After the first two excellent films dedicated to the universe created by Kohei Horikoshi, that is to say My Hero Academia: The Movie – Two Heroes of 2018 and My Hero Academia: The Movie – Heroes Rising of 2019, we finally reached the third act, entitled MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES ‘MISSION. The new feature film (1 hour and 44 min) of the studio BONES, returned to populate Italian cinemas thanks to the contribution of Dynit And Nexo Digital, will only be available from 18 November to 21 November, but it seems to have already started in the best way: even before making its debut in European and American theaters it had already broken many records at the box office and sold millions of tickets. We too of Akiba Gamers, through the eyes of a special correspondent, Octofly Art, we went to the preview of the film projected in Milan. Here is our review of the new My Hero Academia movie.
- Original title: 僕 の ヒ ー ロ ー ア カ デ ミ ア THE MOVIE ワ ー ル ド ヒ ー ロ ー ズ ミ ッ シ ョ ン
- English title: MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES ‘MISSION
- Japanese release: August 6, 2021
- Italian release: 18-19-20-21 November 2021 (Cinema)
- Type: Shonen, Action, Superheroes, Adventure
- Duration: 104 minutes
- Animation studio: BONES
- Adapted from: Kohei Horikoshi manga
- Tongue: Italian (dubbing)
We reviewed MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES ‘MISSION through the preview screening organized by Nexo Digital.
A simply current story
Without making spoilers, we always want to clarify it, we can provide you with a brief preview of the plot of the film: as already seen in the trailers, the world of superheroes is in constant turmoil and in the eyes of many ordinary people it can seem that the powers become more and more powerful and dangerous. In this climate of fear a sect is born, the Humarise, who claims he wants to save the world from this threat: supporting a theory contained in the book known as “Quirk Doomsday Theory”, according to which i Quirk, by dint of merging, they end up becoming increasingly unstable and uncontrollable, this group aims to reduce the population only to individuals born without powers. A type of plot already seen, but always close to the world we know, especially in recent years. The main interpreter of this story is obviously Izuku Midoriya (Deku), accompanied however by two excellent “shoulders”, Katsuki Bakugo And Shoto Todoroki, as well as a new and intriguing character: Rody Soul.
The protagonists are not chosen only for “fame”, but according to a certain logic: in fact this story is part of the narrative arc that includes the internship at Endevor (volume 26). To avoid the plans of this sect, a team of heroes selected from all over the world is created, including the interns of the agency. Our heroes then leave Japan on a journey that, as you will have seen in the various trailers, will include a heart-pounding finale against time to save humanity from the dangerous “Trigger Bombs”. If Deku and his friends manage to thwart this umpteenth threat, you can only find out at the cinema, from 18 to 21 November.
More than a filler
My Hero Acadmia got us used to movies of best quality, able not only to introduce convincing characters, but to be perfectly integrated with the events of the manga, and even to enrich some contents. Not the same for nothing Horikoshi supervised the film MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES ‘MISSION, collaborating in the construction of the plot and creating the character design of the new characters. A working method (fortunately) increasingly applied, which has increased the quality of many animated films (as widely visible in one piece since they are supervised by Eiichiro Oda). On this front, World Heroes Mission certainly remained faithful to the precedents.
After the classic presentation of the characters for teams, typical of the author, the short film takes its time, building an effective and engaging plot. For much of the film this follows in the footsteps of a Road Movie, framing well-kept landscapes and backgrounds unrelated to the land of the Rising Sun. My Hero Academia once again shows the desire to expatriate from the borders, addressing American and European culture, and does so also through the landscapes represented, however invented: Otheon (which has the same value as Cabot Cove for Murder, she wrote) for example, it is only a mixture of some typical characteristics of Italy, France and San Francisco. The story grows gradually with tension and, through this narrative that patiently inserts all the pieces of the puzzle, we arrive at the final battle almost without realizing it: the decisive battle for the fate of the world offers action, emotions and ideas worthy of a side story… But that’s all we tell you! It is therefore true that we are faced with the classic closed short film, with a story that begins and ends within an hour and a half, but on the other side this filler offers fascinating insights which could also be taken up or cited in the future, as in the case of the Humarise sect and its members.
