Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 23, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2020

Volumes: 26+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 22. 24.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

The final match of the battle training between Class A and Class B continues. Zapped by Shinso’s mind control, Midoriya enters a fugue state where he meets one of the former users of One For All. What powerful Quirks have yet to be unlocked? Midoriya will surely need the full potential of One For All someday, but in the meantime, a new enemy—the Meta Liberation Army—begins to make its moves.

Review:

Despite the fact that Deku loses it for a minute during the battle, it continues. He gets himself together, discovers a much wider possibility of his powers than he expected, and does what he needs to, to win this test.

The second half of this volume is taken up completely by the league of villains. They're on to a new villain they want, and they have to prove themselves and get out of this alive, though they aren't really the types to freak out over a fight. We do meet a new branch of villains here, too, though.

Given how huge of a fanbase the villains have in this series, it's actually a little surprising how long it has taken for them to get this much focus, and for them to finally get their own character pages. It makes sense that Horikoshi wanted them to be mysterious in the beginning, but at this point, fans want to know everything about them. They want chapters dedicated to them. I might not be one of those people—I've never been much of a villain fan to begin with—but I don't mind it too much. Some of them are kind of interesting.

There's just more havoc in the future of this series, I think.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia Smash!!, Volume 1, by Hirofumi Neda and Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2019

Volumes: 5.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Listen up! Follow the story of Midoriya, All Might and all the other aspiring heroes of U.A. High, but with hilarious twists! In this first volume, find out how Midoriya really trained to receive One for All and learn the U.A. students' goofy thoughts during their first practical exams...plus, All Might as Santa Claus? What are you waiting for? Start reading!!

Review:

This is a parody spin-off of MHA, just comic strips poking fun at the characters and main series. This volume pointedly follows along with the main series, and we meet the characters from the beginning, following the timeline of the main series.

There were a couple of funny moments, but mostly I just didn't get this volume. Most of it didn't hit me as funny, it was just meh, and not much of a fun read. I've heard good things about the later volumes, though, so hopefully it gets better?

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 22, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2019

Volumes: 25+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 21. 23.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

In the third match of the joint battle training, the students of Class 1-A have their hands full dealing with the unexpected creativity of Class B’s Quirk use. These matches give everyone a chance to reflect on exactly where they all stand in comparison to each other and on the events in their lives that have brought them to this point. Then it’s time for Bakugo to show what he’s learned…

Review:

This volume continues the current test. More groups face off, are tested and prove themselves and see how they need to improve more. And then it's Deku's turn.

Deku has already been fighting with his powers, he's had weird dreams featuring the previous heroes of One for All, and now he's against the mind-controller who started this mess for him. He knew it was risky, but he had to do what he could.

Deku's in a real predicament as this volume ends. I'm really intrigued to see what happens with his power next, what this means for him.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 21, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2019

Volumes: 25+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 20. 22.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

Class 1-A’s joint battle training with Class B continues! Class 1-A get the first win in the best-of-five series of all-out Quirk battles, but after some feedback from the teachers, the students square off again for a second round, and real rivalries form.

Review:

After that cliffhanger, things kind of start looking up. It's a hard slope, though.

It's a big moment for Endeavor in the beginning of this volume, and equally for his family. I really like Todoroki, so I like where this went, how it affected him and their relationship.

We find out some interesting information regarding the villains and the adult heroes in this volume. I'm still a bit wary of Hawk.

After that, the story goes straight into a new test for our main characters. They're split into teams and given a goal, fighting each other as if they're heroes against villains. It's an interesting set up and challenge for each of them. Admittedly, it's also a little long and winding at times, but that might just be because I'm not a huge fan of all of these characters. The fights do get a little intense at times, and I'm intrigued to see where it goes next with Yaoyorozu. Plus, we haven't seen Todoroki or Deku yet.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 20, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2019

Volumes: 24+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 19. 21.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

With All Might in retirement, Endeavor takes up the mantle of the number one hero, a position he’s coveted for years. But now that he has it, he’s not entirely comfortable with the responsibilities and risks that come with it—both heroes and villains are always gunning for number one. What does the future hold for Midoriya, and what do his dreams about One For All mean?

Review:

Deku's entire goal in this volume is to make the school festival a success—particularly, his class's concert. He wants it to be a success for the class, and he wants Eri to see it and have a good time.

And then he runs across this viral video villain who wants to cause chaos for the fun of it. I was actually surprised by these characters, their relationship and the depth put into them. It was an interesting side story to note.

I love the dynamic with Eri so, so very much. Deku and Mirio are like older brothers to her—or possibly like dads. I love it so much, and it makes me so happy to see them with her, and to see her out and exploring and learning things. It just warms my heart.

In the second half of the volume, we see an adult villain fight, with a very big surprise for Todoroki. I wasn't expecting this, and the missed potential in that relationship makes me sad for him.

This series has gotten quite intense at this point. I'm definitely hooked into the series at this point.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 19, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2019

Volumes: 24+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 18. 20.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

In the wake of tragedy, Class 1-A prepares for the upcoming culture festival. While the students are busy planning for success, other forces are at work with their own agendas, and Midoriya, amid the preparations, continues to train with All Might. But when he runs into the failed hero Gentle Criminal, what lesson will he learn?

