My Hero Academia – Season 3 Part 2 Review
My Hero Academia Season 3 Part 2 contains Episodes 51 to 63, or Season 3 Episodes 13 to 25 if you want to count it that way, and once again uses its seasonal format to better adapt its source material (with one exception I’ll get to in a bit…) The first half of Season 3, particularly the battle between All Might and his nemesis All For One, was extremely well done and if you read my review of Season 3 Part 1, you’ll know how highly I sang its praises. So how does Part 2 deal with coming after such a big, flashy story arc? It does the smart thing, and instead to trying to top it with an equally relentlessly paced story, it does a simpler, sort-of tournament arc…
If you’re unfamiliar with the story, My Hero Academia focuses on a class of students in a school for those with super powers, and our opening two episodes comes up with the fun concept of the students being tasked with having to create new trademark “Ultimate Moves” in order to better prepare themselves for the Hero Provisional License exam… which then begins in the third episode. Thankfully, after having already tugged at the elimination tournament story arc string previously, the Provisional License Exam is actually quite unique, with a round based on dodging in-coming rubber balls being fired by other schools’ students, and a round based on saving civilians during a crisis.
During these events we get some further character development for sulky and somewhat emo Todoroki, and over-the-top hothead stereotype Bakugo, as well as other students showing some of their natural heroic abilities. We also see the introduction of several new heroes-in-training, this time from other, less prestigious schools, which is pretty crazy for a show that already has a large cast of good guys both front and centre and waiting in the wings.
The final few episodes act as good little epilogues to the season, with some further development in the friction-full relationship between our lead protagonist Midoriya and the aforementioned hothead Bakugo, and the introduction of yet more new young heroes in the “Big Three”, the top three students in the whole school, as well as a new antagonist for next season.
Overall it’s more of a slower burn than the start of the season, but that’s to be expected. These episodes are still full of well animated action and some needed character development before we head into the next big villain and his story arc. There is one episode, Episode 58 “Special Episode: Save the World with Love!”, which serves no purpose other than to set up the events seen in the My Hero Academia: Two Heroes film, which isn’t the first time a shonen series has used an episode for promoting a film, and it won’t be the last!
As usual the animation from BONES continues to shine, the soundtrack by Yuki Hayashi is still catchy and varied, and both voice casts bring the characters to life well. It’s a series that ticks all the boxes of quality, again probably due to taking the season approach rather than the usual weekly episodes. The Opening for these episodes is “Make my Story” by Lenny Code Fiction, while the Ending is “Long Hope Philia” by Masaki Suda.
In terms of extras this release features two “Inside the Episode” features (basically a look behind the scenes of the US dub process), one for Episode 14 and one for 22, a general “Conversation with the cast”, an outtakes reel (somewhat less controversial than another FUNimation outtakes reel that found its way out recently…) and the usual promos, adverts and clean opening and closing.
My Hero Academia Season 3 Part 2 is a good extension to the story, and while it may not shine as brightly as the first half did, it still serves up a good chunk of story and sets the stage for the next big arc. Can’t complain too much!
