Plot: In a society where heroes and villains continuously battle in the name of peace and chaos, Izuku Midoriya, a U.A. High School student who aspires to be the best hero he can be, confronts the villain who imitates the hero he’s long admired.
Review: School is out for Izuku Midoriya and his fellow U.A. High School classmates in My Hero Academia: You’re Next, a high-powered, inspirational, and visually explosive feature that takes many of the anime and manga franchise’s best elements on a mission to rescue a young woman capable of amplifying quirks to untold levels. Newcomers could feel lost amidst the film’s massive cast and already-established lore, but that doesn’t keep My Hero Academia: You’re Next from offering audiences a front seat aboard a non-stop roller coaster of character highlights and superhero spectacle.
Before diving into the details, I want to explain my familiarity with My Hero Academia so you know where I’m coming from for this review. My Academia journey started roughly two months ago when I bought the Himiko Toga skin in Fortnite. I love her character design and quickly found the aesthetic of My Hero Academia to be up my alley. I began watching the anime shortly after, though I’m only 27 episodes deep into the series, barely scratching the surface of the epic saga. Thankfully, two-ish seasons are enough to give me a solid foundation for meeting You’re Next at its accelerated level.
Considering my brief history with the series, My Hero Academia: You’re Next is like meeting someone in their first year of high school, not seeing them for four years, and then crossing paths with them during senior year. They’re more experienced, mature, on the verge of graduating, and no longer the doe-eyed kids you remember. I couldn’t help but feel like I’d missed a significant period of growth in the students’ lives, but that’s because I did. Regardless, My Hero Academia: You’re Next is nothing if not inviting for those with even the most basic knowledge of the series. Full disclosure: I watched the movie with my wife, who’s never seen a single frame of My Hero Academia, and she loved it.
My Hero Academia: You’re Next finds Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki leading teams of students into a destructive melee with superpowered villains intent on kidnapping Miss Anna Scervino, a young woman capable of amplifying quirks to untold levels of power. The criminal group, led by Dark Might, a crime boss who’s stolen All Might’s face, makes up the Gollini Family, a mob-like collective of ne’er do wells with incredible gifts.
While deciphering the Gollini family’s intent, Midoriya meets Giulio Gandini, a tortured, steadfast marksman whose mission is to protect Miss Anna from harm. Their relationship is a classic enemies-to-friends yarn, with Midoriya’s pure disposition eventually breaking down Giulio’s defenses. Watching Midoriya, Giulio, Bakugo, Todoroki, Ochaco Uraraka, Mina Ashido, and many others join forces to save Miss Anna and match powers with Dark Might is an effort sure to please fans of the series and perhaps compel newcomers into checking out the core series.
Like any other anime film with an overwhelming number of characters, My Hero Academia: You’re Next tries its best to give fan-favorite students (and U.A. High School faculty members) a chance to shine, though most go underused. The story focuses mainly on the core cast members, with others dropping in and out of the fight to lend their unique abilities to the skirmish. While balancing character participation could become a problem in most anime features, the little time some characters get to shine is enough to give you a taste of their talents. If nothing else, it will make people new to the series curious about seeing more action from specific players. That’s what the anime series or manga is for.
Then there’s the Gollini family, led by Dark Might, an over-the-top character who is extra AF. He aims to become stronger than All Might while wearing his face, erasing the legendary hero’s legacy with his rise to power. His criminal organization consists of several villains with cruel and manipulative powers, like Debra’s daydream quirk, the teleporting Mosquito Man, his silent behemoth, a Plague Doctor-like cohort capable of nullifying quirks, another jerk who can create time-distorting bubbles and more.
I found Dark Might a joy to watch. He’s a monologue master who wields beautiful dark magic that causes trouble for Midoriya and his party. He’s always one speech away from busting out an oddly aggressive dance number, and his power is a villain’s wet dream. When you think you’ve seen all he can throw at Midoriya and his friends, think again. If the students of U.A. High School weren’t so capable, I’d figure Dark Might was an unstoppable entity in a world overpopulated by omega-level villains.
Visually, My Hero Academia: You’re Next does what all animated features do when you’ve got a more significant budget: go big or go home. You’re Next couples the series’ 2D hand-drawn aesthetic with selective CG imagery, marrying both styles to varying degrees. The mixture of 2D and computer-generated assets is slightly distracting, with specific character and vehicle movements looking superimposed or stiff. While some environmental interactions are questionable, the CG elements go a long way in giving everyone’s quirks some extra juice. Dark Might’s powers look incredible, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t get giddy when Bakugo and Todoroki went nuclear on the Gollini Family.
When My Hero Academia: You’re Next ended, I wanted to return to the core series and catch up. The film gave me a glimpse of the future for characters I genuinely care about and included a romantic arc between Giulio and Miss Anna that felt earned and compelling. You’re Next is a thrilling addition to My Hero Academia lore, highlighting the heroism and heart of Midoriya and his friends while giving long-time fans of the series plenty of reasons to pump their fists in exhilaration.
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