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Yeah, I'm not stuck in the past. I've got my finger on the pulse on what's "Hip" with the kids these days, what with their Twitting and Instagrammings. I know about that Naruto's and One Pieces.

All kidding aside, I have to say that I am quite intrigued by the new phenomena of "My Hero Academia." I obviously love superheroes, and it's interesting to see another country's take on what is considered a typically "Western" concept. Or at least interpretation. I haven't had a chance to really sit down and watch a lot of My Hero, mostly just restricted to clips online. But from what I've seen and read about, I like what I see.

I never really got into the whole Shonen series from Japan. Dragonball Z was a casual indulgence, but I lost interest in shows like Naruto, One Piece and Bleach very early on. It just all seemed to be the same show, starring the same character, having the same types of fights, over and over and over again, with the same sort of plot progression. I never really much cared for the protagonists either, with a bunch of idiot heroes or anti social "Badasses" who lacked a lot of depth or personality, in my opinion.

Which is why My Hero appeals to me. Deku is not the typical Shonen protagonist. Or at least, not cut from the same cloth at Naruto, Ichigo and Monkey D. Luffy. He's not an idiot. He's not a "Badass." He's a smart kid. He gets emotional. He cries. He gets flustered when talking to a girl he likes (Which, WOW, a Shonen series with a legit romance? Never thought I'd see that). He's not some magic chosen one with chosen blood. In fact, his story is how he ISN'T special in a word populated by people who all have powers. And his growth and evolution as a hero is something that is not predictable at all. The story isn't just waiting till the next point until Deku unlocks his next power up level to beat the level boss, only to repeat the same process later. Deku's powers offer a unique obstacle that he has to learn to overcome through clever analysis of his Quirk, and learning how best to utilize it.

It's also interesting to see how the series analyzes the notion of being a hero, and how it does things in a more interesting way than most Western works. In a lot of Western superhero stories, they usually just settle on ONE message. Being a superhero is stupid and unrealistic. Or being a hero is awesome, just don't think about it. Or superheroes are all just monsters, or vanity obsessed celebrities. Most of these stories confuse cynicism for insight, or equate simplicity with substance.

But not My Hero. It's not as black and white as a lot of Western works make it out to be. There are noble heroes, selfish heroes, heroes just out for themselves, heroes who are just doing what they do for a job, and so on. But this isn't judged as being good or bad in and of itself. One of the most sympathetic characters is Uravity, who wants to be a hero so she can send money back to her family. Not necessary selfless, but it's not a bad thing either. Good people can make bad decisions based on selfish reasons, but the story doesn't depict these people as just being bad for doing so. Characters grown and change not through increasing power levels, but by learning harsh life lessons that improve their character, not their stats.

I mean, one of the most fascinating things about the series I find is how the series depicts how someone like All Might- the mightiest and noble hero in the world- inspires people. First of all, it's refreshing that All Might is depicted as being legitimately noble and heroic, and not someone with a "Hidden agenda" or who is secretly just interested in fame. Secondly, it's interesting just how his desire to serve as an inspiration affects others. There's obviously Deku, who takes his lessons to heart and wants to be the same type of inspiration force that All Might is. But then we see the other way he inspires others, with those seeing his presence as just a popularity contest, wanting to overtake All Might not to inspire people, but for the fame. But then we also see how All Might can actually inspire people in the wrong direction, by causing the serial killer Stain to develop a twisted sense of morality that ALL must follow All Might's example, or else they aren't worth living. But THEN we see how Stain's reputation influences others, and how he doesn't really influence the people he wants to reach, and instead just becomes a symbol of inspiration for unabashed villains who just want to see the world burn.

It's a series that has a surprising amount of layers and depth, and manages to be its' own thing in both the East and the West. And I'm glad to see that it has found an audience.

Description
Yeah, I'm not stuck in the past. I've got my finger on the pulse on what's "Hip" with the kids these days, what with their Twitting and Instagrammings. I know about that Naruto's and One Pieces.

All kidding aside, I have to say that I am quite intrigued by the new phenomena of "My Hero Academia." I obviously love superheroes, and it's interesting to see another country's take on what is considered a typically "Western" concept. Or at least interpretation. I haven't had a chance to really sit down and watch a lot of My Hero, mostly just restricted to clips online. But from what I've seen and read about, I like what I see.

I never really got into the whole Shonen series from Japan. Dragonball Z was a casual indulgence, but I lost interest in shows like Naruto, One Piece and Bleach very early on. It just all seemed to be the same show, starring the same character, having the same types of fights, over and over and over again, with the same sort of plot progression. I never really much cared for the protagonists either, with a bunch of idiot heroes or anti social "Badasses" who lacked a lot of depth or personality, in my opinion.

Which is why My Hero appeals to me. Deku is not the typical Shonen protagonist. Or at least, not cut from the same cloth at Naruto, Ichigo and Monkey D. Luffy. He's not an idiot. He's not a "Badass." He's a smart kid. He gets emotional. He cries. He gets flustered when talking to a girl he likes (Which, WOW, a Shonen series with a legit romance? Never thought I'd see that). He's not some magic chosen one with chosen blood. In fact, his story is how he ISN'T special in a word populated by people who all have powers. And his growth and evolution as a hero is something that is not predictable at all. The story isn't just waiting till the next point until Deku unlocks his next power up level to beat the level boss, only to repeat the same process later. Deku's powers offer a unique obstacle that he has to learn to overcome through clever analysis of his Quirk, and learning how best to utilize it.

It's also interesting to see how the series analyzes the notion of being a hero, and how it does things in a more interesting way than most Western works. In a lot of Western superhero stories, they usually just settle on ONE message. Being a superhero is stupid and unrealistic. Or being a hero is awesome, just don't think about it. Or superheroes are all just monsters, or vanity obsessed celebrities. Most of these stories confuse cynicism for insight, or equate simplicity with substance.

But not My Hero. It's not as black and white as a lot of Western works make it out to be. There are noble heroes, selfish heroes, heroes just out for themselves, heroes who are just doing what they do for a job, and so on. But this isn't judged as being good or bad in and of itself. One of the most sympathetic characters is Uravity, who wants to be a hero so she can send money back to her family. Not necessary selfless, but it's not a bad thing either. Good people can make bad decisions based on selfish reasons, but the story doesn't depict these people as just being bad for doing so. Characters grown and change not through increasing power levels, but by learning harsh life lessons that improve their character, not their stats.

I mean, one of the most fascinating things about the series I find is how the series depicts how someone like All Might- the mightiest and noble hero in the world- inspires people. First of all, it's refreshing that All Might is depicted as being legitimately noble and heroic, and not someone with a "Hidden agenda" or who is secretly just interested in fame. Secondly, it's interesting just how his desire to serve as an inspiration affects others. There's obviously Deku, who takes his lessons to heart and wants to be the same type of inspiration force that All Might is. But then we see the other way he inspires others, with those seeing his presence as just a popularity contest, wanting to overtake All Might not to inspire people, but for the fame. But then we also see how All Might can actually inspire people in the wrong direction, by causing the serial killer Stain to develop a twisted sense of morality that ALL must follow All Might's example, or else they aren't worth living. But THEN we see how Stain's reputation influences others, and how he doesn't really influence the people he wants to reach, and instead just becomes a symbol of inspiration for unabashed villains who just want to see the world burn.

It's a series that has a surprising amount of layers and depth, and manages to be its' own thing in both the East and the West. And I'm glad to see that it has found an audience.