My Hero AcadeKaren Season 7 episode 1 aired on Saturday, wasting no time getting into the nitty-gritty. With a little reflection from Deku, then Star crush Shigaraki, along with a great soundtrack by Yuki Hayashi (as always), the season premiere doesn't leave much to be desired as it focuses on the action. verbs from every angle in the best ways possible… Well, for the most part.
Initial reaction
After watching the first episode, I thought it was largely done well. The background music is so exaggerated and gives me goosebumps. Romi Park plays an excellent star. The animation is solid and the visuals are sometimes very detailed, which is often a criticism of anime adaptations, especially in recent seasons. It's not on par with the manga (of course), but it's still respectable.
Sometimes I feel as though there are too many explanations for Star's powers. There's nothing bad about that because we need some explanation. However, it feels like there is an information overload in the midst of what is supposed to be an intense, tense fight between two extremely powerful characters. It went from wanting to destroy each other to “Now it's time for our chibi commercial to explain Star's quirk!” then back to our regularly scheduled programming.
With that said, it was a perfect and great way to kick off My Hero AcadeKaren Season 7 which I thoroughly enjoyed. The unfortunate thing, though, is that it feels like it went by in the blink of an eye. I've been waiting for the premiere all season long and it went by faster than some of the opening reveals.
Stars and Stripes
On the face of it, Star can be a bit corny with an overly strict attitude because she's the big, strong hero in American movies. However, my opinion of her has changed a bit since we were first introduced in the manga. I don't know if it had to do with Park's acting or just seeing Star come to life thanks to the animation team. But she seems cooler in the anime while her backstory, although short, is a bit better than in the manga.
Her powers are actually a bit complicated to understand. So I understand why there was an extended “commercial break” in the fight to really explain how things played out with her nickname, “New Order.” That being said, it was truly amazing to see and I think the production team did a great job of showing how powerful her powers really are.
Star's personality is almost predictable in the way that she comes from that country (shocking). She is assertive with a bit of ignorance. Even complacent to a certain extent. But as America's number one hero, that always feels like it comes with the territory. Regardless, she easily became someone I could root for. She's the feminine image of All Might with a dash of military bravado, making her the perfect opponent for Shigaraki at this point.
I think the artwork, color design and composition of some of Star's shots are downright gorgeous and even elevate the manga in some ways, which is a tall task considering Series creator Kohei Horikoshi's crazy knack for detail in his character drawings. It's a breath of fresh air and definitely needs to give Star a little extra boost to make her feel like a force to be reckoned with.
Shigaraki and All For One
I feel it's the same song and dance with these two. There's nothing we don't already know about them and haven't seen. All For One is crazy and wants Star's quirkiness. Shigaraki is crazy, has another internal monologue and also wants Star's bad habits. There really isn't much there.
We learn that Spinner is also becoming a figurehead for deformed people everywhere, and All For One is also exploiting that role to manipulate him. Again, it just spins everything back. It almost feels like his scene with All For One was nothing more than a scene to simply remember that Spinner was there.
Opening and closing reactions
I've seen some people on X (formerly Twitter) think that this opening theme for My Hero AcadeKaren Season 7 is the best we've seen so far, and others say the opposite. I think, right now, it's somewhere in the middle.
The visuals of the episode are compelling, especially the moment Toga and her shot turn blood red, but the opening theme TK plays out has to do some growing on me. But when the chorus drops, the animation definitely turns up to eleven and it's the perfect thing to get you excited for the new episode of the series, especially in this part of the story.
However, the ending theme is almost the exact opposite. I liked Omoinotake's song from the beginning. While the ending isn't widely known to grab people's attention visually, I feel this one did quite well with its storytelling and storyboarding.
There's a beginning and an ending that both match, but are a little different, which is a nice touch that I love. Never did I think any anime would be so engaging, but it was definitely one of my favorite endings in the series.
My Hero AcadeKaren Season 7 Episode 1 Recap
Overall, all the animators and staff at Studio BONES did a great job. Fans can't complain about the sky this time, and the episode doesn't have much to criticize. Some series handle exaggerated moments very well, and My Hero AcadeKaren has certainly once again proven itself to be one of them. I can't wait for this fight to continue next week!
Episode 1 rating: 8/10
If you loved episode 1 of My Hero AcadeKaren Season 7, then be sure to check it out and vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 2 will be released on Saturday, May 11. Crunchyroll is streaming the anime with English subtitles.
Screenshot via Crunchyroll
©K. Horikoshi/Shueisha, My Hero AcadeKaren Project