5 replies to this topic

[Gliblord]

Hiya! I'm the translator for MHA, and so I thought I could use this space to discuss this fantastic series with the oodles of fans who are sure to come!

 

DOWNLOAD LINK: https://mega.co.nz/#F!BNk3zDqL!WUYyzJD7PMJ78u33M0Oxcg

 

A bit of background: I've loved Horikoshi ever since his first serialization, Oumagadoki Zoo (I hope to scanlate the rest of that series as well soon). His stories and art style are distinctive and moving, and you can tell they come from a a very genuine place. And he's finally hit the jackpot with MHA.

 

When I read the first chapter, I was just thrilled that Horikoshi was back—that he hadn’t been discouraged by his second cancellation and that he’d grace the world with his manga again! That the first chapter also happened to be Romance Dawn-level brilliant (doubtlessly it will be remembered as iconic as well, for all the emotion and sheer heart it exudes) was just icing on the cake. I used to feel really sad that Bulge never got anywhere, thinking he’d be discouraged from trying again if it was cancelled and it was still pretty decent and he’d improve over time if allowed to. Now I’m glad it got cancelled, because MHA is magic and absolutely deserves its explosion of recognition. And I was a fool for thinking a born mangaka of Horikoshi’s caliber would be discouraged by a mere obstacle like two cancellations.

At first, I was legitimately curious how Izuku would become a hero without a quirk, so I was kinda disappointed when he ended up being granted one—though he did work extremely hard just to earn a place on the starting line, like he said. I was also initially more disappointed than amazed when he smashed the giant robot in the third chapter—already at full power!? Finally, I had misgivings about the setting: surely the whole world of superheroes concept had been run into the ground?

But then Horikoshi started impressing me with his solid, extremely likeable characters and I was hooked for good. In fact, the world of superheroes setting, in many ways, is PERFECT for Horikoshi’s strengths.
 

1. First and foremost, his character designs! They’re Oda-level varied, creative, and full of that vim of life that’s hard to pinpoint exactly.
2. The honest-to-a-fault goody-two-shoes protagonist he seems to love, which is well-suited to the occupation of heroism.
3. Characters that don’t take themselves too seriously—they’re vying for the right to wear spandex, after all. And they have that cartoony feel to go with it.

I read in the inside cover of Vol. 1 that this time around he’s simply drawing a manga that’s fun for him personally, and you can really tell.

For one, his artstyle is so expressive, and that’s what manga is all about to me. Contrast this with BLEACH, where the only expressions are smug superiority 1 and smug superiority 2, with maybe a dash of oh shit face now and again. Secondly, he’s really drawing from a huge well of inspiration with the motif of Silver Age superhero comics, evident in the American comic book cover design of the color covers and the way All Might’s shading is different (it’s even drawn attention to at one point, specifically called “Silver Age style,” a reference I’m not sure many readers would understand!).

I can’t wait for Fallen Angels to catch up, because the current arc is edge-of-your-seat for sure, and every chapter is just as badass and exciting as the one before. I honestly think the series is One Piece level already.

Edited by Gliblord, 12 November 2014 - 08:16 AM.

[MoonHermit]

"Boku no Hero Academia" has actually managed to do what I think no other series has done for me before, and that's getting extremely hyped for its progress, bordering on fanboyism. I can't wait to see how Horikoshi-sensei is going to develop this wonderful setting he's created for us.

 

Now, some questions I'd like to put here, for pondering and future reference: Quirks - do you think they stay the same from the moment of birth onwards? Or do you think they can be 'evovled'? If yes, in what way?

 

Of course, the 'scope' of one's Quirk is sure to increase with one's growth - Uraraka will increase the limit of objects/mass (?) she can affect with 'Zero Gravity', Yuuga's 'Navel Laser' will have its duration increased to more than 1 second, Iida's "Engine" will showcase faster and faster speeds, Bakugou's explosions will get bigger and stronger, etc. -, but what about knowing it so well that you can actually slightly alter how it functions?

 

Example 1: Bakugou can create explosions in the palm of his hands. Could it be possible that he will later on understand his ability so well that he'll manifest it on the sole of his feet or other parts of his body? Or maybe create explosions at a distance by aiming at the target with his hand?

