In the anime industry, it has long been the norm to release original feature films based on TV series or manga. Something similar can be seen in Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, and other extremely popular stories that fans around the world have heard about. The format of full-length anime with an original script allows authors to explore interesting situations that were not in the original source. On the other hand, these projects are usually very visually appealing, but a bit lacking in storytelling.
Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academy is one of the most popular modern manga, and its anime adaptation constantly gathers millions of fans. So it comes as no surprise that it regularly gets feature-length anime adaptations. My Hero Academia: You are Next is the fourth movie in the franchise. It's incredibly beautiful visually and has an interesting storyline, but it's definitely not a revelation or a one hundred percent reason to go to the movies.
| Title | My Hero Academia: You are Next |
| Genre | anime, adventure, action |
| Director | Tensai Okamura |
| The roles were voiced by | Daiki Yamashita, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Yuki Kaji, Ayane Sakura, Kaito Ishikawa and others |
| Studios | Bones, Toho, Sony Pictures |
| Timing | 1 hour 50 minutes |
| Year | 2024 |
| Website | IMDb |
The events of the full-length anime are carefully wedged into the sixth season of the series, but their start is based on an even earlier event. In the My Hero Academia universe, humanity has long pinned its hopes on the superhero Almighty, who was the Symbol of Peace. However, the hero lost his powers, passing them on to the protagonist Izuku Midoriya. In his last battle, the Almighty said a simple but important phrase: "You're next." However, this inspiration sent to Izuku on the air was also seen by other people, and not everyone took it as a call to become better. This is how the Evil One appeared, wishing to become the new Symbol of Peace, but instead of kindness, he chose the path of anger and aggression.
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Still from the anime My Hero Academia: You are Next[/caption]
My Hero Academia - or Boku no Hero Academia, if you're an aesthete and enthusiast - is characterized by a strong emphasis on combining comic book and manga cultures, as well as a rather deep dive into a hypothetical world where superpowers are the basis of everything. At the same time, unusual abilities do not necessarily lead to positive consequences for their owners, but more often lead to social stratification and personal drama. My Hero Academia: You are Next looks at another of these cases.
Therefore, the appearance of the Evil One is just an excuse to tell a sensitive and touching story about superpowers that destroy people's lives. Frankly speaking, the very concept of the Evil One looks more like a marketing ploy than a necessity. After all, actually turning one of the key characters in the story into a villain is a rather provocative move. However, in the context of this full-length anime, it works. The audience follows the vivid image of the main villain, and they get a story that is not at all boring.
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Still from the anime My Hero Academia: You are Next[/caption]
At the same time, My Hero Academia: You are Next does not solve the general problems that are common to all full-length anime series. After all, anime is probably one of the most episodic mediums. You can joke about the 1000 episodes of One Piece as much as you want, but they allowed us to show one of the most elaborate settings in pop culture and a lot of interesting characters. Any full-length anime based on a long-running show will always feel rushed, fussy, and a bit unfocused.
It would seem that "My Hero Academy: You are Next" / My Hero Academia: You are Next introduces very few new characters and concepts, and the script tells only about two key storylines. For an anime, this is a very modest figure, but in the context of the scale of the universe, even it is excessive. In addition, whole segments of the movie may seem strange, unnecessary, or, on the contrary, insufficiently revealed.
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Still from the anime My Hero Academia: You are Next[/caption]
Frankly speaking, even the central story, full of plot twists and drama, is not that surprising. This is probably due to the focus of the entire shonen genre, to which My Hero Academy belongs, on teenagers. Yes, there are some interesting moments in the film in terms of drama and screenwriting. However, don't expect too much depth. Anime doesn't even have enough time for all the key characters, let alone interesting secondary moments. And if you're not familiar with the source material, many details will be completely unclear to you.
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Still from the anime My Hero Academia: You are Next[/caption]
However, shonen anime are rarely watched for the sake of the story. The authors need to lure people in with an interesting concept and maintain the minimum acceptable standards of fiction stories. But what should never be compromised is the quality of animation and overall direction. The previous full-length anime for My Hero Academia showed that Bones Studio understands perfectly well how to turn a visually appealing part of an anime into a real extravaganza and an explosion of emotions. However, My Hero Academia: You are Next" looks stunning even at this incredibly high level.
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Still from the anime My Hero Academia: You are Next[/caption]
Perhaps it's the new director. Previously, Kenji Nagasaki was in charge of the franchise's feature-length anime, and he did a great job. However, the new director, Tensai Okamura, is a more experienced professional. He has worked on such internationally recognized masterpieces as Ninja Scroll, Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Soul Eater. Okamura is able to create in a wide variety of styles, but still always has a thirst for high art. That's why the animation of the fourth feature on My Hero Academia is also art, without any exaggeration.
Every battle, every general plan, every emotional scene is worked out down to the smallest detail. Everything works in an incredible synergy that makes it impossible to take your eyes off. And the final battle will definitely be remembered for a long time. Get ready to see clips from it on TikTok and other similar services for years to come, that's how good the movie is. The music and sounds are also in perfect order, and the overall technical performance is top-notch. However, keep in mind that no amount of static footage will convey the beauty of anime.
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Still from the anime My Hero Academia: You are Next[/caption]
I am also pleased that Sony Pictures, Crunchyroll, and B&H Film Distribution continue to actively import full-length anime based on popular series to Ukraine. Moreover, My Hero Academia: You are Next has received full Ukrainian dubbing. Hearing Ukrainian voices in anime on the big screen is a whole new level of pleasure for every fan. Besides, the translation and acting are really good, there is nothing to complain about. Of course, there are questions about the number of screenings, because one screening per day is quite modest for a project of this level. However, Ukrainian viewers still have a long way to go to adequately perceive anime in cinemas and actively go to them.
My Hero Academia: You are Next is definitely a story worth seeing on the big screen. It doesn't shine with plot revelations, but it almost dazzles with the quality of its animation and overall direction. Moreover, the movie contains everything that made people love the original manga and anime. So even if you don't know anything about Izuka Midoriya and his friends, there's a good chance that after watching the movie you'll want to plunge into this fictional universe.