To extreme evils …
Just the characters inserted by Horikoshi are one of the best features of the film, on both fronts: Rody Soul for example he looks like the classic “child” disappointed in society, with the simple purpose of gathering some common feelings of indignation, yet both his power and his actions lead him to be perhaps the best character in the film. Likewise the little bird that always accompanies him, Pine tree, overcomes the barrier of the annoying “mascot” placed only to make children happy (theOlaf from Frozen on duty) and integrates well into the plot. Equally impactful is the boss of the villains of this film: Flect Turn. As far as the reasons are typical of the genre, that is to link a personal problem to his vision of the world, this character stands out for its design and excellent power. Also for this reason, the clashes involving Humarise offer the best emotions in the film: in the final duels, with the classic one-on-one between good and evil, each of these characters has their moment of glory.
But if there are many advantages of this construction, we cannot fail to notice some defects: for example, some very active members of the sect, such as the excellent character of Beros, end up being not very detailed, creating evident dissonances with respect to the other events dealt with (as happens for the clash involving Leviathan in the final stages). Despite all this, despite the character of Midoriya always damned positive (but never as much as the protagonist of Demon Slayer) and despite the few appearances of All Might (my heart cries) these fights are capable of leave the mark in the viewer, above all because they trace those themes so dear to the world of superheroes. Putting differences aside and uniting against what threatens the world is always a great cornerstone for building a film.
Animations that echo
Generally positive opinions we also had them on the direction (Kenji Nagasaki) from MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES ‘MISSION and on the script (Yousuke Kuroda), including animations, dialogues and soundtrack. As previously mentioned, the greatest efforts were certainly seen in the fights and in the accelerated parts: excellent changes of shot, a certain fluidity, sequences that allow both to follow the scene well and to immerse yourself in the action, helping the viewer to remain absorbed in the storytelling. The same goes for the quality of the backgrounds and landscapes inserted, and it shows! However, and it is perhaps the only really negative note of the whole film, at times monstrous drops in the quality of the animations can be seen: in the “dead” times, especially those less decisive for the plot, approximate drawings, almost sketchy, with much less detail and care than the scenes of greater impact can be seen. A situation that, while maintaining a good level, makes these animations seem really bad compared to others … and with them also the dialogues inserted.
The truth, however, is that, on the whole, even the conversations are well constructed, with arguments that are not trivial and reasoned enough, and they come dubbed gracefully: if at home we have seen interpreters taken from prominent souls, like Goblin Slayer, Hunter x Hunter And Jujutsu Kaisen, in Italy we certainly cannot complain about the level of voice actors. As for the soundtrack, finally, it accompanies the film well, without ever interrupting or dominating it, leaving very few points uncovered and remaining faithful to the classic series (as for the references to the usual victory soundtrack). By the way, if you have anxiety about musicals There will be a moment when the soundtrack of the film will seem to focus on a Disney-style singing scene: it’s all a bluff, don’t worry! Apart from everything, however, there remains that distance from the quality of animation that we had been offered in the past, and that vague feeling that the levels of the first seasons will never be reached.
To whom do we recommend MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES ‘MISSION?
In this case the answer is easy: surely to every fan of My Hero Academia! Being a narrative in its own right, it is not mandatory to watch this film but, as for the previous two, knowing the plot will influence your perception of the characters for the better. Plus, the story and animations are nice… waiting for the sixth season of the anime it will be a good way to remain attached to your favorite heroes! For a novice, on the other hand, starting from a film set around the fifth season is not exactly the best move. However, the construction of the story (which we remember, is self-contained) is so delicate that this film could still be pleasant and understandable even without knowing the backgrounds of some characters. Who knows if this isn’t exactly the movie that will spur you on to follow the series.
- Excellent character design and in line with the manga
- Generally well-finished settings and dialogues
- Captivating and engaging storytelling
- Occasional drops in graphic quality
- Excessive attention paid to a few characters
MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES ‘MISSION
A saga that continues to surprise
Many may feel that the previous two films are better overall, but also MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES ‘MISSION can offer a show worthy of the brand: this film is certainly of good quality and offers many excellent ideas, both concerning the history and its construction. For example he is able to snatch smiles, through small gags and pleasant curtains (on the other hand Bakugo who complains always makes you laugh) and knows how to focus a lot on empathy between the viewer and the reactions, human expressions and landscapes represented here. Among these moments of positivity, however, there is no lack of show your muscles, through victims, bloody scenes and bloody clashes, which give that presentiment that the good guys can be defeated for once. It doesn’t even fall on the storytelling factor, exhibiting one good plot construction: if to some it might seem enlarged and complicated specifically to lengthen the film, in reality the intrigues can only be correctly resolved through this way, and this makes the ending “sweaty”, but better. In short, the film, despite its limitations, leaves you wanting to see it again and a good memory, the one typical of My Hero Academia: the feeling that, if you really commit yourself, you can make your every dream come true.
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