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My Hero Academia (Shonen Jump) move over pirates, ninjas, reapers, its Hero time
- Thread starter SalvaPot
- Start date
silenttype01
Member
ooooooh what if that wind power guy is one of the expelled students? Would explain why he gave a glaring look to Todoroki.
Trojita
Rapid Response Threadmaker
Some people think Endeavor influenced the school to pick Todoroki as a recommendation instead of Wind Guy. Wing Guy I believe is a freshman.
Poodlestrike
Banned
I thought it was gonna be some kind of Pro Hero one-on-one evals, but you guys're right, rescuing uncooperative citizens makes a lot more sense.
re: Class A's fate, I found it kind of interesting that the phrasing used was more "hard to eliminate" than especially successful. I think they might end up losing people to the simple capacity limits rather than being forced out, unless I'm misunderstanding the rules.
re: Class A's fate, I found it kind of interesting that the phrasing used was more "hard to eliminate" than especially successful. I think they might end up losing people to the simple capacity limits rather than being forced out, unless I'm misunderstanding the rules.
grandjedi6
Master of the Google Search
So does this chapter make it more or less likely that Kaminari is evil?
I don't think it provides evidence either way.
Giving him a moment in the spotlight will only add impact to any future betrayal.
MHWilliams
Member
How did a guy with Processed Meat as a Quirk not become a villain? Who was the teacher or parent in his corner?
Seems like a common theme of MHA is not to let your abilities define you
Wheyyyyyyyy
Newtype-001
Member
👌👌👌
Traitor got his chance to shine
Deku just savage. I was scared for a second but nope.
'Click'
Last page was actually pretty hype.
That guy in a fedora who likes zoro lol.
Traitor got his chance to shine
Deku just savage. I was scared for a second but nope.
'Click'
Last page was actually pretty hype.
That guy in a fedora who likes zoro lol.
Shiketsu and UA seem to be the only schools that send first years to the exam, so yeah he was.
Trojita
Rapid Response Threadmaker
Yeah I'm guessing by default that the seniors are all retired heroes. I noticed the Zoro guy too Newtype-001.
Where's my guy from Gen Ed.
OniBarubary
Banned
To continue the trend of removing my favorite character from any situation where she may be relevant to the story or more than comic relief, I fully expect Ashido to fail first round.
Nice to see Tsuyu, Momo and Shouji all passed early on though. That speaks to their strength a lot I feel.
Nice to see Tsuyu, Momo and Shouji all passed early on though. That speaks to their strength a lot I feel.
OniBarubary
Banned
Stop talking about balls and tongues.
Pero pero pero.
Seems like a common theme of MHA is not to let your abilities define you
Wheyyyyyyyy
Believe it or not, there's actually a valid reason for Kaminari to do that pose
Poodlestrike
Banned
Believe it or not, there's actually a valid reason for Kaminari to do that pose
Holy crap right hand rule looooool
Practical calc shortcuts?
In MY shonen?
It's more likely than you think!
I've read up to chapter 22. I'm not going to read other responses here to avoid spoilers.
Man, do I regret sleeping on this. This manga is starting off REALLY damn strong. I feel like it is, in many ways, the definitive modern shonen. You can see a lot of standard archtypes that recur, but since the author has a strong understanding of what makes them compelling, he integrates them into the story appropriately so that they shine.
For example, we have the rival character in the explodey guy. The appeal of rival characters is a personal grudge against the main character, a equal sense of progression with them, some depth to ensure sympathy, and so on. Where as things like that don't show up until forever with a character like Sasuke, we see the insecurity behind his arrogance within the first chapter, and it's developed as we go on. He maintains his place as one of the best fighters, but it also shows he has a lot to learn, which puts him on a parallel path with the main character, so you get the feeling he's the hero of his own story, not just there as a reflection of Deku's so he has a goal to overcome.
I also really like the main character. I like that his character is based around fear and insecurity, because this makes his achievements feel truly earned. I actually surprised that I didn't voice the desire for this kind of character more in Shonen, because in many ways, this is exactly the kind of character I want to see, one that seeks strength specifically because he feels he's weak but wants to do good.
And it really helps that this series decides to use strategy as it's main combat mechanism. It kind of reminds me of Hunter X Hunter in this regard, except a bit less random/wacky, but this is pretty much a good thing. I have SO much more respect for characters that find clever uses of their abilities than just ones that power through.
I also want to praise the character design. It's a bit cartoony, but in a good way. It's cartoon elements specifically show up to accentuate some emotion the characters are trying to convey. I especially liked Deku's depressed faces, because he's got this dead eyed smile that shows he's crying inside, and I think that's more effective than if they just showed him straight up crying. But the general designs of the characters are good. Cartoony, but they work. I especially like the exploding kids design with his grenade arms and the headband that looks like an explosion. I thought I'd hate All Might's design, but I grew to like it. But the shining symbol of design here is the frog girl. I don't know what it is, but something about her expression just makes me laugh every time I see it.
