story and the returning characters of class 1-A in a way that won’t bore fans and will easily catch up first time viewers—to a point. While new viewers won’t be lost while watching the film (it is quite a straightforward story), viewers with a pre-established understanding of the universe will be better served. The intricacies and nuances of the character relationships will mostly be lost on those without prior knowledge of the series. This becomes especially evident during the third act resolution: while the impact of a large decision is slightly set up during the film, only pre-existing fans will feel the full emotional gravity of the situation and decisions made. But, of course, this is a non-canon movie, so the film resets to the overall series’ status quo by the time the credits roll anyway. Does this take away from the impact of the film? Well, yes, but it is not unexpected.

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising was overall a fun ride from start to finish, showcasing beautiful animation techniques and providing pre-established fans with an interesting feature-length story to immerse themselves in. At the same time, the film acts as a solid gateway for new viewers, displaying the series’ immense cast of characters and a condensed version of the current arc. While small character interactions and nuances may be lost, these won’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the film. This sort of film is a balancing act between satisfying long-term fans and introducing newbies, which has been masterfully pulled off. If you are already a fan, I probably don’t need to tell you to check this one out; but if you are in the latter category, this is a great way to get a taste for the story and its characters before throwing yourself into the main series.