My Hero Academia: Season 2 Part 1 collects episodes 14 to 25 of the anime, and includes 13.5, an introductory episode designed to help new watchers get up to speed on the story. It’s set in a world in which superpowers have become commonplace and follows a group of school kids who are being trained to become superheroes.
While western television is thought of in terms of seasons, anime is typically measured in story arcs or sagas. This collection covers the entirety of the UA Sports Festival Arc, so while it may not be a complete season, it still represents a complete story.
Said story revolves around the titular UA Sports Festival, and a school competition proves to be the ideal plot device for this type of show. Rooting the action in a school-wide competition gives a chance for a greater number of the cast to shine as each student does their best to reach the number one spot.
Multiple students get a chance to show off their respective abilities and how they use them in different situations. The audience also gets a look at the motivations of a few characters, seeing why they want to become heroes in the first place. The show benefits from this attention on the cast as a whole. It may be narrated by one main character, but by the end, it feels a lot more like an ensemble piece with a cast of equally important characters.
This release has a lot to offer when it comes to its special features. The inclusion of Episode 13.5 will help anyone who is new to the show and it is an enjoyable episode in its own right. Clips from the first season have been edited skilfully with a narration to create something that feels like a well-structured clip show. This is the standard that all catch-up episodes should aspire to.
The rest of the special features mostly fall into one of three categories, there is an interview, a chat with a few of the English voice actors, and a chance for people working on the show to talk about their favourite charities. Funimation has united these separate strands together with a single topic; asking each person involved what they think it means to be a hero. This added detail sets this content apart from typical anime special features; asking the viewer to think about the meaning of the show instead of just proving more details about how it was made.
My Hero Academia: Season 2 Part 1 takes an exciting, action-packed story arc full of compelling characters and combines it with some truly appropriate extra content.
Extras: Episode 13.5 – Hero Notebook / Textless Closing Songs / Inside the Episodes / Trailers
MY HERO ACADEMIA: SEASON 2 PART 1 / CERT: 15 / DIRECTORS & SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: CHRISTOPHER R. SABAT, JUSTIN BRINER, CLIFFORD CHAPIN, SONNY STRAIT, JOEL MCDONALD, CAITLIN GLASS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
