My Hero Academia - Volume 19 (Review)
By: EyeSpyeAlex
My Hero Academia Volume 19 is finally out and I am so excited to share the details with you all! Need to catch up? Check out my review of My Hero Academia Volume 18 here!
Aoyama leaves a cheesy, chilling message for Midoriya outside of Midoriya’s window. What is it that Aoyama knows? It turns out Aoyama knows nothing, at least nothing of importance. He see himself and Midoriya as kindred spirits; two teens who are struggling to control their quirks. Relieved, Midoriya agrees with him and the two officially become friends.
With U.A. trying to restore a sense of normalcy, the hero class once again finds themselves tasked with coming up with an idea for the school festival. After much debating (and bad ideas) the class settles on hosting a dance club. Jiro and Ashido really get the class hyped up and trained to be lean, mean, dancing machines!
Meanwhile, All Might is helping Midoriya hone One for All a little more. By helping Midoriya streamline his training thus far, Midoriya is now able to use his quirk over long distances! This enables him to deal devastating damage without injuring himself.
Things aren’t as bright and shiny outside of U.A. There’s a new villain on the streets who is looking to stop people from committing dastardly deeds. Known as Gentle Criminal, he and his sidekick La Brava go after businesses who operate in a most uncouth manner, recording their efforts and uploading them to the web. His next big plan? Invade U.A. during the school festival and show the whole world what he’s really about.
On the morning of the school festival, it just so happens the Midoriya crosses paths with Gentle. Suddenly, both their days go sideways as the two quickly engage in a fight. As Midoriya gears up to use One for All, Gentle is quicker on the draw and unleashes his quirk first: elasticity. Yep, he can make things wiggly like rubber. He catches Midoriya off guard by loosening a girder onto the streets below. Midoriya catches it just in time, giving Gentle the time he needs to escape. Will he succeed in breaking into U.A.? We’ll have to wait to see what happens in volume 20!
The Review
With the sports festival happening some fan favorites from other classes are given the spotlight. My favorite non-hero character is Hatsume, and she once again helps Midoriya in his time of need. She designs some nifty gloves for Midoriya, which help him control the air blasts from his quirk. These prove extremely helpful in his battle against Gentle.
This latest volume of My Hero Academia also does a great job showcasing some of the background heroes. It’s nice to see Jiro, Ashido, and even Aoyama get some time devoted to their characters. Shifting the focus to the lesser known characters really helps the series as a whole feel more fleshed out and rich.
The only hang up I have about this volume is with Gentle’s arc. He just seems so harmless and uncool. I’m sure Kohei Horikoshi has big plans for Gentle’s motives, so I am excited for that. Just, after coming down from the rush that was Overhaul’s arc I wanted something a little more thrilling. I’ll just have to see what volume 20 has in store for Gentle, Midoriya, and everyone else!