Okay, this is going to be a bit different from what I usually write but I found the subject shocking, crazy and food for thought so I want to write about it.
My friends and fellow writers. I’ve got a secret to tell you. Once a long, long time a go, many moons ago I was a huge Anime and manga fan. Back in the late years of the 1990s into the early 2000s. I cut my teeth on Roin Warriors and G-Gundam.
Mind you I’m not a scholar in thousandths of stories and genres in the subject. What I am offering is a perspective about this anime that I don’t know is true or not. It’s just something I’m seeing in this children’s anime that I find weird.
I haven’t read the books but I’ve watched the anime season 1 and I’ve seen a bit of season two part 1. The concept is interesting. A world filled with Super powered people. The child main character (has no father but a single mother no mention of father in season 1) wants to be Super powered “hero” like his hero All Might. A blond haired tall dude with movie star good looks and super strength powers. Child protagonist is a loser born without powers. He meets his “hero” and finds out a secret about All Might. All Might sees a determination and craziness in child protagonist so All Might tells him secret about his powers. All Might is a phony. He got his powers from someone else (destroying a major element of the story’s world) he offers child protagonist a chance to become a hero like him and be given All Might’s powers but he has to train for a year to prove his determination and will to get to the top. The year is up so he achieves his goal and then All Might reveals how he can “transfer” his powers to child protagonist.
Spoiler alert: All might removes a hair from his head (DNA) and gives it to child to eat. Child freaks out and doesn’t want to eat All Might hair (DNA) (We don’t see this part we just hear it.) All Might forces child to eat DNA and the story of a child super hero’s rise to fame and glory begins.
Anyway, your probably wondering something. Where are the super villains? Oh! The audience is introduced to them at the last episodes. The villains want to kill All Might they only attack the children to draw him out.
Now. I saw this theme but then again I thought to myself the first time maybe I’m thinking to deeply about a stupid cartoon show from Japan. Though current Japanese anime is horrible like this excluding One Punch! Maybe I’m wrong about the hero academia. I watched the entire season and I found it okay and funny at times and I didn’t get that weird feeling much.
I picked up season two recently, Season two part 1 of the blue ray starts out with the children powered (heroes in training) entering a world wide competition to compete for the top position against other children for a grand prize. All Might explains to child protagonist the importance of winning the prize. Child protagonist asks why. He is assuming it will better him as a future hero. He is dead wrong.
All Might explains that being a “hero” has more to do with being popular to the general public and earning fame so he could be paid more in merchandising rights and have a big enough fame number in the business of being a paid “hero”. Oh. I forgot to mention that. Being a hero is this story world means, getting paid serious money, being famous all over and being worshiped by children and people all over the world.
Huh! That’s odd. That reminds me a little bit of Hollywood child and adult Actors. You know stories of people rising to the top by doing weird and some times depraved stuff to gain power and wealth.
Here’s a theme I’m getting from season two part 1: What are you willing to do to get that high number? Or who are you willing to use to be on the top?
I really can’t tell if this show is pure evil or if the creator and artist is obsessed with sex or the age old question of what will people do to gain power and position. I think this show is popular to a lot young children though online. The show conveys a lot of stupid humor to mask the weirdness and weird images and by weird I mean pedophile themes. The story concept was brilliant but was burned away in the dude’s obsession with sex.
L. M. Parker
