English Dub Review: My Hero Academia “That’s the Idea, Ochaco”

Funimation had ANOTHER premiere happen today, see if it the season premiere of My Hero Academia continues strengths from the first season.

Izuku Midoriya (Justin Briner) is a middle school student in a universe where there are superpowered individuals. These heroes feature powers dubbed “Quirks.” While Midoriya, nicknamed Deku, is a normal kid, he’s gifted some of hero, All Might’s (Christopher R. Sabat) Quirk, “All For One.” Deku is then sent to U.A. High School, an academic institution for Heroes.

My Hero Academia Season 2, episode 1, “That’s the Idea, Ochaco” opens after the attack on U.A. High School by the villains. There’s a brief recap of the attack, told in a voice over with flashbacks by Izuku. There’s also a bit about Ochaco Uraraka (Luci Christian) revealed in this episode. Her family owns a construction business which isn’t faring well. As such, Ochaco aspires to become a hero to help her parents. All Might confesses he’s injured to Izuku, and reveals that he’s priming Deku to become the next All Might.

“That’s the Idea, Ochaco” does an excellent job recapping the My Hero Academia universe, as well as the events of season 1, especially the U.A. High School attack by the villains. I really enjoyed watching the fallout after the attack. School is canceled for a day, but once it resumes most of the students, all heroes with Quirks, act like teenagers.

It’s also neat seeing how sports are involved in the hero world, and that a forthcoming sports tournament, the U.A. Sports Festival, is about to begin. Their teacher Mr. Izawa (Alex Organ), breaks the news by explaining “Your fight isn’t over yet.” His class exclaims “Not more bad guys!” accidentally alarming his students. A group of heroes meet and discuss the attack by the villains. It’s clear this incident will remain a key subplot as season 2 of My Hero Academia progresses. It’s revealed that the League of Villains plotted to kill All Might.

Character design continues to shine. All Might appears as a mix of Thor and Captain America. There’s a bit of an X-Men academy vibe, with young students exhibiting a range of abilities. The juxtaposition between powerful Quirks and teens creates a neat dynamic, especially in “That’s the Idea, Ochaco.” I enjoyed hearing about the reduced viewership and scale of the Olympics after the appearance of Quirks. Sure, it’s a minor aside and small, unimportant detail. But it proves the dedication of My Hero Academia to crafting a thorough universe.

Dubbing is great. Briner, who voices protagonist Tazuna in Hand Shakers lends a juvenile, innocent, yet brave quality to Izuku. Whereas Tazuna sounds whiny, Izuku lacks that quality. Credit this in part to Briner, but it’s likely writing as well. Overall, “That’s the Idea, Ochako” balances recap and season set up quite well. I’m excited to see where season 2 leads, especially with Izuku tagged as All Might’s successor.

SCORE
7.5/10