‘My Hero Academia You’re Next’ Review

I love My Hero Academia…at least…the few episodes that I’ve seen. Yes, I’ll fully admit that I am a little behind on the beloved superhero-themed anime, but you can’t blame me given the epic scale of Kôhei Horikoshi‘s long-running and beloved saga. It’s a saga that follows dozens upon dozens of characters over the course of well over a hundred episodes, so condensing all of that into a feature film is a virtually impossible task.

Thankfully, I didn’t need the full rundown of the story so far with the reportedly final feature film set in the My Hero universe – My Hero Academia: You’re Next (until Netflix’s live-action adaptation rears its head). To my pleasant surprise, this infectiously entertaining and visually thrilling adventure with Deku (Daiki Yamashita) and the rest of the My Hero team packs a punch from start to finish. While it may not be essential viewing for fans of the anime series, there’s still more than enough in My Hero Academia: You’re Next to keep both longtime fans and eager newcomers intrigued.

What is ‘My Hero Academia: You’re Next’ About?

If you need a very brief crash course on what you need to know about My Hero Academia before My Hero Academia: You’re Next, here are the basics. The world of My Hero Academia is one where most people on the planet have superpowers, which the show quirkily refers to as “Quirks.” Alas, not everybody is lucky enough to be born with these abilities, with one such person being the young superhero superfan Deku. Everything changes when Deku has a chance encounter with the world’s most famous and beloved superhero, All Might (Kenta Miyake), who chooses Deku as his successor and inheritor of his awesome power after witnessing the boy’s bravery despite not having a Quirk of his own. The bulk of the series follows Deku learning about his new Quirks and what’s needed to become a hero at a high school for superheroes, effectively making it the anime version of Sky High.

My Hero Academia: You’re Next picks up shortly after a key moment in the series, when All Might retires from being a superhero after losing his powers in a major battle. All Might points to a camera and says “You’re next,” with the message likely being meant for Deku. The new film reveals another person was watching: the mysterious and sinister All Might doppelganger who has dubbed himself Dark Might (Kenta Miyake). The new deranged supervillain seeks to remake Japan in his image, and it’s up to Deku and his companions to stop him.

So, does My Hero Academia: You’re Next require its viewers to be very familiar with the source material before watching it? The answer is mostly no, as the core adventure of the film is mostly an original story surrounding a new trio of characters. Still, there are a lot of obvious callbacks to the extensive supporting cast of My Hero Academia who don’t get to do as much. Which is understandable given the film’s short runtime, but is still worth pointing out nonetheless.

Dark Might Leads an Intriguing Trio of Characters in ‘My Hero Academia: You’re Next’

In addition to Deku, three other new characters are at the center of My Hero Academia: You’re Next. One is a true scene-stealer, another is so close to being spectacular, and the other falls into some familiar tropes. The latter is Miss Anna Scervino (Meru Nukumi), who, despite being a vitally important character in My Hero Academia: You’re Next‘s story, sadly comes across more as a damsel in distress who doesn’t have much character beyond that.

Thankfully, the new protagonist Giulio Gandini (Mamoru Miyano) fares much better, as he is destined to become a fan-favorite. He’s a badass cyborg butler. Need I say any more than that? Seriously though, Giulio is an excellent new addition to the My Hero Academia universe and is responsible for some of the film’s best lines and standout moments. Deku spends the majority of the film’s runtime with Giulio, and their chemistry is a winning combination for the movie.

Then we get to the most complicated new member of the cast, Dark Might, a decent villain who is still a bit hit-or-miss. On one hand, the idea of an anti-All Might is gold, and he fits that description to a tee with his larger-than-life charisma and shocking fits of villainy. On the other hand, Dark Might isn’t nearly as developed as he could be. Apart from a very out-of-place flashback in the final battle, the potential to explore Dark Might’s criminal origins and his obsession with All Might doesn’t feel fully explored.

‘My Hero Academia: You’re Next’ Packs in the Spectacle the Anime is so Well-Known For

At its core, My Hero Academia is well-known for its large-scale battles and tongue-in-cheek tone, and My Hero Academia: You’re Next delivers on both fronts. Right from the start, the film is practically pure action from start to finish, with the creativity of My Hero‘s superpowers being on full display. The absurdity of some of these action scenes is paired wonderfully with some great moments of levity and humor, such as when one of the characters gets a little meta and refers to Giulio as a “cool side character.”

However, because there is just so much non-stop action in the film, My Hero Academia: You’re Next starts to lose steam a little bit towards the third act, which is essentially just one giant final battle. It goes on for too long, then the final resolution feels a bit rushed and rudimentary. Still, the wacky fight scenes and even wackier visuals mostly make up for a finale that is about ten minutes too long.

My Hero Academia: You’re Next is consistently a true crowd-pleaser. It’s a no-holds-barred superhero extravaganza that has no qualms with featuring a massive cast of characters and all sorts of creative action setpieces. Not all the pieces always fit into place, but the final result is more than acceptable.

My Hero Academia: You’re Next is now in theaters.. Click below for showtimes.

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