Anyone who knows me well knows that I love anime, so when I found out there was manga available on NetGalley, I was pretty excited. I’ve been watching My Hero Academia for a while now, but had never read the manga and was super excited to check out the the story in a new format.

My Hero Academia takes place in a universe where humans have mutations that give them weird superpowers, called Quirks. It’s kind of like X-Men, but better, because a lot of the powers are just plain silly. Yes, some people are invisible, have super-human strength, or can run really fast, but other people shoot tape out of their elbows, have navel lasers, or sticky hair. It’s amazing.

Of course, in a world where people have Quirks, there are obviously some who use them for evil. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that, in order to fight off criminals with Quirks, others use their powers for good, and become certified Heroes.

The story follows a middle school student, Izuku Midoriya, who is obsessed with the strongest (and most popular) hero, All Might. Midoriya knows everything about All Might, and it’s his dream to grow up and become a powerful hero too, so he can make sure everyone always has a smile on their face.

There’s just one problem: Midoriya is Quirkless. But does that stop him from trying to save others, fight evil, and be the best he can possibly be? Hell no! After a run-in with All Might, Midoriya learns that, despite being born Quirkless, he can still work towards his dream of becoming the next #1 Hero.

The first manga sets up the rest of the story quite well. I’m currently watching the most recent season of My Hero Academia (waiting for new episodes each week is painful), and can safely say that the story keeps getting better and better. It’s definitely one of the better shounen series I’ve watched, and am excited to see where it goes.

I’d recommend this manga series to anyone looking for an action-packed story that includes humor, and some feel-good moments as well. It’s a decent series to pick up if you’re looking to dip your toes into the world of manga, and it’s still ongoing, so you have future volumes to look forward to as well.

Thank you to the publisher, VIZ Media, for an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. My Hero Academia was first published in 2015, and is available to purchase wherever books are sold.