English Dub Review: My Hero Academia “The Test”

Class 1-A is in for the test of their lives, but do they have what it takes?

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Class 1-A is on the eve of the provisional license exam, the fateful test that will determine if the students of UA will be allowed to do some actual hero work out in the real world. The stakes are high, but Class 1-A has been training hard for this day, and are ready to test their mettle in whatever challenge waits in store. Midoriya has gotten his costume revamped with armor for his legs by Hatsume, while Uraraka continues to crush on the fledgling hero. Most everyone gives a fresh coat of paint to their costumes, while they prepare to face the other young heroes that will be present at the exam.

When the day of the exam arrives, our heroes are met by the students of Shiketsu High, the only school in the country that can rival UA. In addition, Aizawa runs into an old friend, “Outburst”, a hero who can make people laugh and is apparently head over heels for the insomniac professor. After meeting their eccentric rivals, the students gather into the exam center, where an exhausted administrator tells them the rules and reveals that only the first 100 people to pass the exam will be given provisional licenses. Midoriya and pals are shocked by this, but tighten their resolve against the coming trial. The rules are simple: three targets are to be placed on each examinee, while they are each given balls to land on the targets. If you get all your targets to hit, you’re done, and if you take out two students by delivering their third hit, then you pass the test.

As the test begins, Outburst discusses with Aizawa how he should have warned the class about the test to come. The fact is, all the students there already know what powers the UA students have since they competed in the Sports Festival. Because of this, historically UA students get absolutely crushed on their provisional license exams. But Aizawa isn’t worried, he knows that his students are more than prepared for what’s to come. As the rest of examinees gang up on Class 1-A, Midoriya leads his friends in their stalwart defense, digging in their heels for the struggle that is to come.

Our Take:

We’ve got another great showing from My Hero Academia this week. As we dive into the provisional licenses exam, we’re treated to an episode that delivers on some great moments, setting up for the battle to come while showcasing the excellent characters the show has developed so far.

This is one of those episodes that does a lot more in terms of story than it does in action, but that’s not really a bad thing. Little by little, My Hero Academia has been expanding its universe to be more thorough and complex, and this episode gives us a great leap forward in that department. It’s easy to forget that UA is not the only school for heroes in Japan, and having Shiketsu introduced as their big rival is a nice way to spice things up a little bit. A good setting lives and dies by its nuance and how much of it there is left to explore; after watching this episode, I’m stoked to learn more about these new schools and the characters that inhabit them.

But don’t think that just because the action takes place in the last three minutes that the rest of the episode isn’t top-notch. The excellent voice work and localization marches on, capturing a real sense of comedy and timing that most anime can’t even touch. Uraraka’s blushing over Midoriya is adorable, Outbursts…well, outbursts are pretty funny, and the dialogue between the cast has flow and character.

We get a nice big payoff here to Class 1-A’s efforts and training. Just when you think things are about to go south as the rest of the schools gang up on Class 1-A, Aizawa delivers a nice verbal ass-whooping to Outburst in one of those moments that gives you butterflies in the stomach and makes you want to pump your fist in the air. Turnabout is fair play, and this episode does an excellent job of building up to a powerful turn of fortune for our heroes, who have grown from mere pups to ambitious rookies. Their powers, too, have evolved from seemingly simple and sometimes comical power sets into abilities that are not to be trifled with.

This is definitely one of the better episodes we’ve gotten this season; one that made me feel like a middle-schooler again, glued to the computer screen eager to find the next episode so I can enjoy it as quickly as possible. Sadly, we’ll have to wait until next week, but for now, it looks like My Hero Academia has done it again.