MANGA REVIEW | "My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions" - Vol. 4
On paper, My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions should be a no-brainer. Mix and match heroes that normally don’t work with one another, and see what happens. It’s a concept that many superhero comics have done in the past, resulting in some fun what-ifs and exciting battles. So why is it that My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions can’t seem to find that proper flow?
A good dose of the stories in Volume Four take a bit of a left turn with its characters. A spooky Test of Courage competition, a ski jump tournament, and a quest for proper etiquette are served up with a good bunch of fan-favorites. There’s some good laughs in these, especially when Kirishima takes the lead during a snow-filled villain battle. Iida also shines when he’s tricked by enemies to show proper manners whilst unknowingly helping them with their crimes.
In other stories, the narrative just doesn’t seem to go anywhere. Midoriya seeking out where Hawks lives may sounds like fun, but the overall story and its conclusion lack pizazz. A game of volleyball hilariously knocks out the One For All user right at the get-go, but the rest of the story falls flat due to the lack of hard-hitting jokes. (Perhaps they should’ve taken a cue from a certain Spy × Family chapter.)
And then, there’s the apple chapter. As cute as the concept surrounding heroes baking together sounds, the overall story lacks magic, uniqueness, and excitement. Not only is it the most dull story written in the My Hero Academia universe, but it somehow made me fall asleep sitting up in the middle of reading it! There are hits-and-misses within this spinoff, but it’s somewhat insulting how boring it was to read about Eri, Togata, and the rest of the students making apple dishes together.
Team-Up Missions deserves better. This spinoff should be allowing writer/artist Yoko Akiyama some sort of freedom to create some unique stories for this universe. But Volume Four shows that there’s a lack of creative juices flowing through to make for something special. If it doesn’t get any better soon, then My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions may find itself shot with a Quirk-Destroying bullet.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