Review:

We think we get a reprieve in this volume, as it's school festival time. We're reminded this school doesn't only contain this class of heroes—there are normal students, too, and they deserve this as well. But, of course, there's always a villain planning something.

Their class, after some debate, decides to put on a dance and live music performance. They're hooking up all kinds of things with their powers, and deciding who can play what instruments to form a band, and then doing a dance for it. It's a surprise mix for the band, which I think works really well. The sparkle element is weird and fun to me, and I think the dance preparation was cute.

Through all of this, Mirio and Deku get to see Eri, and introduce her to the school so she can see the festival. She's been so sheltered, it's a big step, but something they want for her. Since they're the first ones to discover her, and a big part in saving her, I really enjoy how they've formed a relationship with each other. It's super cute to see Mirio and Deku acting like big brothers to her.

The new villains we meet in this volume are not what I expected—they're show offs, who record his evil-doings and broadcast it. I didn't expect the stand-off that happens here, and am intrigued by where it's going, what it's going to mess up. But Deku is definitely showing how much growth he's been going through.

This was a really fun volume. There was progress and new plot points, but also just some fun antics. 

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 18, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2019

Volumes: 23+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 17. 19.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world's greatest hero, but greatness won't come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called "Quirks"? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

Review:

The fight between Deku and Overhaul goes out with a bang. Overhaul is a big enemy to defeat, and with Eri helping Deku, it's still a dangerous line to work with.

A bit of this volume is dealing with the aftermath of what happened. A lot of people are hurt, and even more of them are affected emotionally. Particularly Mirio, who is affected in a few different ways. I actually like him a lot, and I'm wondering where he's going to go from here.

The villains also throw in a last fight at the end, which is surely not going to lead to anything good next.

The latter half of this volume includes the heroes who get to re-take the hero test. Their new test is a different kind of battle than they're used to, and I think it's a good challenge for them.

I'm mostly wondering where the heroes are going next. They're back in school and training, and several of them have new motivation and have realized what they want to do and what they're fighting for. I'm curious what's next.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 17, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2019

Volumes: 23+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 16. 18.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

The raid on the Hassaikai gang is in full swing, and the heroes plunge into the darkness toward their ultimate confrontation. Lemillion engages Overhaul in an attempt to rescue Eri, and the battle reaches a new level of intensity. Midoriya is desperate to help his mentor, but what fate has Nighteye foreseen for them all in this clash? And does the key to Midoriya’s survival lie in Eri herself?

Review:

We get to see why the villains joined the yakuza, and it's a rather iffy cooperation. Two of them have agreed, temporarily and on shaky grounds, to help the yakuza.

When they finally reach Overhaul and Eri, it's rough. Mirio is set on helping Eri and doing everything he can to get her safe. There are a lot of battles going on, and they're all rough on the heroes. The villains, too, I suppose. The villains are determined to hurt and stall and win, while the heroes have hope and belief that they can do this, and they're putting everything they have into winning.

I really like Mirio, and I think him and Deku can make a good pair. They both have a strong sense of what's right and they do everything they can to accomplish that and to save people. They both have very good, strong spirits.

We see glimpses of Mirio's history here, and glimpses of what's happened to Eri and what's broken her. Finally getting to see hope bloom inside her, when she realizes she might be able to get out of this and not hurt people, and that these heroes are doing this for her, is a really strong moment. It's a really powerful message, too.

I'm really impressed with how all of this has been handled so far, the meaning and what's happened to the heroes. I'm wondering how it's going to wrap it all up.

Manga Review: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Volume 3, by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court, and Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2019

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Not everyone needs a license to fight for justice!

In a superpowered society, there is nothing ordinary about evil anymore. Heroes, trained and licensed to protect and defend the public against supervillains, stand above all the rest. Not everyone can be a hero, however, and there are those who would use their powers to serve the people without legal sanction. But do they fight for justice in the shadows, or for reasons known only to themselves? Whatever they fight for, they are called...vigilantes.

Review:

The plot doesn't move too much forward in this volume; instead we meet a new character, and Koichi's mother comes for a visit.

Koichi meets Makoto at school, and she turns out to be a reporter. This could be trouble for Koichi, given that he's an undercover vigilante. Koichi decides to help her out, despite all this, and then when his mother shows up, there's some drama, and a life or death situation. This takes up most of the volume. Pop shows up a few times, and we meet a new narcissistic hero.

It was an all right volume, not too exciting for me, and the plot line didn't feel very necessary to me. At the end, we got to see some extras with the heroes from the original series. That was a little interesting, as well.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 16, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 15. 17.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

The Hassaikai crime gang, led by the young boss Chisaki, has been working on a plan to distribute a Quirk-destroying drug. The key to this evil scheme is the young girl Eri, held prisoner in Chisaki’s hideout. Nighteye asks other heroes to form a team to launch a rescue attempt—and the students of Class 1-A are going into the lion’s den with them! But Nighteye, who can see the future, refuses to look at the fates of anyone going on the mission…

Review:

They're preparing for the sting, and then it's time. Only, there's more people on the Hassaikai team than they thought, and they seem pretty prepared for the heroes. They split up to take care of different groups of villains, and to try to catch up with Chisaki and save Emi.

