'My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising' Movie Review
by: Jorge Luque
My Hero Academia continues to be one of the most popular anime in the world. Its popularity continues to grow in the states, and as season four of the series is in full force we were treated to the second feature film, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising. Last year's film, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, showed us that the excitement for the series is real and the electrifying action could transfer to the big screen successfully.
My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising follows class 1-A as they are sent to Nabu Island, a remote island where major crimes never happen. The class is there to handle small scale problems for the residents of the island as a way to learn that there is more to hero work than fighting villains. Meanwhile, a quirk-stealing villain named Nine is released, and has his eyes on someone living on Nabu Island that has a very specific quirk. The heroes in training have to find a way to stop Nine and his crew of superpowered villains, while also keeping the residents of Nabu Island safe.
My main concern going into the theater was that the movie would be nothing more than a cheap cash grab with nothing to offer besides some entertaining fanservice. My Hero Academia has beautiful action sequences, but they've always been rooted in the convictions of its characters. The highlight moments of the series are typically fights that fittingly add an exclamation point at the end of whatever statement the writer is trying to make about the characters involved. Going against that idea for the sheer spectacle of a fight is more along the lines of how Dragonball Z and Naruto handled their action sequences. That didn't happen. I'm glad that even though this story isn't cannon, it still felt very much in line with something that could happen in the main story.
The story is simple and effective, and also puts the characters in a situation they haven't been in before. With very few exceptions, the students have often been able to rely on pro heroes to either save the day or bail them out of situations when they get tangled up with real villains. This story is structured in a way that removes that possibility and puts the entire responsibility of saving this island on the shoulders of the students. It is uncharted territory for most of the class, which increases the level of intrigue. Because of this, every student in class 1-A gets to shine. Everyone gets a moment where they get to play the hero and show why they deserve to be a pro. I loved how much of a struggle this was for the students because you get to see how deep they dig to to carry out a plan that has a very little chance of success. It's always appreciated to see characters use their brain when fighting.
As much as I enjoyed everyone getting their moment to shine, it was clear that this story was centered around the relationship between Midoriya and Bakugo. Their friendship is one of the dynamics that this series is built on. They did a lot here to help the audience understand how the relationship between them has developed, particularly with how Bakugo's attitude has changed. Bakugo is way less angry with Midoriya and is often just observing him so he can understand him better. It's a subtle thing in the film, but watching Bakugo eavesdrop on a conversation that Midoriya is having with a child to the point that his ice cream melts, is a perfect way to convey how attentive he is.
Midoriya amazes me because I constantly feel his desire to be a hero. It's the emotional core of every fight he's in. With every punch or kick he throws, he's giving us a clearer understanding of what being a hero truly means to him. The final battle of the film is elevated because of an impossible decision that he makes. During the fight, I was reminded of when All Might said "a real hero will always find a way for justice to be served." It's a statement that can define a lot of the series and certainly did define this fight. At that moment, Deku and Bakugo were real heroes. I was captivated by the way it played out as I could feel the energy in the theater building as everyone realized what was happening. It was a unique experience.
My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising was better than I expected it to be. There's a simple story that allowed the characters to shine, along with the level of action you've become accustomed to when watching the series. It isn't without its faults though. There were some story inconsistencies that took away from the final battle that left me questioning things. There is also the extremely lazy way that the writers decided to make sure that this story had no lasting consequences for the characters. Those things aside, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising is definitely worth watching for fans of the series.
