English Dub Review: My Hero Academia Season 5 OVAs “HLB”; “Laugh! As If You Are in Hell”

Overview:

In “HLB,” Gang Orca’s Orcas and Shishido’s Lionels face off in a baseball game for the HLB Championship.

In “Laugh! As If You Are in Hell,” Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki intern at Endeavor’s agency. Their current mission is to apprehend a graffiti artist who goes by the name Mr. Smiley.

Our Take:

After all of the serious battles and aftermath that goes on in My Hero Academia, it’s not a bad idea to unwind with a couple of more laid-back OVAs.

“HLB” shows a competitive baseball game between rivals Gang Orca and Shishido and their teams. It’s fun to see the heroes and students use their quirks to aid them in this game. It’s also amusing to see Gang Orca and Shishido punish their teammates whenever they mess up.

“Laugh! As If You Are in Hell” shows Endeavor’s agency pursuing Mr. Smiley, a graffiti artist whose quirk causes people he gazes at to laugh uncontrollably. It’s a fun mission and Mr. Smiley even gets a backstory and redemption.

Both OVAs end with criminal activity interrupting the story, but it being quickly resolved. Then the episode wraps up with a feel good moment.

Both of these OVAs are fun for what they are. Since they’re separated from the main series, I wasn’t expecting any deep plots or insane action. I was expecting fun interactions between likable characters and I can’t be disappointed because that’s what was given here.