'My Hero Academia' Season 3, Episode 1: “Game Start”
By Makayla Hughes
Warning: This review may contain spoilers for this episode and previous episodes of My Hero Academia
The first episode of the third season of My Hero Academia, “Game Start,” did not have much going on in the episode, but mainly served as a refresher for what happened previously. After the action from season two, the viewer may expect a little more, but this episode is light-hearted while teasing at what is next in this season.
The hype leading up to the release of the new episode led to a slight disappointment of it being a recap episode, with most of the episode focusing on flashbacks and what happened previously. It also dedicates time to each character and their quirks. By the end of the episode, the viewer is left feeling as if nothing really happened from this filler. There is a little plot development with the leader of the League of Villains, Tomura Shigaraki, sharing his goals, and every other character getting ready for the summer training camp.
Image from Crunchyroll
Since the up-and-coming heroes had been previously attacked by the League of Villains, U.A. asked the students to not stray too far away from the school while on summer vacation. This upset a few of the female characters, so they decide to rent the school’s pool to sunbathe. Minoru Mineta and Denki Kaminari catch wind of their idea and decide to rent the pool with Deku under the cover of “extra training.” Deku decides to message all the other boys in the class and invite them to the pool for training exercises.
This light-hearted episode is a breather from the chaos of last season and before the pick-up of the summer training camp arc that will happen next. The reunion of class 1-A is refreshing as the characters are allowed to use their quirks since they are on school grounds. This allows the viewers to see how far each character has come with some of the quirks. It also shows the viewer of why both Deku, Bakugo, Todoroki became heroes and mentions what their goals are for this next season, especially since each of them wishes to be the best.
Naturally, when you get the class of 1-A together unsupervised, the viewer is in for a fun ride because of the mash of personalities. Everyone is here for their own reasons, but it is always humorous when they are able to relax together. The humor makes this show so lovable and memorable. My Hero Academia revolves around kids, but with everything 1-A has been through in the past, they rarely get time to have fun and be kids, making the episode different from what the viewer has seen in the past.
Image from Crunchyroll
As always, the visuals of My Hero Academia captivate the viewer with the beautiful scenery and action sequences. The scenes look natural and fluid. A personal favorite scene of mine was when the camera zoomed in on the scars on Deku’s hand in order to remind the audience of how far he has come. He went from only being able to break something to use his super power to calling it with ease. Although there were many flashbacks, they still looked beautiful and in sequence with the show.
There is not much in the way of character development; they mostly use this episode to share why some of the major characters are there and what their goals are. There is a fair amount of screen time dedicated to each of the characters so most of them get a little screen time, with the girls of the class getting the least. It also shows how a lot of the characters have more respect for each other and what they can do. Some, like Bakugo, don’t want the others to go down without a fight.
Image from Crunchyroll
This episode sets up well for the training camp to come. It also shares how nervous the teachers at U.A. are with the upcoming camping and what they are doing to make sure the students are safe, along with what Tomura Shigaraki hopes to accomplish in the upcoming months and his deep hatred for All Might. The creators also make sure to connect Shigaraki’s focus with Bakugo’s own for All Might because for him to be the best hero, he needs to beat the current number one.
Overall, the episode wasn’t much. It sets up the rest of the season and allows for the viewer to remember the lovable characters, while teasing what the League of Villains is up to. It was nice and easy to watch, and will make any viewer eagerly await the next episode.