I also want to praise that it is a series that can handle drawing women without immediately fanservicing them while also still keeping them relevant to the story. In one of the character profiles, the one with grape boy, the guy said something like "I like him because he's a pervert, but I understand there are some people who have problems with that, so I don't overdo it". There is a difference between having some fanservice scenes and having women of your manga be fanservice, and I like that he understands that distinction and keeps things tasteful.
This is just a great, great start to what looks to be a damn good series.
Man, do I regret sleeping on this. This manga is starting off REALLY damn strong. I feel like it is, in many ways, the definitive modern shonen. You can see a lot of standard archtypes that recur, but since the author has a strong understanding of what makes them compelling, he integrates them into the story appropriately so that they shine.
For example, we have the rival character in the explodey guy. The appeal of rival characters is a personal grudge against the main character, a equal sense of progression with them, some depth to ensure sympathy, and so on. Where as things like that don't show up until forever with a character like Sasuke, we see the insecurity behind his arrogance within the first chapter, and it's developed as we go on. He maintains his place as one of the best fighters, but it also shows he has a lot to learn, which puts him on a parallel path with the main character, so you get the feeling he's the hero of his own story, not just there as a reflection of Deku's so he has a goal to overcome.
I also really like the main character. I like that his character is based around fear and insecurity, because this makes his achievements feel truly earned. I actually surprised that I didn't voice the desire for this kind of character more in Shonen, because in many ways, this is exactly the kind of character I want to see, one that seeks strength specifically because he feels he's weak but wants to do good.
And it really helps that this series decides to use strategy as it's main combat mechanism. It kind of reminds me of Hunter X Hunter in this regard, except a bit less random/wacky, but this is pretty much a good thing. I have SO much more respect for characters that find clever uses of their abilities than just ones that power through.
I also want to praise the character design. It's a bit cartoony, but in a good way. It's cartoon elements specifically show up to accentuate some emotion the characters are trying to convey. I especially liked Deku's depressed faces, because he's got this dead eyed smile that shows he's crying inside, and I think that's more effective than if they just showed him straight up crying. But the general designs of the characters are good. Cartoony, but they work. I especially like the exploding kids design with his grenade arms and the headband that looks like an explosion. I thought I'd hate All Might's design, but I grew to like it. But the shining symbol of design here is the frog girl. I don't know what it is, but something about her expression just makes me laugh every time I see it.
I also want to praise that it is a series that can handle drawing women without immediately fanservicing them while also still keeping them relevant to the story. In one of the character profiles, the one with grape boy, the guy said something like "I like him because he's a pervert, but I understand there are some people who have problems with that, so I don't overdo it". There is a difference between having some fanservice scenes and having women of your manga be fanservice, and I like that he understands that distinction and keeps things tasteful.
This is just a great, great start to what looks to be a damn good series.
This is the most positive I have ever seen you about a Shonen series before, Veelk, I am very impressed that MHA was to your liking. I'll be looking forward to more of your reviews and see if the series can keep up with your expectations.
Thanks. I have a lot to talk about regarding MHA, but since I'm still reading, I'd rather wait till I finish the series.
The most I'll say is that I like how the writing makes sure that victory is earned through hardhship and cleverness. That's how you keep me wanting to turn the page to see what happens next. It creates tension, anticipation, and satisfaction at the end. It's good stuff.
For reference, here are other shonen I read:
Fullmetal Alchemist is another one that I have pretty much nothing but good things to say about. Shogeki no Soma is one I like, though I've fallen behind on it. I stopped around chapter 130 or so. It just gets me very enthused.Hunter X Hunter is another favorite. It's weakness is the aimlessness of the story, but the writing remains strong enough that it's often interesting no matter waht it's doing. I wish the author was more dedicated to completing the story and cared more about a cohesive vision, but his creativity allows him to do stuff I've never seen before in other manga, so it's great.
Bleach is one I read for a while, but I can only say I really liked the first two arcs. I feel I should hate Bleach more, as it's clearly horrendously written, but...I guess I just never cared about it all that much, so it's failing doesn't impact me that much. I don't know if you ever saw that "The Fall of Bleach" video, but I pretty much agree with it entire.
You know my stance on One Piece. There are also some other minor shonen. Mx0 was pretty good. I really liked Psyren, but it unfortunately never took off and ended just as it was finding its feet. I really liked and still really like deathnote....but it's not nearly as smart as it likes to think it is in retrosect. Bakuman was one I liked, but it really fell off the wagon at some point, and I dropped it around there.
