My Hero Academia S301: “Game Start”
My Hero Academia is back, y’all! And we’re recapping this season episode by episode. Just be careful: spoilers and speculation below.
Just like the first episode of season 2, “Hero Notebook,” the opening salvo of season 3, “Game Start,” was seemingly made to get watchers up to speed for the upcoming episodes and uses fan hype to its advantage. Luckily this time around, new footage was interspersed with the clips from seasons 1 and 2, making it a much better refresher than its season 2 predecessor. Rather than crafting a flashback episode you can skip, “Game Start” drew us back into My Hero Academia by slipping in a few vignettes at convenient opportunities. Let’s look at what the episode does.
The episode starts right where the season 2 finale “Encounter” left off — with Togura Shigaraki blaming All Might for his nemeses’ (Deku and Hero Killer Stain) conviction. Luckily we don’t have to see this guy scratch himself for long because we cut to the main plot.
Deku’s training in his room when Kaminari and Mineta invite him to UA’s pool for endurance training. Since the pool’s on UA property, they’ll be able to use their quirks, and, unbeknownst to Deku, Mineta heard all their female classmates will be there…in swimsuits. Their strategy doesn’t work out, though, because overnight Deku mass texts the rest of class 1A, and the pool ends up swarmed with dudes.
We get some cute moments, like Iida bringing orange juice for everyone and admitting to Deku that he didn’t care for him much during the entrance exam, cuing some recap. The relative tranquility is then interrupted by Bakugo’s arrival and immediate need for competition in the form of a dude-filled freestyle race across the pool.
Deku, Todoroki, and Bakugo qualify as finalists but all belly flop because Aizawa erases their quirks and makes everyone go home. Deku ends up on the beach where his hero training started and runs into Small Might, which of course catalyzes another flashback focusing on Deku’s will. Re-experiencing their progress is the perfect way to pull on fans’ heartstrings and get us excited for the upcoming arc — and all the danger it promises.
The Verdict:
“Game Start” is an easygoing watch that fulfills its purpose as a teaser disguised as an episode. It’s filler, but it’s executed in a way that won’t make viewers groan.
Rating: 6.5
“Game Start” is available to stream in Japanese on Funimation, Crunchyroll, VRV, and Hulu. Dubs should air according to schedule beginning April 14.
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