 

Example 2: Yuuga can fire a laser from his navel. Could it be possible that he'll eventually learn how to control it so it can make curves or angular turns? Slow down/speed up its movement? Or maybe even turn the 'big' laser into a 'burst' of two or more smaller ones so they cover a larger area?

 

Example 3: Midoriya's mom can attract small objects. Is it possible that, in case she trains it, she could actually overcome the size limitation of her Quirk and affect larger and larger objects?

[Gliblord]

"Boku no Hero Academia" has actually managed to do what I think no other series has done for me before, and that's getting extremely hyped for its progress, bordering on fanboyism. I can't wait to see how Horikoshi-sensei is going to develop this wonderful setting he's created for us.

 

Now, some questions I'd like to put here, for pondering and future reference: Quirks - do you think they stay the same from the moment of birth onwards? Or do you think they can be 'evovled'? If yes, in what way?

 

Of course, the 'scope' of one's Quirk is sure to increase with one's growth - Uraraka will increase the limit of objects/mass (?) she can affect with 'Zero Gravity', Yuuga's 'Navel Laser' will have its duration increased to more than 1 second, Iida's "Engine" will showcase faster and faster speeds, Bakugou's explosions will get bigger and stronger, etc. -, but what about knowing it so well that you can actually slightly alter how it functions?

 

Example 1: Bakugou can create explosions in the palm of his hands. Could it be possible that he will later on understand his ability so well that he'll manifest it on the sole of his feet or other parts of his body? Or maybe create explosions at a distance by aiming at the target with his hand?

 

Example 2: Yuuga can fire a laser from his navel. Could it be possible that he'll eventually learn how to control it so it can make curves or angular turns? Slow down/speed up its movement? Or maybe even turn the 'big' laser into a 'burst' of two or more smaller ones so they cover a larger area?

 

Example 3: Midoriya's mom can attract small objects. Is it possible that, in case she trains it, she could actually overcome the size limitation of her Quirk and affect larger and larger objects?

 

I think the idea of quirks evolving is a very likely one, though we haven't seen anything that would confirm that hypothesis just yet.

 

As for Bakugou, I can tell you what's been revealed about his quirk so far. It's actually the case that his explosions are sparked by a nitroglycerin-like sweat that he produces directly from his palms (the more he sweats, the bigger the effect), so I don't forsee him becoming able to blast targets remotely.

 

And I hope Izuku's mom becomes a central figure in at least one story arc! How badass would it be if she saved Izuku and showed her ferocious/courageous side at some point? Although all we've been shown so far is how normal her life as a housewife is, presumably to drive home the point that superpowers are a matter of course now. On the other hand, that very normalcy could make her entering the fray even more awesome!

[manhhai090]

Just came out! And chapter 8 will be out soon, lol

[vinceled]

This series is awesome and to be honest I didn't expect it to do so well. I'm so glad for Horikoshi after Oumagadoki Zoo getting cancelled after around 50 chapters and Sensei of the Battle Star getting cancelled after 16 chapters. That series was pretty much the last opportunity for the author in WSJ - had that failed we would probably not have seen him anymore in the magazine.

Now for the series, I remember reading ch1 when it came out (I did the translation for it too from Japanese -> French) and really liked it. I remember being really interested in the fact that the MC had no 'quirk' - '個性・こせい' and much like Gliblord also wondered how he'd become a hero without one so I was pretty disappointed but also amazed that the author dispelled any expectations readers could have right in the second chapter by saying he could only become a hero by receiving All Might's quirk "One for All" a quirk nurtured in one person them passed to the next etc. Ch3, I found pretty awesome as I interpreted it as Horikoshi telling us "sure Izuku has one of the most powerful if not the most powerful quirk in the series but that's not because he has that that he'll become OP yet - he's like a newborn; at first when he's gonna try to walk he's gonna fall badly, get hurt but in time get better then keep evolving". I stopped reading the series in raws after that (had only access to public raws) and told myself I'd be buying the volumes in Japanese afterwards for the best reading experience possible so for now I'm only reading the scans (though I looked at raws until ch18). I'm really awaiting the time Fallen Angels catches up to current releases (too bad I can't help )

Edited by vinceled, 16 November 2014 - 02:06 PM.