My Hero Academia: Two Heroes Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-own steelbook for My Hero Academia fans!

Following the events of the second season of the successful anime television series My Hero Academia, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes is a smash-hit theatrical release event with a standalone story which took Japan by storm and earned almost 30 million (USD) at the box- office. The film was produced by acclaimed animation studio Bones (Wolf's Rain, Eureka Seven). The feature was distributed in Japan by Toho and is released by anime-powerhouse Funimation in North America. As an action-packed event film, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes aims to please diehard fans of the saga. The film is executive produced by Yoshihiro Furusawa (Your Name).

Izuki Midoriya (Justin Briner) was just an ordinary boy with dreams of becoming a superhero at the start of the anime series, My Hero Academia. Now gifted with the special ability which is known simply as "One For All" he shares his strength with superhero All-Might (Christopher Sabat). Izuki lives in a futuristic world in which the vast majority of people have some form of super ability (whether it be super strength or mind control). These gifted superhero beings are known to have "Quirks" (the creative terminology which is used for describing their unique abilities).

In My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, Izuki goes to a special island with his buddy All-Might in which there is a massive gathering of scientists who specialize in focusing on these super "Quirks" and their heroic feats. Upon arriving at the event, the pair meet a number of other gifted supers and begin a fun journey of exploration and enlightenment. Unfortunately for the Quirks, the fun is quickly sidelined by the arrival of a sinister villain named Wolfram (Keith Silverstein) who aims to destroy the island and all of the Quirks on it.

A beautiful package. An outstanding release.

Based upon the original manga created by Kohei Horikoshi, the anime series has become one of the most popular running franchises in Japan at this time. This is no doubt due to the inspired concept revolving around a world full of superheros (the opposite of the typical comic-book in which one individual carries all of the strength). A action-paced anime providing wish-fulfillment to young teenage boys, My Hero Academia expands its universe with its feature-film debut.

The film has a number of notable production elements (from the exciting action-heavy score composed by Yuki Hayashi (One Piece Film: Gold, Robotics;Notes) to the impressive editing which was done by Kumiko Sakamoto (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos). Topping off that list is the superb animation. Featuring great attention to detail, the animation excels with its enormously entertaining action sequences. It's clear that the animators on this film gave the production their all.

The art direction by Shigemi Ikeda (One Punch Man, Gantz) brings these characters to dramatic life with stunningly detailed set-pieces. The film is a roller-coaster of one action set-piece after another: from the characters confronting the diabolical bad-guy (on a mission!) named Wolfram to the more elaborate spectacle which occurs on the island.

With a screenplay written by Yosuke Kuroda (Gundam Build Fighters, Mobile Suit Gundam 00), the film focuses on developing action set-pieces more than on building characters. This is unsurprising as the film is predominately aimed squarely at established fans of the anime series. The story is simple but its effective and altogether fun. Kenji Nagasaki (My Hero Academia, Classroom Crisis) brings the film a heavy dosage of action as the director. This entire film feels like an extended spectacle and the second half of the film is non-stop excitement. Anyone looking for a fun anime to watch, look no further... My Hero Academia: Two Heroes is a burst of energy which entertains in spades.

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes features a 1080p high definition MPEG-4 AVC encoded presentation. The film is presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. This is a generally strong presentation which should satisfy fans of the series. Encoded with a enormously high 31.96 mbps bit-rate encode, the film looks quite good with this quality release. The color design done by Kazuko Kikuchi (Evangelion: 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone) is preserved with excellent attention to reproducing the fine details of the animation.

The transfer isn't flawless (as there is some minor banding during some of the scenes) and there is a tad degree of softness to the material (which appears to be inherent the source animation utilized) but it's still a clean looking presentation. While I would have preferred an even sharper image on this presentation if possible (without artificial sharpening to the video, of course), the overall results here are pleasing and the presentation gets the job done.

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is presented in both English and Japanese 5.1 Dolby TrueHD. The Japanese presentation includes English subtitles. While this is a lossless sound presentation, this is unfortunately not an impressive sound design (most especially for viewers watching in English). The release is lacking strong bass reproduction and feels more muted than I would have liked. The overall soundstage isn't quite as impressive or robust as one might expect for an action-heavy anime. Surround sound usage is somewhat limited and sound relaxed. While it's a decent mix overall, that's the best thing that can be said about this somewhat underwhelming audio presentation.

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The My Hero Academia: Two Heroes steelbook comes with a deluxe collectors package design. The gorgeous steelbook is a truly badass collectible for diehard fans of the series. The print quality is impressive and feels luxurious in hand. Though a matte finish, the quality is exceptional and does not seem "cheap" in any sense of the word. The iconic front image is a perfect illustration highlighting the action and adventure of the feature-film. The back art-work is simiarly impressive and has a nice metallic sheen against the partially bare metal (which actually makes the release look even classier in hand). The inner artwork is colorful and adds a nice dash of vibrancy to the steelbook presentation.

Please Note: The releases is a Blu-ray + Funimation Digital combo pack.

The Making of a Hero (HD, 18 min. 11 sec.) is a short featurette which includes interviews with the English dub cast and production crew as they discuss creating the English dub version and unique contributions and involvement in the development of the My Hero Academia feature film debut.

Trailers (5 min. 59 sec.) promoting other Funimation releases.

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes is an action-packed thrill-ride that any fan of the anime series will want to experience. Consider it essential viewing. The film plays even better the second go-around. Serious enthusiasts will want to double-dip for the deluxe steelbook edition (with a high quality matte print). The art work displayed on the front, back, and inner-art design of the steelbook release is visually striking and makes a solid impression. Steelbook collectors won't want to pass it up. Highly recommended.