“It made me love movies again!”
It’s a statement I legitimately stand-by, as I haven’t had as much fun in cinema as I did while watching this film. And what film was it? Well if you somehow bypassed the title of this article and got to here, well done! And also, that movie was My Hero Academia – Heroes Rising.
If you don’t know about the world of My Hero Academia, it is a ‘superhero society’. The majority of the population are born with ‘Quirks’, that can range from having jelly for fingers, through to being a literal god. In this world, it is simply unlucky to be born without one;
MEET IZUKU MIDORIYA.
The now established protagonist of My Hero Academia, the boy who would become the hero named Deku, was one of these unfortunate souls. With typical shonen magic, he was blessed with the Quirk of the #1 Pro Hero, and his world hasn’t been the same since.
AND THUSLY, WE COME TO MY HERO ACADEMIA: HEROES RISING.
Heroes Rising is the second non-canon-but-somehow-canonical film for the franchise. What this means is, the film is somewhat affected by the anime, but also has no bearing over it; Which is fun! OH! And it’s also apparently the last film adaptation for the franchise, so-
Our favourite heroes of Class 1-A find themselves on the peaceful Nabu Island! Of course because it’s peaceful, you know some sh*t is about to go down; What this sh*t looks like, is the solely created for film, Nine; And he has a posse and they’re chasing down quirks! And yes, this sh*t named Nine is similar to All For One; The GHOSTLY BIG BAD of My Hero Academia.
PLOT.
My Hero Academia – Heroes Rising is this kind of sweet love-letter to fans of the series. This is most likely why I enjoyed the premiere screening so much. While the animation is as good as we’ve seen and the references as heavy-handed, all these nods can be meaningless without the right reaction. And boy did I just love sharing it with the audience. Tiny details that normally slip under the radar, were laughed at boisterously, screamed at delightfully, and reveled in fully with this crowd which you knew just “got it”.
If you love the manga or anime, you’re gonna love Heroes Rising. You’ll understand why creator Kohei Horikoshi said this will probably be the last film for the franchise, as huge pay-offs which seem impossible, take place outside the current arcs taking place.
But it is so fitting of the boy who will become the world’s greatest hero, and it was great to share that with so many cheering him on.
