By Elizabeth Peña

When I saw some kids at school wearing t-shirts, sweatshirts, and even a backpack from the anime show My Hero Academia, I thought it might be worth checking out. Then I discovered that the Bradley Beach Public Library has the manga series. Manga is the name for action Japanese graphic novels that are read from back to front. As you probably know, anime is the animated version. The manga is almost always better than the anime. And My Hero Academia did not disappoint.

My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi has 29 books in total in Japan and 26 books here in America. The main character’s name is Izuku Midoriya, but you’ll see that the characters call him Deku. He is 14 years old at the beginning and 16 where it leaves off. He will continue growing until the series ends. He is born in a futuristic world where 80 percent of the population have these powers named “quirks,” which are just super powers. There are three types — transformation, which changes the person by will; mutant, which are permanent transformations; and emitter, which let you create stuff. 

His friend Kasuki Bakugo (he calls him Kachan) gets his quirk before Deku. Deku waits for his quirk to come since they normally come at the age of four, but when the doctors say that he will never get a quirk. he takes it hard. He wants to be like his hero All Might. Years pass and both of the boys are in their last years of middle school. When Deku encounters All Might, his life changes forever.

Deku works hard by studying, learning about everything there is to know about quirks and studying how to get a quirk. During his last year of middle school, he starts exercising by cleaning up a beach which has a lot of heavy stuff.

I won’t spoil the plot, but the series deals with good versus evil, friends and teamwork. The characters are strong and the art is also really interesting. I liked the scene when Deku and his friends get dorms. It is funny to see that everybody’s bedrooms look so different.

I highly recommend this book to people who like manga and anime or to those who just want to know what it is.