Lastly, Naruto. Jesus holy christ, Naruto. It was my gateway anime, my gateway manga, and I looooooooved it.....and then it took a dive off a cliff to a shallow pool of jagged rocks, live sharks, and chainsaws. To this day, I've never seen ANY series, not just manga, get SO bad. One day, I'll reread Naruto start to finish and break down why it failed as badly as it did, but it's hard to find a bigger sore spot for me than Naruto. For me, it is, unequivocally, the worst.
But yeah, MHA is one I feel I can feel good about for now. It's smart, it's modern, it's got a good head on it's shoulders, nice designs, and a promising start.
I think you're in for a treat. The writing really sets itself up for some big payoffs later on that are very well earned by the characters and their motivations.
I think you nailed it on the head when you said that it feels like the modern definitive shounen. It's hard to exactly nail down why, but it seems like it follows the general shounen tropes while being pretty keenly aware of the bad aspects of shounen. "Aware" is the term I'd like to use, because it seems like the author grew up in the same way we did, reading the same stories we did, and learning what works and what doesn't. Right when I think it's going to do something stupid, it generally veers in a different and satisfying direction.
It's also a good take on an unfair society while also not being entirely against said society. The characters in it are all aware about how awful it can be, but generally want to make it work, including some of the authority figures.
I'd also say that the pacing is sublime. Arcs are usually short and to the point, and just when I'm about to get tired with them, they wrap up pretty quickly. Not all of the arcs have been 100% my cup of tea, but there's usually just enough growth for one or two characters that I've gotten something out of them.
Anyway, stick with it because you're in for some great, great stuff.
Trojita
Rapid Response Threadmaker
Feel free to post your impressions in this thread I made. Bonus points that you'll be able to avoid spoilers in the future with your impressions lol.
I'm glad you are really enjoying the series.
A lot of manga struggle with female design. I think MHA is hands down the best at offering a large cast with females that all have distinct appearances and characters with depth. Makes them feel like real people. It's a great "class" dynamic when any one of these characters could realistically be called upon to pair with the main character in any given arc.
Hagakure in particular is a hilarious subversion of fanservice tropes; she fights naked and every indication we have is that she would be absurdly hot... except for the fact that she's invisible. lol.
I also like the detail in that her costume is actually somewhat loose-fitting when she's normal sized but stretched out when she's big, meaning it's a costume designed to fit both sizes because it doesn't grow with her. It's so incredibly minor and even hard to miss, but it's there.
I like that the manga's given her a bit of a side story with some real character growth.
You know, I think it's really impressive what he does with the hand dude. I think the concept of his design sounds laughable on paper, but when I look at him, he works on some weird level.
I think it's because I'm not a touchy person, so the idea of a bunch of hands covering my body like that is just a tad creepy to me. I think most panels don't show his full view, so we mostly just see his face, with his eyes staring out from the darkness covered by his hand, which the mechanical wrist at the end makes it look reminiscent of a gas mask. But I am also kind of impressed with the detail. I'm no artist, but I was once told that drawing hands was one of the toughest parts of the human body to detail, because of all the joints, it's really easy to make a hand look off. So the fact that the artist went "Why don't I just have a hand villain" and then proceeds to draw them all in a fair amount of detail...I consistently see creases, knuckles and joints drawn out....is kind of impressive.
It's a manga that I feel knows a certain amount of it's ideas are ridiculous, so it makes sure that it doesn't just throw them out prebaked. The hand dude is one of the ones that's more out there.
I think it's because I'm not a touchy person, so the idea of a bunch of hands covering my body like that is just a tad creepy to me. I think most panels don't show his full view, so we mostly just see his face, with his eyes staring out from the darkness covered by his hand, which the mechanical wrist at the end makes it look reminiscent of a gas mask. But I am also kind of impressed with the detail. I'm no artist, but I was once told that drawing hands was one of the toughest parts of the human body to detail, because of all the joints, it's really easy to make a hand look off. So the fact that the artist went "Why don't I just have a hand villain" and then proceeds to draw them all in a fair amount of detail...I consistently see creases, knuckles and joints drawn out....is kind of impressive.
It's a manga that I feel knows a certain amount of it's ideas are ridiculous, so it makes sure that it doesn't just throw them out prebaked. The hand dude is one of the ones that's more out there.
It's funny you mention that hands are hard to draw, because the author specifically mentioned that he loves drawing hands because they used to be super hard for him to draw and only recently (as in, before starting MHA) did he actually figure out how he could draw them. So, hands are a big thing for him, his shounen jump "author picture" is actually a talking hand.
So he took a thing that was superhard and worked on it until he was skilled enough to show off with it. Geez, the guy practically IS a shonen hero.
