The editorial success of Kohei Horikoshi's manga My Hero Academia continues volume after volume. It is very naturally that his Japanese publisher decided to adapt the work for television by hiring the Bones studio (Space Dandy, Fullmetal alchemist …). New success that leads the publisher to aim this time the big screen by still entrusting the Bones studio with the realization of a feature film. Despite the constraints of the exercise, the film is a show of high quality, enriched with cleverly distilled references, which will please fans of the series but will also seduce neophytes.
My Hero Academia: two heroes. No holidays for heroes
In the world of My heHro Academia , 80% of humans possess alters that give them superpowers. A new type of criminal then spreads, the super villains with extraordinary abilities. To counter them, superheroes roam the streets. And schools have opened to train young people to become protectors. Izuku is one of the 20% of humans without abilities. Until the day when All Might, his idol, recognized as the most powerful hero chooses him to be his successor. He transmits to her the One for All, his alter. Izuku joins the prestigious Yuei superhero school and devotes himself entirely to his dream: to be worthy of his model. After their end-of-year exams, Yuei's students accompanied by All Might go to blow on I-Island. The paradise island is home to the most advanced research labs on the study of heroic powers and hosts every year a large exhibition on new technologies at the service of heroes. Yuei's band intends to take advantage of the setting to enjoy a well-deserved holiday and discover the most modern prototypes. But a gang of criminals attacks and takes scientists hostage. Among them, David Shield, brilliant mastermind and friend of All Might. The apprentice heroes decide to act.
All Might Confidential
The scenario of My Hero Academia: two heroes is one of the first surprises of this thread. Indeed, this adventure takes place between seasons 2 and 3 of the anime and was specially written for the movie. The difficulty of the project is to find the right balance between pleasing fans and being accessible to non-connoisseurs. He finds it through a narrative trick: telling two stories. The first focuses on the attack on the island and the interposition of All Might and the heroes. If what is told is sometimes predictable, everything is linked with fluidity and is understandable by non-specialists of the series. Especially since the choice to center the beginning of the film of the story on All Might clarifies the stakes. The whole universe is discovered from him: his relationship with Izuku, the functioning of the Alters. The film can therefore be seen as a "non-series" story independent of the series and is accessible to a wider audience. The second story, aimed at the fans, focuses on All Might's past and his youth outside Japan. A very nice introductory sequence presents his relationship with David Shield. Which becomes another thread of the plot. The film will therefore answer questions that the paper work has not yet answered. Why does All Might look like a pulp hero from comics, a symbiosis between Superman and Captain America? Why this very American style? How did he start his career? This second story fits ideally with the first to federate the two target audiences.
My Hero Academia Two Heroes. A model of Fan service
Adaptation requires, this feature film can not do without multiple references to the series / anime. However, the management of this fan service is another quality of the work. Indeed, if it goes so well, it is thanks to the very good introduction of Yuei's students. In less than 1 hour 45 minutes, the writers were able to recall their character, their ambitions, their fragility without slowing down the narrative. We find with pleasure the dirty character of Katsuki always so endearing; the nobility of Izuku. This fan service is also based on an omnipresent and very well balanced humor. Minoru (the sexual obsessive who has nothing to envy Ryo Saeba) is again very funny and each of his scenes is to howl with laughter. The punchlines, especially those of Katsuki hit the mark every time. Each member of the team is entitled to his moment of humor including those who are left in the background and who do not capture much about the case (the reference to the "Uno"). This contributes to the very good characterization of the protagonists. This perfect management of references is finally seen in the staging of the fight scenes. My Hero Academia: Two Heroes is indeed not stingy in epic fights whether those of the young All Might or the young recruits facing the hostage-takers. The opponents are tough, their power formidable and visually impressive.This leads each hero throughout their journey to demonstrate their power. And if Izuku is the most served, his companions all have their moments of glory. All are justified by the scenario that insists on the emerging complementarity between the students.
The Bones studio: a guarantee of quality
The last quality of My Hero Academia: two heroes comes from the goldsmith's work done by the Bones studio. We are no longer surprised by the excellence of his productions (see the review of the SK 8 the infinity series). The animation is superb, the chara design beautiful (especially that of the final antagonist). In the pure tradition of the studio, the image bursts with a thousand colors, the sets are very rich. The animators also exploit wonderfully all the imagination of manga. The pace remains very good, exploits perfectly the 1 h 45 to tell us a lot of intrigues without drowning us in information. Visually and narratively, the film remains extremely controlled. And icing on the cake, the studio offers in this exercise of codified style winks to the great works S.F of Japanese animation. Indeed, the attack on the ark in Patlabor I by Mamoru Oshii clearly inspired the staging of the infiltration of the tower. Similarly, the final fight also evokes Tetsuo's transformation in Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo Beautiful tributes distilled with great elegance that recall the immense weight of Mr. Oshii and K. Otomo in Japanese animation. The Bones studio therefore fully succeeds in the transition to feature films. The excellent technique is based on a good history capable of federating connoisseurs and neophytes.