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A review by bookish_benny
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 1 by Hideyuki Furuhashi, Kōhei Horikoshi
3.0
I wasn't sure what to expect from MHAV but I think this ticked most of the boxes. Before I dove into volume 1 (after just today finishing MHA Vol 31 which is currently the latest published volume in English) I read reviews and some of these made some points that if I'm being completely honest, almost had me not read this series at all and sell the first volume.
I'm glad I continued on for a few reasons. Firstly, it felt really nice to see a different part of the MHA world. One that wasn't focused on UA but on the day-to-day of normal life in Japan, albeit with quirks. Secondly, I really like that there are people with quirks who try and take justice into their own hands since this is what I think would actually happen if people had quirks/powers and couldn't get an official hero license. Finally, I like that it has small crossovers with the pro heroes, thus giving us a look into their lives away from the main MHA run.
I noticed the artwork is slightly different in this one to the MHA run and obviously that's because there is a new artist but I like what they've done. By giving it a different art style it helps it to be more unique and stand out as its own manga series rather than riding the coat tails of it's older brother.
Speaking of riding coat tails - one the main characters is like a poor Batman with one gadget, then two others are like Wolverine and Cyclops from X-Men. I get that there is inspiration to be had from the comics DC and Marvel produce but I feel that these hit a little too close to home and as such, pulled me away from enjoying this introductory volume more. It's not even a case that they just look similar, there are notes inside the volume that state exactly what I'm pointing out.
I'm interested to see where this goes, however, I think I might get the Shonen Jump app for £1.99 a month to read this series (and the majority of others) as I cannot justify spending £5-£8 per volume when chances are I will never read them again. I am hopeful that this Vigilantes series gets turned into an anime though because that would be really cool to watch!
I'm glad I continued on for a few reasons. Firstly, it felt really nice to see a different part of the MHA world. One that wasn't focused on UA but on the day-to-day of normal life in Japan, albeit with quirks. Secondly, I really like that there are people with quirks who try and take justice into their own hands since this is what I think would actually happen if people had quirks/powers and couldn't get an official hero license. Finally, I like that it has small crossovers with the pro heroes, thus giving us a look into their lives away from the main MHA run.
I noticed the artwork is slightly different in this one to the MHA run and obviously that's because there is a new artist but I like what they've done. By giving it a different art style it helps it to be more unique and stand out as its own manga series rather than riding the coat tails of it's older brother.
Speaking of riding coat tails - one the main characters is like a poor Batman with one gadget, then two others are like Wolverine and Cyclops from X-Men. I get that there is inspiration to be had from the comics DC and Marvel produce but I feel that these hit a little too close to home and as such, pulled me away from enjoying this introductory volume more. It's not even a case that they just look similar, there are notes inside the volume that state exactly what I'm pointing out.
I'm interested to see where this goes, however, I think I might get the Shonen Jump app for £1.99 a month to read this series (and the majority of others) as I cannot justify spending £5-£8 per volume when chances are I will never read them again. I am hopeful that this Vigilantes series gets turned into an anime though because that would be really cool to watch!