[Manga Review] My Hero Academia Volumes 13-15 by Kohei Horikoshi

I recently watched the current available seasons of an anime titled My Hero Academia, a show  I have easily fallen in love with. It probably won't be until Autumn until the next season, so until then I want to try to read all of the manga that has been published and the chapters that haven't been bound yet into volumes. I plan on reviewing them in collections of three volumes (maybe five, but no more than that) so I don't have like twenty posts on My Hero Academia alone. Once I pass the volumes and I am forced to read the chapters on their own online I'll probably re-read and then review them once they are out in volumes. To avoid spoiling anyone, I am going to always have this opening in each post along with in future posts I'll have a link to previous reviews. Please understand that once I am deep into the series, there may be spoilers. It's hard to review these manga volumes without talking about specifics of what is happening. I highly recommend reading the manga or watching the show and then coming back so we can talk about how great this story is!

My Hero Academia Volumes 1-3 Review
My Hero Academia Volumes 4-6 Review 
My Hero Academia Volumes 7-9 Review 
My Hero Academia Volumes 10-12 Review

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My Hero Academia Vol. 13

Kohei Horikoshi 

⭐⭐⭐

I mentioned this in my review for volume 12 but I'm not super hooked in the provisional license arc but I am invested in the success of the students. It's just the test in the moment that I felt a bit distanced from. I am not sure if it's because there are a lot more characters to focus on (and we don't get too much into who most of them are, so there is a bit of disconnect between me and the characters we are focused on) because we get to know students from other schools or if it's because there is so much happening that it's hard to keep up, but even while watching the anime in the provisional license story arc I definitely found myself getting distracted from watching. 

I am so incredibly proud of every single Class 1-A student who got their Provisional Hero License (and the ones who didn't, poor beans). They're all my babies (besides Mineta, still don't like him) and I love seeing them succeed. The moment where Toshinori gets the text from Izuku absolutely warmed my heart. I love their mentor/student relationship. You can tell Toshinori really cares for Izuku and with Izuku not having a strong father figure in his life it gives me all the feels to see them bond. 

The big scene at the end of this volume between Izuku and Bakugou has me feeling so emotions for both of these dumb boys. I know it'll continue in the next volume so I will have more to say in the next review and I am prepared to have my heart broken, but I think this is one of the very many moments where the reader is reminded that these characters are only kids, and they've been through way too much for kids. 

Overall, this wasn't my favorite volume but they're not all going to be 4-5 star reviews of mine. I liked it enough to give it an average rating. 

My Hero Academia Vol. 14

Kohei Horikoshi 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We've seen these two (Bakugou and Izuku) fight before, mostly Bakugou starting it continuously, but this is different and it shows. Discovering what Bakugou has been keeping so close to his chest ever since getting rescued from the League of Villains makes everything start to click into place a bit more. Bakugou has always been incredibly temperamental and ready to fight, but this was clouded with something else, a desperate sadness that you assume is because he didn't get his provisional license, but there's more.  I think it's heartbreaking for such a young kid to hold so much guilt when it came to All Might's retirement. So when All Might holds Bakugou for a moment and slowly tells him everything, I couldn't help but be a big baby like always and tear up. Afterwards, we see Bakugou see Izuku a bit differently, and I hope this is them patching up the past and moving forward, even if it takes a lot of time. 

I love the Big Three so much. The three of them are all so great but I have a huge soft spot for Tamaki Amajiki. He is so sweet and I want to know more about all three of them. Seeing Mirio battle against Class 1-A so well and seeing how much time and effort he put into his skills is not only incredibly impressive for a third year but also makes me excited to see Class 1-A train and grow into even better heroes. 

The scene with the League of Villains and Overhaul was pretty intense and makes the future of our heroes at UA a little scary because his quirk is a bit terrifying. I am excited to see how the villain's stories overlap with the hero's stories. I already predict a lot of tears coming from me because it seems like its going to get heavy and dark. Which honestly is on brand for this story. 

The whole chapter with Sir Nighteye and Izuku is so good. I love seeing Izuku go from this sweet bean to badass Deku. The confidence he has gained from interning with Gran Torino and just the experiences he's been through makes me so proud of him. He will put himself through anything to become the hero he has always wanted to be and I am just filled with all emotions every time his passion is evident. His determination and spirit is one of my favorite part about him. 

My Hero Academia Vol. 15

Kohei Horikoshi 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think the transition from Class 1-A being students to working with pros is making the story's feel seem so different. Definitely in a good way. We are past the introductions to Izuku having his newfound quirk, learning about each of the classmates, and getting their bearings. Sure, the students still have a ton to learn about their quirks, being heroes, etc, but I feel now we are seeing them learn in the way they're supposed to instead of their education being halted by villains. Now they are being respected by the pros enough to use what they've learned out on the streets. The pros are treating Class 1-A differently than other freshman classes in the past because of the amount of experience they've had already being heroes. They're more mature and ready and I think it's great that (most) of the pros are seeing them as a positive attribute to helping bring in villains. I think it's a smart move.

Deku's initial intuition when it came to Eri is just another sign that he was born to be a hero. He's so in tune with what is right and wrong and I think it's something to be admired. He trusts his gut instincts and often he is rewarded for it. It made me genuinely feel bad for both Izuku and Mirio because of the amount of guilt they felt at not being able to save Eri right then and there, and their determination to save her is so sweet. I like that there are so many similarities between the two. It makes sense that Mirio was a candidate for One for All. I cannot wait to learn more about both Mirio and Eri. 

I am so proud of Kirishima. He is such a sweetheart and I love him so much. The way he handles himself out patrolling with Fat Gum and Suneater (Tamaki) is so professional. He is still of course a kid, so he acts very excitedly and maybe a bit too enthusiastically but when it comes to bringing down a villain he handles himself like a pro. We often see him with the Bakusquad so it's great to see him handling things solo and doing so well. 

Aizawa may not want to admit it, but he loves these kids. Especially Izuku. The way he lets them call him Eraser Head (his hero name) instead of Sensei out of the school setting shows that he is taking them more seriously as heroes. Still students, but at the same time more than that. Also, his conversation with Izuku was really heartwarming and sweet. 

The scene at the end of chapter 137 (the last one in this volume) made me a blubbering mess. The fact that Izuku's friends all recognize that he is acting differently but they take care of him to make him feel better made me so happy. They all love each other and take care of each other and I just love how close they've all gotten. 

Thanks for reading!