My Hero Academia, Vol. 1

*My Hero Academia*, by Kohei Horikoshi, is a manga series that is in many ways a tribute to American super-hero comics. From the chapter titles having artwork that emulates the covers of American comic books, and the general style and tone being more in line with American super-hero comics than *shonen* manga, the book is one big shout-out to the American genre. The story takes place in the future where increasing numbers of the populace have developed abilities called "quirks". These abilities help the people who have them to do amazing feats, or sometimes just mundane things that aren't super-useful. They are basically like the mutants in Marvel Comics or meta-humans in DC Comics. Because of this, some people decided to use their new abilities to hurt others and enrich themselves in selfish, illegal, immoral ways. These new super-powered villains are sometimes really difficult, if not impossible, to stop. For ordinary folks or even those with less impressive quirks, at least. For those with powerful enough quirks, such villains can be fought successfully. Such powerfully-endowed folks are able to become professional heroes who are paid by governments world-wide for their services, and some can get fame and fortune by doing so. And this brings us to our story. There is a boy in Japan named Izuku Midoriya who desperately wants to become a hero. To do so, he must attend a "hero school" and he wants to go to the premiered Hero school in his country, the U.A. High School. Unfortunately, he is a quirkless - one of the few people left who has no quirk at all, not even a mundane one. Of course, between the lack of a quirk, the bullying of the only boy in their school to have a powerful quirk, and the mockery of everyone else over his dreams, Midoriya is miserable. When he is saved from attack by his personal hero - and the strongest hero on the planet - All-Might, his fortunes turn around. All-Might is so impressed with his heart that he helps Midoriya fulfill his dreams. So begins the story of this young boy's rise from the victim of bullying and useless dreams, to beginning a journey to friends and becoming the world's greatest hero. This story was really sweet and is, like *Tiger & Bunny* a really unique tale. There are some subversions of typical Japanese genres that seem to uphold American ideas of individualism over Japanese cultural community. It's not subversive, but it does hit points that aren't often hit in Japanese series. Not that the Japanese never value individuality. Japan is a varied country of different viewpoints underneath the cultural conformity. Also, some ideas are everywhere, across cultural lines, just with differing emphases and so forth. But the tone is more American melded with Japanese. It's really quite interesting. I love Japanese culture, though there is bad just as in American culture. It's cool to see shout-outs and other stuff to American genres from a Japanese fan of such. It's as if the opposite of me in Japan wrote a series and such. The characters are also a unique mix of Japanese and American types. And in the notes on some characters, you can see where the mangaka stated he decided to go against some style that his editors asked for. These characters are the ones that have a more American feel to them. There are other characters that are explicitly Japanese styles of characters too. *My Hero Academia* has a fun story wherein the author uses some really unique mixes of Japanese and American tropes and styles. It's one of my favorite series in manga or otherwise, and one that I highly recommend.

My daughter loves these books...great and interesting to captivated their time. Will buy again

I love this anime and I think this Manga is just as great if not better. The animations and plot is amazing. All the detail just adds even more perfection. I love how it’s still the same plot as the anime but just tad bit different.

The quality of this book is excellent! The cover is sturdy, the pages feel thick and durable, and the printing is crisp with vibrant artwork. The binding is solid and doesn’t crack or loosen when you open it, which is something I really appreciate in manga. Everything from the paper texture to the ink quality feels well-made and built to last. A great addition to my collection!

Very good My Hero Academy book. 8 year old loved it.

Wooaooo otro más para mi colección

If you are here then odds are, everybody and their mother kept shoving My Hero Academia down your throat and telling you to watch/read it. I'm very picky when it comes to manga/anime. When I was told this rivaled the Big Three (Naruto, One Piece and Bleach) it caught my interest. If you were like me, you automatically classified the series as "overrated" and let it's popularity prevent you from checking it out...don't. I finally got over myself and ordered the first volume and honestly, I like it, I don't love it but I like it. My Hero follows the story of a boy named Izuku who's dream is to become the greatest super hero. It definitely carries over that typical Shonen Jump protagonist goal. Naruto' s dream of becoming the greatest Ninja or Luffy's dream of becoming the greatest pirate. This could be a turn off for someone looking for something different than the traditional manga setup but could be a draw in for people wanting that familiar touch. I will say that My Hero does it a bit differently to stand apart from other manga' s enough to make it unique in it's own way. I found Izuku a little annoying at first but he soon grew on me as his character developed more. I do appreciate the manga steering away from over sex appeal and unnecessary perverted moments that can sometimes plague most manga. Note there is a little bit there but nothing to poison the story.It focuses on the story and it's characters and I can appreciate that. For those who are fans of Naruto, you'll feel right at home with this manga. If you are a fan of superheroes in general then you'll find enjoyment in this as well. Overall I recommend this for just about anyone. I'm glad I finally gave this series a chance and the ending left me wanting more and I already ordered vol 2.

Christmas gift

I think this is a great manga! overall the plot, story, and character's are amazing, and if your looking for a new manga to read this is a good one to start with.

Ótimo mangá, encadernação maravilhosa, gostoso de ler, muito bom 😃🙏

I enjoyed the English without any discomfort.

Really great. 11year old loves it

I got this cuz i never got to watch the anime and i loove the series now such a great manga its a lil short but still amazing