I'm still surprised by how much time Kirishima is given. I've never thought too much of him, but he's working hard to compete with these villains, and he's doing pretty good. The team he's on, too, work together well. We get some extra backstory on them here, which I suppose helps.

We don't see much of Deku in this volume, but I hope we'll get more in the next one. He's trying to catch up with Chisaki, and he's determined to save Emi. Of course, he's getting stalled by Toga, yet again. I don't like this girl, at all.

This is shaping up to be a pretty big fight, strewn about and with a lot of very different powers. I'm intrigued, but I also really want to get to the main fight.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 15, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2018

Volumes: 21+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 14. 16.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

A new and sinister enemy appears in the form of Chisaki Kai, the young leader of the Hassaikai yakuza gang. Looking to fill the power vacuum left by All For One, Chisaki makes contact with the League of Villains to gain possible support. When a chance run-in with a scared little girl brings Midoriya and his mentor Mirio face-to-face with Chisaki, none of them have any idea how much their lives are about to change…

Review:

Now that the students are interning, they're learning to balance being new and inexperienced and having all these rules regarding being a hero, with their heroism and how badly they want to step in and save people no matter the circumstance or the reality of it. Deku and Mirio learn this particularly hard in this volume, when they discover the villain they're watching is holding a little girl.

We get to meet the other heroes the students are mentoring with, what powers and histories they have. They all seem to have chosen a good group for themselves, and they're learning and getting better, and forming relationships.

Deku learns that he wasn't the first choice for All Might's power, at the same time as the hero groups come together to research and watch the yakuza villains, and he has conflicting thoughts on all of this.

The surprise element of this volume was the focus on Kirishima in the middle of it. We learn more about him and his power, and how he's learned to use it recently. He's fallen mostly in the background till now—for me, at least--but he's an even player in this plot line. I don't mind him, mostly.

It's unclear where their mission is going next, how it's going to turn out. It could be very bad—or it could be a success. It's hard to tell, though I'm sure it'll be messy. I'm looking forward to some kind of justice being served, though.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 14, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2018

Volumes: 21+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 13. 15.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

Summer vacation is over, and it’s back to school for the students of U.A. High! But before classes can get started, Midoriya and Bakugo need to settle a beef between them that’s been a long time coming. Even if they can get past this bump in the road on the way to becoming superheroes, the hurdles just keep getting higher and higher—the hero work studies in the upcoming year will bring them even closer to their goal…or their destruction!

Review:

We finally get to see Deku and Bakugo fight. This whole series has been leading up to this, honestly. It's a good fight, too, and I was even a little surprised with the turnout of it. Thankfully, though, All Might confronts them about it, and they get punished for fighting.

School starts back up, and Deku and Bakugo are punished by being grounded to the dorm. When they finally get to join class again, they all get to meet the star third-years, who are supposedly there to give them advice. They get a real-life demonstration, instead.

After all of that, and while in the background the villains are scheming and thinking of working together for something bigger, Deku is taking the opportunity to do a work study and running with it. He wants to get better, and he wants to do it now, so he's doing everything he can think of to do it. The guy he ends up trying to work under is an interesting one, he seems straight-laced, but actually thinks laughter is the most important thing. Deku's not funny, but thankfully they're both obsessed fans of All Might.

It looks like the villains are going to make another big appearance soon, and I'm intrigued to see what happens with this new one.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 13, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2018

Volumes: 20+

Spoilers?: Not really.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 12. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

The students of Class 1-A have reached another milestone—the Provisional Licensing Exam. After making it through the first part of the test, they ready themselves for the next phase, which takes place in a simulated disaster area. Midoriya and his friends have to rescue as many victims as they can, and although the students of rival Shiketsu High are technically supposed to be helping, competition between them is fierce and even dangerous! As the scenario unfolds and actual villains arrive to shake things up, the UA students will have to find new ways to work with each other and make use of their Quirks.

Review:

This volume concludes the hero test. It's a tough test, with a few twists thrown in, and gives them the chance to prove whether they would be good out in the world as heroes or not. It actually has a surprising result for a few people—or not so surprising, given how a few of them acted on the battle field. Afterward, select characters get a following chance, and they get to reflect on how they did.

There are mixed feelings for why some of them passed and some of them didn't.

The main conflict is between Deku and Bakugo, which Bakugo decides to confront, once and for all. This has really been coming for a long time now. I'm not sure when Bakugo was seen as a possible good guy, and not a complete bully, but there's still been some underlying tension between these two this whole time. Bakugo has gotten the feeling there was some connection between Deku and All Might, though he hasn't known what or why, and he's been resentful of it this whole time.

It'll be interesting to see what happens between them, when they actually fight all out against each other. Although, it did bother me how Deku feels responsible, just like Bakugo does, for All Might's downfall, when I'm pretty sure it has been coming from the very beginning.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!