I do like how All Might assessed him in the next chapter "The guy is....a complete manchild." Again, next to a super detailed headshot of him. It's funny, but it's a more than a little creepy. Like, I get a psychopath vibe from him. I feel from my OP criticisms, I may have given the impression that I reject weird things and want more conventional stuff, but I think weird stuff is great if effort is put in to sell it, and I think this is one of those cases. I shouldn't be taking this guy seriously at all, and yet....
I should probably pick up one of those sometime. I feel I have, but I can't remember.
Edit: regarding depiction of females here, I'm writing this as I'm going along, so my knowledge of this isn't exactly complete, but I just got to the scene where Uraraka establishes that she's poor. It shows a flashback of her saying she wants to join the family company, but her dad says that he wants her to accomplish her own dreams. Like....honestly, how often do we get a scene where a girl is encouraged to follow her own dreams instead of staying in the realm of familial interests? Even in more progressive manga that have women following their own dreams, how many are actually encouraged by their loved ones to do so?
People can get upset about the way women are scantily clad, and that's a valid issue, but I find that people often forget what the actual problematic result of that is: That sexual objectification is often a diminishment of character. It means the author is putting women there to just be eye candy rather than treating them as heroes of another story.
I can't say how characters going to be treated in the next 50 chapters of this thing I have to read, but if the author doesn't let male gaze take away from the fact that the women in his story are active agents, persuing their own dreams and adventures along with the guys in his story, then the fanservice outfits shouldn't be a big deal compared to that. Like, it's still a legitimate point of complaint, but it's already on the path of a more fair depiction if it doesn't get in the way of their actual stories.
What was the problem with Bleach that most people had exactly?
For me I just stopped caring after the scope expanded past the town and showed no signs of stopping, I preferred the comfier Yu Yu Hakosho feel. (before all of the tournaments)
My friend only read the manga and really stuck with it because he liked how lazy the art and panelwork got.
For me I just stopped caring after the scope expanded past the town and showed no signs of stopping, I preferred the comfier Yu Yu Hakosho feel. (before all of the tournaments)
My friend only read the manga and really stuck with it because he liked how lazy the art and panelwork got.
If that video ever comes back up, I can just link it. There are a few ways to describe it, but when you get down to it, the effort put into it was progressively smaller and smaller. You can point to the art or how bullshit Aizen's plan and abilities were, but the most damning thing is that Ichigo didn't seem to give a shit about anything.
Like, he was introduced as a somewhat grumpy kid being introduced to a strange new world. And as an introduction, that's basically alright. But a story can't sustain that, or else audience investment disappears. Ichigo didn't relish fights and he didn't disdain them. He didn't want anything in particular. When his friends are in danger, he's wants to save them, but on his own, he has no direction and no goals. Meaning that he's a purely reactive character, but the audience can only react with him insofar as they care about the events happening.
Early on, things were more optimistic. A lot of people cared about Rukia, who was in the first dozen chapters established as a likable, spirited friend of Ichigo, so when she's kidnapped, and we are introduced to Soul Society, it's all pretty exciting. Then Orihime got captured and Aizen, who was the over arching villain of the past arc, is the perpetrator. Okay, the audience didn't care as much, but still cared. Then that arc ends, Orihime is back, and Aizen is defeated. If Bleach had ended there, I think it'd be looked back on fondly for the most part, even if it's flawed.
But it went on. And Chad, the most minor of Ichigo's friends, was next in line to be rescued, against new villains who were all...well, boring. This is where I dropped out, because I didn't care about anything happening.
From what I heard, then the Quincy dude got captured. I forget his name, but I think this was a legitimate chance for Bleach to bounce back, since the Quincies were an established interesting contrast to the Soul Reapers whose backstory was never filled out. So if they came back, and the Quincy dude joined them, there's some legit potential drama we could have had, especially since it compromises Ichigo's one dimensional motivation of just wanting to rescue his friends. How do you rescue your friend when your friend is the enemy? How do you paint a genocided race of people as the bad guys when their trying to take back their place in the world? The stuff practically writes itself.
I only heard from others how it went down, but from what I heard, he didn't show up for a hundred chapters and then when he did, it was obvious he was on their side, the main bad guy was a discount Aizen with none of his appeal, and the art went completely to shit. And by the end of the series, Ichigo was still just this one dimensional, inactive protagonist. We have no idea what he actually wants to do, what his beliefs are, anything like that. He wants to protect his friends, and if you don't care about his friends, if effort isn't put into making Ichigo develop or change, if he is just rehashing the same plot of "Friend kidnapped -> Ichigo saves", then I don't understand how you can expect your audience to give a fuck about anything going on.
It got so bad that Bleach dropped to 14th place, and then Kubo was given 3 chapters to end a 15 year running series.
It was a clusterfuck.
He also crammed in a shit ton of characters and focused too much on them and at the same time disregarded them.
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