Anime Review: My Hero Academia Season 3 Part 2 Page 1

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My Hero Academia Season 3 Part 2 (UK Rating: 15)

PLUS ULTRA! The first part of season 3 delivered a showdown for the ages as All Might faced off against his long-time nemesis, One for All. Pitting the best of the best of the last generation against one another, while the next generation of both heroes and villains watched from the sidelines. It took both kings off the board, with One for All captured and in prison, while All Might lost his powers. Now it's time to see if the next generation can step up. For the heroes this means taking the next step in their careers, overcoming the Provisional Hero Licence Exam. Coming courtesy of Manga Entertainment, this conclusion to Season 3 is available from September 9th.

While the conclusion to the first part ended on a happy note, with One for All defeated, and Bakugo recovered, it was a bittersweet one. All Might's last vestiges of power drained the revelation of Shigaraki's true identity, and a division driven between the UA and the students. The kids went rogue in trying to save Bakugo and, like it or not, they broke the law - something they'd already been warned about and there was a serious risk that their hero careers may be coming to an end here before they even began. Their parents were worried after the constant villain attacks, the public was questioning if UA could keep the kids safe, and the teachers were losing faith in them; but All Might had one more trick left, going door to door begging forgiveness and with a plan on how to proceed. He's getting the kids to move in.

UA has built dorms for the students to live on-site now, giving the class an opportunity to fully dedicate themselves to their futures along with giving the teachers more oversight to keep them safe. The very first episode of this collection is the standard lightweight "palate cleanser." Giving a brief recap of the conclusion of the last collection, before delivering a simple story of the class moving into these new dorms. It gives a nice glimpse into the personalities of each student, seeing how they decide to decorate their new rooms. From the extreme edginess of Tokoyami, the entire room shrine dedicated to All Might from the fanboy Deku, Iida's line upon line of identical glasses, and Jiro's audiophile setup. Though there's some extra heart here, as best girl Froppy has a heart to heart with the group, and Bakugo tries to make amends for what he feels he caused with his capture.

After this, the season dedicates the first arc to the students aiming for their Provisional Licence Exam. In getting ready, they each have to come up with a new method of using their abilities at first, and this means coming up with two 'Ultimate Moves.' It's great to see these characters find new methods of using their quirks, and even better, combining it with the support team's equipment to reinvigorate their path to becoming heroes. This brings a new challenge to Deku, as he needs to finally find his own path instead of just mimicking his hero. To use his power in his own way, otherwise, he's going to cripple himself - his body cannot handle the strain of the strength within him. Here, however, he finally finds a way to utilise One for All that honours both his trainers and gives a new and original fighting style.

Following this brief training intermission, it's on to the actual Provisional Licensing Exam. It's a similar setup to some of the events previously seen at the Sports Festival and the like. A series of challenges, facing off against students from other schools all over Japan, and while the young heroes of UA are the best in the country, they have a significant disadvantage here. They're famous. All the other schools have seen exactly what the UA students can do thanks to their previous event being televised. It's why UA students are usually immediately crushed at these events.

It was announced that only 50% of applicants are able to pass, yet this year, a fraction of that has the chance to. The first event is a battle royale, where each student is given three targets to place on their body and three balls to throw. This first round will cut down the massive 1,540 applicants down to just 100. It's a simple enough exercise used as a backdrop to introduce even more characters to the series, whilst also showing off each of Class 1-A, demonstrating their new skills and just how far they've come. Especially, showing off the Ultimate moves they've developed.

They aren't the only ones with big special abilities. New students mean new quirks. One of the greatest strengths of the series is the wonderful original designs, both stylistically and the inventiveness of the Quirks. There's no change here, as the students of two other schools, in particular, make a big entrance. Shiketsu High School and Ketsubutsu Academy. Nagamasa Mora is a combination of Cousin IT's badass big brother and Marvel's Medusa. A hyperactive, over-enthusiastic, and over-powered student, who chose against going to UA thanks to Endeavour in Inasa Yoarashii. Seiji Shishikura who's power is reminiscent of Tetsuo's transformations from the legendary Akira, though he's able to subject his body horrors onto others.

The second round of the exam has the kids taking on search and rescue roles. The scenario is based on a large number of people needing rescue from a terrorist attack. A huge area has been transformed into a disaster site and filled with trained actors playing injured bystanders, it's down to the students to transport these actors to safety. Ensuring they act fittingly heroic throughout. The test would be boring if it was just this basic, so the examiners spice it up by adding in a wildcard. The number 10 hero is acting as a villain.

There's more than just the provisional licence story here. One "Filler" episode gives the kids a chance to play Poirot in a special class where a simulated crime scene needs to be examined, and a murderer to be revealed. This episode ends feeding into the film My Hero Academia Two Heroes. Best of all though, after the conclusion to the story, there's an episode that finally gives Bakugo his defining moment. The season concludes by delivering even more characters to the mix in the form of the "Big 3," the best students the school currently has from the third year. These are headed up by Mirio Togata, a student that even Eraserhead thinks is closest to becoming the number one hero, even compared to the pros. Reminiscent of All Might himself, this blonde-haired, smiling prodigy has a fantastic Quirk at his core that seems powerful, but it's the opposite. Like a flawed Kitty Pride, he's able to phase, but through hard work and application, he has turned it into an amazing ability. The other two don't yet receive their big introduction, but one other person does. A masked figure meeting up with the new League of Villains, setting the groundwork for Season 4.

On the bonus features front, there are two of the 'Inside the Episode' features where the English staff is shown producing the episodes. It's always evident just how much fun the team has creating these. Then there's 'Conversation with the cast' where ADR director is joined with some of the main voice actors including new voice Ricco Fajardo who debuts in this collection as Mirio. Finally, there are the smaller features, consisting of an outtakes reel, some promo videos and commercials, and the obligatory clean opening and closing.

8/10

Great - Silver Award

The heir apparent to the Shonen crown has some new challenges with series like Kimetsu no Yaiba and Dr. Stone making big waves in their recent anime adaptations, but it's keeping them at bay with seasons like this - delivering everything fans want more of and then some. More new characters, more interesting perks, more development of fan favourites, and more of that high-quality production.

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Anime Review: My Hero Academia Season 3 Part 2

My Hero Academia Season 3 Part 2 (UK Rating: 15)

Great - Silver Award

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